NAC: Seven Soldiers for Hire

The Seven Soldiers for Hire (Heroes for Hire + Seven Soldiers of Victory), a team of benevolent, super-powered mercenaries.

Left to Right:

Amazing Power:
Amalgamation of: Power Man [Luke Cage] + Amazing-Man II
Real Name: Carl “Luke” Everett
Biography: Luke Everett is the grandson of World War II superhero Isaiah Everett (Isaiah Bradley + Amazing Man I), who was experimented on by the scientists who created the Super-Soldier (Captain America + Superman). In his youth, Luke was in a street gang, selling drugs. When he was caught and sent to prison, Luke decided to repent for his crimes. Later, scientists contacted Luke to participate in an experiment in exchange for early release; this is the same experiment that gave his grandfather powers, and Luke was chosen because of their blood relationship. The experiment activated Luke’s metamutant (mutant + metahuman) powers, but they tried to kill Luke to abort the experiment, so Luke escaped. For years, Luke developed his powers and fought crime as the superhero Amazing Power, teaming up frequently with the martial artist Hour-Fist. When the majority of Earth’s heroes were (temporarily) destroyed by Imperislaught (Onslaught + Imperiex), there was a void in the superhero community that needed to be filled, so Amazing Power and Hour-Fist formed the Seven Soldiers for Hire with Onyx Knight, Scout, Crimson Witness, Star Cross and STOX.
Powers: Superhuman strength/stamina/reflexes/senses; conversion of flesh into whatever solid substance he touches (wood, steel, stone, ect.) while retaining organic properties; street-fighting expertise.

Hour-Fist:
Amalgamation of: Iron Fist [Danny Rand] + Hourman II
Real Name: Daniel “Dan” Tyler
Biography: Wendell Tyler (Wendell Rand + Rex Tyler), as a young man, discovered a hidden region in Asia known as Mira-Lun (Kun-Lun + Miraclo). Years later, Randall became a wealthy American business man, married, and had a son named Daniel. Later, on an expedition back to Mira-Lun, Randall and his wife Heather were killed by wolf-like creatures, leaving Daniel alone. Daniel was taken in by the king of Mira-Lun and was taught their martial arts. To complete his training, Daniel battled and killed a powerful dragon, gaining an hourglass-shaped scar on his chest which gave him greater powers. Returning to America, the adult Daniel took over his father’s business and became the hero Hour-Fist, a founding member of the Seven Soldiers for Hire. Recently, Daniel married the heroine Jesse Knight (Misty Knight + Jesse Chambers).
Powers: Master of Mira-Lunian martial arts; the ability to focus his chi (life energy) through his hands for at most one hour; advanced speed/reflexes/agility/stamina.

Onyx Knight:
Amalgamation of: Black Knight III [Dane Whitman] + Shining Knight [Sir Justin]
Real Name: Sir Dane
Alias: Dane Arthur
Biography: Sir Dane was forced to take up the hexed weapon known as the Onyx Sword to protect his home of Medieval England from invaders. The blood spilled upon the blade activated the curse, rendering Dane unable to find peace in the afterlife until he can wash the sin from his soul; realizing Dane’s potential for good, the wizard Merlin bestowed the knight with the companionship of an immortal winged horse. Dane walked the earth for centuries, fighting in many wars, including World War II. He later joins the Seven Soldiers for Hire.
Powers: Commands the pegasus “Wing Strider” (Aragorn + Winged Victory); the Onyx Sword allows him to cut through any substance and destroy magic and also grants him immortality until his sins are cleansed; expert swordsman.

Scout:
Amalgamation of: Paladin + Vigilante I
Real Name: Paul Saunders
Biography: The Scout is Paul Saunders, a heroic mercenary who takes on the civilian identity of a radio DJ; Paul’s on-air egotism only hides his cold and calculating true nature, and his high intelligence. He originally became the Scout, a member of the Seven Soldiers for Hire, when his family’s fortune was plundered by modern-day pirates. Scout later sold some of his schematics to the secret organization Spearhead (Pantheon + Checkmate), for use by the agent Odyssey (Ulysses + Vigilante [Adrian Chase]).
Powers: Highly-intelligent weapons inventor; expert marksman and hand-to-hand combatant; wields high-tech weapons, such as a revolver that shoots paralyzing bullets; wears flexible body armor.

Crimson Witness:
Amalgamation of: Witness + Crimson Avenger I
Real Name: Travis Anley
Biography: Travis Anley, a newspaper reporter from Chicago, IL, was attending a Halloween costume party at a wealthy estate when it was attacked by gangsters. His fiancé was killed by one of the hoodlums, and Travis ended up grabbing the gun that killed her and slaying one of the criminals. It turned out that the criminal he shot was actually an undercover cop, so Travis was sentenced to 2 years in prison. After getting out, Travis became the Crimson Witness, a costumed crime-fighter who spies on criminals before foiling their plots. After serving in the Seven Soldiers for Hire, Travis died saving a sinking ship. Only his dual handguns are recovered, but they’re now infused with his spirit; when a woman named Jill Kohler (Nelson Kohler + Jill Carlyle) purchases them from a pawn shop, she becomes the second Crimson Witness after gaining ethereal powers such as precognition and intangibility.
Powers: Expert marksman skilled in stealth, disguise, and martial arts.

Star Cross:
Amalgamation of: Kayla Ballentine/Star Brand + Stargirl
Real Name: Kayla Whitmore
Biography: Kayla Whitmore, a teenage girl from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, was an intern for a financial firm run by Jim Knight (Jim Hanrahan + Jack Knight), son of Ken Knight (Ken Connell + Ted Knight), the first human to bear the Star Cross (Star Brand + Starman legacy). Kayla later discovered that Jim is the new bearer of the Star Cross when villains discovered his true identity and attacked his office building. The villains were defeated, but the amount of energy Jim gave off left him crippled and unable to continue his superhero career, so he passed on the Star Cross’ power to Kayla. Kayla became the new Star Cross, using her powers to fight evil with her stepfather, who wears the powered armor STOX, as members of the Seven Soldiers for Hire.
Powers: The Star Cross manifests as a glyph on the bearer’s right palm, allowing the bearer to summon a techno-organic staff that allows him/her to fly, manipulate gravity, fire energy blasts and project energy shields. It also allows the bearer to manifest a “skinsuit” that changes after adapting to the bearer’s personality and preferences.

STOX (Special Tactics Optimizing eXoskeleton):
Amalgamation of: Box I + STRIPE
Real Name: Roger Dugan
Biography: As a young man, Roger Dugan lost his legs while serving in the Canadian Military during World War II. After the war, Roger went back to college and majored in robotics, which allowed him to develop a set of mechanical legs to replace his real ones. Roger, as an adult, married Margaret Whitmore and became the stepfather of her daughter Kayla. When Kayla became the new bearer of the Star Cross and decided to become a superhero, Roger developed a suit of powered armor, called STOX, to protect her and battle evil alongside her. They later joined the Seven Soldiers for Hire.
Powers: Battle armor with super strength, flight capabilities, various scanners and radar, and built-in weapons (machine guns, laser cannons, missile launchers, ect.).