THE ILLUMINATE AND ECLIPSE

Two heroes of old, hidden in the shroud of myth, disappeared from the world just before the Age of Marvels . . .

THE ILLUMINATE: No one, not even himself, knows the 'true' origin of The Illuminate. Is he a not-fully-evolved Cosmic Cube? Is he is a young Celestial? What is known is that one day just at the turn of the century Mr. and Mrs. Dent, while driving a buggy to the local general store, came upon a strange pod which had a bawling child within. Instantly, a love for that babe came within the hearts of the Dents' and they instantly took the child as their own. The child, whom they named Kenneth, grew to be a highly intelligent child who over the course of his life developed powers beyond the pale of normal men.

When his abilities reached the point beyond where he could control them by himself, he traveled to the Himalayan mountains in search of a land whispered of in the underground society of powerful beings (mutants, immortals, and magicians) that he had somehow found himself in, the land of Attilan. There, under the tutelage of the Royal Family, he learned to control his powers. Then, reluctantly, he left for home, taking with him the fantastic clothing of the Inhumans. He then became, what would be known in the coming years during the Second World War, as a mystery-man, an urban myth across the world. With his extraordinary powers, he fought battles both mundane and cosmic. Finally, with the advent of the Human Torch, The Illuminate saw that a new age was dawning, one that would have its own protectors. And so, he left to find his origins among the stars where he quickly became a myth whispered between the spheres.

ECLIPSE: Eclipse's origin, however, is slightly better known. Born Maxwell Gibson, heir to the immense Gibson fortune, as well as a child fated to greatness. Soon after his birth, however, a mad cult of evil occultists kidnapped him and used his immense magical potential as well as the Darkhold to contact the deepest of evils, from which all others derived from. However this touch of darkness killed the occultists and gave Maxwell an evil taint that he would carry for the rest of his life. Driven by inner demons, he excelled beyond the grasp of his tutors and even the professors of the greatest universities in the world. Fascinated with crime at an early age, he found a great need to . . . wallow in it.

After indulging in his most decedent fantasies, he soon grew to hate himself and his lifestyle. Maxwell traveled to Tibet to find the fabled Ancient One to gain inner peace. In the service of the Ancient One, he found his own dark powers and before he could fall prey to his dark impulses, the Ancient One pledged him to use his evil-borne powers to fight for the betterment of all. When he returned to America and taking the non de plume of Eclipse he plunged into the criminal world to destroy it permanently. In the years just before the Second World War, he did battle against both the criminal and the demonic elements of the world. However, in a battle against Nazi mystics immediately before their attack on the Poland, Eclipse disappeared.

These two diametrically opposed heroes had teamed on and off over their years on Earth, most notably in a battle against The Hoary Ones (those who lived before the universe previous) when they started their invasion of reality with Earth. They also had a long campaign against the Superintendent of Crime, a war that took five months in the heart of Detroit. However with the awakening of Mary Richards, events have slowly but surely forced these two early heroes back towards Earth.

THE ILLUMINATE
Real Name: Kenneth Dent
Born: 12/24/1899
Powers: Flight, Invulnerability, enhanced senses, strength, control of the EM-spectrum, super-speed, unlimited stamina, etc, etc.
Personality: A cheerful man who believed that everyone is, inherently, a good person at heart. He used minimum force for fear that he could do lasting harm to people. He was the type of person that would take time out to get a cat out of a tree and things of a similar nature.

ECLIPSE
Real Name: Maxwell Gibson
Born: 1/13/1900
Powers: Stealth, teleportation, super-speed, enhanced senses, great intelligence, unlimited stamina, eldritch powers, etc, etc.
Personality: A dark and brooding figure, well aware of the contrary and what can only be described as evil feelings that dwell in all people. He was calculating, Machiavellian and manipulative, arrogant in his knowledge that he could, if necessary and with time, that he could destroy anyone and everyone.

Creator: Murmur