Dr. Rex Lewis | The Doctor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nanomitesss) wrote2012-03-12 09:51 pm
nanomitesss) wrote2012-03-12 09:51 pm
Entry tags:
ooc; application
[- OOC Information -]
Name: Ros
Do you play any other characters in Outer Divide? No
[- Character Information -]
Character Name: Rex Lewis, aka the Doctor, aka the (Cobra) Commander
Fandom: GI Joe: Rise of Cobra
AU or OU: OU.
Canon Point: Towards the end of the film, when he's gloating at Duke.
Journal: nanomitesss
Icon: bam
Appearance: To put it simply, Rex looks like somebody took Darth Vader's mask off and pasted Severus Snape's hair on him. He's a skinny little dweeb of about average height with a slight frame and extremely pale skin. Once upon a time, he was a handsome young man, but these days, most of Rex's body (and all of his visible skin) is covered in scar tissue brought on by the severe burns he experienced when a bunker blew up while he was in it. He has no hair, so he covers his head in a sassy black wig with lank hair that looks to be in need of washing.
Most of Rex's body is covered in black clothing. It's difficult to tell what he's wearing under his tailored black coat, since it goes down to about his calves and is always buttoned, but underneath it that might be some kind of tight, gothic Edward Scissorhands outfit (well, judging by his action figure). On his hands, he wears a pair of black gloves. From the nose down, his face is obscured by a black-and-silver ventilator, which covers his neck and collarbone. It also has a fancy blue monocle attached to it. His eyes are brown, as are the eyebrows he mysteriously has. Way to get a wig that doesn't match your actual hair color, Rex.
History: There's nothing really known about Rex's early life, save that he has a sister who, at least by the time they're adults, is his only remaining family. So, this backstory is purely headcanon to fill in the blanks: Rex was born to an affluent family in Palo Alto, California. His mother (Dr. Lewis) was a neurosurgeon and his father (Dr. Lewis) was a professor of sociology at Stanford, and his sister Ana was, well, only a few years older than him, so she really didn’t have any accomplishments by the time he was born. At an early age, he excelled in academics and advanced well beyond his classmates, resulting in many skipped grades (which also had the side-effect of making him miss out on a lot of normal development with his peers). When he was sixteen and well into his undergraduate studies, his parents died quite suddenly, leaving him and Ana with nobody but each other. Rex focused his post-graduate studies on biomedical engineering and on programming, and received two PhDs for his hard work. Afterwards, he enlisted in the army as a science officer, which brings us to WIKI:
WIKI.
Previous Game History: N/A
Personality: Rex changes his identity/persona at the drop of a hat, so who he is, authentically, tends to be buried underneath lies and false demeanors. Even before his accident, Rex's identity had a phony exterior-- a trait that's become more severe as he's lost most of his attachments to humanity and withdrew (unwillingly, to be fair) from the outside world. When he's in one of his personas, Rex is controlled, confident. However, once there are cracks, once somebody tries to reach the real Rex-- whoever that may be-- he can be dramatic, histrionic and completely vicious, lashing out to heap blame on others, so that he can avoid responsibility for his own actions and the pain they might have caused to the people-- well, person-- he cares about. Rex is perfectly willing to change who he is to suit whichever role needs filling at the time, and he will likely be very careful about the image he presents when faced by new people/new situations, until he can come up with a role that will fit in well.
Rex's primary persona in the film, "The Doctor," is gleeful and a bit ridiculous, with elements lifted-- probably unconsciously-- from his colleague and mentor, Dr. Mindbender, along with some beliefs he mimics from McCullen. Basically, once his accident "killed" Rex Lewis, he re-developed his personality to fit his new "Doctor" identity. As the Doctor, he doesn’t speak or act or even move like Rex did-- obviously, the accident had a lot to do with it, but even then, he tends towards the theatrical as the Doctor to such an extent that it appears to be a deliberate act. He's also pretty fabulous and seems to like stroking/fondling/touching things. Later, when he puts on his Cobra Commander mask, his demeanor changes again, and he takes more charge and revels in blatant villainy, where before he was at least somewhat subtle. As the Commander, Rex outright cackles and makes clichéd villain speeches.
Rex once came across as a perfectly nice, if slightly awkward, young man, at least on the surface. In the only flashback removed from a high stress, combat situation, he seems generally friendly and good-natured in the company of others, playful and teasing with his sister (as was his duty as Ana's younger brother), polite and thoughtful with his friends. However, even in these moments where he's smilingly allowing his sister to put him in a headlock and practically baby him in front of Duke, there's something a little off about Rex. He's 'on'-- normal and affable-- when attention is on him, then seems to shut down once the focus is shifted. His sister's own engagement seems to involve Ripcord, who's not even related, more than it does Rex, who stands off to the side awkwardly, making an ambivalent face, like he's trying to smile and keep the performance going, but doesn't feel much of a need to since nobody's watching. What he's actually feeling is a mystery, as his expression is vague. This is the first indication that Rex may not be all that he seems, although it's a subtle one, easy to missand possibly not even deliberate.
Given his age and credentials, it's fair to assume that Rex has probably skipped several grades, graduating from high school and even college without fully developing or maturing emotionally, missing out on many common life experiences that would have helped him become better prepared for the world. He's a case of somebody entrenched in academics, isolated by his projects, his obsessive need to excel and push the boundaries of technology. This likely accounts for part of the reason why he's so undeveloped as a person, why he has to resort to these "characters," rather than act like a genuine person. Rex has never really fit in with his peers, and he wasn't terribly well socialized, hence the awkwardness, the stiffness that's present when he's no longer playing whatever role he thinks he should be playing.
Looking at Rex before his accident and the gleefully sadistic person he became after, it would be easy to think that he's been twisted and embittered by his injuries-- and while that's certainly a factor, it would be a mistake to think that Rex is the way he is solely because of this accident. The truth is, Rex has always had a "dark" side, although he wouldn't classify it as such (after all, science, to him, has no moral qualities). His nice, normal persona cracks pretty quickly when he's out of sight from Duke and the others, confronted with temptation. Rex's passion for science completely overrides what little empathy he might have for others-- and while most people wouldn't know how little he feels for others upon first meeting him, it becomes quite apparent when one throws science into the mix. The reverence Rex gives to science goes beyond what most would consider normal or healthy. When faced with footage of an agonized man being experimented on (along with McCullen's helpful commentary that "science requires sacrifice"), his first response isn't horror, but amazement. He calls it beautiful, rather than awful, and is absolutely excited about what he sees in the potential advancement of nanomite technology. Rex's first and foremost love, even when he was "good," is science, not humanity. This divide between him and humanity only grows after his injury, but it was always present.
Rex has issues with control, which are tied in with his obsession with science/technology. Rather than allow the chips fall where they may, Rex would rather seize control in order to ensure that his own goals are met. This doesn't merely extend to situations or organizations, but also people. Literally. He'll brainwash or "reprogram" people without any remorse or hesitation, with no respect for their own autonomy or sense of self. This willingness to control others extends from his grunts/minions to individuals on more equal footing to him, such as McCullen/Destro and Zartan (although he did fail to inject the latter with his brainwashing nanomites). He has no qualms with betraying others and will do so as soon as it becomes convenient for him. Despite the fact that he and McCullen seem to be on pretty good terms with each other (well, as good as two megalomaniacal supervillains can be) and their goals are pretty similar, he still schemes to stage a coup behind McCullen's back, and he's sadistic enough to devise a particularly poetic method of doing so, although it's worth noting that, in his way, Rex does help McCullen even as he hurts him. The nanomites do heal McCullen's injuries, just not in any way he would have liked. It's a complicated relationship, as Rex likely feels some degree of attachment to him (as McCullen is responsible, in a way, for rescuing him and healing him. Given that he was rescued from certain death by MARS, likely treated and recovered in MARS's custody, isolated from the rest of the world, Rex probably has a small degree of Stockholm Syndrome, which further complicates things), but he's not content to play second fiddle. Even though McCullen's plan was going to allow for Rex to do all of the science and research he wanted, Rex wouldn't be satisfied unless he was the boss. Although Rex pretends to only be concerned with research, it's clear that his ego and his controlling tendencies drive him to desire more.
As Rex is primarily interested in technology, facts and his own ambitions, he doesn't hold much stock in emotions/connections. At least, the emotions of others. Rex, himself, is pretty emotional once he starts to lose control of all that rage he has simmering below the surface, but he's so self centered that he doesn't care about the thoughts, feelings or even autonomy of others. This disconnect from humanity becomes worse after his disfiguring accident, because he deliberately sets himself apart from others. Where once he seemed to care about Duke, he now regards him with loathing (as he's twisted his interpretation of his accident in order to make Duke the "villain") and takes joy in having the opportunity to make him into a monster, rather than kill him. Not only does this reveal some rather happy sadism, as Rex sounds positively gleeful over the prospect of turning Duke into a monster, but it also reveals some of Rex's complications with his own image. Given his paranoia, the way he tends to blame others for his actions, it's likely that he has this idea that others see him as a monster, although he probably doesn't regard himself as one. And so, because he believes that he is regarded as a monster for his appearance, he may as well act like a monster. This further drives Rex to cut himself off from past attachments, and, really, anything and anyone but himself.
Even his sister, whom he claims to love, isn't really given much consideration. Although he could have spared her (and Duke) a great deal of grief by letting Ana know that he survived the explosion, he instead runs off with Dr. Mindbender in pursuit of perfecting nanomite technology. In fact, he regards the funeral service held for him with amusement, indirectly mocking his sister's grief. Still, he does become passionate when he explains his motivations for experimenting on Ana, even though he's ultimately playing a big old victim blaming game and using twisted logic to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. He claims to have brainwashed her for her sake, rather than his. He points out that in light of Duke's abandonment of her and his own 'death,' Ana 'felt truly alone' in a way that Duke could never fathom. In using nanomite technology to rid her of her feelings for Duke, Rex makes Ana empowered: she becomes the Baroness, rather than a passive mess who relies on Duke to do everything (like she pretty much becomes when she overcomes his nanomites. Yaaay). However, by the end of the film, Rex has become so corrupt by his greed for knowledge and power that he does threaten to kill Ana-- but, it's worth noting that although he can kill her with a push of a button, he doesn't push the button.
On a lighter note, Rex isn't all business. He's not an austere, stoic sort of villain. Instead, Rex is a gleeful, enthusiastic fella who takes pleasure in gloating, guffawing, and chortling over his victories. Not just that, but he even takes to explanations and presentations with eagerness and enthusiasm, and he positively eats up compliments from others. He enjoys being respected, having his intelligence recognized. Rex practically preens when McCullen calls him a genius-- again, some indication that he's got a complicated relationship with the other man, simultaneously seeing himself as above him, but also wanting his approval.
He also has a great enthusiasm for snakes and can spout out factoids about them-- in fact, it's implied that not only does he enjoy doing this, but he does it with such regularity that McCullen can't even bring himself to feign interest in whatever Rex is saying when he starts babbling about snakes. Actually, it's probably more of an 'obsession' than an 'enthusiasm,' since, in addition to chatting about snakes, he also keeps dangerous snakes as pets, and he likes to name everything after them, too.
Rex is also, by nature, an inquisitive person, as he's driven to always improve on and push science to the furthest possible levels. On an unrelated note, he holds a grudge forever, and has a particular hatred for anyone who's wronged him ever (it doesn't matter if you actually wronged him or not; if he perceives it that way, he'll keep on trucking with the hate). He's also a huge coward who values self-preservation over everything else.
Powers/Abilities: Rex is a mad scientist, and he has all of the skills that entails. He is a scientific super genius, specifically an engineer (neuroengineering is a specialty of his) and programmer. Mainly, he deals with weapons development and nanomite technology, using its extreme versatility to produce a wide range of effects.
And what are nanomites? They're tiny microscopic robots that can be programmed to do all sorts of things, like devour metal/people (particularly useful if you want to erase the "evidence" of a downed operative), alter features/bone structure, heal injuries, CURE DEPRESSION, control minds, eject poison from bloodstreams, shut down certain parts of the brain, encase people's heads in metal. If that makes no sense to you, that's because nanomites are used as a ridiculous plot device within his canon. Rex was able to apply his skills to refine them to what he believes to be perfection, allowing him to create brainwashed soldiers with advanced strength and defenses (such as the aforementioned immunity to poison), along with diminished brain activity. Pain, fear morality, and anything else that would hinder a walking meat shield/soldier have been suppressed through the application of Rex's nanomites.
Given Rex's fondness for human experimentation-- and the fact that he has a combat medical badge on his dress uniform in flashbacks-- Rex has some degree of medical training, so he can administer basic-to-advanced medical care. He knows what it takes to keep his experiments alive through a barrage of physically devastating tests. Also, given the precision and degree of control evident in his nanomites' programming-- how they interact with the brain, the blood stream, etc.-- it's clear that Rex has well beyond the average understanding of the human body.
Despite being a weedy little science nerd, Rex was, at one point, a decorated soldier, so he has seen combat (although wasn't seasoned enough to be comfortable in a combat situation), and he does have experience being out on the field in wartime. As a science officer, he spent most of his time in the lab, but he still received at least basic combat training. He knows his way around a gun, and the one time he holds one in canon, he handles it without hesitation.
From the Joepedia Wiki, here's a (near?) complete listing of Rex's decorations, which give some insight into other skills he may possess (although it's worth noting that the props department might have just stuck all these badges on him to make his uniform look cool, and not to actually point to his real credentials): "When seen in the film wearing his class A blue uniform, Lewis's decorations can be visually identified as the Combat Medical Badge, Parachutist Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and Army Superior Unit Award."
Possessions: Sadly, Rex only has the clothes on his back, the wig on his head, his ventilator, and a high-tech remote control that can command and punish his nanomited subjects-- but, since he doesn't have any soldiers here, it's basically useless.
Arrival: Ship, because he's on life support and will probably die at some point. He needs that revival option.
Reason for Playing: I enjoy playing under-developed villains. More than that, I enjoy the character's potential for versatility. On the one hand, he's a ridiculous, campy mad scientist, but on the other, I feel that there's room to explore the hardships and struggles that he has to endure due to his physical condition, not to mention the anger he's constantly carrying around. He's a case of a dangerous genius who's limited by his weakened body, and he will have to fight to survive in the harsh setting of this game, likely through making alliances quickly and playing the part of the nice, benevolent doctor. The character's also a slow-burn plotter who can be a serious force to be reckoned with if he gets his hands on enough technology.
[- Original Character Supplement-]
World History: N/A
Character History: N/A
[- Writing Samples -]
First person: [From another game, his response to an event that made everybody "normal":]
[REX IS BACK IN HIS FULL WHEEZY, GOTHED OUT GLORY. And he's hanging out in one of the common rooms, with... a spindly little robot spider thing creeping around the floor. He's lounging on one of the couches for now, watching idly as it skitters around and pauses every once in a while, casting out a red light to scan various... things.]
Suburbia with none of the usual Barge strings attached. A peculiar choice of port. I found it largely uncomplicated, unstimulating at first...
[He moves the camera so that you can't see his robot.]
But I would be lying if I said it wasn't interesting, in its way. Being... average is something I've never experienced before. Experiencing the perfectly ordinary from that lens made it into something novel. From time to time, I found myself enjoying it. I even, sometimes, considered staying. Living out my life as poor, uncomplicated Richard Holmes, barista extraordinaire. [He moves his head, focusing on something off-camera. Click click click goes the spiderbot.] But then I recalled the words of Dr. Kevin Warwick: "There is no way I want to stay a mere human."
Dr. Warwick is another hero of mine. [He turns to look at the camera again, smiling.] Don't worry, Clapet, he shouldn't offend your sensibilities quite as much as the pioneers of nuclear warfare. [And he looks off again.] Ambitious, like so many of the greats, he pushed his work beyond what anybody thought was possible. I say "was," but he's still alive. Thanks to my presence here, however, I've not been able to follow his latest projects. Still, in my... [He chuckles.] youth, I devoured his works. [YEAH, 28 IS SO OLD, REX.] His research was, after all, the predecessor, the foundation of my own. For decades, he's carried out extraordinary research in biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, control systems, robotics... The goal? To become the first human cyborg. Certainly admirable, although not one I share.
Many think he's crazy. A mad scientist. But he's a genius. He can actually control machines and electronics through a chip implanted into his arm; he created a device that interfaced directly into his nervous system. He even devised a form of... telepathy. [He waves a hand.] Not like it is here, of course. No, his wife assisted with the project. With a chip implanted into her own arm, the two were able to use the internet to communicate a signal between each other from a distance. It was the first purely electronic communication conducted between the nervous system of two humans.
[Musingly:] I wonder how far he's come now.
[Then, he sits up, leans forward, and holds his hand out. The little spiderbot skitters to him and climbs up his arm.]
This is something I've been working on, a little side project. For fun. It possesses a very simple AI. It's programmed with... algorithms to help it learn how to hide better, for example. It avoids moving objects, unless it recognizes it as a... "friend"-- [As if on cue, spiderbot BEAMS A RED LIGHT IN REX'S FACE, scanning him. He makes a disgruntled noise and waves it away, so it skitters over to his other shoulder and scans the camera. Rex removes the dumb little robot and places it on the floor.]
And it adapts to positive and negative reinforcement. [Pause. He strokes the robot's creepy little spine and it seems to trill happily.] To avoid any 'suicides.'
It's really little more than a high tech toy. [He shrugs a little and leans back against the couch again.] But as simple as it is, I don't think "Richard Holmes" could have ever built it. For all my... physical flaws, I wouldn't wish to trade them for a life like that.
[Spiderbot creeps back up again and flashes its light in the camera, SO REX ROLLS HIS EYES AND CUTS IT OFF.]
Third person: In which Rex lies, manipulates and gets revenge over an old grudge he was carrying around.
Name: Ros
Do you play any other characters in Outer Divide? No
[- Character Information -]
Character Name: Rex Lewis, aka the Doctor, aka the (Cobra) Commander
Fandom: GI Joe: Rise of Cobra
AU or OU: OU.
Canon Point: Towards the end of the film, when he's gloating at Duke.
Journal: nanomitesss
Icon: bam
Appearance: To put it simply, Rex looks like somebody took Darth Vader's mask off and pasted Severus Snape's hair on him. He's a skinny little dweeb of about average height with a slight frame and extremely pale skin. Once upon a time, he was a handsome young man, but these days, most of Rex's body (and all of his visible skin) is covered in scar tissue brought on by the severe burns he experienced when a bunker blew up while he was in it. He has no hair, so he covers his head in a sassy black wig with lank hair that looks to be in need of washing.
Most of Rex's body is covered in black clothing. It's difficult to tell what he's wearing under his tailored black coat, since it goes down to about his calves and is always buttoned, but underneath it that might be some kind of tight, gothic Edward Scissorhands outfit (well, judging by his action figure). On his hands, he wears a pair of black gloves. From the nose down, his face is obscured by a black-and-silver ventilator, which covers his neck and collarbone. It also has a fancy blue monocle attached to it. His eyes are brown, as are the eyebrows he mysteriously has. Way to get a wig that doesn't match your actual hair color, Rex.
History: There's nothing really known about Rex's early life, save that he has a sister who, at least by the time they're adults, is his only remaining family. So, this backstory is purely headcanon to fill in the blanks: Rex was born to an affluent family in Palo Alto, California. His mother (Dr. Lewis) was a neurosurgeon and his father (Dr. Lewis) was a professor of sociology at Stanford, and his sister Ana was, well, only a few years older than him, so she really didn’t have any accomplishments by the time he was born. At an early age, he excelled in academics and advanced well beyond his classmates, resulting in many skipped grades (which also had the side-effect of making him miss out on a lot of normal development with his peers). When he was sixteen and well into his undergraduate studies, his parents died quite suddenly, leaving him and Ana with nobody but each other. Rex focused his post-graduate studies on biomedical engineering and on programming, and received two PhDs for his hard work. Afterwards, he enlisted in the army as a science officer, which brings us to WIKI:
WIKI.
Previous Game History: N/A
Personality: Rex changes his identity/persona at the drop of a hat, so who he is, authentically, tends to be buried underneath lies and false demeanors. Even before his accident, Rex's identity had a phony exterior-- a trait that's become more severe as he's lost most of his attachments to humanity and withdrew (unwillingly, to be fair) from the outside world. When he's in one of his personas, Rex is controlled, confident. However, once there are cracks, once somebody tries to reach the real Rex-- whoever that may be-- he can be dramatic, histrionic and completely vicious, lashing out to heap blame on others, so that he can avoid responsibility for his own actions and the pain they might have caused to the people-- well, person-- he cares about. Rex is perfectly willing to change who he is to suit whichever role needs filling at the time, and he will likely be very careful about the image he presents when faced by new people/new situations, until he can come up with a role that will fit in well.
Rex's primary persona in the film, "The Doctor," is gleeful and a bit ridiculous, with elements lifted-- probably unconsciously-- from his colleague and mentor, Dr. Mindbender, along with some beliefs he mimics from McCullen. Basically, once his accident "killed" Rex Lewis, he re-developed his personality to fit his new "Doctor" identity. As the Doctor, he doesn’t speak or act or even move like Rex did-- obviously, the accident had a lot to do with it, but even then, he tends towards the theatrical as the Doctor to such an extent that it appears to be a deliberate act. He's also pretty fabulous and seems to like stroking/fondling/touching things. Later, when he puts on his Cobra Commander mask, his demeanor changes again, and he takes more charge and revels in blatant villainy, where before he was at least somewhat subtle. As the Commander, Rex outright cackles and makes clichéd villain speeches.
Rex once came across as a perfectly nice, if slightly awkward, young man, at least on the surface. In the only flashback removed from a high stress, combat situation, he seems generally friendly and good-natured in the company of others, playful and teasing with his sister (as was his duty as Ana's younger brother), polite and thoughtful with his friends. However, even in these moments where he's smilingly allowing his sister to put him in a headlock and practically baby him in front of Duke, there's something a little off about Rex. He's 'on'-- normal and affable-- when attention is on him, then seems to shut down once the focus is shifted. His sister's own engagement seems to involve Ripcord, who's not even related, more than it does Rex, who stands off to the side awkwardly, making an ambivalent face, like he's trying to smile and keep the performance going, but doesn't feel much of a need to since nobody's watching. What he's actually feeling is a mystery, as his expression is vague. This is the first indication that Rex may not be all that he seems, although it's a subtle one, easy to miss
Given his age and credentials, it's fair to assume that Rex has probably skipped several grades, graduating from high school and even college without fully developing or maturing emotionally, missing out on many common life experiences that would have helped him become better prepared for the world. He's a case of somebody entrenched in academics, isolated by his projects, his obsessive need to excel and push the boundaries of technology. This likely accounts for part of the reason why he's so undeveloped as a person, why he has to resort to these "characters," rather than act like a genuine person. Rex has never really fit in with his peers, and he wasn't terribly well socialized, hence the awkwardness, the stiffness that's present when he's no longer playing whatever role he thinks he should be playing.
Looking at Rex before his accident and the gleefully sadistic person he became after, it would be easy to think that he's been twisted and embittered by his injuries-- and while that's certainly a factor, it would be a mistake to think that Rex is the way he is solely because of this accident. The truth is, Rex has always had a "dark" side, although he wouldn't classify it as such (after all, science, to him, has no moral qualities). His nice, normal persona cracks pretty quickly when he's out of sight from Duke and the others, confronted with temptation. Rex's passion for science completely overrides what little empathy he might have for others-- and while most people wouldn't know how little he feels for others upon first meeting him, it becomes quite apparent when one throws science into the mix. The reverence Rex gives to science goes beyond what most would consider normal or healthy. When faced with footage of an agonized man being experimented on (along with McCullen's helpful commentary that "science requires sacrifice"), his first response isn't horror, but amazement. He calls it beautiful, rather than awful, and is absolutely excited about what he sees in the potential advancement of nanomite technology. Rex's first and foremost love, even when he was "good," is science, not humanity. This divide between him and humanity only grows after his injury, but it was always present.
Rex has issues with control, which are tied in with his obsession with science/technology. Rather than allow the chips fall where they may, Rex would rather seize control in order to ensure that his own goals are met. This doesn't merely extend to situations or organizations, but also people. Literally. He'll brainwash or "reprogram" people without any remorse or hesitation, with no respect for their own autonomy or sense of self. This willingness to control others extends from his grunts/minions to individuals on more equal footing to him, such as McCullen/Destro and Zartan (although he did fail to inject the latter with his brainwashing nanomites). He has no qualms with betraying others and will do so as soon as it becomes convenient for him. Despite the fact that he and McCullen seem to be on pretty good terms with each other (well, as good as two megalomaniacal supervillains can be) and their goals are pretty similar, he still schemes to stage a coup behind McCullen's back, and he's sadistic enough to devise a particularly poetic method of doing so, although it's worth noting that, in his way, Rex does help McCullen even as he hurts him. The nanomites do heal McCullen's injuries, just not in any way he would have liked. It's a complicated relationship, as Rex likely feels some degree of attachment to him (as McCullen is responsible, in a way, for rescuing him and healing him. Given that he was rescued from certain death by MARS, likely treated and recovered in MARS's custody, isolated from the rest of the world, Rex probably has a small degree of Stockholm Syndrome, which further complicates things), but he's not content to play second fiddle. Even though McCullen's plan was going to allow for Rex to do all of the science and research he wanted, Rex wouldn't be satisfied unless he was the boss. Although Rex pretends to only be concerned with research, it's clear that his ego and his controlling tendencies drive him to desire more.
As Rex is primarily interested in technology, facts and his own ambitions, he doesn't hold much stock in emotions/connections. At least, the emotions of others. Rex, himself, is pretty emotional once he starts to lose control of all that rage he has simmering below the surface, but he's so self centered that he doesn't care about the thoughts, feelings or even autonomy of others. This disconnect from humanity becomes worse after his disfiguring accident, because he deliberately sets himself apart from others. Where once he seemed to care about Duke, he now regards him with loathing (as he's twisted his interpretation of his accident in order to make Duke the "villain") and takes joy in having the opportunity to make him into a monster, rather than kill him. Not only does this reveal some rather happy sadism, as Rex sounds positively gleeful over the prospect of turning Duke into a monster, but it also reveals some of Rex's complications with his own image. Given his paranoia, the way he tends to blame others for his actions, it's likely that he has this idea that others see him as a monster, although he probably doesn't regard himself as one. And so, because he believes that he is regarded as a monster for his appearance, he may as well act like a monster. This further drives Rex to cut himself off from past attachments, and, really, anything and anyone but himself.
Even his sister, whom he claims to love, isn't really given much consideration. Although he could have spared her (and Duke) a great deal of grief by letting Ana know that he survived the explosion, he instead runs off with Dr. Mindbender in pursuit of perfecting nanomite technology. In fact, he regards the funeral service held for him with amusement, indirectly mocking his sister's grief. Still, he does become passionate when he explains his motivations for experimenting on Ana, even though he's ultimately playing a big old victim blaming game and using twisted logic to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. He claims to have brainwashed her for her sake, rather than his. He points out that in light of Duke's abandonment of her and his own 'death,' Ana 'felt truly alone' in a way that Duke could never fathom. In using nanomite technology to rid her of her feelings for Duke, Rex makes Ana empowered: she becomes the Baroness, rather than a passive mess who relies on Duke to do everything (like she pretty much becomes when she overcomes his nanomites. Yaaay). However, by the end of the film, Rex has become so corrupt by his greed for knowledge and power that he does threaten to kill Ana-- but, it's worth noting that although he can kill her with a push of a button, he doesn't push the button.
On a lighter note, Rex isn't all business. He's not an austere, stoic sort of villain. Instead, Rex is a gleeful, enthusiastic fella who takes pleasure in gloating, guffawing, and chortling over his victories. Not just that, but he even takes to explanations and presentations with eagerness and enthusiasm, and he positively eats up compliments from others. He enjoys being respected, having his intelligence recognized. Rex practically preens when McCullen calls him a genius-- again, some indication that he's got a complicated relationship with the other man, simultaneously seeing himself as above him, but also wanting his approval.
He also has a great enthusiasm for snakes and can spout out factoids about them-- in fact, it's implied that not only does he enjoy doing this, but he does it with such regularity that McCullen can't even bring himself to feign interest in whatever Rex is saying when he starts babbling about snakes. Actually, it's probably more of an 'obsession' than an 'enthusiasm,' since, in addition to chatting about snakes, he also keeps dangerous snakes as pets, and he likes to name everything after them, too.
Rex is also, by nature, an inquisitive person, as he's driven to always improve on and push science to the furthest possible levels. On an unrelated note, he holds a grudge forever, and has a particular hatred for anyone who's wronged him ever (it doesn't matter if you actually wronged him or not; if he perceives it that way, he'll keep on trucking with the hate). He's also a huge coward who values self-preservation over everything else.
Powers/Abilities: Rex is a mad scientist, and he has all of the skills that entails. He is a scientific super genius, specifically an engineer (neuroengineering is a specialty of his) and programmer. Mainly, he deals with weapons development and nanomite technology, using its extreme versatility to produce a wide range of effects.
And what are nanomites? They're tiny microscopic robots that can be programmed to do all sorts of things, like devour metal/people (particularly useful if you want to erase the "evidence" of a downed operative), alter features/bone structure, heal injuries, CURE DEPRESSION, control minds, eject poison from bloodstreams, shut down certain parts of the brain, encase people's heads in metal. If that makes no sense to you, that's because nanomites are used as a ridiculous plot device within his canon. Rex was able to apply his skills to refine them to what he believes to be perfection, allowing him to create brainwashed soldiers with advanced strength and defenses (such as the aforementioned immunity to poison), along with diminished brain activity. Pain, fear morality, and anything else that would hinder a walking meat shield/soldier have been suppressed through the application of Rex's nanomites.
Given Rex's fondness for human experimentation-- and the fact that he has a combat medical badge on his dress uniform in flashbacks-- Rex has some degree of medical training, so he can administer basic-to-advanced medical care. He knows what it takes to keep his experiments alive through a barrage of physically devastating tests. Also, given the precision and degree of control evident in his nanomites' programming-- how they interact with the brain, the blood stream, etc.-- it's clear that Rex has well beyond the average understanding of the human body.
Despite being a weedy little science nerd, Rex was, at one point, a decorated soldier, so he has seen combat (although wasn't seasoned enough to be comfortable in a combat situation), and he does have experience being out on the field in wartime. As a science officer, he spent most of his time in the lab, but he still received at least basic combat training. He knows his way around a gun, and the one time he holds one in canon, he handles it without hesitation.
From the Joepedia Wiki, here's a (near?) complete listing of Rex's decorations, which give some insight into other skills he may possess (although it's worth noting that the props department might have just stuck all these badges on him to make his uniform look cool, and not to actually point to his real credentials): "When seen in the film wearing his class A blue uniform, Lewis's decorations can be visually identified as the Combat Medical Badge, Parachutist Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and Army Superior Unit Award."
Possessions: Sadly, Rex only has the clothes on his back, the wig on his head, his ventilator, and a high-tech remote control that can command and punish his nanomited subjects-- but, since he doesn't have any soldiers here, it's basically useless.
Arrival: Ship, because he's on life support and will probably die at some point. He needs that revival option.
Reason for Playing: I enjoy playing under-developed villains. More than that, I enjoy the character's potential for versatility. On the one hand, he's a ridiculous, campy mad scientist, but on the other, I feel that there's room to explore the hardships and struggles that he has to endure due to his physical condition, not to mention the anger he's constantly carrying around. He's a case of a dangerous genius who's limited by his weakened body, and he will have to fight to survive in the harsh setting of this game, likely through making alliances quickly and playing the part of the nice, benevolent doctor. The character's also a slow-burn plotter who can be a serious force to be reckoned with if he gets his hands on enough technology.
[- Original Character Supplement-]
World History: N/A
Character History: N/A
[- Writing Samples -]
First person: [From another game, his response to an event that made everybody "normal":]
[REX IS BACK IN HIS FULL WHEEZY, GOTHED OUT GLORY. And he's hanging out in one of the common rooms, with... a spindly little robot spider thing creeping around the floor. He's lounging on one of the couches for now, watching idly as it skitters around and pauses every once in a while, casting out a red light to scan various... things.]
Suburbia with none of the usual Barge strings attached. A peculiar choice of port. I found it largely uncomplicated, unstimulating at first...
[He moves the camera so that you can't see his robot.]
But I would be lying if I said it wasn't interesting, in its way. Being... average is something I've never experienced before. Experiencing the perfectly ordinary from that lens made it into something novel. From time to time, I found myself enjoying it. I even, sometimes, considered staying. Living out my life as poor, uncomplicated Richard Holmes, barista extraordinaire. [He moves his head, focusing on something off-camera. Click click click goes the spiderbot.] But then I recalled the words of Dr. Kevin Warwick: "There is no way I want to stay a mere human."
Dr. Warwick is another hero of mine. [He turns to look at the camera again, smiling.] Don't worry, Clapet, he shouldn't offend your sensibilities quite as much as the pioneers of nuclear warfare. [And he looks off again.] Ambitious, like so many of the greats, he pushed his work beyond what anybody thought was possible. I say "was," but he's still alive. Thanks to my presence here, however, I've not been able to follow his latest projects. Still, in my... [He chuckles.] youth, I devoured his works. [YEAH, 28 IS SO OLD, REX.] His research was, after all, the predecessor, the foundation of my own. For decades, he's carried out extraordinary research in biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, control systems, robotics... The goal? To become the first human cyborg. Certainly admirable, although not one I share.
Many think he's crazy. A mad scientist. But he's a genius. He can actually control machines and electronics through a chip implanted into his arm; he created a device that interfaced directly into his nervous system. He even devised a form of... telepathy. [He waves a hand.] Not like it is here, of course. No, his wife assisted with the project. With a chip implanted into her own arm, the two were able to use the internet to communicate a signal between each other from a distance. It was the first purely electronic communication conducted between the nervous system of two humans.
[Musingly:] I wonder how far he's come now.
[Then, he sits up, leans forward, and holds his hand out. The little spiderbot skitters to him and climbs up his arm.]
This is something I've been working on, a little side project. For fun. It possesses a very simple AI. It's programmed with... algorithms to help it learn how to hide better, for example. It avoids moving objects, unless it recognizes it as a... "friend"-- [As if on cue, spiderbot BEAMS A RED LIGHT IN REX'S FACE, scanning him. He makes a disgruntled noise and waves it away, so it skitters over to his other shoulder and scans the camera. Rex removes the dumb little robot and places it on the floor.]
And it adapts to positive and negative reinforcement. [Pause. He strokes the robot's creepy little spine and it seems to trill happily.] To avoid any 'suicides.'
It's really little more than a high tech toy. [He shrugs a little and leans back against the couch again.] But as simple as it is, I don't think "Richard Holmes" could have ever built it. For all my... physical flaws, I wouldn't wish to trade them for a life like that.
[Spiderbot creeps back up again and flashes its light in the camera, SO REX ROLLS HIS EYES AND CUTS IT OFF.]
Third person: In which Rex lies, manipulates and gets revenge over an old grudge he was carrying around.