Bullion (Guardian)

Affiliations

The hero known as Bullion is a member of the superhero group Vigilants.

Backstory

Donald Parks used to work as a security guard for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, but his otherwise mundane life changed when supervillains attempted to rob the facility. Parks and the rest of the guards were powerless to prevent the villains from accessing the vaults, but this didn't stop him from making one last effort to stop them. The villains planned to use a teleportation device to quickly make off with hundreds of tons of gold bullion, but Parks' effort to disable the machine left him exposed to the molecular transportation effects of the device.

Parks' firearm damaged the machine and caused it to malfunction, a fateful act that saved the bullion from being whisked away but bonding several tons of the gold with his own molecular structure. The effect transformed Parks into a being of living gold possessed with superhuman strength and incredible density. The villains attempted to subdue Parks but were unprepared for what he had become. Parks instinctively used his strength to defeat the villains until more experienced superheroes arrived to apprehend them. Although Parks was praised for his efforts his life as he knew had changed forever.

Parks was horrified to learn that his transformation was permanent, according to scientists at SERAPH, and that attempts to separate his human DNA from the molecular structure of the gold he absorbed could possibly kill him. The gold itself, SERAPH theorized, had become an unseen form of living tissue itself, properties it acquired by absorbing Parks' DNA. Although Parks' density was much heavier than ordinary gold and his body would require significantly higher degrees of heat or trauma to harm, small amounts of gold tissues that were removed from his body would eventually regenerate, much like a human would heal from a cut. Parks' body was further affected in other ways; he no longer required air to breathe, yet he could still speak despite being formed of mostly solid living gold (SERAPH x-rays of Parks reveal that his once human organs are indistinguishable from the rest of his living gold tissues; in essence, he is mostly solid to the core). When Parks bleeds his "blood" is actually hot liquid gold which is formed from his dense inner core, likely where his heart once rested. With no identifiable living tissues, no distinguishable heartbeat, and no other trait about him that would make him human SERAPH has classifed Parks as a new form of sentient being, homo sapiens aurum.

The New York Times took to calling Parks "Bullion" due to his transformation, and he became an overnight hero in the media. Parks relocated to Paragon City to learn how to better understand his transformation and adjust to his condition. He no longer experiences life the way ordinary humans do; he no longer requires food or drink to sustain himself, and although he still retains his senses he finds it challenging to maintain relationships with women due to his altered nature.

The fame, however, has only served to cause him problems, both from the criminals he now faces as well as from the United States government. Parks weighs in at nearly 10,000 pounds, which currently makes his body valued well over $190 million if the gold can be extracted from him. Doing so would certainly kill him, but this is of no concern to the criminals who have the resources to do so. The US government, namely through the Federal Reserve Bank, is also putting pressure on Parks for essentially walking away with the bullion he absorbed; although his fate is unfortunate Parks did not own the gold that is now a part of him, and his body is, in essense, still the property of the United States.

Powers

Superhuman Strength

Bullion posseses superhuman strength, the extent of which has not yet been fully tested.

Invulnerability

Bullion is extremely resistant to all forms of trauma, and despite being formed of living gold his body is far more durable than true gold. Extreme heat could begin to melt him into liquid gold, but this would require advanced technology or superhuman abilities to perform. Mercury reacts negatively with Bullion's body and could, over time, dissolve him slowly into a gold amalgam just as it would with ordinary gold. This effect would be time consuming and extremely painful for Parks once his body began to dissolve, but it is one way that the gold could be extracted from his body.

Contact Information

Bullion may be contacted on Guardian by e-mail using his name, Bullion. His global channel that is valid across all servers is @Major Paragon.