Though most of his past in unknown, the Pale Man has been reveal to have been an officer of the New York Police Department once upon a time, known back then as Officer O'Brien. However, his career took a downturn when he became a victim of one of the Joker's schemes during a public parade. Several of the balloons had been filled with Joker Venom, distilled in aerosol form that was dispersed on the crowd without warning. O'Brien, along with the crowd, quickly succumbed to the effects of the gas, with many people dying as a result. Though he was affected, O'Brien managed to keep himself sane for the most part, seemingly through sheer force of will. He was found at the epicenter of the disaster, cradling the grinning corpse of a civilian woman who had died in his arms, still laughing from the gas.
In the aftermath of this massacre, O'Brien was left with the same appearance as the Joker as a result of prolonged exposure to the Joker Venom.
Sometime between this event and Static's transplant to New York City, the Pale Man was assigned to the NYPD's gang taskforce in a show of good-will by Internal Affairs, to help him stave off jail time. He went undercover and joined up with Joey Piranha's gang, studying not only their activities, but those of the Slate Gang, the Crime Alliance, Virule, and Tan Yeung. Through his detective work, he discovered they had a common link to a mysterious, elusive kingpin, someone who was pulling the strings of all the major meta-criminal gangs in New York. Though his superiors thought he was overthinking things and that he should focus on his assignment, Pale Man was convinced that there was more to this than met the eye.
Although the deaths of those gang members exposed to dequantified Quantum Juice mutagen brought back painful memories of the Joker's attack, Pale Man remained steadfast in his endeavors, determined to continue his masquerade as long as it brought these meta-criminals to justice. Eventually, his hard work paid off, and he became on of Piranha's most trusted lieutenants. However, the intervention of the NYPD during one of the gang's raids on the Slaters pushed him over the edge. He had come too far to let all of his hard work be unraveled by them! In a fit of rage, he slaughtered the assaulting SWAT team in a hail of automatic gunfire, an act that only further established Piranha's trust and respect for him.
When the Pale Man accompanied Piranha and Dr. Nemo to South Brother's Island to form an alliance with David Davidson and K'lllumnus by delivering them Sharon Hawkins, he joined in the firefight when negotiations broke down, still giving aid to Piranha's gang. After Static (who had faked his death earlier), Hardward, and Technique arrived to bring in all three groups, Guillotina and Alkalie sided with the heroes, and Alkalie revealed himself to be a clone of Static. Capturing Sunspot, Alkalie sacrificed himself to use the villain as a means to destroy Davidson's Darkstar portal and their base as well. With water flooding the fortress, all three gangs were swept away in raging waves. Although Piranha offered Pale Man his assistance, O'Brien seemingly refused.
His fate is unknown at this time.
Personality
O'Brien is a skilled detective and a master of subterfuge, able to walk in both the criminal underworld, and the world of law enforcement without so much as raising and eyebrow. He has used this skill to infiltrate the New York criminal realm with great success, passing as a stone-cold killer with ease. However, off the job, he has expressed great remorse for the terrible things he has done as the Pale Man, deeply distressed at the sight of the mutate corpses of the gang members exposed to unstable Q-Juice mutagen. However, he managed to keep his head about him for the most part and stayed steadfast regardless. His dedication to justice is strong, and his uses this to justifiy his actions, though most-likely, this is to keep himself from going insane.
As a result of the trauma he experience in the aftermath of the Joker's attack all those years ago, O'Brien seems to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which manifests itself in a noticeable speech impediment. O'Brien has a pronounced stutter, that worsens when he is under duress or angered.
Powers and Abilities
To date, the Pale Man possesses no superhuman abilities whatsoever, despite the opportunities presented by Joey Piranha and Dr. Nemo. However, he is a veteran of the NYPD, with exceptional skill as a detective and undercover operative, which has aided him greatly in his infiltration of Piranha's gang. He has also been observed to have incredible skill with firearms and is a marksman of exceptionable caliber, able to outgun a SWAT team with impressive accuracy while dual-wielding two assault rifles.
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