Holocaust

Holocaust, Leonard Smalls Jr., is a powerful Bang Baby from Dakota City who gained his abilities during the Big Bang, when experimental gas transformed many of the people caught in the Paris Island gang conflict. Already involved with the Paris Bloods, Leonard emerged from the disaster with immense physical power and the ability to generate devastating flames. He joined the newly formed Blood Syndicate, but his ambition quickly put him at odds with its leadership. After breaking away, Holocaust began building his own criminal power base, determined to rule Dakota’s underworld rather than answer to anyone else.

His pursuit of influence brought him into conflict with Static, Icon, Rocket, and other powerful figures in Dakota. He briefly became involved with the Star Chamber and later operated under the name Pyre during a dispute over his original alias, but he eventually reclaimed the Holocaust identity and formed his own version of the Blood Syndicate. His plans consistently centered on consolidating superhuman criminals beneath his authority and forcing rival organizations to recognize him as one of Dakota’s dominant powers.

Appearance: Holocaust has deep dark-brown skin and a towering, massively muscular build with extremely broad shoulders, a thick chest, heavily defined arms, a narrow waist, and powerful legs. His hair is black and worn in long, dense curls that fall around his head and shoulders in thick rope-like strands. He has solid white eyes without visible pupils. A thick black mustache curves outward across his upper lip. His torso is largely exposed, showing pronounced pectorals, sharply separated abdominal muscles, thick deltoids, and heavily developed biceps and forearms.

He wears a sleeveless crimson vest with angular gold trim running vertically along the open front and spreading into geometric sections across the sides. Large metallic gold shoulder guards curve outward over both shoulders, forming broad smooth shells with raised edges. His waist is wrapped by a wide gold utility-style belt composed of rectangular segments and a large central buckle. Matching crimson trousers fit closely through his hips and legs, while broad metallic gold bracers encircle both forearms in layered cylindrical sections.

His lower legs are enclosed in tall metallic boots with broad gold-green armored cuffs and segmented plating around the shins. The boots continue the same heavy metallic construction used on his shoulder guards and bracers, contrasting against the red fabric of his trousers.

Personality: Holocaust is ruthless, domineering, and intensely ambitious. He sees power as something meant to be seized and maintained through fear, and he has little patience for anyone who refuses to recognize his authority. Although capable of careful planning, he is also brutally direct when challenged, relying on the fact that very few opponents can withstand his strength and flames long enough to stop him. His confidence frequently crosses into arrogance, particularly when dealing with other Bang Babies whom he believes should fall in line behind him.

His relationship with the Blood Syndicate is defined by rivalry as much as shared origins, since Leonard repeatedly tried to turn the group into an extension of his own criminal empire. Tech-9 represented an early obstacle to his ambitions, while Wise Son became another major rival over control of the Syndicate. Holocaust viewed Static as both a potential recruit and a threat, recognizing the young hero’s power while rejecting his refusal to participate in criminal life. Icon and Rocket became particularly dangerous enemies once Holocaust’s ambitions expanded beyond ordinary street crime, forcing him to plan around opponents powerful enough to challenge him directly.

Holocaust’s transformation during the Big Bang granted him powerful pyrokinesis, allowing him to generate enormous quantities of flame directly from his body. His Thermal Blasts can be projected outward as concentrated waves or explosive eruptions, producing enough heat to melt vehicles, ignite structures, and devastate large areas. He can also direct his flames through surrounding surfaces, allowing attacks to erupt from unexpected directions rather than simply firing them straight ahead.

His altered physiology also gives him tremendous superhuman strength and durability. Holocaust can overpower other enhanced fighters in close combat and withstand severe physical punishment that would incapacitate an ordinary person. Combined with his experience as a gang leader, street fighter, and criminal strategist, these abilities make him dangerous at both close range and across an open battlefield.