| Physical Attributes |
| Gender: |
M |
Age: |
? |
Height: |
5'9'' |
Weight: |
125 lbs |
| Eyes: |
Black |
Hair: |
Black |
Skin: |
Black |
Build: |
Wiry |
| Papa Zombie is a gaunt man of Afro-Caribbean descent. He dresses to look the part of Baron Samedi, with skull-like white face paint, top hat, and so forth. Some say he is Baron Samedi, or rather that he is the template such stories stem from. True or not, it adds to his mystique among the faithful and superstitious. The air near him is always a few degrees hotter than the ambient temperature, and he gives off a mild grave stench...disquieting but not overwhelming. Animals, children, and the less brave are instinctively afraid of him and his full stare focused upon such persons weakens knees and loosens bladders. |
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| Biography |
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There are very many stories about Papa Zombie or similar personages that could be him, dating back for almost three centuries. What is true and which are really about him specifically are impossible to say. Steeped in voodoo mystique, Papa Zombie himself never clarifies or provides exposition about anything. When he speaks, it is to say portentious and morally ambiguous things that are just rational enough to make people question their assumptions. Still, though it is unclear how old he truly is, it is probably true that he has an extended lifespan and may be anywhere from one to three centuries old. |
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Doom, gloom, and a dose of uliginousness is the main theme, but from time to time Papa Zombie does virtuous or ambivalent things. Notably after a particularly bad hurricane ravaged New Orleans and a major levy was about to burst, Papa Zombie appeared to raise a horde of zombies from the fallen and commanded them to shore up the levy, saving thousands. |
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What is better documented is various encounters Papa Zombie has had with superheroes. He is primarily active in the greater New Orleans area, Louisiana in general, Florida, and the Caribbean. However, Papa Zombie has from time to time ventured up the Mississippi River to parts north of his usual stomping grounds, and in the mid 1970's he was active in NYC for over a year. In all known cases, Papa Zombie does not directly go against heroes or other organizations, but instead pursues his own ends which usually involve increasing his mastery of necromantic magics, increasing the power of the undead he creates, or pursuing some angle related to the Afro-Caribbean subculture and people. |
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The defunct superhero team NewGen, which was based in Atlanta but was active across the American South, had several altercations with Papa Zombie. Southern Justice, a splinter group composed of several members of NewGen after it disbanded continued this tradition. The speedster Hype, another NewGen member who ended up co-founding the Millennial Men, also encountered Papa Zombie with early members of his new group and in that encounter it seemed like Papa Zombie was killed in an explosion. However, as Hype pointed out, Papa Zombie has appeared to die before but it never seems to take. |
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NOTES: Papa Zombie is part of the Rogues Gallery of members of the defunct NewGen supergroup and successor teams. However, he is an easy to use classic comic book 'spooky voodoo guy'. Original character by Wily Quixote. |
| Capabilities and Motivations |
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Papa Zombie is a necromancer who specializes in making lots of undead. He isn't limited to shambling zerg-wave zombies, he can make enhanced undead with weird and gross powers. His aesthetic is 1970's era schlock horror plus New Orleans Voodoo shtick and mystique. |
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He is not very durable on his own, and thus uses his many minions to get things done. He hides himself away someplace dark and remote or concealed where he can work his magics, make his minions, and wait like a spider in its web for his schemes to unfold. Most of the challenge of dealing with a Papa Zombie plot is realizing something is going on, quelling the initial legion of undead, figuring out Papa Zombie is behind it, and then finding Papa Zombie. After that, a final encounter with a last clutch of extra powerful undead and Papa Zombie himself generally ends with Papa Zombie appearing to be dead. He wont let himself be captured, and will grimly cause his own seeming destruction if victory or escape is not possible. His remains are never found, and after a plot determined amount of time has passed he pops up again somewhere else. |
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