 Created by: Rodney Lockett Other Picture:   Art by Joe de Santos First appearance: IronGate Universe #12 | Real Name: Jesse Merwin Hair: Brown Eyes: Hazel Height: 6'3" Age: 30 Nationality: USA Ethical alliance: Good History Jesse was a Dutch immigrant who came to America for the promised ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He moved in with his Aunt and Uncle in a small town called Sleepy Hollow in New York state, where he graduated from College as a scientist. Growing up in Sleepy Hollow made it impossible not to have heard about Ichabod Crane and the legend of Sleepy Hollow. It scared children, and people always claimed they had seen the Headless Horseman, but as a man of science, Jesse did not believe in these things. Even if he had graduated at the top of his class, he found it difficult finding a job. so while he stayed and helped out on his aunt and uncle's farm, he used his off times to run experiments. He studied cure-all potions and other remedies that were supposed to help people and tried to make them more effective, but somehow, he only managed to make them worse. He tried to improve a cure for poison ivy and oak, but made it 100 times worse. His sneezing cures fared no better. Then WWII came and he was drafted. Because he was well educated, they put him into the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), but soon saw that it had been a mistake. He was the laughing stock of the department. Everything he developed made it worse. One day, a General came in to inspect the facility. He made the mistake of touching one of Jesse's experiments and he could not stop itching for several hours. The General was so furious, he transferred Jesse on the spot to the front lines, but by chance, an officers in charge of the superhuman division of the war had been reading OSRD reports and intercepted Jesse. He had seen something everyone had missed. Jesse's mistakes could actually help the war efforts. He quickly transfered Jesse into his division and offered him the opportunity to use his unique creations to help win the war. Jesse was introduced to the Liberty Alliance and was asked to test his experiments with them out in the field, and when these turned out to be quite effective, he was made a regular member of the team. He designed a costume as his teammates had done and pondered as to what his code name would be. Since his "itching" powder was by far the most effective of his arsenal, he took the name Itchabod Crane. Powers Power accessory: Itchabod has no powers, but relies on potions, powder and gas. It is also possible that he possesses a unique ability that affects the results of his experiments, though nothing as been confirmed. Paraphernalia: He has body armor and a gas mask, plus several ways to disperse his many gases and itching powder. Jesse was also the creator of the most effective and potent tear gas that is even used still to this day. |
