It's been awhile since I've done any writing, so I thought I'd get back into things by starting a mini-series on the post-WWII inheritors of the Captain America title. Up first is William Naslund, the first successor to Steve Rogers.
Captain America II
F: Remarkable (30)
A: Excellent (20)
S: Good (10)
E: Excellent (20)
R: Typical (6)
I: Good (10)
P: Good (10)
Health: 80
Karma: 26
Resources: Excellent (backed by the U.S. government)
Popularity: 100 (believed by the populace to be the original Cap)
Real Name: William Naslund
Occupation: Professional super-hero/government operative
Legal Status: American citizen without a criminal record
Identity: Secret
Other Known Aliases: The Spirit of ‘76
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Presumably single
Known Relatives: None
Base of Operations: Mobile
Past Group Affiliations: The Crusaders, the Invaders, the Liberty Legion
Present Group Affiliations: All-Winners Squad
Known Powers:
None
Equipment:
Shield: Constructed from a steel alloy, this 2.5 foot diameter circular shield possessed Remarkable (30) material strength; it provided Naslund with Remarkable (30) protection versus physical and energy attacks directed against him. Naslund was still subject to Stuns or Slams while defending himself with the shield. Due to its disk-shaped design, the shield could be thrown up to two areas and it could be bounced off of multiple targets, and return to its wielder’s hand on a successful Yellow feat. It could do up to Excellent (20) blunt damage or Good (10) edged damage, depending on how Naslund chose to throw it.
Body Armor: Naslund’s uniform was a chain-mail mesh armor and integrated cowl that provided him with Good (10) protection against edged attacks and Typical (6) protection against blunt and piercing attacks.
Former Equipment: As the Spirit of ’76, Naslund wore a cape made of bullet-proof material. It offered him Typical (6) protection from physical attacks from behind, and he could pull the cape across to protect his front as well.
Talents: Guns, Martial Arts A, B, C & E; Military, Leadership, Weapon Specialist: Shield
Contacts: All-Winners Squad, U.S. government, President Harry Truman
Roleplaying Notes: Naslund was a decent choice to replace Steve Rogers, as he held almost exactly the same values as his predecessor. He was deeply patriotic and truly believed in his country. Naslund was almost intimidated by having been chosen as the new Captain America, which was an unbelievable honor to him. He strove with all his strength to keep the fact that the original Cap was dead a secret, and to be worthy of the Captain America costume.
Appearance: Naslund, of course, wore an exact replica of the classic Captain America uniform.
History:
An athletic young man inspired by the heroics of Captain America, William Naslund had a desire to help the Allies' World War II efforts in a unique way. As such, he found himself recruited by an alleged agent of the British government known only as “Alfie” to become a costumed hero in a new European based team of adventures called the Crusaders. Naslund was given a patriotic-themed costume, the code name “The Spirit of ’76,” and leadership of the team. The team eventually learned that Alfie was a German double agent, but not before he had manipulated them into fighting the Allied super-team the Invaders as part of a scheme to discredit said group. Upon learning how they had been duped, the Crusaders disbanded. Naslund, as the Spirit of ’76, continued to fight on the battlefield as an independent agent. Most of Naslund’s subsequent wartime activities remain classified.
When the original Captain America, Steve Rogers and his sidekick Bucky Barnes, went missing in action in early spring of 1945, President Harry S. Truman personally asked Naslund to assume Rogers’ role. Naslund accepted and, teamed up with former Yankees batboy Fred Davis, the pair served throughout the remainder of the war as the new Captain America and Bucky, battling alongside members of the Invaders in the Pacific theatre of operations. After the war, Naslund and Davis served as members of the All-Winners Squad.
In 1946 the All-Winners Squad and the Patriot learned that Adam II, a malevolent android creation of Prof. Phineas T. Horton, intended to substitute a robot double for a Boston congressional candidate. Naslund and Davis found Adam II and learned that the candidate Adam II intended to replace was John F. Kennedy. The two adventurers battled Adam II and other robots. Davis was knocked unconscious, and Naslund retreated to Boston's Old North Church to summon the other members of the All-Winners Squad. Naslund ran afoul of one of Adam II’s superhumanly strong robots at the Church; it caught Naslund and crushed him in its grip, mortally injuring him.
The dying hero managed to use a flare device to render the robot inactive, simultaneously providing the signal that summoned the other members of the All-Winners to Kennedy's rescue. The Patriot was the first to find Naslund and brought him back to the Squad’s ship to try and give him medical attention, but Naslund died almost immediately. Inspired by Naslund’s heroics (and perhaps in a state of shock), Mace donned a spare Captain America uniform that was onboard the ship, and went into action as the third Captain America. In his new role, Mace prevented Adam II from murdering Kennedy.
Note: Information stating that Naslund had an adult grandson, William Naslund III, is incorrect. Naslund III was an android pawn created by a rebuilt Adam II in the present day for use in a plot of world conquest, one which was foiled by the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.