Artwork by Kerry Connell
Dynamo's Character Sheet (4th Edition) in PDF
Name: Alan Kepperman
Occupation: Computer Programmmer
Birth Date: October 28, 1975
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 145 lbs
Hair: Sandy Brown
Eyes: Brown
Place of Birth: Fresno, CA
As the only child of Sam and Sarah Kepperman, a typical middle-class Jewish couple, you were well-behaved with a healthy interest in sports and learning, especially math and computers. It wasn't until high school that you realized you were different.
The first difference was that you had superpowers. Unlike many heroes, it did not take a tragedy to unleash your abilities. It was June 12, 1991. You were running the 400 meters and were close to a school record time but your instincts told you that you weren't quite going to make it. If only the watch would slow down just a little... Suddenly, it felt like your mind was part of the watch. It was a strange sensation but you soon felt out the watch and slowed it just enough to break the record. This act left you with mixed feelings. You were happy to have the record, but there was also guilt over how you got it. You made a vow to yourself, right then and there, to never use your newfound power for personal benefit again.
What were the limits of these powers, you wondered? After some private experimentation, you discovered most of your abilities including the power to fire bolts of electricity. But it took a long time for you to recover. Then one day, you theorized that if you could fire electricity, maybe you were immune to it. Giving yourself a series of increasing shocks, you discovered that not only were you immune, but that you could recharge your abilities by absorbing electrical input.
The second difference was that you did not like girls (sexually, that is). You liked boys. Coming from a somewhat traditional Jewish household, being gay was something that you could not discuss with your parents. You experimented a little with friends, but essentially this was something you did not act upon.
After high school, you attended UC Berkley on a scholarship in Computer Science (earned by your skills, not your powers). While there, you had a few discrete gay experiences, but no real relationships. You also created the superheroic persona of Dynamo. After graduation, you went to work at a computer engineering firm but when you heard about the new SuperSquad America, you headed to New York to apply.
Challenger seemed impressed (and a little frightened) by your abilities and put you on the roster. When his father became ill and passed the presidency of Kennedy Industries on to him, he offered you a position as the head of the company's new software division. You accepted.
Worried that neither the world nor your teammates were ready for a gay superhero, you remained closeted until two years ago when in one of a series of hypothetical scenarios that the team was put through by the mystical being called the White Shield, you came out. Afterwards, the team's memories of the scenarios were fuzzy, so you called a team meeting to essentially come out again. Surprisingly, almost everyone was accepting and the revelation has had little effect on your relationship with the rest of the team. In fact, Rick Davies even organized a team outing (in civilian identity) to a gay bar in an effort to try and understand your world.
While you are out to your teammates and some of your coworkers, you still tend to keep your private life private. You are currently in what is becoming an increasingly serious relationship with a handsome young stock broker, Keith Marsden, who knows nothing of your life as Dynamo. Keith is totally out and has been encouraging you to also come out completely. However, you afraid not only of how the world may react to your gayness, but also how Keith may react to your powers and your life as a superhero. Perhaps David and Dianne's engagement party may be a good place to start on either issue.
Note: This background is written in a second person style as it is the background provided to the player playing the character in the SuperSquad America event.
Character Update: Following David and Dianne's engagement party, the team embarked on an adventure (Year 3: New World Disorder) that led the team to a mystical plane where a voice told them that one of them must sit on the Template Throne and become the new Template, the being who sets the tone of life for Earth and its related dimensions. Hoping to bring more tolerance to the world, Dynamo took the throne. Within two weeks of the remainder of the Squad returning to Earth, a lasting peace was signed in the Middle East.
However, Dynamo becoming the Template also had its consequences. Due to his affinity with technology, the new Template inadvertently caused an imbalance between technology and magic on Earth and in Eyratha, the native dimension of Silver Bow's mother, Finesse, requiring further involvement from SuperSquad America (Year 4: Tragical Mystical Tour).