Keeper of Infinite Earths - The Attackers
Created by Matt Parmenter
"Esper" Created by Bob Justice
Controller
Alter Ego: Sterling Shamus
Occupation: Member of the Attackers
Known Relatives: none
Group Affiliation: Attackers
Base of Operations: Attackers Headquarters, Devil’s Island, Bermuda
Triangle
Background/History:
As a child, Sterling had always been intuitive, not quite telepathic, but he
always seemed to know what you were thinking. He was able to use his gift to
gamble and swindle people and get by quite nicely at it. As he grew older, he
set himself up as a psychic and gained a minor celebrity status as a flamboyant
performer on talk shows and the like, sort of a cross between the Amazing
Kreskin and Liberace. He was approached to join a group of gifted individuals
like himself who had been enlisted to test a device designed to link their
mental powers together under the control of one member of the group wearing a
special helmet to channel the mental energies as one. One day, while Sterling
wore the helmet, he decided to experiment a little himself. One of the men in
the group had resisted his advances and he wanted revenge. He focused on that
one mind and projected the illusion that the device had short-circuited, sending
thousands of volts of electricity through his body. To Sterling’s surprise,
the man’s body began to twitch and jerk violently. He continued to focus his
evil thoughts toward the man and he flat lined. His body was dead because he
believed he truly had been electrocuted. His mental strength, however, seemed to
remain in the helmet and Sterling quickly attacked the rest of the group in
similar fashion, using their various fears and phobias as his weapon. They died
and their abilities resided in the helmet for him to use as he saw fit. He used
the stolen abilities to build a fortune and eventually came to the attention of
Shatter, who saw his potential as a member of the Attackers.
Personality/Motivations:
Totally self-centered with no regard for anyone or anything beyond what he can
get from them, Controller is the worst possible recipient of the abilities he
has. Using his powers to force people to submit to his will in the most
degrading ways possible, he has created a very strained relationship with his
very teammates who do not trust him or like him, but they do respect him. He
knows his limits quite well and realizes he could never stop all of them, so
they have an uneasy alliance.
Quote: "You’ll do pig."
