Ultraman

Ultraman--initially referred to as The Ninja (of MTVB City) also known as MKUltra and The Manghunter later on in his career--was the pseudonym of UltraCorp CEO, business magnate and socialite Jesse Philips. As Ultraman; Jesse built an impressive résumé as one of MTVB City's top vigilantes with over hundreds of criminal arrests on and off the record. Jesse was a member of the MTVBusters and close friends with the group's co-founders: Gleaminguy, Tahulk, and Zephero. Jesse's brutal methods in combat often led to him clashing with his partners in crime, but he had also demonstrated great restraint. Jesse possessed exceptional leadership capabilities and had above-average strength and endurability. He fought crime with technologically advanced weapons that primarily appear in the form of a compound bow with specialized arrowheads.

During one of his adventures, Jesse had a brief romantic liaison with The Lawgiver and fathered a child: Duane Philips. Jesse played a very small role in the life of his child as he feared the very concept of fatherhood and fled from the responsibility of having to be one of two parental guides, which led to his son developing a hatred of the superhero community. Jesse's arch-nemesis was Reverse-Ultra; Jesse from a parallel universe who was driven insane by his failed attempt to become a superhero. Jesse and the Reverse-Ultra fought on several occasions, the final one ending with Jesse's death. Jesse was--prior to his death--mayor of MTVB City and used his political influence to develop The Stages; a system that would rehabilitate super-villains. Reverse-Ultra broke into said compound and destroyed The Stages' security systems resulting in the criminals breaking free and running amok. Jesse and his fellow MTVBusters locked down the compound and went in to arrest the inmates, but Jesse was lured away, then trapped in a separate room that housed the aforementioned criminals. Jesse fought valiantly, but he was brought to his knees by arrows from Reverse-Ultra's bow. He was then brutally stabbed over and over, before succumbing to his wounds. The MTVBusters avenged the death of their fallen comrade, and held a memorial in his honour. Jesse's company was inherited by Duane who would later become a hero in his own right, continuing the Ultraman legacy.

Jesse made his debut appearance in the 1987 graphic novel Ultraman: Year One and has since appeared in numerous solo titles and crossover adventures. The character enjoyed considerable critical acclaim in the nineties, but fell into obscurity shortly after. Jesse was brought back as an acting member of the MTVBusters in the early 2000s, then given another solo series in 2011 with Scott Snyder at the helm. Matthew McConaughey is set to portray the character in a standalone film in 2020.

Character arc
Why did Jesse become a hero? Was it because his parents were murdered in cold blood when he was young? Was it because he was bitten by an irradiated insect and given superhuman abilities? Was it because he's a good-natured person at heart? No. After spending a childhood wasted on action movies, comic books, and video games, Jesse decided that he was going to use his family's wealth to become a superhero, like the ones he had seen in his favourite mediums of entertainment.

Year One
Donning a makeshift costume that composed of a Skillet t-shirt and a ninja mask, Jesse begun his first patrol on the streets of MTVB City. His search for injustice led him to a bar where tourists from MT City were visiting for a rock concert. The rowdy tourists started causing trouble in the neighbourhood, which prompted Jesse to intervene. The fight was short-lived and brutal with Jesse emerging victorious. He left their unconscious bodies at the nearby police station with a calling card; telling the police that if they won't keep scum off of the streets, then he will. One of the police officers shrugged and placed the card in the drawer of his desk, unbeknownst to him that the card was rigged with a mini recorder that would tell Jesse of any possible crimes. Jesse spent the next couple of weeks building a notorious reputation with the civilians of MTVB City.

Jesse, at the time, was still a teenager: sixteen years old to be precise. He went to school with his best friend Peyestu, a quiet introvert who spent most of his free time playing video games on the PS2 and smoking weed. Although Jesse did well academically he was too focused on his life as a vigilante, his ignorant parents kept pushing him further and further into the career of business so that he may keep their company and wealth going for generations to come. After a particularly heated argument with his father over the fate of the company, Jesse suited up and began yet another patrol on the streets, but unknown to him was a shadow waiting in the darkness ... ScaryZombie; a criminal who escaped death at the hands of Zilexman through unknown means. ScaryZombie began a series of disturbing attacks on the city of MTVB, prompting the authorities to take immediate action, all of which proved futile. With Scary's attacks getting more and more brutal and with no hero in sight, Jeese decided that it was time to act like a proper "super". He mended his relationship with his parents and not-so-subtly hinted at him being the vigilante to his sister; who hugged him before he left the house. Jesse revealed his secret to his best friend Peyestu; who was left confused by the entire ordeal. With his list of things to do complete, Jesse went out to confront Scary who publicly announced his demands of fighting someone "worthy" of him.

Using technology from Phillips Industries, Jesse hacked into the spectators' cameras and messed with their feed, so that if he were to be defeated in combat, his identity would not immediately be revealed to the world. Jesse and ScaryZombie met atop a red bridge and the two spent minutes staring each other down. Jesse made the first move by shooting an arrow at Scary, who deflected it with ease. Scary, then spent the next five minutes pummeling Jesse to near-death; throwing him around like a rag-doll and beating his face into mush. Before he is able to deliver the finishing blow, Scary is struck from behind by Peyestu who had followed Jesse to the fight. Scary grabbed Peyestu by the collar and threw him from the ledge of the bridge and down to the river below. Jesse helplessly screamed as his best friend fell to his death. (Q_Q). Jesse quickly got up and took the opportunity to stab the distracted Scary in the eye with one of his arrows; the arrow pierced his brain and presumably killed him instantly. Jesse was unable to mourn as police helicopters quickly moved in. Making a quick escape, Jesse made his way back home, bleeding profusely. He explained to his parents that he was mugged by a group of thugs, but his sister knew better. Peyestu's body was never recovered from the fall, some believing it was ripped to shreds by the rocks that laid in the bottom of the river. Jesse attended Peyestu's funeral and promised he would continue to save the world in his honour, and that he would become a better person, but before he could that he had to shake away any prior suspicions of him being the vigilante. The man who fought Scary on the TV quickly became known to the world as The Ninja of MTVB City with many even forgetting about Peyestu's role in Scary's defeat. Jesse briefly retired from vigilantism to attend college.

The College Years
Jesse was totally a bro

Back to Basics
After realizing that the murderer was still running around free, despite his aforementioned efforts, Ultraman decided that in order for him to exact justice and finally be at peace he had to become someone else. He had to become something else. Someone that didn't have Ultraman's established reputation, someone that would be able to evoke fear into a truly monstrous being. He became The Manghunter; an urban archer who prowled the streets at night. He abandoned his technology and relied on a more traditional recurve bow.

Jesse spent months under the guise of The Manghunter; looking for clues that would lead him to the murderer's true whereabouts all the while building an equally impressive reputation as a terrifying vigilante. The media's perception of The Manghunter was largely negative and a taskforce created specifically with the intention of capturing Jesse. The general public thought fondly of The Manghunter and several tributes were held in his honour, as people believed his efforts were resulting in a positive change for their city. During this time, Jesse apprehended several high ranking criminals, adding to his high count of arrests.

Jesse finally caught a break and followed a lead that led him to a weapon's dealer who knew the true identity of the murderer. Jesse tracked the killer down to his hideout and the two fought each other to near death, but Jesse was able to get the upper hand after shooting out a chandelier with his arrow, the chandelier landed on the murderer pinning him to the ground. Jesse unmasked the culprit, revealing his true identity once and for all: Peyestu. After a brief exchange and poignant moment between the two, Jesse tearfully stabbed Peyestu through the eye with a spare arrow. The entire fight was recorded and manipulated by a third man who had witnessed everything. Jesse was outed as both Ultraman and The Manghunter, then subsequently arrested with the vigilante registration act being put forward into motion. Jesse was dragged to prison with an oddly satisfied smile on his face, a smile that suggested he was victorious in the grand scheme of things.

Honoring his sister's memory, becoming mayor of MTVB City and death
Jesse abandons his violent methods and becomes a pacifist with the hopes of honouring his sister's dying wish. Jesse becomes mayor of MTVB City after a controversial political campaign where his opponent tried to slander the reputation of heroes, but despite all odds, Jesse prevailed. Jesse's first act as mayor was to design a prison that would be able to contain super-powered villains and criminals with the intentions of hopefully rehabilitating them into society. All, but a few of MTVB City's most dangerous thugs were locked up in The Stages and carefully tended to by staff members of UltraCorp. Jesse retired once more from his role as Ultraman to attend to his political career and business with The Stages.

The MTVB Cinematic Universe
Matthew McConaughey is set to portray Ultraman in a movie loosely based on the comic book series.

The Stages
In this reality a golden age of humanity was reached with The MTVBusters in the center of it. Superheroes had become commonplace and crime was at an all time low, until a wildfire of villainy started to spread throughout New York City. One day the MTVBusters announced their plans of developing a system: The Stages; where criminals would be sent to be punished by law authorities. Spider-Man watched over the announcement.

Spider-Man realizing that there was something off took the fight to the MTVBusters and eventually discovered that the Ultraman of this reality was assassinated by Mayor Ethan Swift who took over the mantle. The Mayor explains that Ultraman was killed because he opposed the Stages. Spider-Man avenges Ultraman by presumably killing the Mayor.

Personality
At first glance, Jesse is your stereotypical brooding vigilante with a lust for blood trapped in an endless race to permanently stop injustice, but in actuality Jesse is a lighthearted comic book fan who aspired to use his wealth to emulate the very fictional characters he idolized. Although years active as a vigilante has begun to weigh on his morality leading to several story arcs where Jesse is forced to reconsider his position as a defender of MTVB City. Through his struggles with his own identity and the city's vigilante registration act, Ultraman has arguably become the group's grittiest member.

Jesse has a sarcastic sense of humour and appears to be a hyper-contrarian at times; intentionally provoking people to get an argument out of them for his own amusement. Jesse absolutely adores movies, to the extent that he considers himself a cinephile; several of his favourite movies have inspired his decision to fight crime. Jesse is also a very family-orient individual; relying on them for emotional support.

In his business persona; Jesse is the CEO of UltraCorp (formerly Phillips Industries; renamed to show his support for MTVB's vigilante: Ultraman, a ploy to diverge people's suspicions of him actually being the hero.) and is renowned for his hard-hitting business tactics. He is loyal to his employees and will fight tooth and nail for their loyalty in return. Despite being the known CEO of UltraCorp, it is his sister who does the most work, much to her chagrin.

Powers and abilities
Jesse possesses no superhuman powers, but through his extensive training he has achieved above human feats such as strength and endurance. Jesse's charisma has been known to benefit both him and the group as he is capable of sweet talking himself and others out of situations deemed inescapable. He is also a relatively intelligent individual; coming up with the blueprints to several of his technologically advanced designs that have aided him in his fight against crime, but Jesse later reveals that it was his SISTER who actually developed the weapons.
 * Acrobatics: Jesse has displayed on many occasions that he is an expert in acrobatics, and often uses this skill while evading enemy fire.
 * Archery: He is one of the finest living archers in the world; having underwent rigorous archery training as a kid due to his obsession with the eighties Rambo films.
 * Politics: As the CEO of UltraCorp, Jesse has leaned on political issues from time to time.
 * Swordsmanship: Jesse has proven to be proficient with a sword, though it is not his preferred weapon of choice. He occasionally spars with Zephero, but he gets his ass kicked each and every time.

Trivia

 * Jesse's signature move is stabbing someone through the eye with an arrowhead. This has killed numerous villains in the past. When asked why he does this in an interview, Jesse shrugged and said it brought a whole new meaning to the word "arrowhead".
 * Jesse isn't much of a comedian.