History and Origins:
The horrors Reginald Winnsinger experienced as a child while a
prisoner (with his family, none of whom survived imprisonment) at
the infamous Dachau concentration camp were such a dominant
influence on his life that the young mutant genius dedicated his
whole being to insuring that no one, ever, anywhere, would go
through what he had gone through. To that end, Winnsinger
created new technologies and medicines that would benefit all of
mankind. But when he presented them to representatives of the
various governments and the corporations, people who, at the time,
had the most efficient distribution systems and who could, by
extension, make sure that everyone on Earth enjoyed the fruits of
his genius, all he found was greed and corruption. The
government wanted to horde his creations to themselves rather than
distribute them to everyone. The corporations were willing to
distribute, but only for the right price.
His disgust in his
fellow man was total. The venality and greed, stacked with the
basic inhumanity he had experienced during World War II, convinced
Reginald Winnsinger that the only way the world would change was if
someone changed it. Unilaterally. Finally.
Completely. And he, Reginald Winnsinger, perhaps the smartest
man the world had ever seen, capable of scientific leaps that would
make Einstein seem like an elementary school student, would be that
agent of change. He would bring Doom to the small-minded, the
callous, and the cruel, whether the world wanted it or not.
He created his new plan
in the space of eight hours, and put the first steps in motion
shortly thereafter. And so far, everything has been going just
as he's forseen.
Leader:
Lord Doom.
Area of Operation:
Worldwide
Goals:
Protect humanity from itself by taking over the world.
Inter-Group Relations: In some ways, Lord Doom's
organization is very cult-like. While Lord Doom makes no
claims to divinity or messiah-hood (despite his goal of "saving the
world" despite itself), the super-villains and agents who work for
Lord Doom are completely loyal to him, and would die before
betraying him. Or at least that's what the six supervillains
who make up Lord Doom's personal guard claim when pressed. In
the case of the supervillains, the reason for this loyalty is that
for as ruthless as Lord Doom might be, as willing as he is to kill
individual people when and if such action is called for, Lord Doom
authentically cares for humanity as a whole just as much as
he claims to. As such, he takes care of his people. The
supervillains who work for Lord Doom are well-paid, healthy,
educated, and encouraged pursue their own interests and to have lives outside of the organization
(as long as such things do not get in the way of the Grand Plan).
In other words, Lord Doom is the best "boss" they've ever known.
The rank and file
soldiers who serve Lord Doom are truly loyal to him unto death, and
unlike the villains cannot be forced to reveal his secrets without
killing them. They follow Lord Doom's every order without
question or hesitation. This is because they are clones
programmed to "self-destruct" when necessary, whose loyalty is
unquestioned because it is part of their genetic makeup.
The wildcard in the
organization is Brigit, Lord Doom's daughter. She, like all of
Winnsinger's children, is the product of a long process involving
genetic manipulation, enhancement drugs, special diet, and training.
But unlike her siblings, she is the only one who joined her father
when the entire reason for her existence was revealed. She
hasn't been subject to any loyalty treatments, and is as troublesome
as any other twenty-something young woman with too much money and a
daddy willing to get her out of trouble might be.
Reputation:
Lord Doom is generally looked upon by the rest of the world in two
ways: first, he's a ruthless "Criminal Mastermind" whose
troops can be found serving as mercenaries in Third World conflicts
around the globe. He is a weapons merchant who sells to almost
everyone (including such legitimate governments as the United States
and Israel). And he is the man whose forces wrested the island
of Bermuda from British control, and who has been recognized as the
legitimate ruler of his own nation. On the other hand, he's
also the man who helped perfect the cure for AIDS and a half-dozen
other "incurable" diseases, who has bred new
strains of crop plants that resist disease, insects, and harsh
climate conditions, has donated billions of dollars to various
charities over the years, and has made the generation of clean energy from
ocean currents and solar collection much more efficient and
cost-effective.
This has led most
governments to wonder just what he's up to.
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