SHROUD

 

SHROUD

Real Name: Maximilian Quincy Coleridge

First Appearance: Super-Villain Team-Up (Vol. 1) #5, April 1976

Powers: Maximilian Coleridge witnessed the murder of his parents at the age of 10 and later trained himself to the pinnacle of physical and educational feats. He then journeyed to the Far East and learned martial arts and mental discipline with the Cult of Kali. Eventually, the Cult branded their symbol over his eyes, robbing him of his sight. Thanks to their training, though, he had developed extra-sensory vision to compensate, a power which feels out his surroundings like a psionic radar, allowing him to detect objects and movement in 360° degrees for about 100 feet, regardless of the level of illumination or barriers in that area. Thus he can navigate perfectly through total darkness or blinding light, and sense going's-on outside of normal visual range, through walls or solid blockages. He can even read a written page from across a room.

A later exposure to radioactive energy catalyzed a second power, to control Darkforce. Shroud can summon Darkforce energy as an intangible mist-like darkness. He can cause it to immediately plunge his surroundings into pitch blackness, or slowly fill the area with Darkforce mist. Interestingly enough, Shroud's darkness is also virtually soundproof. He has considerable control over his Darkforce, allowing him to create and maintain masses small enough to cover his opponents pupils, covertly blinding them. Thanks to his sensory powers, Shroud can navigate through his own darkness effortlessly. He has demonstrated few feats with his Darkforce other than darkness: Unlike other wielders, he cannot teleport or create solid constructs with the Darkforce. He has learned how to create a rough approximation of his own shadow, which he can use in low-light environments to fool others as to his exact location.

 

Maximilian Coleridge is an adept acrobat with bachelor of science degree in law and criminology.