Post by Susan Hillwig on Jun 12, 2008 18:24:30 GMT -5
Name: Firebrand
Secret Identity: Danette Reilly-Arthur
Status: Hero
Base of Operations: New York City
Group Affiliation: Law’s Legionnaires AKA Seven Soldiers of Victory
Occupation: Vulcanologist
Known Relatives: Justin Arthur (husband), Ed Reilly (father, deceased), Rod Reilly (brother, deceased)
Height: 5’5” Weight: 118 lbs.
Eyes: Blue Hair: Red
Powers and Abilities: Firebrand has the ability to generate fire, both from her hands and in the form of a flaming aura around her body. She can also control existing flames in her immediate vicinity, enlarging or extinguishing them as she sees fit, as well as manipulate the thermal drafts produced by fire to enable her to fly. Neither she nor what she is wearing can be harmed by flame (whether generated by herself or an outside source). Though specializing in vulcanology , she is well-versed in all geologic sciences.
History: The daughter of steel tycoon Ed Reilly, Danette Reilly could have easily led a life of a pampered socialite, but like her older brother Rod, she wanted to be something more than just another member of the idle rich. While Rod’s passions led him to seek out new and exciting ways to pass his time, however, Danette turned her attentions inward, filling her hours with books and academic pursuits as she strove to better understand the world around her. Despite her studious nature, it was Rod who inherited control of Reilly Steel after their father’s death, leaving Danette free to continue her learning. After years in college studying geology, she took a research position in Hawaii, focusing on the island chain’s volcanic activity. It was during her tenure there in late 1941 that she was kidnapped by Per Degaton (see Per Degaton) and forced to help in his experiments to artificially create volcanoes. The villain’s plans were later thwarted by the Justice Society of America (see JSA), but not before Danette was exposed to a mixture of volcanic gasses and an unknown chemical compound produced by Degaton for his scheme, which caused her to collapse and become ill. Though she recovered after being taken to a hospital by members of the JSA, the incident left Danette shaken, and she returned home to New York for a brief respite.
Not long after, she discovered that she’d gained the ability to generate fire, apparently a side-effect of the incident with Per Degaton. Unable to control it at first, she did her best to keep it hidden from her brother, not knowing that he was keeping secrets of his own. It all came to a head a few weeks after her return, however, when Rod filed for bankruptcy: nearly their entire family fortune had been drained away in Danette’s absence, and he couldn’t sufficiently explain to her why. The next night, Danette came home to find Rod dying of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. With his last breaths, he told her about a shadowy figure named the Iron Hand, who’d promised Rod the excitement he’d always craved, in exchange for everything he possessed...and now that he had nothing left, the Iron Hand had disposed of him. Unable to convince the police that Rod’s death wasn’t a suicide, the normally-reserved Danette decided to take matters into her own hands. She made a costume to conceal her identity and, using what little information Rod had given her before he died, tracked down the Iron Hand’s hidden lair. Luckily, she soon found she wasn’t alone in her efforts, as she joined up with six other heroes to take down the secret organization that had killed her brother. During the fight, her fiery powers and fearlessness in battle quickly earned her the name “Firebrand”, which she took on with pride afterward.
With the shadow of World War II looming over the United States, they later decided they could serve their country best as a team instead of individually, and formally banded together as the Law's Legionnaires (see The Seven Soldiers of Victory), defending their home soil as many of the more powerful heroes went overseas to fight the Axis powers. Though Danette hadn’t set out to become a full-time hero, she took to it well enough, ironically going on the sort of adventures that her late brother would have loved to have participated in. It also led to a romance with her fellow teammate Sir Justin, the Shining Knight (see Shining Knight), whom she married not long after the war ended. Sadly, in 1948, Firebrand mysteriously disappeared while on a mission with the Law's Legionnaires. The circumstances of her disappearance, as well as the fates of the rest of the Soldiers, remains a mystery to this day.
Secret Identity: Danette Reilly-Arthur
Status: Hero
Base of Operations: New York City
Group Affiliation: Law’s Legionnaires AKA Seven Soldiers of Victory
Occupation: Vulcanologist
Known Relatives: Justin Arthur (husband), Ed Reilly (father, deceased), Rod Reilly (brother, deceased)
Height: 5’5” Weight: 118 lbs.
Eyes: Blue Hair: Red
Powers and Abilities: Firebrand has the ability to generate fire, both from her hands and in the form of a flaming aura around her body. She can also control existing flames in her immediate vicinity, enlarging or extinguishing them as she sees fit, as well as manipulate the thermal drafts produced by fire to enable her to fly. Neither she nor what she is wearing can be harmed by flame (whether generated by herself or an outside source). Though specializing in vulcanology , she is well-versed in all geologic sciences.
History: The daughter of steel tycoon Ed Reilly, Danette Reilly could have easily led a life of a pampered socialite, but like her older brother Rod, she wanted to be something more than just another member of the idle rich. While Rod’s passions led him to seek out new and exciting ways to pass his time, however, Danette turned her attentions inward, filling her hours with books and academic pursuits as she strove to better understand the world around her. Despite her studious nature, it was Rod who inherited control of Reilly Steel after their father’s death, leaving Danette free to continue her learning. After years in college studying geology, she took a research position in Hawaii, focusing on the island chain’s volcanic activity. It was during her tenure there in late 1941 that she was kidnapped by Per Degaton (see Per Degaton) and forced to help in his experiments to artificially create volcanoes. The villain’s plans were later thwarted by the Justice Society of America (see JSA), but not before Danette was exposed to a mixture of volcanic gasses and an unknown chemical compound produced by Degaton for his scheme, which caused her to collapse and become ill. Though she recovered after being taken to a hospital by members of the JSA, the incident left Danette shaken, and she returned home to New York for a brief respite.
Not long after, she discovered that she’d gained the ability to generate fire, apparently a side-effect of the incident with Per Degaton. Unable to control it at first, she did her best to keep it hidden from her brother, not knowing that he was keeping secrets of his own. It all came to a head a few weeks after her return, however, when Rod filed for bankruptcy: nearly their entire family fortune had been drained away in Danette’s absence, and he couldn’t sufficiently explain to her why. The next night, Danette came home to find Rod dying of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. With his last breaths, he told her about a shadowy figure named the Iron Hand, who’d promised Rod the excitement he’d always craved, in exchange for everything he possessed...and now that he had nothing left, the Iron Hand had disposed of him. Unable to convince the police that Rod’s death wasn’t a suicide, the normally-reserved Danette decided to take matters into her own hands. She made a costume to conceal her identity and, using what little information Rod had given her before he died, tracked down the Iron Hand’s hidden lair. Luckily, she soon found she wasn’t alone in her efforts, as she joined up with six other heroes to take down the secret organization that had killed her brother. During the fight, her fiery powers and fearlessness in battle quickly earned her the name “Firebrand”, which she took on with pride afterward.
With the shadow of World War II looming over the United States, they later decided they could serve their country best as a team instead of individually, and formally banded together as the Law's Legionnaires (see The Seven Soldiers of Victory), defending their home soil as many of the more powerful heroes went overseas to fight the Axis powers. Though Danette hadn’t set out to become a full-time hero, she took to it well enough, ironically going on the sort of adventures that her late brother would have loved to have participated in. It also led to a romance with her fellow teammate Sir Justin, the Shining Knight (see Shining Knight), whom she married not long after the war ended. Sadly, in 1948, Firebrand mysteriously disappeared while on a mission with the Law's Legionnaires. The circumstances of her disappearance, as well as the fates of the rest of the Soldiers, remains a mystery to this day.