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Character Bio: VirtueReal Name: Chastity Cortez
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 100 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History: The superheroic identity of "Virtue" predates the current wearer of the costume. The origin and ultimate fate of the prior superheroine who wore the mantle remains untold, and the name, costume and legacy of New Viras City's original superheroine now belongs to police officer Chastity Cortez.
Chastity's father and grandfather had been police officers, and both had died in the line of duty. The top of her class in the police academy, Chastity pushed herself to excel both academically and athletically. She was soon rapidly moving up the ranks of the New Viras City Police Department, although her obsessive "workaholic" zeal left her on the edge of burnout.
Chastity's carefully balanced life collapsed after an auto accident hospitalized her for months and left her mother permanently paralyzed. Chastity struggled with depression and suicide during her long recovery, until a religious experience transformed her outlook on life. Chastity has since converted from being a non-practicing Roman Catholic to an evangelical Christian of the Reformed tradition... much to the irritation of her mother, a lifelong and devout Catholic.
It was after a second life-threatening incident during an investigation of police corruption that Chastity assumed the role of "Virtue". Locked in an abandoned bomb shelter and left to die, Chastity stumbled into a hidden room containing the uniform, tools, and diaries of New Viras City's anonymous (and long-absent) superheroine. Donning the costume, Chastity was able to escape and apprehend her captors... and discovered a new way to help fight the crime in her neighborhood beyond her desk job at the police department. Although the New Crew has since proclaimed itself to be the superheroic guardians of New Viras City, the reality is that Virtue is busier than ever.
Powers: None. Virtue relies on her athletic skills, martial arts training, protective costume, arsenal of non-lethal weapons, and a fearless trust in divine providence.
| Author's
Notes:
The city's unappreciated solo superheroine, always being upstaged by the New Crew. She's a nocturnal vigilante with lots of skill but no flashy powers, armed with a wide range of non-lethal tools & weapons, and has a reputation of always trying to avoid direct violence. She lives in a small apartment, taking care of her elderly mother. When not fighting crime as a superheroine, she is working in the police department, attending church, or doing charity work in her neighborhood. As a squeaky-clean throwback of a bygone era of heroes, Virtue is continually being criticized as a "dangerous fanatic" by the media. (After all, "virtue" is a word associated with the "religious right".) Re: Virtue's religion and ethnicity-- During the time when I was looking for a Calvinist church to attend, I found a listing for a "Reformed" church in my neighborhood. Unfortunately for me, it was Spanish-language only. I found this idea interesting, as the stereotype of a religious Hispanic in pop culture is Roman Catholic. When creating the somewhat obsessive Christian superheroine for this book, the idea of a non-traditional Calvinist Hispanic popped back into my mind. |
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