He had to wonder why being a super villain had been so appealing to him at one point. Chris looked back on his life; the hard times with his folks, the death of his sister, his mutant powers awakening. Sure, he had idolized superheroes as a kid, but the world was tough and he had to be tougher. With the IHA on his back, his parents rejection of thier "freak" son, Chris found that in the big city, a man of his power could make a good living. He even enjoyed duking it out with superheros. For the most part it was a big game, and he was pretty good. The game got tougher and he found himself joining one loosely organized villain team after another, there was safety in numbers. The Defilers were simply one of many teams Powerfist had been a part of. Things went wrong this time. Sure, he and the Protector had squared off a lot. They were roughly equal in power and skill. But Necros hated the Protector. Powerfist never understood the depths of some men's hatred. He totally misjudged the situation. He never meant for anyone to die; especially not some guy's wife and infant child. "Christopher Banner, please rise," The judge said. With a glance at his attorney, Chris stood; his massively build fame dwarfing the bailiffs and security guards present. Gigantic manacles held his hands together. "Mr. Banner, while I am not the type of person to simply ignore the past; I am inclined to look closely at it and the ramifications of it." Judge Juliana Thompson looked him straight in the eye as she spoke. It was obvious that she was not intimidated by his size or power. "Your criminal file is a long one, with several instances of violence. Super villainy is frowned upon by the law, Mr. Banner, and your exploits as Powerfist are an example of why. You are solely or in part responsible for several billion dollars of damage, theft, and injury claims; people have lost their livelihoods for your betterment. Officers have had their careers shortened because of your actions, and you were directly responsible for the death of one of Millennium City's finest heroes, the Protector." Chris had never allowed his gaze to waver, and stood motionless before Judge Thompson as the occasional cough was the only noise to disrupt typing of the court stenographer or the reporters present. "However, there facts in this case that can't be overlooked either due to your larcenous nature. The fact of the matter is that you saved the lives of a woman and child. The wife and child of the very hero you fought so many times, the man who died from the injuries he sustained fighting you and your cohorts in the Defilers." The name of his former team caused Chris' jaw to tighten. "According to the wife of the Protector, whose name has been sealed to protect her and her child from unwanted publicity; you refused to take part in the Protector's torture after he gave himself up to the Defilers to protect his family. That you turned on them and fought side by side with the Protector until the Champions were able to arrive and drive the Defilers off. "Then you turned yourself in without incident. A week later you stood trial and were sentenced to 25 years for your crimes; a sentence you began serving six months ago." "Since then you were recruited by agents of PRIMUS to aid them in foiling a scheme by your former team and tracking their current whereabouts. At this you were successful. You also turned evidence on four VIPER's nests that you had worked with, and helped guards at Stronghold repel a break in by The Ultimates." She put the paper she had been holding and adjusted her glasses. "I want to believe you when you say you have changed. I pray that the trust placed in you by PRIMUS and DOSPA hasn't been merely a facade for future criminal acts. It is with this trust that the Governor of the state of Michigan has granted you clemency. I pray you do not make him regret it. This court is adjourned." With the last sentence the courtroom became a circus as reporters tried to get a quote from the released convict. Defender and Nighthawk stood inside the PRIMUS meeting room on one side of a large table. Chris sat at the other. His heart was racing. He didn't like the looks of them. They were probably thinking he was nothing but a thug, who were they to judge him? They didn't live his life! They didn't know... "You haven't proved anything yet," Nighthawk growled, "I will be watching you." Chris simply nodded. "What are you going to do, now?" Defender asked him. It was odd, but he heard more emotion from the armored hero than the vigilante; Defender actually seemed concerned about him. "I got a call from Harmon Industries. One of their execs saw my story on the news and offered me a job in one of their warehouses." Nighthawk growled and shot a glance at Defender, then stormed off. "He doesn't seem to like ex-cons." Chris said to Defender. "Among others." Defender said quietly, the he walked over to Chris. "Look, its going to get worse before it gets better. I'll admit I haven't gone through what you have, but I know some men and women who have. You'll get through it but it will be tough. Don't throw your life away, Chris. Powerfist is gone. Chris Banner, it’s your life now." With that, Defender left too. Chris spent the next few minutes filling out some more paperwork. Then he was gone. The job wasn't bad. The men seemed pretty indifferent to his past. He had an apartment, took the Tran to work, it wasn't a bad life, but something was missing. He took long walks at night, always finding himself at the address of Peter Wilson, the Protector. Standing outside and looking at the wreckage that was once a home. He'd been out of jail with a new life for almost six weeks when he made the call. The commission wasn't the flashiest they had ever done, but it when it was finished; Chris Banner had a new costume. Once again he stepped outside, his face concealed by silver goggles. He'd intended to be a hero as Powerfist; but it was hard. He hadn't been very strong, he was lazy and his powers allowed him to get what he wanted easily. But that was behind him now, it took the death of someone he respected, but he'd taken the easy road and hated the final destination. This time he wanted to make it right. This time he would take the hard road to heroism. Burden is a pretty regular guy. He wasn't a world beater as a villain but he was a credible threat, street smart and a decent thinker. He has changed for the better, and plans to spend the rest of his life as the hero he feels he should have been in the first place. Although it might have alot to do with the guilt he feels for his part in the Protector's death, Chris can't get Irina Wilson out of his mind. He is haunted by her beauty and kind words at his trial. He thinks he's in love with her. He also feels a debt to her young son, Patrick who is only 22 months old. Chris holds a special loathing in his heart for the Defilers, and the man who replaced him in their ranks. To his mind they are the worst kind of evil and although he knows they would kill him if they ever encountered eachother, he yearns to find a group of heroes to help him take them down but good. "Here, let me help you." Brick. Hit, take blow, repeat. Burden is pretty standard, with a slight increase in defense over the standard Champions character. If you want to make him a bit easier of a target, drop his STR to 55 and his DEF to 20 + the Damage Reduction or keep it where it is and drop the DR entirely. If he's not tough enough, give him some more strong man tricks. He's strong enough. Unusually tall and muscular, Burden stands out in a crowd even without his superhero costume. He has short blonde hair and brown eyes. His build is massively muscular, with slightly oversized hands and feet. The new costume is rather simple, gray body suit, full face mask, black trunks, boots, and gloves. His chest symbol is an open hand. It is red.