character information
Character Information
Name: Erik Lehnsherr
Fandom: X-Men First Class (AU)
Age/Appearance:
At thirty years old, Erik stands at about six foot tall with brown hair, blue/green eyes and an athletic build formed from years of working as a soldier. And he has the patchwork of scars littering his skin to prove it. It's extremely rare to find him not wearing his telepathy-blocking helmet these days too, which is still plain silver. He hasn't had a reason to begin wearing a costume, and that won't be changing just yet. Apart from this, Erik always wears footwear with metal plating of some form, which enables him to "fly" at will.
History:
Wiki link for canon info, and the AU itself is based on Mara's fic here.
1927: Erik was born in Germany to a loving mother and a war veteran of a father. However, he was a child born under what would come to be very difficult circumstances; a Jewish child growing up in a Germany heading toward war. What childhood he did have was filled with both good and bad memories. Unfortunately, the majority of the good were hidden away by the time his family left Germany.
(This is where the dates start to differ from canon, even as certain events stay the same.)
1937: His family flee to Poland to escape a country that has long since turned against them.
1939: Germany invades Poland, and the Second World War begins.
1940: The family are ultimately caught and sent to Auschwitz. It's there, upon being torn away from his parents, that Erik first displays his powers by bending back the large metal gates between them. It was an act that brought him to the attention of a scientist named Doctor Klaus Schmidt (an alias for a man named Sebastian Shaw). A thirteen year old Erik is taken to see the man who eventually slaughters his mother in front of him in an attempt to get Erik to display his abilities again. Her death seems to be enough as he then destroys the office, killing the guards in the process, and giving Shaw the proof he needs.
For the next two years, Erik undergoes a series of experiments and tests, most of which come in the form of violence and abuse, to get him to make full use of his abilities. It's a method that seems to work as Erik slowly grows in to his abilities, and later used as a weapon in the war.
1942: Erik is assigned to defend Dusseldorf where he first meets a young telepath by the name of Charles Xavier who goes on to save him from the life he's been forced to lead.
During the time between his rescue and the end of the war, he and Charles return to Auschwitz and tear the place apart in the search for Shaw, working together to be able to defeat the hidden mutant.
1943: Eventually coming to work alongside Charles properly, the pair go on to defeat the Germans, ending the war with a power the Nazi party had no way of overcoming.
1944: The use of mutants in ending the war doesn't remain a secret for long, and soon enough, the rest of the world decide to begin gathering mutants of their own to use as weapons or threats of power. This leads to the mutant race being sought out and segregated from the rest of the population.
1946: In order to counteract this, Erik begins to build a new movement based in Israel as a safe-haven for both mutants and Jews alike. He and Charles become prominent members of the Israeli government, aiding the country in its bid for independence. It's an allegiance that doesn't end well as the Zionist movement pushes for its freedom through violence, declaring itself independent and cueing the start of another war.
For the following years, a war is fought in the Middle East that is eventually won by Israel and its mutant army.
1951: With things beginning to settle somewhat between the nations, Charles begins advocating for peace. It's his methods that Erik disagrees with, believing that the nation is better ruled with violence and power, causing an irreparable rift to form between them. It's one that eventually leads Erik to seeking out a way to protect himself from Charles' abilities, and subsequently has him beginning to use the telepathy-blocking helmet.
1952: Charles chooses to go back to England, continuing his work as a mutant advocate and working toward a degree in genetics. Between that and the restrictions set in place regarding his abilities, Erik is completely unsupportive with his decisions. As far as he's concerned, Charles is making a mistake in leaving.
Charles comes back to Israel regularly, mostly to fulfil his role as an advocate for mutants, but the damage in his and Erik's relationship has already been done, and is only growing worse as the days pass. They don't agree on anything that the other is doing.
1956: Unknown to him, a group of mutants choose to attack Charles during one of his visits, dumping him in the desert and leaving him for dead, his telepathy blocked through a replica of Erik's own helmet. While he may not be aware of the attack, it's Erik who is blamed for it. Charles is rescued in time, however, and after recovering, he eventually goes on to begin working behind the scenes to continue his work in his own way.
1957: With Charles' disappearance having been noted by authorities, his status is eventually moved from "missing" to "presumed dead". It's a declaration that Erik takes as fact, and with the loss of the only voice of reason that he ever had, Erik has no reason to hold back in trying to obtain his goals any more.
It'll be early in this last year that I'll be taking Erik from; where he's only just coming to terms with the idea of Charles being dead and starting to adjust his attitude to fit.
Personality:
Erik is a man who is ultimately driven by hate and revenge; against Shaw, the Nazi's, and the human race itself. He believes that mutants are the superior race, and absolutely refuses to consider humans to be anywhere near their level. It's a belief he fights for daily, and will not be convinced otherwise, even by his closest of friends. His hatred for each of these groups are heavily intertwined. It's Shaw who took his mother from him. It's the Nazi's who took his people. And it's the human race who's trying to destroy his family.
He isn't the type to second-guess himself. If he makes a choice, he sticks by it until the end, no matter what trials he's made to face or what losses have to be made. As far as Erik's concerned, to achieve his goals, he'll willingly do whatever it takes, stepping on anyone who's in his way. The end fully justifies the means, just as long as that ending involves mutants coming out on top. Homo Sapiens overtook from the Neanderthal, and now it's time for Homo Superior to do the same.
His hands have been stained with blood since he was first taken to meet Schmidt. Since his powers began developing further, he's become all too willing to kill to reach his goals, refusing to let anybody stand in his way. The only time where he'll restrain himself now is if he's forced to face off against other mutants. And even then, Erik is the type who'll attempt to recruit enemy forces. Mutants are a family and they should work alongside each other.
Throughout his life, there have been relatively few people he's met who he's formed any real attachments with. His parents are the obvious first examples, and beyond that, there is only Charles Xavier. Even the mutants he has chosen to surround himself with more recently are only there because of what they are as opposed to who. He'll consider them brothers and sisters, but not true friends. It's a distinction made obvious in the way he treats them; they're there to follow, not to advise, and definitely not to lead.
His friendship with Charles is one of the most defining points of his character. It's through Charles that Erik learned that there is more to life than simply surviving. He found that he could take a proactive approach to his own destiny, and shape it to fit his own needs. Without Charles, Erik would be nothing more than weapon with only one target in mind. Now though, Erik has a more important goal to achieve. And while he and Charles may differ on their methods, he'll stop at nothing to ensure that his people are free to exist once again. With the breakdown of their relationship, however, Erik has since begun to fall back on old ways, focusing only on the goals he has in mind. And now that Charles has "died", he'll only grow more aggressive with his actions, not letting anything get in his way once again.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation:
For Erik, romance isn't something that really interests him. His opinions on love and relationships have been warped since childhood, and with all he's seen growing up, the damage is near-permanent. Each of his closest relationships are ones that he has ultimately lost along the way, and he isn't willing to open himself up to the same thing again. It's the last of these relationships that have had the biggest impact on his scraps of a romantic life. He lost both a brother, a best friend, and possibly something deeper when he and Charles parted. And while he may not admit to just how important the other man was to him, he isn't prepared to risk a repeat of that.
Overall, gender isn't much of an issue to Erik. He only ever seeks out sex as a way to release tension and to relax. It's all just a matter of convenience when it comes to choosing a partner. Sex itself is very much about power to Erik. He's the type who wants to remain in control, no matter the situation, and it extends in to all aspects of his life. He's been the powerless one before, and it's a time he refuses to revisit. While he may sleep with others more than once, it's more a case of convenience than any real feelings toward the other person. And though that may equate to using his partners for one thing only, it's a fact that's made clear ahead of time. The other person has to be willing to leave it at just that.
Powers:
Despite the giant list of abilities Erik possesses in the comic world, this Erik has yet to develop even a fraction of them. That said, his ability to control and manipulate metal has grown beyond what is displayed in the film. Having trained alongside Charles for so long has been enough to ensure that. Erik is capable of manipulating metal, even when a substance contains little more than trace elements of it. An example of this is the iron found in the bloodstream. He is capable of drawing upon it to use at any time, though for obvious reasons, his own blood remains out of bounds.
He is also in possession of a helmet capable of blocking out all telepathic influences. It's something he acquired years ago, but only began to use once his relationship with Charles began to fall apart. These days, it's incredibly rare to see him without it on, even with Charles' supposed death. Having Emma Frost around is enough of a reason for him to want to play it safe still.
Name: Erik Lehnsherr
Fandom: X-Men First Class (AU)
Age/Appearance:
At thirty years old, Erik stands at about six foot tall with brown hair, blue/green eyes and an athletic build formed from years of working as a soldier. And he has the patchwork of scars littering his skin to prove it. It's extremely rare to find him not wearing his telepathy-blocking helmet these days too, which is still plain silver. He hasn't had a reason to begin wearing a costume, and that won't be changing just yet. Apart from this, Erik always wears footwear with metal plating of some form, which enables him to "fly" at will.
History:
Wiki link for canon info, and the AU itself is based on Mara's fic here.
1927: Erik was born in Germany to a loving mother and a war veteran of a father. However, he was a child born under what would come to be very difficult circumstances; a Jewish child growing up in a Germany heading toward war. What childhood he did have was filled with both good and bad memories. Unfortunately, the majority of the good were hidden away by the time his family left Germany.
(This is where the dates start to differ from canon, even as certain events stay the same.)
1937: His family flee to Poland to escape a country that has long since turned against them.
1939: Germany invades Poland, and the Second World War begins.
1940: The family are ultimately caught and sent to Auschwitz. It's there, upon being torn away from his parents, that Erik first displays his powers by bending back the large metal gates between them. It was an act that brought him to the attention of a scientist named Doctor Klaus Schmidt (an alias for a man named Sebastian Shaw). A thirteen year old Erik is taken to see the man who eventually slaughters his mother in front of him in an attempt to get Erik to display his abilities again. Her death seems to be enough as he then destroys the office, killing the guards in the process, and giving Shaw the proof he needs.
For the next two years, Erik undergoes a series of experiments and tests, most of which come in the form of violence and abuse, to get him to make full use of his abilities. It's a method that seems to work as Erik slowly grows in to his abilities, and later used as a weapon in the war.
1942: Erik is assigned to defend Dusseldorf where he first meets a young telepath by the name of Charles Xavier who goes on to save him from the life he's been forced to lead.
During the time between his rescue and the end of the war, he and Charles return to Auschwitz and tear the place apart in the search for Shaw, working together to be able to defeat the hidden mutant.
1943: Eventually coming to work alongside Charles properly, the pair go on to defeat the Germans, ending the war with a power the Nazi party had no way of overcoming.
1944: The use of mutants in ending the war doesn't remain a secret for long, and soon enough, the rest of the world decide to begin gathering mutants of their own to use as weapons or threats of power. This leads to the mutant race being sought out and segregated from the rest of the population.
1946: In order to counteract this, Erik begins to build a new movement based in Israel as a safe-haven for both mutants and Jews alike. He and Charles become prominent members of the Israeli government, aiding the country in its bid for independence. It's an allegiance that doesn't end well as the Zionist movement pushes for its freedom through violence, declaring itself independent and cueing the start of another war.
For the following years, a war is fought in the Middle East that is eventually won by Israel and its mutant army.
1951: With things beginning to settle somewhat between the nations, Charles begins advocating for peace. It's his methods that Erik disagrees with, believing that the nation is better ruled with violence and power, causing an irreparable rift to form between them. It's one that eventually leads Erik to seeking out a way to protect himself from Charles' abilities, and subsequently has him beginning to use the telepathy-blocking helmet.
1952: Charles chooses to go back to England, continuing his work as a mutant advocate and working toward a degree in genetics. Between that and the restrictions set in place regarding his abilities, Erik is completely unsupportive with his decisions. As far as he's concerned, Charles is making a mistake in leaving.
Charles comes back to Israel regularly, mostly to fulfil his role as an advocate for mutants, but the damage in his and Erik's relationship has already been done, and is only growing worse as the days pass. They don't agree on anything that the other is doing.
1956: Unknown to him, a group of mutants choose to attack Charles during one of his visits, dumping him in the desert and leaving him for dead, his telepathy blocked through a replica of Erik's own helmet. While he may not be aware of the attack, it's Erik who is blamed for it. Charles is rescued in time, however, and after recovering, he eventually goes on to begin working behind the scenes to continue his work in his own way.
1957: With Charles' disappearance having been noted by authorities, his status is eventually moved from "missing" to "presumed dead". It's a declaration that Erik takes as fact, and with the loss of the only voice of reason that he ever had, Erik has no reason to hold back in trying to obtain his goals any more.
It'll be early in this last year that I'll be taking Erik from; where he's only just coming to terms with the idea of Charles being dead and starting to adjust his attitude to fit.
Personality:
Erik is a man who is ultimately driven by hate and revenge; against Shaw, the Nazi's, and the human race itself. He believes that mutants are the superior race, and absolutely refuses to consider humans to be anywhere near their level. It's a belief he fights for daily, and will not be convinced otherwise, even by his closest of friends. His hatred for each of these groups are heavily intertwined. It's Shaw who took his mother from him. It's the Nazi's who took his people. And it's the human race who's trying to destroy his family.
He isn't the type to second-guess himself. If he makes a choice, he sticks by it until the end, no matter what trials he's made to face or what losses have to be made. As far as Erik's concerned, to achieve his goals, he'll willingly do whatever it takes, stepping on anyone who's in his way. The end fully justifies the means, just as long as that ending involves mutants coming out on top. Homo Sapiens overtook from the Neanderthal, and now it's time for Homo Superior to do the same.
His hands have been stained with blood since he was first taken to meet Schmidt. Since his powers began developing further, he's become all too willing to kill to reach his goals, refusing to let anybody stand in his way. The only time where he'll restrain himself now is if he's forced to face off against other mutants. And even then, Erik is the type who'll attempt to recruit enemy forces. Mutants are a family and they should work alongside each other.
Throughout his life, there have been relatively few people he's met who he's formed any real attachments with. His parents are the obvious first examples, and beyond that, there is only Charles Xavier. Even the mutants he has chosen to surround himself with more recently are only there because of what they are as opposed to who. He'll consider them brothers and sisters, but not true friends. It's a distinction made obvious in the way he treats them; they're there to follow, not to advise, and definitely not to lead.
His friendship with Charles is one of the most defining points of his character. It's through Charles that Erik learned that there is more to life than simply surviving. He found that he could take a proactive approach to his own destiny, and shape it to fit his own needs. Without Charles, Erik would be nothing more than weapon with only one target in mind. Now though, Erik has a more important goal to achieve. And while he and Charles may differ on their methods, he'll stop at nothing to ensure that his people are free to exist once again. With the breakdown of their relationship, however, Erik has since begun to fall back on old ways, focusing only on the goals he has in mind. And now that Charles has "died", he'll only grow more aggressive with his actions, not letting anything get in his way once again.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation:
For Erik, romance isn't something that really interests him. His opinions on love and relationships have been warped since childhood, and with all he's seen growing up, the damage is near-permanent. Each of his closest relationships are ones that he has ultimately lost along the way, and he isn't willing to open himself up to the same thing again. It's the last of these relationships that have had the biggest impact on his scraps of a romantic life. He lost both a brother, a best friend, and possibly something deeper when he and Charles parted. And while he may not admit to just how important the other man was to him, he isn't prepared to risk a repeat of that.
Overall, gender isn't much of an issue to Erik. He only ever seeks out sex as a way to release tension and to relax. It's all just a matter of convenience when it comes to choosing a partner. Sex itself is very much about power to Erik. He's the type who wants to remain in control, no matter the situation, and it extends in to all aspects of his life. He's been the powerless one before, and it's a time he refuses to revisit. While he may sleep with others more than once, it's more a case of convenience than any real feelings toward the other person. And though that may equate to using his partners for one thing only, it's a fact that's made clear ahead of time. The other person has to be willing to leave it at just that.
Powers:
Despite the giant list of abilities Erik possesses in the comic world, this Erik has yet to develop even a fraction of them. That said, his ability to control and manipulate metal has grown beyond what is displayed in the film. Having trained alongside Charles for so long has been enough to ensure that. Erik is capable of manipulating metal, even when a substance contains little more than trace elements of it. An example of this is the iron found in the bloodstream. He is capable of drawing upon it to use at any time, though for obvious reasons, his own blood remains out of bounds.
He is also in possession of a helmet capable of blocking out all telepathic influences. It's something he acquired years ago, but only began to use once his relationship with Charles began to fall apart. These days, it's incredibly rare to see him without it on, even with Charles' supposed death. Having Emma Frost around is enough of a reason for him to want to play it safe still.