Daybreaker

Daybreaker, aka Dr. Adam R.A. Solomon, was a Cytopian hero, astrophysicist, geneticist, and the first researcher to ever study and publish about the Mark phenonmenon after the Solar Flare of 1980.

Daybreaker
HeroCivilian
Real name	Dr. Adam Ray Anatolius Solomon
Aliases	Daybreaker, the Father of the Flare
Pronouns	he/him
Age	49
Alignment	Hero
Occupation	Astrophysicist and Geneticist
Born	13 July 1951
Died	9 July 2001
Status	Deceased
City	Cytopia
Height	6'
Mark information
Mark	Hello, World!
Level	Rotas
MARK ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬡⬡⬡ STRENGTH ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬡⬡ AGILITY ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬡⬡ CUNNING ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢ TECHNIQUE ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬡⬡ ACCOLADES ⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢⬢
OOC information
Player	multi

Career

Astrophysics and Heliophysics Pre-Flare

Solomon began his career as an astrophysicist at Cybil University in 1975 with a focus on heliophysics. Coming in at the tail end of the space race, he spent a lot of time at Lunaris Interstellar Research Center during the program’s infancy. He helped monitor and understand solar activity, as well as different types of rays and energy fluctuations throughout the solar system and their effects on different cosmic entities, especially Earth and its atmosphere.

The Solar Flare of 1980

Solomon was on duty examining the sun through a coronagraph when the Flare occurred and personally witnessed the phenomena. As a result of the Flare, Solomon was Marked. He immediately changed the focus of his research to understanding the Flare and its effects, particularly on earth and its inhabitants. He found he could expedite this research using his Mark, speaking to satellites and other technology with his newly awakened technopathy.

A week after the Flare, Solomon was able to publish a comprehensive summary of his findings. The summary was focused on the astrological event, as that was Solomon’s primary field of study, however it still was the first paper to make the connection to the Flare and the superhuman phenomenon, as well as the origin of the word “mark” to refer to it, albeit not as proper noun.

As Daybreaker

While Solomon continued to study the Mark phenomenon, Cytopia, his home city, was falling into chaos at the hands of Marked supervillains. He had to put his research aside and take up the mantle of Daybreaker. He was among the tech-enhanced heroes who fought against the Marked villains unlawfully controlling the city. However, he kept his identity as the Marked scientist Adam Solomon a secret, and did not reveal that he was a technopath, choosing to keep his Mark secret to preserve team unity.

In the historic Battle for District I, Daybreaker was able to use his technopathy to reunite the team of heroes with the gear, which had been taken by the villains, thereby helping to win the day. Many argue that without the use of his mark, the heroes would not have been victorious. This victory resulted in the partial restoration of power to the Cytopian government, and total peace soon followed. No longer was Cytopia an active warzone.

Mark Studies

After the instability caused by the Flare began to resolve, scientists were able to return to studying the Marked phenomenon in earnest. As the leading researcher in the field, Solomon led the charge into a more in-depth study into Marks. Over the next five years, he and his team were responsible for laying much of the groundwork for what we understand about Marks today— that although there isn’t a Marked gene, Marks can be genetic, and that Marked have an innate feeling about what their power can do. During this time Solomon got his degree in genetics and established the Tenet system.

In 1989, Solomon published The Key to Marks, a pop-science meta-analysis of data regarding the Flare of 1980 and the behavior of Marks. This is considered a seminal text in Marked Studies, and on the phenomenon in general. Many of the theories in the book have been further substantiated by subsequent study conducted after Solomon’s death, and as such it remains relevant to this day.

VS Sickle

In 1990, Solomon’s former co-worker Raphael Payne rebelled against the Cytopian government and became the supervillain Sickle. This was in response to the growing anti-Mark sentiment in Cytopian policy and pop-culture, which Payne thought Solomon’s research was helping to facilitate. Sickle and Daybreaker are considered to have one of the most iconic rivalries in The Land’s super history.

Death

Ultimately, in order to defeat Sickle once and for all, Daybreaker sacrificed himself, taking Sickle with him out of earth’s atmosphere so that both hero and villain died of exposure.

Legacy

To this day, Daybreaker remains one of the most iconic superheroes in all of the Land. Dr. Adam Solomon is the only Marked to ever be inducted into Cytopia’s Hall of Heroes. His work continues to be taught and studied in science, astrophysics, and Marked Studies classrooms throughout the Land. In Cybil University, Solomon Hall houses the observatory, astrophysics department, and Marked studies department. It has a statue of Daybreaker in the courtyard.

Theories and Hypotheses

Solomon's work in the field of science is vast, however a lot of his theories and hypotheses have impacted the studies of sciences in many ways since he first put them forward. This list is hardly comprehensive, and only covers what are his most iconic and important theories. As one of the pioneers of Mark studies, most of his iconic breakthroughs and discoveries are within that field. Considering he saw the Flare itself as it happened, he had a lot to say about their origins.

Considered Confirmed

Although he has many theories, two are considered foundational and confirmed, and the third is slightly more controversial however with evidence to back it up in modern day.

Mark Genetics

Solomon was the one to find out and put forward the theory of how Marks came to be via genetic expression-- how there is no Mark gene, but rather radiation within genes and DNA that can be passed down from generation to generation. The radiation causes like errors and mutation which causes the expression of a Mark, and those specific irregularities within genes can be passed down. However, unmarked parents can still have a Marked child, which is due to either trace remnants of the radiation within our atmosphere or within unmarked parents. It is believed that all humans, Marked and unmarked, have slight radiation, its just the specific way they interact with the genes that causes the Mark to express itself. This is also how Marks can skip a generation.

Innate Understanding Principle

Solomon also put forward a critical advancement in understanding Marks in 1988 when he and a gathered group of psychologists and neurologists theorized something called the "Innate Understanding Principle". Through their discovery and experiments, they were able to find that Marked have a innate understanding of how their Mark works from birth. This understanding is developed alongside basic motor and surivival skills like walking and pattern recognition. This does not include an innate mastery over how to use their Mark, rather just a basic and instinctual understanding of what the power can do.

Mark Adaptation

Solomon and Payne collaborated on one of their more popularly debated hypotheses of Mark Adapation: the theory that since Marks are created and influenced by their environment (as in, the body), then they can also adapt and change as that environment changes. On a basic level, this can be seen as a theory that Marks can be trained to be more powerful, but both Solomon and Payne were thinking beyond this. They believed that Marks themselves could change through different means of changes within the body and environment. This was controversial at the time, but there has been multiple observed cases of this happening since both scientists had passed (see the changes with Boss and Flipswitch's Marks).

Theological Implications

Although Solomon was a man of science, he took a great interest in theology and mysticism. He was fascinated by the theological implications of the Marked phenomena. He’s quoted as saying: “We’ve found out how Marks work— but what I want to know is why? Why us? Why now? I don’t think we’re going to find out the answer with science, by simply staring at the sky. We’re going to have to look further.”

Criticism

Although history and scholars alike laud Solomon as a hero, Cytopian rebels and radicals criticize him for being a dog of the state and responsible for continued oppression of Marked in Cytopia. The Tenet system he developed has been widely lambasted as being “unscientific” and “wholly unnecessary”, especially after it was adopted to categorize Marked under Cytopia’s Marked Registration Act of 1990.

Personal Life

Adam Solomon was born to single mother Mary Solomon on July 13th, 1951. Mary Solomon was a nurse who regularly volunteered at her local church and instilled the value in helping other people into a young Solomon.

Solomon graduated with a doctorate in astrophysics from Cybil University in 1975 at the age of 24.

Although Solomon has been rumored to have had many minor relationships with fellow researchers and heroes alike, he never married nor had any children.

Abilities and Gear

Daybreaker’s mark, ‘Hello, World!’, allows him the ability of technopathy, meaning he can communicate and control any and all technology. The power is limited by scope, range, and his concentration.

Daybreaker’s suit also has many technological advancements and weapons that he can utilize his technopathy to have complete control over, setting him apart from other technology-enhanced heroes as not being able to have his tech be compromised. These additions to his suit can vary from appearance to appearance and are largely customizable to assess a certain threat, but most always include his iconic helmet (nicknamed the Halospheric Helm by fans), propulsion boots, and tech gauntlets.

Trivia

• There’s a superstition among Cybil University students that if you step in the shadow of Daybreaker’s statue, you have to sprint across the lawn and back in 30 seconds or you won’t graduate in 4 years.