Randall O'Brien (Earth-148611)

Randall O'Brien was a trainee doctor affected by the White Event which spontaneously created paranormal abilities in a few thousand people; he discovered he could generate 'Anti-bodies', mysterious, black, flying duplicates of himself from within his own body. Though mute, the Anti-bodies were intelligent to a degree, and could transmit whatever they saw back to Randy upon rejoining with him (or to any other person he directed them to impart information to). At first, Randy believed he could create only one of these creatures, but later realized he could generate many more simultaneously, though he had little control over his powers.

A patient at the Clinic for Paranormal Research, O'Brien soon became convinced that those running the clinic were using the patients for their own ends and that they were effectively prisoners. He convinced six other paranormals in the same therapy group to leave the clinic with him and go on the run: Dave Landers, Lenore Fenzl, Charlotte Beck, Dennis Cuzinski, Jeff Walters, and Stephanie Harrington. For some months, the seven were fugitives from the clinic, but were eventually recaptured.

With Harrington in a coma due to injuries caused by the sadistic clinic employee Harlan Hackbarth, and the other four effectively brainwashed, O'Brien and Landers confronted the clinic's Director, Philip Nolan Voigt, who was using the clinic to further his own megalomaniac ambitions of paranormal supremacy, and had hidden the fact that he was a powerful paranormal himself. With Voigt apparently dead, O'Brien suggested to the others that they should remain at the clinic and see that it began doing what it was intended to do - help paranormals cope with their powers. First though, they had to weed out the remaining corrupt staff members, including Dexter Charne and Tracy Speck, both of whom were paranormals. Charne tried to shoot David Landers dead (accidentally killing Speck in the process), but was himself killed by one of O'Brien's Anti-bodies. O'Brien, horrified, refused to allow the creature back into his body, and the renegade Anti-body eventually bonded with a boy named Evan Huebner, becoming the Shadowman.

O'Brien and the others eventually left the clinic though, to find Jeff Walters, who had fled in despair after learning that the city of Pittsburgh had been destroyed, and his family killed, in the so-called 'Black Event' caused by the Star Brand. ^{[citation needed]}

In the wake of the Pitt, the US government began drafting paranormals, and O'Brien found himself inducted into the US Army at the paranormal training base Fort Benning. Eventually going AWOL to find the missing Landers, O'Brien (who had learned to effectively 'clothe' himself in an Anti-body, giving him their ability to fly) was accidentally soaked in 'Pitt juice', the strange liquid which pooled at the bottom of the Pittsburgh crater, and found that he was now permanently trapped inside the Anti-body. He could still create duplicate Anti-bodies, but these were now only much smaller versions of himself. ^{[citation needed]}

Not returning to the Army, O'Brien and the remainder of his depleted group went to New York to hide out. O'Brien was later offered the chance to be freed from his Anti-body by William Wexler, the paranormal known as The Cure, but decided not to accept since it would mean totally destroying his paranormality and effectively killing his other Anti-bodies, which his conscience would not permit.^{[citation needed]}

Attributes

Powers

Randy O'Brien has the paranormal ability to create three-dimensional shadow-like humanoid "anti-bodies" which can fly, become intangible and re-merge with his body. He can also clothe himself in an anti-body, giving himself the ability to fly. The anti-bodies were able to transmit their memories by touch.

Abilities

Randy was a trained doctor, and had army training.

Weaknesses

After his contact with 'Pitt Juice', Randy was effectively trapped within his anti-body.

Links and References

Randy O'Brien on Marvel Appendix

References

↑ D.P.7 #20

[1] D.P.7 #20

[1]

Randall O'Brien (Earth-148611)

Contents

History