Watchtower Archives

Paladin

Name: Ethan Jackson

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Green

Birthplace: Central City

Affiliations: The Team

Relatives: Miranda Jackson (mother)

Biographic data (relevant intel): Ethan stood out among other kids his age due to his intelligence, which displayed a mental prowess far beyond his years. Seeing as his mother was a scientist at Star Labs, it's safe to say it runs in the family.
He was on a steady path to become a renowned scientist and inventor alongside his mother.
Unfortunately, he was set on a different path after a tragic incident involving dark matter. Though he survived, Ethan was left altered, the accident having awoken a dormant meta-gene. His body began generating energy. Energy that needed to be expelled, which resulted in dangerous and volatile energy blasts. As a consequence, Ethan was kept inside a secure room with no contact with anyone.
Torn apart by guilt and sorrow at watching her son be locked away, Miranda worked tirelessly to correct her past mistake. She managed to develop a special harness, capable of absorbing the energy generated by Ethan.
This harness was what opened Ethan's horizons. Inspired by the heroes of the Justice League, he began using his knowledge to find ways to help people. He eventually managed to create a special kind of adaptable nanotechnology, that created a suit of armor around him. With it he became Paladin, a guardian of justice.

Abilities: Ethan's nanotechnology armor is incredibly durable, being able to take as much punishment as Blue Beetle's scarab armor or Cyborg's prometheum skin. However, it's greatest feature is its adaptability. The nanotech can reconstruct its structure, assuming nearly any form. This emulates the capabilities of the scarab armor, though the human influence on Paladin's armor is noticeable. Additionally, Ethan has built a neural link to the armor, in order to be able to manipulate the nanotech more fluidly. All of the technology is powered by the harness, which in turn is powered by his own energy.
Additionally, if he is not wearing his armor, Ethan can discharge powerful blasts of energy. But these are often very unpredictable and used only as a last resort.

Psychological analysis: Ethan has displayed an IQ far beyond what is expected from someone his age. He is an expert in physics and technology. This makes him a great asset for the League, as many of its members have powers tied to one of the two fields, if not both.
He is a quick thinker, able to work well under pressure. Additionally, he has also shown a surprising talent for improvisation, making use of all assets at his disposal to achieve his goals.
Ethan has become close friends with Blue Beetle and Cyborg, both of which have similar abilities to his. Cyborg in particular seems to see in Ethan someone he can put his trust in, as both went through similar experiences. Ethan has also developed a close bond with Velocity, the two proving to be very effective partners in the field.
One of the few things that baffle Ethan is magic. Having studied principles based on science all his life, the lack of logic in magic is incomprehensible to him. While he has accepted its existence, he has chosen to remain outside of that field. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone like John Constantine explain the basics to him.

Contingency plan: In the unlikely case that Ethan does turn rogue, the best option would be to send his mother or one of his friends to reason with him. If this doesn't work, his main weakness is the neural link to his armor. If the link is disabled, Ethan will lose most of the systems in his armor and become trapped inside it. This would require a large amount of electricity, making someone like Black Lightning the ideal candidate. Additionally, anyone experienced in the mystic arts should have a relative advantage against him.

Transmission over.
-Batman