Physical Description
Dark brown skin with thick eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. His sclera are sky blue, and his iris is amber colored. His hair is sapphire blue and curly, which he usually keeps medium length. Tall and muscular with wide shoulders with long, thin fingers. He has several tribal-like tattoos on his body. He has a pair of snow white wings on his back with black eye-like markings on the tip of each feather, which he can retract into his back. He is considered to be very handsome by many. He wears a sterling silver, blue opal ring with the Jewish symbol Chai on it that he got from his father.
When using the empyreal his eyes shine, his hair becomes a fiery sapphire blue, a halo appears over his head, the markings on his body glow gold, and his skin turns a bright luminescent white color making him look similar to a marble statue. The eye-markings on his feather-tips glow and resemble his eyes.
Personality
A quiet and thoughtful individual who doesn't enjoy being the center of attention and tries to avoid the media as best he can.
Despite his down-to-earth personality, he can be witty and sarcastic, often surprising people who only know him casually with his sense of humor and sass. He can often be blunt and straight to the point and hates it when people keep secrets from him to protect his feelings.
He takes his work seriously and can be surprisingly ruthless and cutthroat, preferring to quickly end a fight before it can escalate, often using brutal methods to beat his foes or intimidate them into submission, frequently earning him a bit of criticism from other heroes for his methods. But he always gives his opponents a chance to surrender and prefers to talk things out and is always willing to accept help from others.
He is studious with a love for history and has a knack for linguistics, able to speak several languages. He is also very perceptive and able to quickly analyze his enemies’ fighting styles and abilities to quickly gauge their limits and weaknesses as well as use his surroundings to his advantage.
He is biromantic, preferring to have romantic relations with men and women over physical. Though he is not adverse to sex, he would rather hold hands, kiss or cuddle with his partners. This has made him feel isolated and caused him to face ridicule from his peers.
He is a devout Shinto with a strong affinity to Amaterasu whom he prays to everyday. He is also very eco-friendly, recycles and is very respectful of nature.
History
Terrigenesis
Michael Welkin was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, where he lived a happy life with his family: his parents, Mary and Nathan, and his older siblings, Maya and Paxton. They lived a comfortable life and despite being more introverted than his siblings he still was an active member of his community, helping others either at a soup kitchen, organizing LGBT meetings, or other acts of kindness.
Michael always felt isolated from his peers and never felt like he fit in anywhere and wasn’t outgoing or social like his brother and sister. But despite this he always had a desire to assist others and never turned down a request for help.
When the Terrigene Cloud passed through Seattle, Michael and his siblings discovered they had Inhuman ancestry and after emerging from their cocoons they knew his life had changed forever. His parents decided to keep his transformation a secret, not out of shame but fear that Michael would be targeted by bigots or organizations targeting enhanced-people and began to have him home-schooled.
Eventually, after taking time to learn how his powers worked, Michael decided to return to school. The sudden presence of an Inhuman population had caused discord, and the mutants were starting to clash with the Nuhumans. Michael wanted to help keep the peace.
He knew he was capable of so much more, that his powers could be used to not only help the city, but the world as well. So he decided to become a hero. With his family’s support, Michael returned to school and took on the identity of Seraph, the guardian angel of Seattle.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Michael is a Nuhuman who after going through Terrigenesis gained the power to tap into a sentient cosmic power he calls Aether. He theorizes it is a Kami from Takamagahara. His connection to it grants him several powers.
Nuhuman Physiology: Terrigenesis enhanced Michaels physical abilities. He is able to lift one ton of weight, run faster than the fastest human athlete and his reflexes allow him to easily catch objects thrown at him. His stamina is beyond human levels, he can go weeks without needing to sleep and instead has had to relearn how to sleep through meditation or by using his abilities to a degree it tires him.
Wings: Michael’s wings give him the superhuman ability of flight. They are not like regular wings, appearing to be made up of a solidified energy. He has control over their size, and often varies his wingspan from as small as ten feet to as large as fifty feet. They are shown to be more durable than they appear. He has used them to shield himself from gunfire and explosions. He is capable of retracting them into his back to better blend in with humans.
- Feathers: The feathers of his wings are imbued with small portions of his power. His feathers have been shown to heal injured people when they touch them and generate small amounts of Angelfire.
- Flight/Levitation: His wings possess an innate power that allows him to defy gravity. He has been observed to hover and levitate in the air without moving his wings. With them he can fly at speeds around 250 miles per hour. When using his Angelfire he can fly at even greater speeds and into the depths of space. His wings must be out in order for him to do this.
Angelfire: A powerful and versatile, mystical energy. It is whitish blue and is described as being like a mixture of fire and lightning. Thanks to its mystical nature, it does not have the regular limitations of fire or lightning. It does not require oxygen and can burn even underwater. It cannot be extinguished using regular methods and is capable of harming those with pyrokinetic abilities. It is the antithesis of hellfire and is capable of breaking powerful dark magical spells and curses as well as protecting Michael from their effects.
- Energy Projection: He can release Angelfire as concussive force blasts that can level entire buildings. He typically projects it from his hands, eyes or wings to do this but can release it from any part of his body. Should his attacks be somehow reflected back at him, Michael can simply re-absorb it without harm. By touching an object, he can channel some of his Angelfire to enhance its natural capabilities. He has used this on weapons like staves to increase their durability and on bladed weapons to make them sharper. He can also imbue guns with Angelfire, increasing the potency of their bullets. He has to be careful because if he puts too much power into an object, he could destroy it. The items he infuse gain the abilities of his Angelfire, making them effective against demons and specters.
- Enhancment Aura: Michael can channel his power to create an aura that greatly enhances his physical abilities such as his strength, speed, reflexes, stamina and protects him from melee attacks as his aura will burn anyone that touches him. It is strong enough to protect him from high caliber guns and explosions as well as extreme temperatures such as lava, and through an unknown means allows him to breathe underwater and in space as long as it is active. Without his aura he is vulnerable to attack.
- Energy Shape Manipulation: Michael can form his power into any shape he can imagine, typically into the form of weapons he uses in a fight. He can make the objects he creates fly and levitate in the air. He can control the size and shape of the weapons he creates, remaining unhindered by their weight.
- Angelfire Infusion: He can channel his angelfire into objects to enhance their physical abilities and properties.
Healing: Michael is a powerful healer, capable of healing physical or spiritual injuries. He can help a person recover lost memories, but he can’t permanently heal mental or physical ailments if the person was naturally born with them, though he can lessen their symptoms. He is also able to revitalize someone and restore their stamina. He has also been shown healing tears in the fabric of reality and space. It tires him to do this and depending on the number of people he heals, as well as the injury, it can drain him.
- Regeneration: Michael has been able to heal from massive and lethal injuries. He has survived being shot multiple times and regrown an arm, and even his bones can snap back into place after being shattered. The exact limits to his healing power are unknown, but it is theorized severing his head or destroying his brain would kill him.
- Purification: He can purify a person or object that has been corrupted by a malevolent force, burning away the impurity and freeing the afflicted of any dark influence.
- Tactile Empathy: When he heals a person, he can sense their physical and emotional pain as if it were his own. This can help him locate the source of a person’s injury and help him understand a person’s emotional distress in order to better aid them.
- Curse Breaking: If a person is suffering from the effects of a magical curse Michael can break it.
Soul-Vision: This power allows Michael to peer into the souls of others and into different levels of reality. It prevents him from being fooled by shapeshifters and allows him to see through illusions and other powers that confuse the mind. It also lets him observe spiritual energy and magic. It has shown to be less effective on those who do not have a soul. Since he reads souls, he is able to use his ability on even the most powerful and skilled of psychics without their notice most of the time. He typically only uses a portion of this power, since using the full power gives him a headache and makes him feel like a peeping Tom.
- Visual Empathy: Michael can read a person’s aura and visualize their emotions as colors. This allows him to tell a person’s emotional state with a single glance. It can also tell him if a person is lying or telling him the truth and if they are being manipulated by psychics.
- Lifeforce Perception: He can see the life-flow of living beings. This allows him to judge a person’s health or help warn him if someone is actually a shapeshifter by the difference in people’s chi. He can also tell if people are related by how similar their lifeforces are, which he perceives metaphors and symbolism, like barbed wire wrapped around the brain of a person with severe mental disorders.
- Power Identification: Michael can tell what kind of power an Enhanced Human (Mutants, Inhumans, Mutates, etc) possesses. He can also tell if a person’s power is mystic in nature or even what type of magic user a person is. He can see powers that are normally undetectable when they are being used, like telekinetic abilities or Sue Storm’s invisible shields.
Empyreal: A form that taps into the primordial power of the Aether, increasing Michael's powers to extraordinary levels and giving him access to powers he normally does not have. He can only maintain it for so long as it puts a great deal of strain on his body, and if he overuses it he risks being incinerated by his own power. The longest he can use it is five minutes before he must stop before he suffers serious injury.
- Enhanced Angelfire: Michael can project and control a greater amount of energy while in this form and can shape and manipulate it simply by thought without moving his body, incinerate a human with a look, or create enough force to shatter a planet. At its peak his energy can reach temperatures greater than a super nova.
- Enhancement Aura: With his body supercharged with Angelfire, Michael’s physical abilities are enhanced to an unparalleled level. He can lift over a hundred tons, move at lightspeed, making it appear he is teleporting, and can withstand the force of a nuclear blast without flinching.
- Enhanced Healing: Michael’s healing power is enhanced and no longer requires him to physically touch someone to heal them.
- Radiance: He can heal with the light of his presence alone. Repairing any damage, as well as rejuvenating physical and mental stamina. A process described as being bathed in pure joy.
- Regeneration: If he is somehow injured he can instantly repair any damage he sustains.
- Enhanced Soul-Vision: Michael’s power to see into souls becomes so powerful that he can see into the soul of Eternity.
- Soul Reading: With a single look Michael can read a person’s soul and see their thoughts and memories. He describes it as knowledge pouring through his eyes and into his mind.
- Cosmic Awareness: By seeing the soul of Eternity, Michael can gain knowledge normally inaccessible through the five senses. He can see things on a cellular level and is aware of things happening over a vast distance.
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| * When using the Empyreal his powers are greatly enhanced. | |||||
Abilities
Hand-to-Hand-Combat: When he was growing up Michael’s parents enrolled him into martial arts to help him learn to defend himself. He has a personal trainer and practices boxing with his brother Paxton. He is trained in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kali and Muay Thai.
Linguistics: Michael has a knack for learning to speak and write other languages.
Botany: Michael has been taught by his mother and is knowledgeable in gardening and botany. He knows what plants and herbs are healthy and what are poisonous.
Yoga: He has been practicing yoga since he was young and uses it to help control his abilities.
Strength level
Unknown.
Weaknesses
Overuse of power: If he uses his Empyreal for too long it can cause him to burn up from power excess, killing him in the process. He is also shown to be greatly tired after using it and may suffer from severe burns depending on the length of time that he used the Empyreal. Sine these injuries are caused by his own power, he must let them heal naturally or with the assistance of other healing powers.
Sensory Overload: When using his Soul-Vision Michael must be careful as he can only perceive what his mind can understand. When looking at one of the Infinity Gems his eyes began to bleed profusely and he described it as looking at the sun. When using it on gods like Thor seeing their true divine form can cause him to have a bad headache afterwards. This danger if increased when he uses it in tandem with the Empyreal.
Paraphernalia
Equipment: None known.
Transportation: Wings
Weapons: None known.
- No special notes.
- ↑ 1
Trivia
Is modeled after Matthew Daddario in appearance but with African-Asian characteristics.
He is Afro-Asian American. His mother is of Japanease-American descent, and his father is an African-American of Jewish descent.
His motto is a quote from Psalm XXIII:4, "I will fear no evil."
His favorite color is blue. He finds it to be a soothing and helps him focus.He studies linguistics and can speak, and write in several languages and knows American Sign Language.
He enjoys reading. His favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy.
He likes grunge music.
Even though he can retract his wings into his body, he cannot alter his eyes so when he goes out he wears colored glasses and tells people he has an eye condition.
With his sister’s help he dyes his hair black, but he has to be careful because his Angelfire will burn the dye away.
A lot of his Angelfire attacks are modeled after the Supers from the video game series Destiny.
His Angelfire is visually similar to the hex bolts of the MCU's Scarlet Witch, only instead of red it is bluish white and looks like a mix between fire and lightning and is also similar to the cosmic energy Captain Marvel has. The way he summons and controls it is similar to how Wanda does in the movies.
The idea of his ability Soul Reading is taken from the manga/anime Soul Eater.
His father and siblings are Practicing Jews, but Michael and his mother are followers of Shinto. Michael himself prays to the sun goddess Amaterasu.
He takes great pride in his ethnic background, so much so that he hates using the Empyreal because it whitens his skin, which he feels robs him of his connection to his African roots.
The Empyreal is inspired by Captain Marvel’s Binary form, Izuku Midoriya’s One For All: Full Cowl-100% and the Quincy: Vollständig from the manga Bleach.
In terms of power he is considered to be the same level as Black Bolt, Spectrum and Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) and labeled an Alpha level threat. When in his Empyreal form he is considered to be on the level as a herald of Galactus.
His suite takes inspiration from his Jewish and Shinto background. The magatama are in honor of his patron Amaterasu and the fiery wings on his arms and legs are a reference to the seraphim of Jewish lore who had six wings. It was designed by his sister, Maya.
Heroes who helped inspire his creation are Angel, Jean Grey, Jessica Jones, and Miles Morales.
Karnak has stated Michael is one of the most powerful Inhumans ever seen.
Cypher (Douglas Ransey) is one of his favorite hero because of his power to learn any language in a matter of minutes. Michael has stated he used to wish he could have this power.
His other favorite hero is Monica Rambeau. He has a few posters of her in his room and a few shirts with her logo on them.
His Hogwarts house would be Huffelpuff.
His Ilvermorny house is Wampus Cat.
His alignment is Lawful Neutral.
His favorite mythological creature is the Kirin.
His mothers maiden name is Mochizuki.
Credit for his artwork goes to Brandon Flynn.
See Also
- Appearances of Michael Welkin (Earth-4040)
- Character Gallery: Michael Welkin (Earth-4040)
- Quotations by Michael Welkin (Earth-4040)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Michael Gabriel Welkin · Michael Welkin (Earth-4040)
Links and References
- None.