Characters / Hand of the Morningstar

Beware of spoilers.

The Hand of the Morningstar

• Captain Ethnic: The Hand's costumes are based on their respective cultures.
• Meaningful Rename: The five supers were given names of god-like mythological figures, emphasizing how they've become like gods.
• Multinational Team: Titan (USA), Avatar (India), Shango (West Africa), Kwan Yin (China), and Kami (South America).
• Superpower Lottery: Each super has their own set of powers though flight and Super-Strength seem to be common.
• Touched by Vorlons: The five "fingers" of the hand were given their superhuman abilities and physiques by the otherworldly Morningstar.

Titan / Timothy O'Herlihy

• Achilles in His Tent: Having been defeated by Tempest for the first time, he spent several weeks at home brooding, only to be snapped out of it by Kwan Yin.
• Captain Patriotic/Captain Geographic: His suit invokes this, especially noted in Volume 1. However, when most of the world follows the Morningstar's new world order, the USA (having refused to join) is now one of his enemies.
• Decoy Protagonist: He was built up as the main focus in the first volume, but the role was shifted the newly reformed Tempest.
• Flying Brick: He can fly, dish out and take serious damage.
• Geek Physiques: He's been skinny and frail throughout his life before he became Titan, though he does revert to this when his power is taken away. Interestingly, he isn't smart enough to be a geek.
• It's All About Me: His powers have inflated his ego and, as a result, has caused him to take the credit away from the Morningstar for his heroics.

Shango

• Bald of Authority: When he takes charge in the team's rotating leadership on missions.

• Vigilante Man: Becomes this by killing an African warlord after the latter surrendered to the Hand.

Avatar

• Nice Guy: He's the most civil of the Hand. He even keeps his cool demeanor when his true colors are shown.

Kwan Yin

• Anime Chinese Girl: Aside from her green hair, she typically wears a Qipao that has a ring at the two bottom folds.

• Muscles Are Meaningless: She's the thinest of the group yet she's just as powerful as the rest of the Hand.
• Parental Abandonment: Her parents left her at an orphanage as a baby, which is a sad yet slightly fortunate fate for Chinese girls.

Kami / Jorge

• Dark and Troubled Past: His family and entire village was wiped out by a South American dictator, and he keeps carrying that horror in his heart.
• Dishing Out Dirt
  • Tunnel King
• Informed Deformity: Word of God states that he's not particularly handsome.
• Intangibility
• Making a Splash
• Redemption Equals Death: Died protecting Michael's wife, but not before becoming a christian himself.

Mr. Artemis

• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Highly exhibited in his attitude when the Hand neglects to follow his instructions. And this was before we saw his true colors.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Has these in the volume covers.
• Power Nullifier: Has the ability to negate the Hand's powers whenever he wants.

The Morningstar

• Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Imposes himself as such by publicly executing the leader of SWARM during a United Nations assembly.
• Space Elves: Based on his appearance.
• Super-Empowering: He is the source of the Hand's powers.
• The Devil: If he isn't THE Devil he's pretty close.

The Tempest / Michael Tempe

• The Atoner: Turns himself in to the authorities after his conversion, which gains him a presidential pardon upon his apparent change in demeanor.
• Brought Down to Normal: He actually lost his powers several times. Once after getting punched by Titan into a raging oil-spill fire. Twice after using his newly regained powers to disperse a hurricane. And a third time after saving the world from the Morningstar's last ditch effort to destroy it. This time, the power loss is permanent.Although the stinger shows his infant son has his powers...
• Expository Hairstyle Change/Good Hair, Evil Hair: Goes from wildhaired eco-terrorist to clean-cut public hero.
• Heel–Faith Turn: Undergoes a conversion to Christianity.
• Happily Married: To Elena, though not without some hiccups.
• Nature Lover: He has a deep rooted respect for the environment, a trait he shared with his late father.
• Not Wearing Tights
• Parental Abandonment: First, his mother died when he was young. Then, he lost his father in a flight accident due to his old man sending him out of the plane with the only working parachute.
• Secret Public Identity: After his Heel–Face Turn.
• Weather Manipulation: He isn't known as ''Tempest'' for nothing.
  • New Super Power: After his conversion, his powers became more defined and controllable, even being used in completely new ways. When he's driven by the will of God, he can stop atmospheric disasters.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He had used his storm powers to protest the destruction of the environment while unintentionally contributing to said destruction. After his conversion, he changed to less harmful and more diplomatic tactics to address the issues.

Charles "Chuck" Thompson

• Good Shepherd: According to Word of God, "Son of a famous missionary, he has remained in the village where his father’s work started, married, and has a daughter. He is the leader of the village (sort of an unofficial mayor, but more so as the spiritual leader), and is instrumental in leading Michael to Jesus."
• Secret Secret-Keeper: He actually knew that Michael was the Tempest since he brought him to village and kept this secret for months before finally telling him.
• Spirit Advisor: He is this to Michael.

Elena Thompson-Tempe

• Ambiguously Brown: She's half Argetinean, half European (which dominates her features).
• Happily Married: To Michael, though not without some hiccups.
• Missing Mom

Maria Tempe

• Conveniently an Orphan: She lost both of her parents. In fact, her father was a casualty of the storm that nearly passed through the Argentinean village before Michael stopped it.
• Happily Adopted: By Michael and Elena, even though she's on a First-Name Basis with them.

Bernard Lewis

• Badass Normal: He can most definitely hold his own in fight.
• Colonel Badass: He's a USMC Sergeant.
• Powered Armor: Usually comes to Michael's aid in an experimental military mecha, often with his head exposed.
• Retired Badass: Resigns from the marines and becomes a pastor.

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