sdn@torrance:~$access --personnelshroud

Shroud

Personnel File // SDN Torrance Division
CalculatingArrogantPower-hungryMethodicalMisanthropic

Abilities

Cybernetic EnhancementPrediction AlgorithmMaster EngineeringSpider Armor
Audio Transcript Log
REC

“You can't stop evil. All you can do is control it.”

--Shroud

Backstory

Origins

Elliot Connors was a superhero and member of the [[Brave Brigades]] who worked alongside Astral, the second Mecha Man. Despite not being an official member, Shroud contributed significantly to the team—most notably helping Astral create the [[Astral Pulse]] for the Mecha Man Suit—hoping it would earn him full membership.

The Fall

After Astral cancelled the vote on Shroud's official membership for the fifth time, Elliot confronted him and challenged him to a fight. Despite fighting without the Mecha Man suit, Astral defeated him. Humiliated and furious, Shroud stole Astral's gun from his locker and shot him in the chest, killing him. He was subsequently captured and imprisoned for 15 years.

Rise of the Red Ring

Following his prison escape, Shroud established the [[Red Ring]]—a criminal organization enhanced through cybernetic augmentations he designed. He lured Mecha Man III into a trap at [[Llewelyn Steel Works]], destroying Robert's suit and losing the [[Astral Pulse]] in the process. When Shroud learned the Pulse survived, he orchestrated a city-wide conflict to reclaim it.

Appearance

Shroud is an average-sized man wearing a black trench coat with a hood, cables extending from his neck onto his back, and various augments with red glowing accents. His signature metal skull mask has a glowing red left eye. - Masked: Black trench coat, hood, skull mask with glowing red left eye, cybernetic augments - Elliot Connors: Blue-eyed man with short brown hair and a mustache

Personality

Shroud presents himself as calm, methodical, polite, and honorable. Beneath this façade lies a petty, arrogant, and power-hungry individual who is ruthless in pursuit of control. Key personality traits: - Misanthropic: Believes humanity is inherently evil; heroes who try to "beat the bad by being good" are foolish - Control Obsessed: Forces villains into his service via augmentations he can shut off at will - Respects True Heroes: Despite his cynicism, genuinely respects selfless heroes like Blonde Blazer—he shot a man for making crass comments about her - Overconfident: Years of accurate predictions have inflated his ego; losing control sends him into a breakdown His reliance on his prediction algorithm has eroded his instincts—a fatal flaw Robert Robertson exploits in their final confrontation.

Powers and Abilities

Cybernetic Enhancement

- Superhuman Intelligence: Created mechanical augments and instantly calculates power levels of equipment like the Mecha Man armor - Prediction Algorithm: A microcomputer implanted in his head calculates probable outcomes with near-clairvoyant accuracy. More data improves precision but increases computation time. The [[Astral Pulse]] would make him virtually omniscient - Master Control Implant: Can remotely enable/disable augmentations given to his subordinates, ensuring absolute loyalty

Spider Armor

Shroud pilots an alien-spider-like mecha with: - Superhuman Strength: Overpowers Mecha Man, Blonde Blazer, and Phenomaman - Superhuman Durability: Withstands elemental attacks and superpowered blows - Flight: Jet boosters mounted on five palps - Energy Projection: Fires energy beams and bolts - Enhanced Reflexes: Catches high-speed projectiles and dodges attacks

Skills

- Master Tactician: Orchestrated Astral's death, escaped prison, and planned the ambush that destroyed Mecha Man's suit - Master Engineer: Designs augments that enhance both powered and normal individuals - Master Scientist: Co-invented the [[Astral Pulse]], one of the most powerful energy sources in existence

Weaknesses

- Unpredictability: Unexpected variables blind his algorithm—he didn't foresee Invisigal double-crossing both sides or Chase receiving Blonde Blazer's powers - Binary Thinking: His algorithm assumes only two possible choices, never accounting for a third option - No Self-Data: Never inputted data about himself, leaving him unable to predict his own behavior when forced to trust his gut - Inferior Pulse: His red [[Astral Pulse]] replica lacks the original's potency

Relationships

Robbie Robertson II|Astral

Former ally and victim. Helped create the [[Astral Pulse]] together. Shroud murdered him after being denied Brave Brigades membership for the fifth time.

Red Ring

His criminal empire. Controls members through augmentations he can disable at will. When powered by the real Astral Pulse, he boosts all their abilities—or poisons them all with the faulty prototype.

Trivia

  • Voiced by Matthew Mercer, who is basically contractually obligated to voice morally complex antagonists at this point.
  • Created the [[Astral Pulse]] with Astral—then murdered Astral and spent 15+ years trying to steal it back. Commitment to irony.
  • His prediction algorithm can calculate thousands of outcomes but apparently can't tell the difference between two glowing orbs when Robert Robertson hands him both.
  • Shot a man in the head for disrespecting Blonde Blazer. Even supervillains have standards (and terrible taste in appropriate conflict resolution).
  • His mask has one glowing red eye—the universal villain signal for "I make bad decisions that look cool."
  • If Robert gives him both pulses, Shroud's algorithm basically crashes like a Windows 95 PC.
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