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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8350791" data-attributes="member: 30538">Magnifico<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-wMh3G7X/0/9350794c/M/Joshua_Ayers_%2528Earth-616%2529_from_FF_Fifty_Fantastic_Years_Vol_1_1_0001-M.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />In 1993, as part of his research about the first age, journalist Richard Lawson assembled what could be definitely proven about the man who went to prison under the name Angelo Anselmo -- including the fact that two different specialists offered differing opinions as to the authenticity of the birth certificate with that name and his supposed 1920 birthdate. As that beginning might lead one to expect, there wasn't much to be had, with little more than rumors about him prior to his surfacing in Los Angeles in 1955. One of the more intriguing rumors claimed that someone who greatly resembled him had been active in New York in 1951, under the name Joseph Genovese, until a conflict with Mr. Odin drove him out of town, but there were serious credibility issues with the source.In Los Angeles, he first made his mark as a supposed investigator for attorney (and secret mobster) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_DeSimone" target="_blank">Frank DeSimone</a>. Again, it's not clear if DeSimone was aware of Anselmo's powers at that early stage of their association, but it seems likely that he had to have been by the next year, when he used those powers to ensure DeSimone won the election to be named Los Angeles' mob boss. It's also believed that he started to demonstrate his tendency towards sexual assault in that same year, using mind control to first rape Marie Adamo and then force her husband Momo, one of DeSimone's rivals, into murder-suicide. If, as some think likely, he also compelled police informants to blame DeSimone for this act, he also demonstrated his tendencies towards treachery. Despite DeSimone's misfortune of being exposed as a mobster in 1957, Anselmo continued to serve as his 'adviser', really acting as a power behind the throne. He was quite effective in this role, as demonstrated by his ability to thwart and eliminate the Star and Sunset, a pair of local vigilantes who'd begun operations in the Los Angeles area in imitation of the Cowl. (Reportedly, the duo were shot and then dumped in the La Brea tar pits.) By 1959, Anselmo had also begun to develop relationships with some of the secret aristocracy of the city, offering his services as a go-between who could be relied upon to 'convince' others. This was also around the time that he began to cultivate his somewhat old-fashioned style, somewhat inspired by stage magicians, and using the alias 'Magnifico'.Fragmentary evidence suggests that it was in this role that he first encountered Diane Fortune and Nicholas Ashe when they visited Los Angeles in 1961. While their initial meeting was quite friendly, it soured rapidly after he attempted to use his mind control on Fortune and encountered, for what may have been the first time, a will he could not break. The two mystics elected to escape the situation rather than bring matters to a conclusion, leaving Magnifico infuriated and paranoid that they might expose him. He was correct, though mistaken that it would be a public exposure.Two years later, Magnifico had his first personal clash with the woman who would become his nemesis -- Basilea. Able to not only resist his mind control but to fight back, both physically and psychically, she terrified him on a fundamental level. His schemes went to pieces when she set herself against him, and though he remained free, he was often forced into hiding for extended periods, hampering his ability to 'help' DeSimone and increasing the other man's paranoia, in turn jeopardizing Anselmo's comfortable position.In light of this, it's not surprising that Magnifico proved amenable to Baron Khan's 1965 proposal to several noteworthy enemies of the members of the Institute that they join forces against them under the name of the Agents of Destruction. He was at first startled and then somewhat amused to find him leagued alongside Nicholas Ashe, now calling himself Diavolo, even though the other man didn't seem to remember their first meeting. Magnifico nevertheless kept an eye on him against the possibility of treachery, with that sort of mutual suspicion ultimately dooming the group's scheme. Ironically, the treachery Magnifico should have feared came from a completely different direction, with Perseus' enemy Glorianna knocking him out during their escape and leaving him to be captured.Having learned from hard experience just how crimson Magnifico's sins were, Basilea went to great lengths to ensure that he remained in custody, thwarting the man's numerous escape attempts before he finally went to trial, and working closely with the prosecution in the case. Anselmo attempted to portray himself as the innocent victim of mind control by the other members of the Agents, offering EEG scans that seemed to prove that his psyche had been unduly influenced. (In fact, this influence had come after his capture, when Basilea had used her telepathy to interrogate him.)In doing so, Anselmo outsmarted himself. The prosecution was able to introduce similar scans of numerous men and women who had been associated with him who showed similar influence, and then provide testimony from several of them as to the source of that influence. Despite the best efforts of his attorney, Anselmo was convicted of more than a dozen assaults over and above the initial charges involved in his activities with the Agents, and he was sentenced to more than 120 years in a federal prison, with Basilea continuing to advise on how best to ensure that he could not use his abilities to escape. The sentence was appealed, of course, and went all the way to the Supreme Court, who upheld the precedent that psychic influence constituted assault.In 1982, as the Pythonian Insurgency declared itself, they caused jail breaks in a number of federal penitentiaries, including the one where Anselmo was being held. Pythia herself, accompanied by several operators, oversaw that particular operation, and paused at his cell as though considering releasing him. "No," she said at last. "I don't think so." He was the only inmate not freed, and the only one to die when the building was blown up after the mass escape.Magnifico -- PL 10Abilities:STR 2 | STA 2 | AGL 1 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 4Powers:Mind Control: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Subtle; Senses 1 (mental link with compelled or controlled target) - 52 pointsPower Stunt:The Voice: Hearing Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration.Advantages:Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Skill Mastery (Deception). Skills:Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+9).Offense:Initiative +1Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 10)Defense:Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 2, Will 11Totals:Abilities 34 + Powers 51 + Advantages 7 + Skills 29 + Defenses 18 = 139 pointsComplications:Greed--Motivation. Intolerance (women.) Temper.Note: Character concept by Voltron64, based on a 'blink and you'll miss it' reference by me that was a Moonlighting injoke in the first place.</blockquote>

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