Alex Mercer (Nightverse)

Alex Mercer
Name	Alex Mercer
Home World	Empire City (Destroyed)
Role	Mercenary/Scientist
Weapon	Biomass
Abilities	Consume/Disguise Form weapons from body
Limit Breaks	Critical Pain Tendril Barrage Groundspike Graveyard
Status	Alive

"If you want to survive in this place, then forget about honor and mercy; they'll only get you killed."

—Alex Mercer to Xashowd, speaking about the Nightverse

"My name is Alex Mercer. They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist... I am all of these things."

—Alex Mercer, introducing himself to Cole MacGrath

Alex Mercer is a scientist turned mercenary from Empire City, and a current member of Damage, Inc. He founded it alongside Cole MacGrath, and he is extraordinarily powerful -- in fact, he is tied with Cole for the title of strongest member.

Appearance

Alex wears a black hoodie and brown pants, and seems to have silver eyes (although this could simply be an effect of the virus). Because his hood is always up, his hair color is unknown.

Personality

Any of these could accurately describe Alex Mercer: predatory, borderline sociopathic, and terrifying intellect. His primary concerns are destroying the Midnight Syndicate and removing all traces of the BLACKLIGHT virus -- excluding himself, of course.

History

From Prototype to Empire City

See here for more details.

Alex Mercer was originally a scientist who released a virus in Penn Station as revenge on the people who were about to kill him. Once he was shot to death, the virus basically cloned and reanimated his body, but with no memories of his identity.

Over the next three weeks, this new Alex (whom the military code-named "ZEUS") used his powers (granted by the Virus) to consume various scientists and military officers who had had a hand in his demise.

The military, in order to contain the infection, puts the city under quarantine, and prepares to destroy it with a nuclear blast. Alex hijacks the helicopter carrying the explosive and pilots it away, virtually destroying himself in the process. However, some of his biomass remained intact, and consumed a crow looking for a meal. Regenerated, Alex purges New York of the infection before relocating to Empire City in order to deal with a plague there as well. It was a month after that that he joined forces with Cole MacGrath and later formed Damage, Incorporated.

Forming Damage, Inc.

A Conduit in Empire City somehow contracted the BLACKLIGHT virus, and went on a rampage through the Neon District. Even Empire City's protector, Cole MacGrath, wasn't powerful enough to defeat this monstrosity. When Alex and Cole teamed up, though, the Conduit was eventually destroyed.

The maddened Conduit, however, lost control of his powers at the moment of his defeat, and summoned the Heartless to that world, destroying it. Since then, Cole and Alex have been wandering the Nightverse as mercenaries offering their powers to the highest bidder -- but giving a discout to those who oppose the Midnight Syndicate, since it was later learned that Juxak was directly responsible for infecting the Conduit in the first place.

Over a period of time, they have been joined by a number of people, many of whom have at least one reason for taking down the Syndicate.

Abilities

See here for more.

Alex Mercer is arguably the most powerful member of Damage, Inc., and his specialty is close-range combat. However, he is also skilled at tracking/investigating his enemies, and can consume other life-forms, enabling him to acquire their memories and use their likeness as a disguise. Because it also provides him with more Biomass, he can also improve his powers in this way.