Real Name: Unknown
Alias: Papa Bear
Publisher: Aspen MLT
Created by: Michael Turner and J. T Krul
1st appearance: Soulfire v1. #3, 2005
Nationality: American
Legal Status: Unknown
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 240 lbs
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Relatives: Unknown
Skills and Abilities: Skilled fighter and electronic engineer.
Powers: Part Flesh, part machine. Being part machine Benoist can become one with mechanical creations and weapons, this allows his greater range and control far beyond that of any other being.
He also shares great capability with his vehicles, being able to travel and fly in unusual contraptions which only he can usually pilot. He has knowledge of almost every metal in existence, there is very little in the way of machine or armored defense that Benoist cannot build or undo. His cyborg parts also grant him superhuman strength [Soulfire Preview 2003].
After his upgrade, he is now techno-organic after being infused with magic. This allows him to fly under his own power and morph his techno parts into any shape desired he is now seemingly stronger and more durable than before [Soulfire v4, #4]
Biography
As a young man, he used to work for Rainer Industries. He possessed prodigious talents in the art of making machines. He joined simply to have access to the resources necessary to test his brain but found something far more sinister. Rainer had been using him and those like him to build a weapon to enslave mankind. Unfortunately for Benoist he was discovered and caught. Taken to Rainer himself he had both arms ripped off. They had a “falling out” which resulted in him being thrown from the 139th floor of the building [Soulffire v1 #3 and Aspen Comics Presents-Benoist]. Both legs were lost in the fall and he should have died but he was found by Gabriel a prodigy in the fields of engineering and cybernetics. Gabriel healed his mind and his body not only by crafting him new limbs but showing him that losing his limbs didn’t mean that he lost his soul [SoulFire v2 #2]. Gabe could only do so much however as Benoist fell into self-loathing and drinking. It was the love of the fairy Lyra who truly set him on his path to recovery in mind and body [Aspen Comics Presents-Benoist]. It is suggested that sometime later she died [Soulfire v1#4].
The Champion
Benoist is the grand champion of the battle pit; an arena where they hold high-tech competitions that are broadcast on the net, the location changes for each event to keep government censors off their back. He met Grace and company when they tried to contact Randolph Jenkins about “alternative transportation” to Hawaii. When he realized rainier was involved he joined their cause [Soulfire v1 #3].
He aided their campaign [Soulfire v1 #3-9] and saved pj’s life after his arm was severed by creating a cybernetic arm like his own for him [Soulfire v1 #10]. The two now have a mentor and student relationship [Soulfire v2 #0]. While visiting ‘the eighth continent’ the largest junkyard in the world off the coast of Australia to visit Gabriel he ran amok of Jakobi who had taken control of the continent [Soulfire v2 #1]. When he infiltrated the complex to try and see his friend he realized that Jakobi had been keeping his mentor in a comatose state to claim leadership of the Junkyard because as his right-hand man he would-be leader in his absence [Soulfire v2 #2-3]. When Pj staged a rescue attempt Jakobi tried to have him killed. Benoist escaped revealed Jakobi’s treachery and ended the threat. Upon realizing Gabe had suffered irreparable brain damage he was the one to unplug life support so he could die in peace [Soulfire v2 #4]. Alongside his friends, they battled Rainer and his techno-organic monsters [Soulfire v2 #5-9].
Later he participated in the battle against Onyx and met Miya [Soulfire v3. 1-8].
Upgrade
When Grace is corrupted by the evil he is severely injured when saving his friends [Soulfire v4. #3]. To save his life they infused his body with Magic but it had an unexpected side effect. The Cybernetics raged with the organics and magic initially endangering his friends. After a time, however, the three stabilized and his wounds healed. Benoist was reborn and was more powerful than before [Soulfire v4. #4]. He used these new abilities to aid his friends in battling the corrupted Grace and eventually freeing her [Soulfire v4. #5-8]
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