Colonel Battle

Origin
Born in 1900, John Battle fought in World War One as the youngest member of the American Expeditionary Forces that fought in the Battle of Château-Thierry. After losing his left eye in hand-to-hand combat and seeing the horrors of war, he dedicated his life to science in the hopes of developing technologies that could prevent it from happening again. He sold several patents that he had developed and used the money to build a base of operations called Hilltop Laboratory on top of a mountain. With the assisstance of his secretary Jane Lorrain, he began building equipment to help the world achieve world peace.

When World War Two began in 1939, Battle began building weapons and equipment to fight the Nazi threat. Sporting a patriotic costume and armed with a matter-dissolving gun, jetpack and a device called a Curvoscope to see anywhere in the world, Captain Battle entered the conflict in May of 1941.

In July of 1941 while on a mission against the Black Dragon to transform his army of Deaglo birdmen back into human, he discovers a Nathan Hale, son of adventurer Lance Hale, who had been killed by the Black Dragon. Due to the trauma of seeing his father murdered as well as being transformed into a bird monster, Nathan had no memories of his past other than his name. Being a friend of Lance Hale, Captain Battle adopts the boy and trains him to be his sidekick.

During this time he discovers he has a son, William Battle from a previous relationship during the 1920s. He does not spend a lot of time with William as he is often fighting battles with Nathan. Refusing to allow William to fight at his side, he promises to train William to be a hero once he turns 18.

In the Summer of 1943, Battle and Nathan go to Detroit to try to calm the quickly escalating race riot. Trying to keep the peace on the ground, Battle gives a passionate speech but is struck in the side of the head with a brick thrown by an unseen assailant wehich sets of both groups of people. Nathan, trys to protect the unconsious Battle and is trampled to death in the chaos. While at Hilltop Laboratory recovering from his injuries, his son William, now 18, moves in to help Jane care for him and look after the lab. While looking at the Curvoscope, he sees a threat and dresses up in his father's costume to defeat it. When he returns his father forbids he wear the costume ever again, fearing he'll meet the same fate as Nathan. The two argue and William leaves to join the air force. While he becomes a celebrated fighter pilot nicknamed "Captain Battle Jr.", he wants nothing to do with his father.

Fearing his son will be killed in combat, he feverishly works on inventing a device to save him from harm. Combining the magic of Black Dragon that transformed humans into immortal birdmen and his own technology that changed them back (name of the gun?) Battle is able to invent a ray gun which stops the aging process and causes the body to heal injuries almost instantly. After successfully testing the ray on himself and on Judy, Battle locates William with the Curvoscope and goes to him. William refuses to have the ray used on him but after much arguing, he tells Battle he will use the ray but only if he can use the gun himself. When Battle gives William the gun, he destroys it and tells Battle he never wants to see him again. Returning to his lab, Battle destroyed his lab in a fit of anger, the research for the rejuvinating raygun being destroyed in the process.

Battle gave up adventuring and rejoined the military as a research scientist. In 1947 he was transferred to Area 51 for R&D on alien technology relating to the Roswell crash where he remained until 1956.

Although superhero adventuring had been made illegal in 1953, in 1956 it was felt that the world would once again need heroes to protect it. Agency Zero was formed to have registered and regulated heroes, and L.A.S.S.T. division was formed as the "national guard to the independant heroes police". Battle was given command of LASST Division with a special base of operations built on Area 51. He held the rank of Captain until promoted to Major in 1956, Lieutenant Colonel in 1970 and Colonel in 1985.