Topher (Earth-616)

Topher
Name	Topher
Aliases	The One Who Fathered Us, Toph
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly Runaways (provisional member).
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5′11″ (1.8 m)
Weight	171 lbs (77.56 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Brown
Unusual Features	Fangs, claws
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Vampire
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Criminal, Leader of two minions; former investor.
Education	Presumably high school dropout.
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona
First	Runaways #7 (October, 2003)
First	Runaways #7 (October, 2003)
Death	Runaways #10 (January, 2004)
Death	Runaways #10 (January, 2004)

History

Origin

Topher, born around 1900, was turned into a vampire at age sixteen. Following the Great Depression, he amassed wealth by playing the stock market and continued to live luxuriously for decades. By the 1940s, he had already sired at least one other vampire, and in 1979, he drank the blood of a mutant. He lived in comfort for years as a wealthy recluse.

Runaways

Around 2001, Topher lost his fortune in the aftermath of the dot-com crash and turned to crime. He was accompanied by two vampire minions, one of whom he had likely turned in the 1940s.

During a robbery at a convenience store in Los Feliz, California, Topher encountered the Runaways. When his minions fled, he pretended they were his parents and claimed he had been forced into crime.

Team leader Alex Wilder suspected deception but played along, anticipating that Topher would betray them. He saw the opportunity to use Topher’s actions as a training experience for the team.

While pretending to be a new member, Topher sowed discord among the Runaways by showing romantic interest in both Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean. As Wilder expected, Topher eventually attacked and attempted to feed on the team.

However, feeding on Karolina proved fatal. Her blood, charged with solar energy, was toxic to him, and the encounter killed him. His two surviving minions were later destroyed by sunlight through actions taken by the Pride.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

Vampirism: Topher possessed the standard powers of vampires, including the ability to turn others into vampires through his bite. Victims drained of blood by a vampire would rise three days later, transformed into one of the undead.

Topher possesses typical vampiric traits, such as;

• Superhuman Strength: Like all vampires, Topher possessed superhuman strength, within the 800 lbs-25 ton range.
• Superhuman Speed: Topher was capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete.
• Superhuman Stamina: Topher's body was more resistant to the fatigue toxins generated by his muscles during physical activity.
• Superhuman Agility: Topher's ability, balance, and body coordination were enhanced to levels that were beyond the natural limits of the human body.
• Superhuman Reflexes: Topher's natural reaction time was enhanced to levels that were beyond the natural limits of the human body.
• Regeneration: Topher was capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed tissue to an extent much greater than an ordinary human.
• Immortality: Topher, like all vampires, was functionally immortal in the sense that he was immune to the effects of aging and was immune to all known Earthly diseases as long as he ingested fresh blood on a regular basis to maintain his vitality.
• Fangs: Like all vampires, Topher had fangs and claws. He could quickly drain a victim of blood.

Interestingly, in addition to typical vampiric traits, Topher possessed;

• Resistance to Vampiric Limitations: Topher was resistant to attacks that customarily kill vampires, including fire and penetration of the heart by wood. While such attacks could injure him, Topher would heal in a matter of seconds.
• Vampiric Detection: Topher could sense the condition of vampires he had created over the distances of at least several miles.

Weaknesses

Vampiric Limitations:

• Sunlight: Due to his vampiric metabolism, Topher was unable to withstand direct sunlight. Sunlight, somehow, caused the ichor within his veins to congeal and his skin to rapidly decay. Thus direct exposure to sunlight wold cause him to dehydrate completely and turn to powder.
• Solar-Blood: Topher was unable to ingest the blood from solar-powered beings, as it is fatal to him.
• Garlic: Topher, somewhat like most vampires, cannot handle the effects of garlic.

See Also

• 4 appearance(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 2 minor appearance(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 3 image(s) of Topher (Earth-616)
• 1 quotation(s) by or about Topher (Earth-616)