PS238/Characters

The characters of PS238.

Staff of PS238
Herschel Clay (a.k.a. Mantium)

''Dagnab Cytocorp hardware! If I found out who's been ordering from that cheap-wad supplier¦ I might as well make my own eprom chips if we're going to use this junk!''


 * Almighty Janitor: His job is quite a bit more than 'janitor', but he doesn't come across as 'teaching staff' normally.
 * He's the maintenance guy for PS238. Along with the guy that designed and built it.
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * Reed Richards Is Useless: Averted, he modifies NASA equipment and is rich from selling some of his stuff via Clay Corporation.

Alfred Cranston, Principal of PS238

Even when you think you're doing the right thing, you might be going about it in the wrong way.


 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: He had used his telepathic powers to defeat political opponents, win elections, and get great deals on cars.
 * Our Presidents Are Different: Until the 'Cranston Incident' ended it in the Backstory.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Referring to his time when he was using his powers as President.

Doctor Positron


 * Do-Anything Robot: Subverted when he has trouble fighting off aliens without the weapons in his combat body.
 * Me's a Crowd
 * Uncanny Valley: Normally, Doc P appears pretty much human, but (at least when interacting with his other selves) can lapse into Uncanny Valley-ness pretty badly. The other teachers tell him to knock it off because he's so unconvincing it's creeping them out.

Vashti Imperia (a.k.a. Spell Syrin)

''Only you see my true appearance. To everyone else I look like Vashti Imperia, J. Crew patron.''


 * Master of Illusion

Coach Rockslide (a.k.a. Maximilian Krutz, Rockslide)

''I think that's our cue. Let's go stomp some aliens.''


 * Gentle Giant
 * Nigh Invulnerable: He's been driven something like four feet into concrete flooring by a blow to the head. It doesn't seem to have done much more than stun him briefly (and leave him stuck).
 * Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Max may be a massively strong, stone-tough bruiser that's more than seven feet tall, but he's pretty much stuck that way, which isn't much fun. He doesn't fit through doorways very well, can't move very fast and he can't even wear shoes, since they just kind of... burst.
 * Super Strength

Cristina Kyle (a.k.a. Micro-Might)


 * Christmas Cake: She has had trouble dating.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Less than most,but she often resorts to sarky comments when things get too crazy.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse
 * Reasonable Authority Figure

The Human Alloy (a.k.a. Wayne Miller)

''I've faced down military-level ordnance, fought beings with laser-beam eyes, taken on the worst the underworld has to offer... but [teaching] scares me worse than Doctor Von Fogg's legion of mole-warriors on a mushroom bender.''


 * Chrome Champion
 * Extra Ore Dinary: Turned a door into gold once. The full extent of his abilities in this area have not been explained.
 * The Knights Who Say Squee: For Wil Wheaton.

Other Staff:
 * Dr. Isadore Newby: School doctor, superpowered healer and mundane medically trained.
 * Alice Oberon: Teacher of the Rainmaker classes. Canonically completely powerless- why she's in charge of the Rainmaker students remains unexplained.
 * Roland Wooster: former Battle Butler for the defunct Union of Justice (a.k.a., most of the current teaching staff).

Students
American Eagle (a.k.a. Jenny Adams)

Age: 10

I'm in favor of blue - it's the same color of the skies, limitless and free, just like America.


 * The Comically Serious
 * Patriotic Fervor
 * Winged Humanoid Wears a backpack above ground to conceal them.

Bernard Brenner

Age: 7

Bernard Smash!
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Hulk Speak

Captain Clarinet (a.k.a. Mo-Ron "Ron" Peterson)

Age: 8

''I wasn't sure I wanted to do this saving people and stuff. It felt good to help, but I still want to make my music.''
 * Break the Cutie
 * Does Not Know His Own Strength: Fears his own strength because of this. One day, he might forget.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal
 * Fail O'Suckyname: His Argonian name is "Mo-Ron".
 * Flying Brick
 * Human Mom, Nonhuman Dad
 * Super Strength

Tom Davidson

Age: 10
 * Shout-Out: It is Word of God that his name was taken from two Doctor Who actors.
 * Time Master
 * Wise Beyond Their Years

84 (a.k.a. Julie Finster, F.I.S.S #84)

Age: 7

I'm sorry my powers aren't special or anything.
 * Flying Brick
 * Super Strength
 * Character Development: Her growth as a hero, despite her generic powers. Taking on the name "84" is part of it.
 * You Are Number Six

Emerald Gauntlet (a.k.a. Kevin Kramer)

Age: 7

Let's blast it!
 * Generation Xerox
 * Green Lantern Ring

The Flea (a.k.a. Alejandro Torres)

Age: 8

Is now when you tell me to "stay out of trouble" and "go back home" and "it's too dangerous" and stuff?


 * The Beast Master/Speaks Fluent Animal: Talks to and commands insects. This is quite useful to him - flies make excellent bugs, and even high-tech powered armour can be inconvenienced by a big swarm of bees.
 * Fun Personified
 * Wall Crawl

Guardian Angel (a.k.a. Ambriel Valentine)

Age: ?

You can't touch me, you can't hurt me, and the more you try the worse it's gonna be for you.
 * Barrier Warrior
 * Blessed with Suck: Can't get hurt, can't get injured, can't get sick. The sucky part comes about because she never developed resistance to diseases.
 * Bubble Boy: What the Blessed with Suck aspects of her Barrier Warrior powers have effectively turned her into.
 * Nigh Invulnerable

Malphast

Age: ? The son of a demon and an angel.

''To be honest, I didn't know I could do it. It sort of "happened." I think I need to learn more about what I am from Ms. Imperia.''
 * Captain Ersatz: Looks like Spawn. Has the origin of Genesis. Acts considerably nicer.
 * Power Incontinence: Accidentally summons a tentacled... thing while listening to music.
 * Reality Warper: Among others - part of his remit is that there hasn't been a demon/angel hybrid before, so no-one knows what he can do.
 * Me's a Crowd: Mentions that he built "a homunculus out of cafeteria food."

Absolute Powers a.k.a.




 * Flight
 * Power Incontinence
 * Reality Warper

Tyler Marlocke (a.k.a. Moon Shadow)

Age: 8

A normal boy with two very famous heroes for parents. They wonder why he hasn't got any powers, but he is sent to school "just in case".

''Look, I can't do any of the stuff you do. I don't have... you know... powers .''
 * Action Survivor
 * Badass Normal: In training at least.
 * Chew Toy
 * The Jinx: A very directed and specific one, aimed mainly at Captain Clarinet.
 * Ridiculously Average Guy
 * Only Sane Man
 * Superpowerful Genetics: Subverted:

Murphy

Age: ?

''I am acquainted with all stories form this world and others as they form the tableau of what you quaintly call "reality." The dreams of all sentient beings come together to shape what we see when we walk apart from the realms of sleep, and the whimsical novels of which we speak give their small contribution to making whole that which we see as the universe.''


 * Anthropomorphic Personification
 * Captain Ersatz: Of Dream from The Sandman.
 * De-Power: The reason he's in an elementary school; he's been reduced to the child-sized "Prince of Daydreams."
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
 * Wall of Text

Polymer (a.k.a. Poly Mekkis)

Age: ?

One time I grabbed our mailbox when Mom was driving to the mall, and when we got there, my arm was-
 * Fun Personified: Her powers are the source of many a funny Fridge Logic moment.
 * Rubber Girl

Prospero

Age: Unknown

''This is a sample of DNA that came from what you call a "cafeteria". It has evolved several times since I constructed this device. I have concerns for those consuming it.''
 * Expospeak Gag: Once his dialogue is translated.
 * Foreign Queasine: His attitude about the cafeteria food.
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * Intelligible Unintelligible: (Only to Angie.)
 * The Unintelligible
 * Prospero's dialogue is actually written with a font in which every character looks more or less the same. This font *is* decipherable, and reveals his dialogue for the first issue to contain nothing but comments from the author and Monty Python references. Later issues become slightly more in-character-esque.

Angie Sinthousy

Age: 11

'' Ha! Never fails! You got owned, Dude! Now let's finish da Acessorizin'.''
 * Catch Phrase: Knowhatimsayin'?
 * Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Hinted that some of her more fantastic creations only work right when she's using them, or at least in the vicinity.
 * Gadgeteer Genius: In some ways more than Herschel
 * Totally Radical

Suzi Fusion (a.k.a. Suzanne Finster)

Age: 6

Doctor Positron says my internal body temperature can melt lead!


 * Gas Leak Coverup: Tends to prompt these.

USA Patriot Act (aka Dillon Fillmore)

Age: 10

''The Defender of patriotism has arrived! And he's here to hone his skills and fight injustice!''
 * Patriotic Fervor
 * Super Soldier
 * Super Strength: And it's been growing, lately...

Victor Mycroft Von Fogg

Age: 8

Join Von Fogg or be vaporized from space.
 * Big Bad: It's what he's striving for)
 * Enemy Mine: Without asking, even. "So yes, we saved the planet. Again. Do I get a t-shirt if I do it a third time?"
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Though not on the same level as some of the others.

The Whiz (a.k.a. Franklin Springer)

Age: 8

''Let's play kickball! Me against everybody!''
 * Power Incontinence: He has to have his hair and nails trimmed multiple times a day to keep others from noticing how fast they grow.
 * Super Speed

Zodon

Age: 5

''My brain is going to hemorrhage. If I wasn't given the chance to do independent study in the labs, I'd go ape-.''
 * Big Bad: In training.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Jerkass
 * Unusual Euphemism: Due to the Barry Ween chip. When he really gets going, it switches to Show Tunes.

Others
Charles Brigman

Age: 12-13?
 * Jerkass

Cecil Holmes

Age: 8
 * Badass Longcoat
 * Conspiracy Theorist
 * Kid Detective
 * Meaningful Name
 * Nosy Neighbor
 * Properly Paranoid
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: Although the only thing he's wrong about is that The Masquerade hides superheroes instead of aliens.
 * Properly Paranoid
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: Although the only thing he's wrong about is that The Masquerade hides superheroes instead of aliens.

Dr. Philippe Von Fogg

What kind of world is it where a man who can build a zeppelin-mounted death ray can't even operate a simple camcorder?
 * Shout-Out: Has an uncanny resemblance to a certain other webcomic writer, and then there is his flying castle.

Alexandra Von Fogg

Von Foggs do not humble themselves.
 * Daddy's Little Villain
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Just as smart as her brother...
 * Manipulative Bitch: ...but more ruthless and manipulative

Harold Nelson (a.k.a The Rainmaker)

''The government wants to know how superpowers work, so they poke and prod the folks with powers that can't fight back. Like us.''
 * Power Nullifier
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

The Revenant

I sometimes think access to cash is the greatest superpower of all.
 * Badass Normal
 * The Chessmaster
 * Crimefighting with Cash: See the quote.
 * Expy: Of Batman (but much more cheerful).
 * I Have Many Names