Grant Emerson (New Earth)

Damage

Real Name: Grant Albert Emerson
Nicknames: None
Former Aliases: None
Other Current Aliases: None

Status

Occupation: Adventuer
Legal Status: Unknown
Idendtity: Secret
Marital Status: Unknown
Group Affiliation: Justice Society of America,Formerly Teen Titans,Formerly Young Justice,Formerly Freedom Fighters
Base of Operations: New York City

Origin

Origin Unknown.

Place of Birth: Unknown
Known Relatives: Atom (Al Pratt)
First Appearance: Damage #1 (April 1994)

History

Grant Emerson suddenly discovers he is a superhuman with incredible explosive powers.During the Zero Hour crisis, Grant's powers became the spark that restarted the universe after it was destroyed by Parallax; thanks to Damage's powers, the new universe evolved along natural lines, guided by nature rather than the will of Parallax.

After he accidentally blew up half of downtown Atlanta, Sarge Steel was able to cut a deal for him: he would be banned from Georgia and remanded into custody of the then federally-sponsored Titans team, lead by Arsenal. After a while, though, he left to find his origins. He learned that Vandal Savage was involved in an experiment at Symbolix called Project: Telemachus, where he took DNA samples he had collected from various superheroes and injected them into a fitting vessel: Grant. Symbolix was allied with Shadowspire through Shadowspire's leader the Baron (Baron Blitzkrieg). The Baron became a recurring foe in Damage's series, starting with issue number three. Grant eventually learned that he was the son of the original Atom, Al Pratt and his wife Mary. Grant was forced to go underground after leaving the Titans, since he violated his parole by doing so.

When the original five Titans reformed the group, Arsenal nominated Damage for membership. Arsenal managed to erase Grant's criminal records, so he was no longer a fugitive, and Grant joined the team. After some missions, Damage confronted something he had buried for a long time: he had been victim of abuse at the hands of his foster father. After opening up to Roy Harper, Grant took a leave of absence and sought peace and healing on the Navajo reservation where Roy was raised.

He has helped the current Justice Society of America against Imperiex and the villainous team of Obsidian, Eclipso and Mordru, both times as part of a modern All-Star Squadron. He has since been seen with a new team of government-sponsored Freedom Fighters, whose activities are yet unknown. He also has something of a brotherly relationship with Atom Smasher, the godson of his father, the original Atom. It was thought that Grant had a brother, Walter, who was recently killed by Walter's superhero daughter, Manhunter, aka Kate Spencer. However, in an odd parallel to Damage's paternity search, Walter was actually the son of Iron Munro and Phantom Lady.

Several members of the modern Freedom Fighters team were killed by the Society in Infinite Crisis #1, with the exception of Damage, who was severely injured by Zoom, and the Ray, who was captured by the Psycho-Pirate and told that Luthor wanted him alive. The Society was collecting people representatives of each of the Earths merged in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Damage appears in the relaunched Justice Society of America released in December 2006. He wears a full mask and a costume similar to that of his father and Atom Smasher, featuring a biohazard symbol. He also has a significantly gruffer and more cynical attitude. During a fight with Rebel, it is insinuated by the villain that Damage suffered heavy facial scarring from his encounter with Zoom, which is why he wears the mask.

On the cover of Justice Society of America V. 2 #1, drawn by Alex Ross, Damage is depicted as being much larger than his fellow team members, perhaps because Ross confused him with the similarly costumed Atom Smasher or perhaps it was a act of foreshadowing revealing new powers for the character or that Damage is in fact a disguised Atom Smasher.

Charateristics

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 175 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

Powers

Known Powers:

Biochemical Fusion Reactor: Damage is a living biochemical fusion reactor, that constantly produces energy he can manipulate and use in numerous ways. This energy is able to enhance his physical abilities:

• Enhanced Strength: internal energies give him enhanced strength, regardless of the amount of energy he's channeling into his body. At his lowest levels, he is still capable of lifting around ten tons casually, and with enough finesse that he doesn't crush anything he touches.

• Enhanced Durability:channeled energy toughens his skin, making him highly resistant to injury, on a level just below the likes of Superman and Captain Marvel. At the low end of the spectrum, Damage has enough resistance to stop twenty tons of force without being hurt. Bullets will not harm him, nor will temperature extremes from -100 degrees Celsius to about 2000 degrees Celsius bother him much. He's immersed himself in volcanic lava before, and suffered no ill effects except for the lack of air.

• Enhanced Reflexes:at his lowest levels, Grant has the agility and reflexes far above that of an Olympic athlete, or Batman. At these levels, Damage would be able to catch a normal arrow fired from Arsenal at mid-range, and dodge single blasts and bullets. At his higher levels, he will be able to dodge fine-point lasers at close range, and could deflect a stream of bullets from an Uzi fired from ten feet away.

• Enhanced Agility

• Enhanced Speed

• Power Discharge:Grant is able to focus his stored energy outward to produce energy blasts, which at his highest output levels can be focused into 100-ton maximum strength energy blasts of concussive force.
  

Known Abilities: None

Strength Level: Unknown

Miscellaneous

Equipment: None
Transportation: Unknown
Weapons: None

Damage, 3rd costume

Notes

• None