Hellfire
Biographical Details
- Full Name
- Hans Richter.
- Born
- August 14, 1963; Hamburg, Germany.
- Died
- December 11 2014; Germany.
- Relatives
- None.
- Occupation
- Career criminal and terrorist; television presenter.
- Associates
- Frequent associate of the Anarchists.
Description
Richter's face and much of his torso was covered in scar tissue, the result of extensive first degree burning. To conceal this, he typically wore a full-face mask as part of a red-and black costume that included a long, flame-decorated cape.
Height: 6' (183cm); Weight 180lbs (82kg); Hair: short, brown, thinning; Eyes: Black.
History
Hans Richter was the only son of wealthy parents. Throughout his childhood he was given everything he could ever want, and yet he wanted more. Richter attended the University of Hamburg, studying literature, where he fell in with a group of young, wealthy, immoral students. Through this group, he became involved in the black arts of magic. None of the youths truly believed in magic; to them, the ceremonies were an excuse for nights of drugs, drinking, and debauchery.
But one autumn night in 1984, through some combination of circumstances and the liberation of psychic energy (possibly aided by the mind-altering substances being used), contact was made with a creature of another world. This creature, a being of pyrokinetic energy, was seeking to escape its own universe. It appeared to Hans Richter, sensing a kindred evil within the human, and struck a bargain with him. Richter would provide the living vessel for its energy to exist in our universe. In return, it would grant him vast power.
Richter returned to his parents' home. Using the power of the fire entity he burned it to the ground, killing his parents. It is not entirely certain whether or not this was a deliberate act. In the conflagration, he suffered hideous burns. The fire entity protected him from actual harm but he bore the disfigurement for the rest of his life.
If his intent was to inherit his family's wealth, he did not see any gains from his crime. His guilt was discovered and he became a fugitive from the law. Adopting a costume and a mask that hid his scarred face, he worked under the name Hellfire and began to gain an international criminal reputation. He often worked with the Anarchists, in Europe and the United States, becoming one of their most valuable enforcers. He came into conflict with many groups of heroes, including the Protectors, Strikeforce, and the EC-Men. He served a few short prison terms but was never held for long.
During the Event which stripped every superhuman on Earth of their powers, Hellfire's fire entity deserted him. It possibly found a way back to its own universe in order to avoid destruction in ours. Unaware of his power loss, Hellfire walked into a bank in Munich two days after the Event and attempted to rob it. He was easily overpowered by the security guards when his magic failed to materialise on command, and after a short trial he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Shortly afterwards, Richter's lawyers had him acquitted of all crimes. They claimed that all of his crimes were committed by a second personality which no longer existed. In a case which made legal history, a European Court judge ruled that Richter could not be held accountable for crimes committed by a second personality. When a team of experts lead by Steven Connels of the Marvin Munroe Clinic testified that Richter's second personality no longer existed, he was released from prison and all charges against him in Europe were dropped. He was still wanted for outstanding crimes in the United States, and he was subject to numerous failed extradition attempts.
Richter became an overnight celebrity. He appeared on numerous television shows, talking about his "demonic possession". Soon he was hosting his own television shows and making a reputation as an expert in the supernatural.
Richter died in the early hours of December 11, 2014. The vehicle he was driving veered out of control and hit an oncoming fuel tanker on the autobahn. Richter died instantly, ironically engulfed in an explosive fireball.
Psychological Profile
Richter was greedy, immoral and totally evil. This was true even before his possession by the fire entity. It is thought that the entity guided his actions after his possession, but it is unlikely that Richter himself would have felt any remorse over anything he was "forced" to do.
Skills and Abilities
The fire entity granted Hellfire a number of magical abilities based on the control of fire. He could hurl bolts of fire with stunning or lethal destructive force. He could erect a flaming shield that diverted or blunted the force of incoming attacks. He could cause minor fire manifestations to provide light or heat. He was also immune to most forms of heat and flame.
The fire entity itself could leave his body for short periods of time, manifesting as a small glowing fireball. In this form, it could use any of its abilities independently. As Hellfire himself still possessed these abilities, this effectively doubled his power. The fire entity also had the ability to move instantaneously from one place to another, via an intermediate dimension of space, and it could transport Hellfire and anyone else he desired by the same mechanism. This ability, although limited to a distance of a few hundred metres, enabled Hellfire to make many last minute escapes.
Hellfire also picked up a wide body of magical knowledge. Much of this was purely theoretical and of little direct application. One useful ability he learned was a method of blocking magical detection spells. This was often employed to hide Anarchist bases from various magically-skilled heroes. It was instrumental in forcing Astra to work for the Anarchists when Hellfire hid her mortal body from her Astral form.