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See Characters/TheAuthorityMidnighter
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[[folder:Apollo]]
[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/205px_apollox.jpg]]
Also known as ''The Sun God''. An ex-metahuman soldier who became a rebel from a Stormwatch splinter cell before reconciling with the main organization. Lover, later husband, and battle partner to the Midnighter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Apollo]]
[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/205px_apollox.jpg]]
Also known as ''The Sun God''. An ex-metahuman soldier who became a rebel from a Stormwatch splinter cell before reconciling with the main organization. Lover, later husband, and battle partner to the Midnighter.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Apollo]]
[[quoteright:205:https://static.
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.
Also known
[[caption-width-right:340:[[SlasherSmile He's real friendly.]]]]
!!! '''Alter ego:''' Unknown ("Lucas Trent")
!!! '''Species''': Human
!!! '''First appearance''': ''ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}}'' #4 (Vol. 2) (February 1998)
-> ''"I am not a lover. I am not a father. I am not a friend. I am what I was bred to be. And therein lies the problem.''"
-->-- [[IdentityAmnesia "Lucas Trent,"]] aka The '''Midnighter'''
Described by his creator Creator/WarrenEllis as
Midnighter served as a long-standing member of The Authority (and even received his own solo title) in the following years, before Wildstorm's absorption by parent company Creator/DCComics. Following the events of ''ComicBook/FlashpointDCComics'', Midnighter -- along with many of his Wildstorm cohorts -- was imported into ComicBook/New52 continuity, placed on new iteration of ''Stormwatch'' led by ComicBook/MartianManhunter. After a brief ContinuityReboot, reverting he and his Stormwatch
Since then, Midnighter has showed up in the pages of ''ComicBook/TheNew52FuturesEnd'' and ''ComicBook/{{Grayson}}'' in supporting roles. Starting June 2015 (after ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'' and the end of DC's New 52 branding), Midnighter appeared in his second ongoing book, this time written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by ACO. Following DC's ''Rebirth'' relaunch, ''Midnighter'' ended and was replaced by a ''Midnighter and Apollo'' title, featuring Midnighter reunited with his lover, who he had been temporarily estranged from in the
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* ExpyCoexistence: He is a SupermanSubstitute who had to work alongside the actual Superman in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority''. Here he admits he modelled himself after Superman.
* FlyingBrick: He can fly, is incredibly strong and can fire blasts of solar energy.
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wears a white and gold outfit. [[PersonalityPowers He has a warm and cheerful personality]] to go with his PowerOfTheSun and is one of the nicer members of the team. Especially when compared to his husband Midnighter.
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he's almost always depicted with his head surrounded by a shining halo.
* LightningBruiser: He is as swift as he is strong.
* TheNeedless: Apollo does not require food or drink as his body is entirely sustained by his solar energy. He can survive in anaerobic environments indefinitely (he flies in space, by the simple method of not breathing).
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or access to sunlight to activate. Unlike Superman however, Apollo's body behaves more like a battery as his powers are far more directly dependent on the sun; whereas Superman's abilities are somewhat more 'internal'.
* RapeAsDrama: During Millar's first arc, it was implied that he was raped by the Captain America stand-in and it almost happened again during the G7 Authority story arc by his own EvilCounterpart, Teuton.
* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
* FlyingBrick: He can fly, is incredibly strong and can fire blasts of solar energy.
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wears a white and gold outfit. [[PersonalityPowers He has a warm and cheerful personality]] to go with his PowerOfTheSun and is one of the nicer members of the team. Especially when compared to his husband Midnighter.
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he's almost always depicted with his head surrounded by a shining halo.
* LightningBruiser: He is as swift as he is strong.
* TheNeedless: Apollo does not require food or drink as his body is entirely sustained by his solar energy. He can survive in anaerobic environments indefinitely (he flies in space, by the simple method of not breathing).
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or access to sunlight to activate. Unlike Superman however, Apollo's body behaves more like a battery as his powers are far more directly dependent on the sun; whereas Superman's abilities are somewhat more 'internal'.
* RapeAsDrama: During Millar's first arc, it was implied that he was raped by the Captain America stand-in and it almost happened again during the G7 Authority story arc by his own EvilCounterpart, Teuton.
* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
to:
! Midnighter proves examples of:
*ExpyCoexistence: AmnesiacHero: Midnighter can't remember anything before he was turned into the perfect killing machine he is, not even if he volunteered for the procedure or not, or his real name. Apollo was in the same boat in the Wildstorm Universe, but in the DC Rebirth version, he has a seperate origin story from the Midnighter and he remembers both [[DarkAndTroubledPast his unhappy childhood and every torturous part of his forced conversion into a superpowered metahuman.]]
* AntiHero: Heis kills people. A lot.
* AscendedMeme: His chin spike. Eventually explained in-universe after much fan teasing, having saved his life during aSupermanSubstitute who scrap prior to the start of his Stormwatch tenure.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Midnighter's enhancements go beyond a mere SherlockScan --- they can detect how a fight will end on sight, not to mention provide possible routes of victory.
--> '''Midnighter''': I've already played this fight in my head, a million times, from each and every angle.
* AxCrazy: He certainly enjoys the violence he commits, especially when he especially hates the victim in question
* BadassLongCoat: Conspicuously missing from his original [=DCnU=] outfit, but currently restored.
* BadFuture: Shown to become a violent, brain-damaged dictator in ''The Authority: Revolution''.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: With a rebreather, he can survive a short time in outer space.
* BatmanParody: Midnighter can best be described as Batman if he were gay, hadto work alongside the actual Superman superpowers, and no qualms with killing.
* BreakoutCharacter: Easily one of Wildstorm's best known creations, having made the jump over to DC's New 52 with sporadic appearances across the line.
* BreakThemByTalking: Managed to convince a mercenary to give up and even help him by explaining how little his life matters to anyone and his employer.
* CaptainErsatz: Basically Batman if he was a vicious maniac, and in''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority''. Here he admits he modelled himself after a relationship with Superman.
*FlyingBrick: He can fly, is incredibly strong and can fire blasts CivvieSpandex: During the Wildstorm era, his costume usually consists of solar energy.
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wearsa white and gold outfit. [[PersonalityPowers He has a warm and cheerful personality]] to go cowl mask with a leather trenchcoat, logo T-shirt, jeans or combat trousers, and combat boots. In the DC era, it became more of a specialized battlesuit.
* CombatClairvoyance: His whole shtick is that he can see how a battle plays in hisPowerOfTheSun head out before making a step and often frightens his opponents by saying he's played out their fight a million times in his head already. Then he tried to pull it on [[FlyingBrick Captain Atom.]] Suffice to say, [[CurbstompBattle Atom was not impressed.]]
* CoverIdentityAnomaly: "Lucas Trent" isone known to be a nice guy -- or was, at some point, anyway.
* CrazyPrepared: It's Midnighter's main selling point --- he knows what somebody's next move will be before ''they'' do, and acts accordingly.
* DarkIsNotEvil: DependingOnTheWriter, but broadly speaking he is on the side of thenicer members good guys in spite of the team. his black clothes and lunar motifs.
* DependingOnTheArtist: The color and styling of his hair, seemingly switching with every artist --- as of his 2015 solo title, it's currently a dirty blond mohawk.
* {{Determinator}}: Especiallywhen compared in the DCU version. Harm Apollo, and Midnighter will ''literally'' walk through Hell to his husband Midnighter.
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he'sfind you and end you. And he will do anything to save Apollo from death [[spoiler: (''and beyond'')]] or die trying, not even trying to keep back any reserves to get himself back to safety should he fail in the attempt. [[spoiler: (Good thing DCU Apollo is less of a DamselInDistress than in the Wildstorm Universe, and perfectly capable of getting himself out of trouble.)]]
** Though the way he took out the replacement team in the Wildstorm Auhtority series almostalways depicted single-handedly, all while looking after baby Jenny all on his own for weeks, qualifies as well.
* DirtyBusiness: He takes care of this the most of the Authority roster, considering his spare time is mainly spent going to war zones and killing baddies.
* EverytownAmerica: Apparently Midnighter -- or "Lucas Trent", at least -- is from Harmony, Kansas.
* FriendToAllChildren: Surprisingly enough, given his personality. Wildstorm!Midnighter (and Apollo, too) especially guns for villains who harm children, [[WouldntHurtAChild refuses to kill children himself]] (even if they're destined to grow up to become Hitler), and adopts baby Jenny Quantum, resulting in several BadassAndBaby moments. DCU!Midnighter has this lovely speech to some child hostage victims of an insane gang/cult he just wiped out:[[note]]It's the "This is ''not'' your fault." part that really sells it, because it implies an amazing level of empathy and understanding for how children think, especially from somebody who has hardly any personal contact with kids and can't remember hishead surrounded by own childhood.[[/note]]
--> '''child hostage''': Where's Mister Half-beard?\\
'''Midnighter''': Mister Half-beard is studying the interior of ashining halo.
* LightningBruiser:''very small'' box. He and his friends were ''not'' good people. But they're all ''gone'' now. You're ''safe''. This is as swift as ''not'' your fault. These people will help you find your parents, or find you new homes. They will ''not'' fail you.\\
'''Midnighter''': (more to the adult bystanders) Because if they do, I'll be back to... ''encourage'' them. And ''no one'' wants to see me twice. ''Trust'' me.
* GetBackInTheCloset: A panel depicting heis strong.
* TheNeedless:and Apollo does not require food or drink as kissing was censored, but a later example in his body is entirely sustained by solo book made a point of them kissing front and center.
* GoodIsNotNice / NominalHero: He's ''technically' a superhero...despite all evidence to the contrary.
* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Midnighter's sexuality was pretty dubious to Apollo, until he explicitly stated it.
* HealingFactor: Part of hissolar energy. package of "combat enhancements" is a high-end healing ability. He can survive in anaerobic environments indefinitely (he flies in space, by mentions during Millar's run that his immune system "is as deadly as every other part of my body," allowing him to recover completely from even chronic diseases over the simple method course of not breathing).
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or accessseveral weeks, and in ''The Magnificent Kevin'', he goes from immobile to sunlight to activate. Unlike Superman however, Apollo's body behaves more like a battery as walking under his own power in an hour once his powers are far back on.
** In ''Midnighter and Apollo'' he channeled the power of an angel for long enough that it should have burned out his body and killed him, as he was warned by the sorceror who bound that angel to him. Not only does he survive (albeit unable to stand and needing Apollo to carry him to safety), but he seems perfectly fine just a few days later.
* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: The first story arc of his solo series. Midnighter went back in time under order of an affluent man to kill Hitler or else he'd ignite a bomb he put in Midnighter's chest. [[EveryoneHasStandards Upon seeing how broken Hitler was, he refused.]] Especially after he found out the real reason his client wanted Hitler dead was to allow his father, a Nazi official, to become a moredirectly dependent effective ruler than Hitler, implying he would have replaced Hitler and would have been a worse tyrant than Hitler ever was if Hitler was killed.
* IAmWhatIAm: In all of his solo stories, it's mentioned by Midnighter how much he hates his origin as a man-made killing machine, his murderous impulses, and violent tendencies due to how it makes him little different from the criminals he puts into the ground. His whole career as a violent anti-hero is geared towards pointing those murderous instincts towards targets who he feels deserves it most.
-->'''Midnighter:''' You think I ''like'' how I was made? I can't go back. Can't ''help'' what was done to me. I can only point it in the right ''direction.''
* LogicalWeakness: Midtnighter's fighting prowess comes from numerous cybernetic enhancements throughout his brain and body, allowing him to read his opponent(s) and fight them accordingly. These make him almost impossible to beat in a fight, but they also have a number of logical weak points. Here are several ways he's been beaten over the years:
** If an opponent is simply too powerful for him to fight, as when he fought Captain Atom.
** If an enemy is faster than him, even with his enhancements.
** If an enemy is inherently unpredictable in some way. During one crossover, he had trouble fighting ComicBook/TheJoker, who's simply [[ObfuscatingInsanity too crazy to predict.]] Of course, in that case, it's more of an ''il''logical weakness...
** If his enhancements have been disabled, he's just a normal guy (albeit an extremely fit one).
** In ''The Authority: Human on thesun; whereas Superman's Inside'', Midnighter challenged a seemingly normal guy to a fight. Despite the guy's protests that Midnighter would kill him, he agreed. The man then refused to make a move at all, giving Midnighter's combat computer no information and leaving them in a draw. This might not count, as [[spoiler:the man was actually a super-advanced android sent to destroy the Authority from within, so he might have been able to confuse Midnighter's analysis somehow.]]
** Midnighter's abilitiesare somewhat border on CombatClairvoyance, but they're just the result of AwesomenessByAnalysis. In his solo series, he once faced a supervillain named Afterthought, who had ''actual'' CombatClairvoyance, and who wiped the floor with Midnighter--no matter what Midnighter's combat enhancements told him to do, Afterthought would see it coming and act accordingly. He beat the guy in their second fight by [[spoiler:doubling the armor on certain parts of his costume, and letting Afterthought--who had no super strength or stamina--wail on those spots until Afterthought was too tired to throw another punch. ''Then'' Midnighter kicked his ass]].
* ManlyGay: A big part of his appeal to readers, especially LGBTQ ones, is that he's a gay superhero who is also masculine.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Anthem group -- extremists who supposedly act in the name of peace. [[PatrioticFervor And wear country flags on their face]].
* MoralityChain:
** Apollo to Midnighter. Kinda. Apollo isn't opposed in principle to killing villains, but he disapproves of the sheer level of Midnighter's brutality and unnecessarily painful ways of execution (if more'internal'.
because the gore could traumatize bystanders and the victims they're trying to save, not because he pities the villains). One certainly gets the feeling that if Midnighter ever were to dial it down a bit, it would be to gain approval in Apollo's eyes, though he isn't really ''able'' to change. Midnighter's acceptance of what he is, even though he doesn't like it, in contrast with Apollo's conflicting wishes to accept his lover and to make him someone better, someone Midnighter himself could live with more easily, are a central theme in the ''Midnighter and Apollo'' mini-series. In fact, wanting to be Midnighter's MoralityChain turns out to be the reason why Apollo chose his superhero name in the first place, in this version of canon:
--> '''Apollo''': "Hyacinth, [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Apollo's]] lover. He ''knew'' Hyacinth was doomed, but he ''refused'' to let Hades claim him. So he turned him into something better. ...I ''know'' who you are. And even if ''you'' think you're ''doomed'', I refuse to accept that. ''You'', and everyone else in the world who thinks they've fallen too far... I'll always pull you back into the ''light''."
** They even seem to have toned down the PayEvilUntoEvil aspect of Midnighter's protectiveness towards Apollo, in the DC Rebirth version of the character. If you harm Apollo, Midnighter will still go to the ends of the world and beyond to kill you, but he isn't particularly vicious or sadistic about it - especially compared with the RapeAndRevenge incident in the old Wildstorm Authority canon. Then again, RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil and all that...
*RapeAsDrama: During NonHeteronormativeSociety: Midnighter learns this to be true of the future, apparently to a point where the term "gay" itself is archaic and out-of-use.
* OneManArmy: Numbers mean little to the guy. He tears through men like a hot knife through butter.
* OnlyKnownByHisNickname: He's only ever known as Midnighter.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Millar's firstarc, it arc on ''The Authority'' had Midnighter admit out-loud that he was a racist after getting tired of dealing with some refugees the team had taken on. Well, what he said was that the stress of living with thousands of refugees made him catch himself having racist thoughts about them. It came across like he regretted that part about himself. Which is actually a pretty nice representation of how people become better persons in this regard, self-awareness being the first step and all.
* PatrioticFervor: In ''Midnighter'' #2, Midnighter wears a tanktop depicting the American flag on a date in ''Russia.'' Though that may have just been trolling, given he was on a date with a dude, in Putin's Russia.
* RapeAndRevenge:
** [[spoiler: In Creator/MarkMillar's first arc on ''The Authority'' a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica stand-in known as the Commander raped Apollo. The last we see of him, he's on the ground, paralyzed by Apollo, and it's implied thathe was raped by Midnighter intends to return the Captain America stand-in favor -- with a rusty jackhammer.]]
** AttemptedRape andit almost happened again during Revenge: Some time after that story, the G7 Authority story arc team got usurped and replaced by new guys with the same powers, who then spend weeks torturing their originals in various ways [[spoiler:- except for the Midnighter, who makes a timely strategic retreat to protect baby Jenny. Apollo gets deprived of sunlight and used as a punching bag by his own EvilCounterpart, Teuton.
and Midnighter's replacement. But just when Apollo's replacement has worked through his homophobia enough to talk himself into sexually assaulting Apollo, the Midnighter shows up to put a construction bolt through his brain.]][[note]]What is it with this guy and power tools as phallic symbols?[[/note]]
*SupermanSubstitute: RememberTheNewGuy: Everybody in Harmony, who claim to have known Midnighter back when he was "Lucas Trent".
* TheRemnant: He and Apollo are the lone survivors of an old Stormwatch cell made of expies of the founding members of the Justice League.
* SlasherSmile: As ''beamingly'' demonstrated in the above image.
* SociopathicHero: He'smore or less Superman if he were an anti-hero a killer all the way through, and gay. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having he never pretends to be anything else.
** Though he's not ''fully'' sociopathic. The fact that he ''cares'' about limiting his killing to people who deserve it, and the fact that he truly, deeply loves Apollo and cares about their daughter, are pretty much the only reasons why he isn't a villain.
* TimePolice: Midnighter deals with a few of these while attempting to kill Hitler on a mission. [[spoiler:He works out a deal with them to take out the guy who sent himbe part of to the past in the first place]].
* TokenEvilTeammate: He's this for the Authority and that's really saying something for a team ofSuperman's counterparts, expies already murderous amoral superheroes. He handles most of the dirty business of the team and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be has admitted he's a Superman fanboy.murderous monster and killer, but accepts it as who he is.
*
* AntiHero: He
* AscendedMeme: His chin spike. Eventually explained in-universe after much fan teasing, having saved his life during a
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Midnighter's enhancements go beyond a mere SherlockScan --- they can detect how a fight will end on sight, not to mention provide possible routes of victory.
--> '''Midnighter''': I've already played this fight in my head, a million times, from each and every angle.
* AxCrazy: He certainly enjoys the violence he commits, especially when he especially hates the victim in question
* BadassLongCoat: Conspicuously missing from his original [=DCnU=] outfit, but currently restored.
* BadFuture: Shown to become a violent, brain-damaged dictator in ''The Authority: Revolution''.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: With a rebreather, he can survive a short time in outer space.
* BatmanParody: Midnighter can best be described as Batman if he were gay, had
* BreakoutCharacter: Easily one of Wildstorm's best known creations, having made the jump over to DC's New 52 with sporadic appearances across the line.
* BreakThemByTalking: Managed to convince a mercenary to give up and even help him by explaining how little his life matters to anyone and his employer.
* CaptainErsatz: Basically Batman if he was a vicious maniac, and in
*
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wears
* CombatClairvoyance: His whole shtick is that he can see how a battle plays in his
* CoverIdentityAnomaly: "Lucas Trent" is
* CrazyPrepared: It's Midnighter's main selling point --- he knows what somebody's next move will be before ''they'' do, and acts accordingly.
* DarkIsNotEvil: DependingOnTheWriter, but broadly speaking he is on the side of the
* DependingOnTheArtist: The color and styling of his hair, seemingly switching with every artist --- as of his 2015 solo title, it's currently a dirty blond mohawk.
* {{Determinator}}: Especially
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he's
** Though the way he took out the replacement team in the Wildstorm Auhtority series almost
* DirtyBusiness: He takes care of this the most of the Authority roster, considering his spare time is mainly spent going to war zones and killing baddies.
* EverytownAmerica: Apparently Midnighter -- or "Lucas Trent", at least -- is from Harmony, Kansas.
* FriendToAllChildren: Surprisingly enough, given his personality. Wildstorm!Midnighter (and Apollo, too) especially guns for villains who harm children, [[WouldntHurtAChild refuses to kill children himself]] (even if they're destined to grow up to become Hitler), and adopts baby Jenny Quantum, resulting in several BadassAndBaby moments. DCU!Midnighter has this lovely speech to some child hostage victims of an insane gang/cult he just wiped out:[[note]]It's the "This is ''not'' your fault." part that really sells it, because it implies an amazing level of empathy and understanding for how children think, especially from somebody who has hardly any personal contact with kids and can't remember his
--> '''child hostage''': Where's Mister Half-beard?\\
'''Midnighter''': Mister Half-beard is studying the interior of a
* LightningBruiser:
'''Midnighter''': (more to the adult bystanders) Because if they do, I'll be back to... ''encourage'' them. And ''no one'' wants to see me twice. ''Trust'' me.
* GetBackInTheCloset: A panel depicting he
* TheNeedless:
* GoodIsNotNice / NominalHero: He's ''technically' a superhero...despite all evidence to the contrary.
* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Midnighter's sexuality was pretty dubious to Apollo, until he explicitly stated it.
* HealingFactor: Part of his
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or access
** In ''Midnighter and Apollo'' he channeled the power of an angel for long enough that it should have burned out his body and killed him, as he was warned by the sorceror who bound that angel to him. Not only does he survive (albeit unable to stand and needing Apollo to carry him to safety), but he seems perfectly fine just a few days later.
* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: The first story arc of his solo series. Midnighter went back in time under order of an affluent man to kill Hitler or else he'd ignite a bomb he put in Midnighter's chest. [[EveryoneHasStandards Upon seeing how broken Hitler was, he refused.]] Especially after he found out the real reason his client wanted Hitler dead was to allow his father, a Nazi official, to become a more
* IAmWhatIAm: In all of his solo stories, it's mentioned by Midnighter how much he hates his origin as a man-made killing machine, his murderous impulses, and violent tendencies due to how it makes him little different from the criminals he puts into the ground. His whole career as a violent anti-hero is geared towards pointing those murderous instincts towards targets who he feels deserves it most.
-->'''Midnighter:''' You think I ''like'' how I was made? I can't go back. Can't ''help'' what was done to me. I can only point it in the right ''direction.''
* LogicalWeakness: Midtnighter's fighting prowess comes from numerous cybernetic enhancements throughout his brain and body, allowing him to read his opponent(s) and fight them accordingly. These make him almost impossible to beat in a fight, but they also have a number of logical weak points. Here are several ways he's been beaten over the years:
** If an opponent is simply too powerful for him to fight, as when he fought Captain Atom.
** If an enemy is faster than him, even with his enhancements.
** If an enemy is inherently unpredictable in some way. During one crossover, he had trouble fighting ComicBook/TheJoker, who's simply [[ObfuscatingInsanity too crazy to predict.]] Of course, in that case, it's more of an ''il''logical weakness...
** If his enhancements have been disabled, he's just a normal guy (albeit an extremely fit one).
** In ''The Authority: Human on the
** Midnighter's abilities
* ManlyGay: A big part of his appeal to readers, especially LGBTQ ones, is that he's a gay superhero who is also masculine.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Anthem group -- extremists who supposedly act in the name of peace. [[PatrioticFervor And wear country flags on their face]].
* MoralityChain:
** Apollo to Midnighter. Kinda. Apollo isn't opposed in principle to killing villains, but he disapproves of the sheer level of Midnighter's brutality and unnecessarily painful ways of execution (if more
--> '''Apollo''': "Hyacinth, [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Apollo's]] lover. He ''knew'' Hyacinth was doomed, but he ''refused'' to let Hades claim him. So he turned him into something better. ...I ''know'' who you are. And even if ''you'' think you're ''doomed'', I refuse to accept that. ''You'', and everyone else in the world who thinks they've fallen too far... I'll always pull you back into the ''light''."
** They even seem to have toned down the PayEvilUntoEvil aspect of Midnighter's protectiveness towards Apollo, in the DC Rebirth version of the character. If you harm Apollo, Midnighter will still go to the ends of the world and beyond to kill you, but he isn't particularly vicious or sadistic about it - especially compared with the RapeAndRevenge incident in the old Wildstorm Authority canon. Then again, RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil and all that...
*
* OneManArmy: Numbers mean little to the guy. He tears through men like a hot knife through butter.
* OnlyKnownByHisNickname: He's only ever known as Midnighter.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Millar's first
* PatrioticFervor: In ''Midnighter'' #2, Midnighter wears a tanktop depicting the American flag on a date in ''Russia.'' Though that may have just been trolling, given he was on a date with a dude, in Putin's Russia.
* RapeAndRevenge:
** [[spoiler: In Creator/MarkMillar's first arc on ''The Authority'' a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica stand-in known as the Commander raped Apollo. The last we see of him, he's on the ground, paralyzed by Apollo, and it's implied that
** AttemptedRape and
*
* TheRemnant: He and Apollo are the lone survivors of an old Stormwatch cell made of expies of the founding members of the Justice League.
* SlasherSmile: As ''beamingly'' demonstrated in the above image.
* SociopathicHero: He's
** Though he's not ''fully'' sociopathic. The fact that he ''cares'' about limiting his killing to people who deserve it, and the fact that he truly, deeply loves Apollo and cares about their daughter, are pretty much the only reasons why he isn't a villain.
* TimePolice: Midnighter deals with a few of these while attempting to kill Hitler on a mission. [[spoiler:He works out a deal with them to take out the guy who sent him
* TokenEvilTeammate: He's this for the Authority and that's really saying something for a team of
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[[folder:Swift]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swift_wildstorm_comics_stormwatch_authority.jpg]]
!!!'''Real Name:''' Shen Li-Men
A Buddhist Asian woman with the ability to grow wings and claws and superhuman senses. She was part of Jenny Sparks's Stormwatch team and is known as ''The World's Greatest Huntress''.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Which, compared to his Authority teammates, says a ''lot''. While Midnighter mainly just wants ethically permissable targets for his inherent violent urges and is fully aware he deserves to go to Hell someday (see the quote under IAmWhatIAm, above), Apollo has a rather unusual justification for why he often kills villains and does ''not'' feel like that makes him a bad person, even while he disapproves of Midnighter's levels of creative brutality. Basically, its because Apollo thinks their victims deserve to know that their abusers are gone ''and will never come back''. The comparison to ThouShallNotKill type superheroes like Batman or Superman isn't spelled out, but from the context[[note]]Apollo had just been explaining how his father threw him out when he came out as gay at ''age 12''. And then just a year later, aliens abducted him and torturously turned him into what he is now over the course of his teenage years. And after finally escaping, his asshole father rejected him again, now also for being "inhuman".[[/note]], it can be deduced that he thinks that these heroes are simply too privileged (white; straight; filthy rich or having a supportive family; not having been forced into their metahuman status; never having been personally tortured/abused/victimized, or at least not at a time when they were still helpless civilians, instead mostly getting {{Mangst}} type drama about ''other people'' getting hurt) to ever truly empathize with the victims of the villains they're throwing in prison only for them to escape again and again to destroy the lives of more innocent people. Note that Apollo's EstablishingCharacterMoment on the ComicBook/New52 Stormwatch reboot was taking down a child pornography ring, not dealing with some alien threat or a fantastical and crazy villain like most of Batman's rogues gallery.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: With Apollo, until they did in ''Stormwatch'' #18. They separated again following the [=DCYou=] relaunch, but the ''Midnighter'' solo series firmly establishes that, despite his wish to explore more relationships, Midnighter is still clearly in love with Apollo. [[spoiler: By the end of the series, they get back together.]]
* WolverineWannabe: While he has some [[BatmanParody similarities to Batman]], Midnighter arguably has much more in common with Wolverine. He has enhanced strength, speed, agility, and a HealingFactor. He also wears [[ToughSpikesAndStuds spiked]] gloves, [[BloodKnight has an insatiable appetite for violence]], and has a background in black ops.
* TheWorfEffect:
** When the Authority face off against the Erinyes, the ancient Greek goddesses of vengeance, Midnighter leapt at the opportunity to fight them--and was tossed aside in a single panel.
** Midnighter spends most of his issues in ''Grayson'' being somehow beaten by Dick, despite his cybernetic enhancements.
* WouldHitAGirl: Kills female enemies as much as male ones with extreme prejudice.
* WouldHurtAChild / WouldNotHurtAChild: Zig-zagged He hates fighting kids and often refuses to harm them, but push him enough and he'll attack or even kill one if needed. He killed an evil baby twin of his adopted daughter Jenny to stop her from destroying reality once. Teenagers are fair game though, as he once attacked ComicBook/Gen13 for getting in his way and killed many of Kriegstein's teenage metahumans for being baddies.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Apollo]]
[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.
A Buddhist Asian woman with the ability to grow wings and claws and superhuman senses. She was part of Jenny Sparks's Stormwatch team and is
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* ExpyCoexistence: He is a SupermanSubstitute who had to work alongside the actual Superman in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority''. Here he admits he modelled himself after Superman.
* FlyingBrick: He can fly, is incredibly strong and can fire blasts of solar energy.
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wears a white and gold outfit. [[PersonalityPowers He has a warm and cheerful personality]] to go with his PowerOfTheSun and is one of the nicer members of the team. Especially when compared to his husband Midnighter.
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he's almost always depicted with his head surrounded by a shining halo.
* LightningBruiser: He is as swift as he is strong.
* TheNeedless: Apollo does not require food or drink as his body is entirely sustained by his solar energy. He can survive in anaerobic environments indefinitely (he flies in space, by the simple method of not breathing).
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or access to sunlight to activate. Unlike Superman however, Apollo's body behaves more like a battery as his powers are far more directly dependent on the sun; whereas Superman's abilities are somewhat more 'internal'.
* RapeAsDrama: During Millar's first arc, it was implied that he was raped by the Captain America stand-in and it almost happened again during the G7 Authority story arc by his own EvilCounterpart, Teuton.
* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Swift]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swift_wildstorm_comics_stormwatch_authority.jpg]]
!!!'''Real Name:''' Shen Li-Men
A Buddhist Asian woman with the ability to grow wings and claws and superhuman senses. She was part of Jenny Sparks's Stormwatch team and is known as ''The World's Greatest Huntress''.
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* FlyingBrick: He can fly, is incredibly strong and can fire blasts of solar energy.
* GoodWearsWhite: Apollo wears a white and gold outfit. [[PersonalityPowers He has a warm and cheerful personality]] to go with his PowerOfTheSun and is one of the nicer members of the team. Especially when compared to his husband Midnighter.
* HolyHalo: Fitting his title as "[[TheMagnificent The Sun God]]", he's almost always depicted with his head surrounded by a shining halo.
* LightningBruiser: He is as swift as he is strong.
* TheNeedless: Apollo does not require food or drink as his body is entirely sustained by his solar energy. He can survive in anaerobic environments indefinitely (he flies in space, by the simple method of not breathing).
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Like Superman, Apollo's powers are dependent on the Sun needing only exposure or access to sunlight to activate. Unlike Superman however, Apollo's body behaves more like a battery as his powers are far more directly dependent on the sun; whereas Superman's abilities are somewhat more 'internal'.
* RapeAsDrama: During Millar's first arc, it was implied that he was raped by the Captain America stand-in and it almost happened again during the G7 Authority story arc by his own EvilCounterpart, Teuton.
* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Swift]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swift_wildstorm_comics_stormwatch_authority.jpg]]
!!!'''Real Name:''' Shen Li-Men
A Buddhist Asian woman with the ability to grow wings and claws and superhuman senses. She was part of Jenny Sparks's Stormwatch team and is known as ''The World's Greatest Huntress''.
----
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* DisproportionateRetribution: Seems to be quite fond of this trope. He murders Windsor, the king of Albion (appointed by Regis himself) by crushing his skull -- just because he ''[[HairTriggerTemper verbally disrespected him]]''.
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* DisproportionateRetribution: Seems to be quite fond of this trope. He murders Windsor, the king of Albion (appointed by Regis himself) by crushing his skull -- just because he ''[[HairTriggerTemper verbally disrespected him]]''.him]]'' (and he wasn't even talking to his face, either -- just making an off-handed comment in his conversation with Yngvi).
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* PowerPerversionPotential: She has used her copies to have sex with Jack while maintaining concentration to prevent her other clones from sharing the same feeling during their worldly duties (i.e. having an orgasm while giving a speech to the UN.) It's also pretty much outright stated that her nano-blood basically allows her to indulge her exhibitionist tendencies by giving her a reason to basically walk around naked everywhere.
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* PowerPerversionPotential: She has used her copies to have sex with Jack while maintaining concentration to prevent her other clones from sharing the same feeling during their worldly duties (i.e. having an orgasm while giving a speech to the UN.) It's also pretty much outright stated that her nano-blood basically allows her to indulge her exhibitionist tendencies by giving her a reason to basically walk around naked everywhere.
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* ForTheEvulz: He may wrap it in lengthy, poetical, emotional speeches, but it's pretty obvious that he commits atrocities like terrorism or genocide purely for his own amusement. When asked directly by UN official ''why'' is he doing all that, his answer is merely that it's just because he can. And when his headquarters is about to be squashed by the Carrier, his last words are "I just wanted to have some fun".
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* ForTheEvulz: He may wrap it in lengthy, poetical, emotional speeches, but it's pretty obvious that he commits atrocities like terrorism or genocide purely for his own amusement. When asked directly by a UN official ''why'' is he doing all that, his answer is merely that it's just because he can. And when his headquarters is about to be squashed by the Carrier, his last words are "I just wanted to have some fun".
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* ProneToTears: Teuton is especially prone to crying, much to the annoyance of his teammates. Last Call is especially annoyed as it adds to the perception that he and Teuton are gay just like their predecessors.
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* ProneToTears: Teuton is especially prone to crying, much to the annoyance of his teammates. Last Call is especially annoyed as it adds to the perception that he and Teuton are gay just like their predecessors.
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* {{Sucksessor}}: Despite being 'replacements' for arguably the world's most powerful superteam, Midnighter kills most of them with little trouble. Best demonstrated with Teuton, who is supposedly 'the new Apollo' (a FlyingBrick), who gets killed by a simple [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_bolt_pistol captive bolt pistol]] type weapon to the back of his head, and the Surgeon, who supposedly has stolen the Doctor's earth shaman powers, yet gets killed by a simple blast through the chest.[[note]]In comparison, Swift FLEW through the Regenade Doctor, splattering his upper half Mortal Kombat fatality style, and all he did was pull himself together immediately with all the damage gone in two seconds, while cursing that it had actually hurt.[[/note]]
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* {{Sucksessor}}: Despite being 'replacements' for arguably the world's most powerful superteam, Midnighter kills most of them with little trouble. Best demonstrated with Teuton, who is supposedly 'the new Apollo' (a FlyingBrick), who who, despite being Apollo's replacement, gets killed by a simple [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_bolt_pistol captive bolt pistol]] type weapon to the back of his head, and the Surgeon, who supposedly has stolen the Doctor's earth shaman powers, yet gets killed by a simple blast through the chest.[[note]]In comparison, Swift FLEW through the Regenade Doctor, splattering his upper half Mortal Kombat fatality style, and all he did was pull himself together immediately with all the damage gone in two seconds, while cursing that it had actually hurt.[[/note]]
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[[folder:Madorra Chase]]
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[[folder:Madorra Chase]]Chance]]
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** The rest are similarly stand-in for other Marvel heroes, including a gender-flipped version of the X-Men and a bigoted Nick Fury.
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** The rest are similarly stand-in stand-ins for other Marvel heroes, including a gender-flipped version of the X-Men and a bigoted Nick Fury.
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* KarmicRape: The last that is seen of the Commander, it is implied the Commander is about to be repaid for his rape of Apollo by Midnighter using a rusty jackhammer to do the same to him.
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* KarmicRape: The last that is seen of the Commander, it is implied When the Commander is about to be repaid for his rape of Apollo by last seen, it is implied Midnighter is about to repay him for raping Apollo by using a rusty jackhammer to do the same to him.
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** Angie sends four of the racist Americans to a parallel universe ruled an African dictator named Adolf X who exterminated every non-black person in his universe.
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** Angie sends four of the racist Americans to a parallel universe ruled by an African dictator named Adolf X who exterminated every non-black person in his universe.
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Rush says that she isn't into guys, has a retinue of young women who shower with her, and some of her interactions with Machine suggest that they are a couple, or at least friends with benefits, but it's never explicitly said that she's a lesbian.
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Rush says that she isn't into guys, has a retinue of young women who shower with her, and some of her interactions with Machine suggest that they are a couple, or at least friends with benefits, but benefits. However, it's never explicitly said that she's a lesbian.
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!!!'''Real Name:''' Angela Spica
!!!'''Real Name:''' Jeroen Thornedike
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!!!'''Real Name:''' Shen Li-Men
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** Manchester Black joins the team and he was created for an Authority {{Expy}} group called The Elite. Now it's said The Elite were imitating The Authority in-universe.
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** Manchester Black joins the team in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority'' and he was created for an Authority {{Expy}} group called The Elite.Elite who clashed with Superman in the story ''ComicBook/WhatsSoFunnyAboutTruthJusticeAndTheAmericanWay''. Now it's said The Elite were imitating The Authority in-universe.
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That comic has its own page here.
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* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''Final Crisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
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* SupermanSubstitute: He's more or less Superman if he were an anti-hero and gay. ''Final Crisis'' ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' even acknowledges it by having him be part of a team of Superman's counterparts, expies and knock-offs. When the Wildstorm characters got folded into the DC universe, it's taken even further by having Apollo be a Superman fanboy.
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* ExpyCoexistence: Happened when they got [[CanonWelding Canon Welded]] into the DC Universe:
** Manchester Black joins the team and he was created for an Authority {{Expy}} group called The Elite. Now it's said The Elite were imitating The Authority in-universe.
** SupermanSubstitute, Apollo now has to work alongside the actual Superman. He also admits he modelled himself on Supes.
** Manchester Black joins the team and he was created for an Authority {{Expy}} group called The Elite. Now it's said The Elite were imitating The Authority in-universe.
** SupermanSubstitute, Apollo now has to work alongside the actual Superman. He also admits he modelled himself on Supes.
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* ExpyCoexistence: He is a SupermanSubstitute who had to work alongside the actual Superman in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndTheAuthority''. Here he admits he modelled himself after Superman.
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Also known as ''The Shaman''. A nebbish billionaire ex-heroin junkie who serves as the mightiest magic-user on Earth and the latest in a long line of reincarnated shamans chosen to defend the planet from danger. He serves as the magic expert of the team.
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Also known as ''The Shaman''. A nebbish billionaire ex-heroin junkie who serves as the mightiest magic-user on Earth and the latest in a long line of reincarnated shamans chosen to defend the planet from danger. He serves as the magic expert TokenWizard of the team.
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Does Not Like Shoes has been renamed and redefined to focus on characters that explicitly or implicitly state a preference for going barefoot. Removing misuse
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* DoesNotLikeShoes: Since she typically flies, she really has no need for them. It helps that she can also turn her feet (and hands) into sharp talons.
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Dark Chick has been disambiguated
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* TheDarkChick
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* HasTwoMommies: She is adopted by Apollo and Midnighter.
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* MyGreatestFailure: In the this universe, Hitler's rise to power is due to her telling him to consider going into politics. Needless to say, she ended up regretting this when she sees the result of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.
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** The rest are similarly stand-in for other Marvel heroes, including a gender-flipped versionof the X-Men and a bigoted Nick Fury.
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** The rest are similarly stand-in for other Marvel heroes, including a gender-flipped versionof version of the X-Men and a bigoted Nick Fury.
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* CorruptedCharacterCopy: The Americans are evil stand-ins for ComicBook/TheAvengers.
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* CorruptedCharacterCopy: The main Americans are evil stand-ins for ComicBook/TheAvengers.
** The rest are similarly stand-in for other Marvel heroes, including a gender-flipped versionof the X-Men and a bigoted Nick Fury.
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** One of the Americans states that he hates Mexicans, Asians, blacks and ''especially'' French people.
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** One of the Americans Americans, an expy of Nick Fury, states that he hates Mexicans, Asians, blacks and ''especially'' French people.
