History Characters / TheReckonersTrilogy

* ItsAllAboutMe: The usual Epic is only capable of seeing baseline humans as something more than amusement or background noise unless either a), said baseline humans have something to offer such as a {{BFG}}, stability to the kingdom, or valuable research, or b), said baseline humans start killing other Epics. According to Megan, this is literally how it works - being an Epic is a combination of being tired, irritable, and unable to think of a solution that doesn't involve murdering others.

* {{Adorkable}}: With his comments while working and his... interesting analogies, he comes across as this. This is even mentioned up front in the second book numerous times.

* TheMole: Her powers let her spy on and subvert various groups of Epics trying to fight against Steelheart, and the Reckoners. She's actually a ReverseMole in the end, not only working against either of the teams, but primarily on David's side against [[BiggerBad Calamity.]]

* FlyingBrick: Invulnerability, Flight, SuperStrength, and Energy Blasts

* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: As revealed in ''Firefight'', he used to be a bully and track star. Then, as shown in the first book, he got ''much'' worse. Hence why he's only affected by people not afraid of him.

* SecretIdentity: The real person behind the identity of "Limelight" is not consistent. In the Reckoners' plan to trick Steelheart, Cody was originally intended to play the role of Limelight and use a powerful energy gun to simulate having Epic powers. After that plan falls apart, Prof salvages the ruse by appearing as Limelight and using his actual Epic powers. Prof takes up the name Limelight again after he succumbs to his Epic madness, but at that point, it's ambiguous which identity he would consider to be his "true" one.

A single father raising his son after his wife died. He is noted to be calm, soft-spoken, and a hard worker, who strongly believed that good Epics would come to fight the bad ones. He firmly believed Steelheart was one, to the point of killing Deathpoint in order to save him.

* Hypocrite: She tells David that she would lock him up for life if he were in her court, and do worse if he were in her congregation. This because he killed a totalitarian, fear mongering dictator who had killed seventeen thousand people and made Chicago a broken imitation of what it once was. Not to mention that Regalia has invited Obliteration into her city, who has personally killed over four million people across three cities, and she herself flooded Manhattan which would've killed millions and displaced millions more. She even points out that the world has few pockets of civilization left. Whose fault was that again?

* ICannotSelfTerminate: He and Tia agreed long ago that if he ever lost himself to his powers, she would kill him.

* DeathActivatedSuperpower: Of a sort. Her full RealityWarper potential is only activated shortly after her resurrection, and quickly fades back to illusions.

* ThePowerOfLove: '''Hates''' this trope. She's worried that her ability to resist TheCorruption and the key to getting permanent [[CharacterAlignment good-aligned Epics]] is this trope. While it may have helped her resist small doses of the corruption, it's not the key to becoming immune to it completely, fortunately for her. That's [[FaceYourFears facing your worst fear.]] [[spoiler:Finally becomes this, in a way, when she expresses her doubts to David of her insecurities of whether she's still the same Megan or if her repeated dying and reviving means a different Megan is there instead. David, in a incredibly rare moment of actually giving brilliant, awesome and heartwarming analogies, likens her to a sunrise after he recalls often seeing them with his dad every morning in his childhood. He explains she's constantly changing like he and everyone else is and that he is grateful for that as he has found a future beyond vengeance and hatred and has now come to hope for real heroes. Finally he finishes by saying that he hopes she continues to change and grow as a person and tells her she'll be beautiful to him no matter how many times it happens. Brought to tears, Megan kisses him right before David messes up the moment by saying a characteristically weird analogy. This conversation eventually convinces Megan to accept her powers and truly claim them from Calamity, and in addition to continually facing her fear and weakness of fire, is freed from the corrupting influence forever, and even [[EleventhHourSuperpower gains control of her powers to the point of being able to do pretty much anything with them]]]]

* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength: The mere prospect of using his powers unrestrained leads him to terrified anger. It's not unjustified, given the risk of insanity if he uses his powers too much, which it's implied that he's experienced directly in the past. He has a great deal of strength to fear; when using his powers, he's able to go toe-to-toe with [[TheDreaded Steelheart]], often suggested to be the most dangerous Epic in the U.S next to Obliteration... and based on what we see in ''Firefight'' and ''Calamity'', that was him ''holding back''.
** [[spoiler: Given that his weakness is fear of failure, it's implied that at least part of his not using his powers is based on that. As David and Megan out it below, if he doesn't use his powers to their fullest, he's not responsible if he fails]].

* [[spoiler:NotBrainwashed: The heroes assume Obliteration's murderous obsession is a product of Calamity's influence. Obliteration actually confronted his weakness ''years'' ago and all his evil deeds were committed of his own free will. This is foreshadowed throughout ''Firefight'' and ''Calamity'' - Obliteration believes he is a servant of a higher power rather than being selfish like a typical Epic, and in the parallel universe where Epics aren't corrupted by their powers he is still a villain.]]

* [[spoiler:NotBrainwashed: The hero's assume Obliteration's murderous obsession is a product of Calamity's influence. Obliteration actually confronted his weakness ''years'' ago and all his evil deeds were committed of his own free will. This is foreshadowed throughout ''Firefight'' and ''Calamity'' - Obliteration believes he is a servant of a higher power rather than being selfish like a typical Epic, and in the parallel universe where Epics aren't corrupted by their powers he is still a villain.]]

* ExitVillainStageLeft: After learning his weakness is connected to his nightmares, Obliteration lets David live and leaves for the remainder of ''Firefight''. [[spoiler:This is also how he exits the series as a whole; after promising WeWillMeetAgain, he leaves David and Megan after the defeat of Calamity.]]
* FantasticNuke: He basically is one, as he sets himself up in a city and stores sunlight until he has enough power to melt the entire thing. He's done this at least three times.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Though unlike Prof, he's not a Reckoner. He just kills Epics for (possibly religious) reasons that are known only to him.

* [[spoiler:NotBrainwashed: David assumes that Obliteration's murderous obsession is a product of Calamity's influence. After Calamity is banished, it is revealed that Obliteration actually confronted his weakness ''years'' ago and all his evil deeds since were committed of his own free will. This is foreshadowed throughout ''Firefight'' and ''Calamity'' - Obliteration sees himself as a servant of a higher power rather than being purely selfish like a typical corrupted Epic, and his counterpart in a parallel universe where Epics aren't corrupted by their powers is still a villain.]]
* OmnicidalManiac: He believes that he's an instrument of divine retribution and that it's his job to hasten the end of the world.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: The only suitable defense from Obliteration is not to be in the same city or even state as him. [[spoiler:As of him getting access to Regalia's bombs made from his powers, even that isn't a definite thing. He'll just gather power in the bomb and blow it up with most none the wiser to prevent people from escaping his blast radius.]]

* SpiderSense: Combined with his reactive teleportation power, it makes it near-impossible to kill him.
* SpotTheImposter: It may be a part of his SpiderSense, but he can see straight through Megan's shadow illusions.

* VillainTeleportation: He can teleport to any place he can think of within his line of sight. The power is combined with his [[SpiderSense danger sense]] to make him nearly impossible to kill.
* WorthyOpponent: Appears to think of David this way, especially in their confrontation near the end of ''Firefight''.

* SuperpowerLottery: Steelheart is considered to be one of ''the'' most powerful Epics on Earth with his extensive list of powers. Invulnerability, energy-based projectiles, controlling the wind, superhuman strength, and the ablility to turn almost anything inanimate to steel. He's held court in Newcago undefeated for ten years despite such great powers like NIghtwielder or Faultline.

* NighInvulnerability: He has not one but two prime invincibilities (his shields and his regeneration).

* PlayingWithFire: Firefight's fire based powers seem to include [[WreathedInFlames turning himself into fire]], throwing fire from his hands, manipulating existing fire and generating a [[DeflectorShields projected shield]] of heat that can melt incoming bullets. Except David determines Firefight is actually a powerful illusionist with no fire manipulation powers whatsoever. In the second book we find out that Megan isn't an illusionist, either; she can bring pieces of other possible universes into her own. Firefight is a male version of herself with fire powers.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Is a fan of killing people with their own guns. This backfires on him, [[OutGambitted quite literally, when firing David's gun sets off a detonator within it, ending up killing ''himself'' instead due to not being afraid of himself.]]

* BarrierWarrior: He can create very durable and versatile forcefields. After being corrupted, he's seen using them to lift himself up and fly, carry prisoners in impenetrable bubbles, crush people by contracting said bubbles, and create directed gusts of air.

* [[spoiler:NotBrainwashed: David assumes that Obliteration's murderous obsession is a product of Calamity's influence. After Calamity is banished, it is revealed that Obliteration actually confronted his weakness ''years'' ago and all his evil deeds since were committed of his own free will. This is foreshadowed throughout ''Firefight'' and ''Calamity'' - Obliteration sees himself as a servant of a higher power rather than being purely selfish like a typical corrupted Epic.]]

* BadassGrandpa: When we finally see him fight, it's rather impressive, especially given his age (although being an Epic somewhat reduces the effects of aging).