Melinda

Alter-Ego: Melinda Bridget Crane

Identity: Secret

Marital Status: Married (John Crane, Private Investigator and Owner - Argo Investigations and Security (AIS))

Family:

Cecilia (Ceci) Caitlin Crane (daughter) Althea (Allie) Bethany Crane (daughter) Dr. Richard Doherty (father) Karen Doherty (mother) Malcolm Doherty (older brother) Michael Doherty (younger brother) Theresa (Tessa) Doherty (niece) Sabrina (Brie) Doherty (niece)

Current Occupation: President and CEO - The Crane Foundation

Prior Occupations:

Professor of Law - Pianosa Academy Lawyer and Senior Partner - Crane, Poole, & Schmidt LLC Lawyer and Owner - Phoenix Law LLC

Birthday: October 19th Age: 42 as of 2022 (Melinda: Seriously, why are we mentioning this?!) Height: 5'8" Weight: 145 lbs. Build: Muscular Eyes: Green (as Melinda)/ Electric Blue (as Mindy Marvel) Hair: Dark Red (as Melinda)/ Scarlet (as Mindy Marvel) Race: Human (Genetically Enhanced) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian (of Irish and English heritage)

Mannerisms/Characteristics:

Left-handed, but signs things as Mindy Marvel with her right hand. Has to wear glasses in her civilian identity due to being slightly nearsighted. Places index finger parallel on lips when thinking or listening.

Hometown: Ocean Gate

Current Base of Operations: Steel City

Group Affiliation: None

Personality Traits (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator): ESFJ - The Consul (Outgoing, Loyal, Organized, Sensitive and Warm)

Powers:

Mindy is able to tap into the Earth's natural electrical field and is the source of her powers which include:

Enhanced Physical Abilities

Superhuman Strength: Mindy is able to lift up to 25 tons.

Superhuman Stamina: Mindy's musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. She can physically exert herself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair her.

Superhuman Agility: Mindy's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Reflexes: Mindy's natural reaction time is enhanced to a level that is beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Durability: The tissues of her body are somewhat harder and more resistant to injury than those of an ordinary human. While far from invulnerable, Mindy is able to withstand impact forces that would severely injure or kill an ordinary human with only mild to moderate discomfort.

Accelerated Healing: Mindy is able to heal or recover very quickly from surface injuries and minor illnesses (usually the same day). Small injuries and illnesses such as the flu would be at a 90% rate. Her ability decreases at a similar rate the more severe the injuries Mindy is not invulnerable to poisons and is as susceptible to diseases, such as cancer, as a normal person.

Flight: By utilizing magnetic levitation (maglev), Mindy is able to fly up to a maximum speed of 375 miles per hour.

Electricity Manipulation

Offensive

Electrical Blasts: Generated from her eyes, Mindy is able to shoot blasts that are equal in intensity to an average bolt of lightning (30 kiloamps). She is able to increase the intensity to a larger bolt (up to 120 kiloamps) at the expense of her other abilities.

Energy Gauntlets: Mindy is able to wrap a certain amount of electrical energy around her hands and forearms, increasing the potential to stun targets in close quarters/melee combat.

Taser: Mindy is able to generate modulated blasts of electricity from her fingertips that can be used to temporarily stun the nervous system.

Thunder Drop: Mindy can drain the energy around her while in the air and send a powerful shockwave upon impact with the ground. The blast force and range can grow greater depending on the height from which she drops.

Defensive

Polarity Wall: Mindy is able to generate a personal force field that can withstand up to a .50 caliber heavy machine gun, granting her limited invulnerability, Mindy can increase the size and strength of the wall, for a limited period of time, at the expense of her other abilities.

Shockwave: A method of crowd control and object manipulation, Mindy is able send pulses of electricity from her hands to physically push or throw objects away. Used against people, it can temporarily (or permanently) incapacitate others.

Electrified Epidermis: Similar to the electric eel, Mindy can send a shock of 860 volts throughout her body for two milliseconds producing a brief and painful numbing shock, similar to a stun gun discharge, for those in contact with her skin.

Support/Misc.

Electromagnetic Sense: Mindy is able to "see" anything with electric or magnetic properties. This sense works in conjunction with her regular eyesight but is most dominant when normal visibility is limited. Electricity (e.g., electrical wires/current) glows the brightest and metal (e.g., nails in furniture, studs in walls, pipes, etc.) is dimmer. This sense does not work on items that are not metal (wood, plastic, etc.)

Mind-Reading/Lie Detector: Mindy is able to read thoughts by analyzing the electrical activity that makes up a person's brainwaves - limited to surface thoughts.

Pulse Heal: Similar to a defibrillator, Mindy is able to deliver a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to a person by placing her hands on them.

Electrical Absorption: Mindy is able to absorb the electrical energy from surrounding objects (i.e., car batteries, outlets, streetlights) by direct touch. This is used primarily to recover from extensive use of her powers but, if needed, it can be used to boost her powers/abilities temporarily.

Form Changes: Using a small portion of her powers, Melinda is able to make changes to her physical form to help protect her identity. Her green eyes become a glowing electric blue and her dark red hair, a vibrant scarlet. Melinda’s voice is altered as well, sounding similar to synthesizer reverb.

Weaknesses:

Her powers can be disrupted by electromagnetic pulses. This will cause her to lose her abilities temporarily and her recovery will be slower than normal.

If Mindy absorbs an excess amount of energy, and is unable to discharge it, it will interfere with the electrical impulses in her brain and central nervous system causing mental confusion / disorientation and seizures.

Since Mindy's powers are tied to the Earth's unique physiology, if she is in an alternate dimension then her body will not be able to recharge. She will have use of her powers, but they will deplete with use and, ultimately, Mindy will be rendered powerless.

Uniform:

An upgraded version of Mindy's uniform was developed by Dr. Tiffany Johnson (Crimson Dynamo/Crimson Valkyrie) during their first encounter in Steel City.

Top/Skirt/Sleeves/Gloves/Boots: A variant of the Dr. Johnson's Battle-Skin formula, a leather-like synthetic material that is extremely light and durable, capable of turning away bullets and blades of most calibers and varieties. Mindy's uniform is bound in a ferromagnetic fluid and is housed in a compartment in her belt. Using the "Body Map" created by the nervous system, along with her control of magnetic fields, Mindy is able to form this liquid version of the Battle-Skin to form the uniform (with the exception of her belt and cape) on her body. Since this is controlled unconsciously, her uniform can't be removed even if Mindy herself loses consciousness.

Belt: In addition to storing her costume, her belt contains two ion batteries on each side of her belt for a quick charge, to boost or recover her powers, if needed. They can be opened via the two nodules on each side through the interface built into the fingertips of her gloves. There's also a communications device built into her belt buckle that enables her to contact her fellow heroes/heroines and emergency services, along with a GPS locator and distress signal. In addition, her cell phone is patched into this device for personal calls. She is able to communicate through a specially designed Bluetooth headset.

Cape: Mindy's cape is made up of nano-tube fibers that make it tear resistant and a tensile strength of steel cable, while giving it the weight and feel of silk.

Abilities/Skills:

Melinda was trained in multiple forms of martial arts by her college roommate Xia Li Wong (Bauhinia). After arriving in Angel Falls, Mindy increased her fighting skills by training in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), rising to a current rank of Black Belt 1st Degree. MCMAP is a hand-to-hand and close quarters combat system that draws influences from several disciplines including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, jujitsu, judo, sambo, krav maga, karate, aikido, eskrima, hapkido, taekwondo, kung fu, and kick boxing. Training was overseen by former Marine, Maj. Maia Bonner-Yezhov (Walkiria) and Olga Yezhov (Soviet Superwoman).

Mindy's education and experience has given her an extensive knowledge of the legal system.

Hobbies/Interests:

Mindy has played basketball her entire life with participation in sanctioned leagues since age 8. Her skills and ability helped her obtain a scholarship to college. She continues to play as a form of recreation.

Mindy has played the Piano since age 6 and has a moderate skill level comparable to a person with a few years of structured lessons.

Memberships:

St Terese of Lisieux Catholic Church

Background

Melinda grew up in a middle class Irish Catholic family in Ocean Gate, Maryland. Her parents instilled a strong work ethic and a desire to help those less fortunate than her. This helped her throughout her youth as she excelled both in sports and school as she was able to attend Steel Canyon University in Paragon City on a combined academic and athletic scholarship (basketball).

It was there where two major life events happened.

The first was when she met John, a starting linebacker on the football team and computer science major, at first-year student orientation. The two developed a friendship that quickly turned romantic. They were engaged during a trip to the United Kingdom the summer before their senior year and married shortly after graduation, where Melinda obtained a bachelor's degree in political science and were married shortly afterwards. They moved to Steel City and Melinda started law school at Steel City University in the fall of that year.

The second was also during her first year at Steel Canyon.

Melinda became ill frequently during the spring semester, which involved severe migraines and bouts of physical pain. She even required overnight hospital stays due to seizures. Stumped by these symptoms in the young, athletic woman, they advised getting further tests, including an MRI, done at the University Hospital.

The day of the MRI, the hospital had just installed a tesla generator, an innovative technology developed by Tesla Tech, which harnessed the electrical energy of lighting to power the building and city. When the machine was turned on during the MRI, Melinda started feeling the same symptoms she had before, and her body began to glow with a bluish aura. She started to scream as the pain she was experiencing reached unbearable levels, right until the equivalent of a lightning bolt struck down through the machine and into her body. The exam room and the MRI machine were obliterated, but Melinda somehow miraculously survived without a scratch and her unconscious body was found in a large crater in the center of the room. Melinda later woke up in a hospital bed and discovered that she was no longer experiencing her previous symptoms, and subsequent tests could not find any abnormalities in her health or physical condition.

But, in the following days, Melinda found that her body had changed in amazing ways. Her strength had increased to superhuman levels, while also granting her the gift of flight. The most interesting thing though was that she had gained the ability to discharge electrical energy in various forms, including devastating lightning blasts from her eyes and hands. She spent several months honing these newfound skills while also discovering new ones. After some soul searching and talks with John and her roommates Autumn, Liz, and Xia, Melinda decided to join the roster of heroes in Paragon City and adopt a costumed identity. Her friends each contributed to her decision: Liz, a fashion student, designed the costume. Autumn, an engineering student, provided the equipment. Xia, a transfer student from the UK, had already adopted a costumed identity as Bauhinia. And while she was not blessed with superpowers, her fighting skills were unmatched. Melinda learned from the fighting phenom and adapted a style that worked with her physical gifts.

Her powers, on the other hand, were something different. Melinda learned to control and utilize them by trial and error until she met Natalie Morris, the inventor of the tesla generator that unlocked Melindas amazing abilities. Natalie, who was also Lightning Lass, passed her knowledge to Melinda, teaching her new and unique ways to utilize her bioelectric powers.

Melinda settled into law school and married life quickly. While she patrolled Steel City regularly, the level of metahuman crime was not as high as Paragon City. But she did meet the city's premier crime fighter, Crimson Dynamo. After battling Crimson’s nemesis Doctor Kotetsu, the two learned of each other’s secret identity and their friendship was cemented from that day forward. The duo was so inseparable they became known as the Ravishing Redheads by the locals and press. In addition to upgrading Melinda’s uniform and gear with her technology, Tiffany made an impact in Melinda and John’s personal life by helping deliver the twin girls Melinda was pregnant with when the redheads were trapped in an elevator during a power outage. After law school, she accepted a job at a small law firm and quickly became one their top lawyers.

Through the years, the costumed threats to Steel City grew. But so did the heroic defenders, and Crimson and Mindy led the way. But career opportunities put the two on separate paths as Melinda became a named partner in the firm, now known as Crane, Poole, and Schmidt LLC, but it came with a transfer so she could set up the firm’s new office in Angel Falls. While sad at having to leave her new friends, who were like family to John and the girls, Melinda knew she could not pass this up.

The firm’s new office was a success and Melinda found she was needed just as often in the skies as Mindy Marvel as she was in the court room. A new set of friends emerged, which included the super couple of Walkiria and Soviet Superwoman. The two powerhouses helped Melinda further hone her fighting skills and powers.

Displeased at how the city was being run, she declared her intention to run for the office of Mayor despite her lack of political experience. Threatened by the noble lawyer’s run for the city’s highest office, the criminal underbelly of the city utilized a multilayered plan to keep her from being elected. Dark Inferna, a rival lawyer named Nancy Brenton who possessed pyrokinetic powers, attacked Melinda at her work and John at their home which caused Melinda to be let go from the firm due to safety concerns. John was kidnapped and Melinda was embroiled in a sex scandal with Olga Yezhov, the Soviet Superwoman. While this was later proven false, thanks to the detective work of the White Owl, the media circus that accompanied was too much for the voters to ignore and she lost a close election.

After her mayoral campaign was derailed, Melinda opened a small firm, named Phoenix Law as a nod to the rebirth of her career. In addition, she accepted a position at Pianosa Academy, a prestigious boarding school whose goal is the training and education of children, aged 14 to 18, who possess superhuman abilities. She acted as a legal adviser for the academy along with teaching and counseling those who would be the next generation of heroes for Angel Falls. Melinda was happy until tragedy struck in Steel City, the death of her best friend Tiffany...the Crimson Dynamo.

The family moved back to Steel City to help fill the void of the city’s heart and soul, even if she knew she would not be able to do it fully. Pivoting from her law career, she moved to philanthropy and started the Crane Foundation with the sizable grant left to her by Tiffany’s estate. The time that followed was difficult, flying through the skies and walking the rooftops of Steel City without her Ravishing Redhead partner, but news became known that her friend may not be gone when she was confronted by the Asgardian goddess Freyja. Tiffany had been reborn as the Crimson Valkyrie. Melinda, along with other close friends of Tiffany were summoned to Asgard to witness the arrival of Freyja’s new herald to Earth.

Over the years, Melinda took in her nieces Theresa Doherty, who had discovered her own powers of size changing, and Sabrina Doherty, a technopath who obtained super speed, among other abilities, thanks to bio-electric implant surgery. The Crane Foundation also grew, thanks to Tiffany Anderson and Lauren Wallace’s guidance and financial contributions, to help more than just the citizens of Steel City as the Foundation's reach stretched to New York City. This connection led to Melinda meeting Kayla Evans, the heroic Honey Bee, where she fully embraced the role of mentor and, occasionally, “Super Mom” to the Bee Team and the growing generation of younger heroes/heroines.