| Baron Maltus | |
|---|---|
 Peter Ulric Freiherr von Maltus | |
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Concept: |
Gadgeteer |
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Nationality: |
Austrian |
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Place of Birth: |
Bischofshofen, Austria |
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Date of Birth: |
1 April 1892 |
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Hair/Eye Color: |
Black/Black |
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Height/Weight: |
5' 2" / 101 lbs |
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Status |
Criminal Mastermind |
Background[]
Peter von Maltus was never a Nazi. Not truly. He wants you to be very clear on this. Certainly, he worked for Hitler and the Third Reich as their chief researcher and creator of the Ubermenschen, but that did not mean he subscribed to that ridiculous racial superiority theory the Nazis were always spouting. That was pure nonsense. The human genetic code was, for the most part, utterly identical between two people, regardless of whether the two people were a Jew and a German, a Frenchman and a Swede, an African or an Arab. It was the same code, mixed in different ways, and no one way was better than the others.
With one exception, of course: the superhumans had begin to appear in the 1930s, and it was clear that they were the superior race. It was clear that they, not the so-called "Aryans" (and as always, the use of that term by the Germans made Maltus chuckle... the original Aryans were dark-skinned and highly resembled the Persians in complexion and coloration; not quite the image of the proto-Nordic perfect specimen that Hitler was espousing) were superior. But there were so few. von Maltus dedicated his life then and there to learning how to manipulate the metagene. His ultimate goal, of course, was to gain powers himself.
But it was not to be, he discovered. Only a small handful of humans had the gene, and he simply wasn't in that handful. So he decided to do the next best thing: he would control the world's metahuman population. This was the decision that brought him to the Nazis. Germany's international power was rising, and with that power came access to all of Europe's population, including the sleeping masses of metahumans, most of whom didn't even recognize their own status yet. In exchange for using his knowledge to create Hitler's private force of devoutly faithful Nazi supers, Maltus got access to as many experimental subjects as he wanted (or, as the Nazis referred to them, "Jewish and Gypsy undesirables that would have been liquidated anyway"). He took the pathetic prisoners and used them as what they were: resouces, test subjects, and sources of biological material. He discovered more than he ever thought he would learn about the metagene, and he used this knowledge to arm Hitler's Germany with a platoon of superhuman soldiers who were blindly loyal to the Fuhrer.
The time came, however, that Baron Maltus realized that the Nazis were going the way of the dodo. The assembled might of the Allied forces would soon overthrow Hitler and his cronies, and they would no doubt want to do something nasty to Maltus as well. It was clear that he needed to get out early, before he was trapped by the Allies. So he made his escape, first travelling to Africa, then to South America, where he took up a headquarters in Ecuador. He would build a new headquarters and continue his research from there.
Unfortunately, there came a time when time itself became his enemy. He had forseen this, though, and prepared himself. He perfected a method by which his brain and spinal column was transplanted into a new body. At first, he took the body of a young man, but that body, too, aged and became useless. Then he chose a young woman who had a spectacularly healthy genetic code.
In addition to his research, Baron Maltus makes use of his skills creating metahumans for pay.
Personality and Motivations[]
Baron Maltus is a supremely intelligent, utterly arrogant individual who has no cares for anyone or anything other than the continuation of his scientific research. Despite his history as the Third Reich's premiere "mad scientist", he was never truly a Nazi and held no brief with their policies of racial superiority. To him, the Nazis were a means to an end: they provided an endless supply of test subjects, and had no pesky ethical qualms with his use of them. He is an utterly evil and amoral man.
It hasn't occurred to him to be bothered by the fact that he is now, at least physically, female. Such mundane considerations are beneath him.
Quote[]
"The metagene... this wonderful keyhole into the plans of Almighty God himself. What a useful tool it is."
Powers and Abilities[]
Baron Maltus is a unique, intelligent individual. He has no true powers of his own, instead depending on the fruits of his mad science to be effective. He is a criminal mastermind who operates through others, some of whom never realize that they are working for the Baron. Maltus is a scientific genius whose accomplishments are only eclipsed by the horrific nature of those same accomplishments. He is a skilled manipulator, and is not above using emotional (as well as actual) blackmail on people to get them to do what he wants them to do. While Maltus is usually calm and level-headed, he usually flies off the handle when one of his schemes is knocked cock-eyed.
Maltus is very smart (though admittedly not superhumanly so) and when it comes to scientific subjects he is one of the most widely knowledgeable individuals on Earth. He speaks give languages in addition to his native German (English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and most recently Quechua).
Maltus has never learned to fight with any skill at all, though he has trained himself to use a pistol. He prefers to let his agents and flunkies do that sort of thing, and always has an escape route at the ready.
Appearance[]
Originally, Baron Maltus was a tall, imposing man who fit the Aryan stereotype to a T. He's now on his third body; this time, he is a seventeen year old Andean Quichua girl. He's insured the body is in perfect health and is as athletically fit as he can make it (he intends to keep this one for as long as possible). The body is short, but fit, with long, black hair. Maltus dresses in his usual quasi-uniform, an outfit that is reminiscent of an SS officer's uniform, minus any insignia or markings. Black leather belts, gloves, a cape, and boots complete the ensemble.