Conceptually this guy is a hero in the public eye, but not a good person. He's best used as a third party that shows up in a super-fight, nominally opposing the villains but stealing the spotlight from the PCs and using his nasty trick move to harm them (or innocent bystanders) as well to make them look inept, the villains look nastier than they are, and himself look good. He definitely counts as a villain for scene element purposes, but can be a hero ally if they're willing to treat him as such. You could build a story arc around the PCs gradually discovering what a selfish rat bastard the guy is, maybe ending in him getting outed as a non-hero, losing his sponsor and turning full super-villain. Or he could just be a recurring pain in the neck for real heroes, depending on how rotten and how subtle you want him to be.
Hothead
Hothead (his legal name now - he's all in on this persona) is a corporate-sponsored "hero" whose primary motivations is fame and money, not being a do-gooder. He's very much a prima donna who wants the spotlight at all times, but he's also not shy about crashing other heroes' action uninvited so he's got some "backup singers" when he's in a fight. Hothead is extremely petty but hides it fairly well, and his abilities let him stage "accidents" that can easily result in serious harm to any "ally" that get on his nerves. He also tends to showboat during a fight, shilling for his backers whenever he thinks he can get away with it. His corporate sponsors can be as evil or innocent as you like, and there's more than one of them so some might be clueless of what a nasty piece of work Hothead really is while others are actually encouraging his behavior and will happily find work for him if/when he's outed and goes full supervillain.
His powers are the result of natural mutation improved by experimental augmentations paid for by his sponsors. He's very strong, has the ability to generate and manipulate fire in his immediate proximity (only about thirty feet tops), and carries a ridiculous arsenal of weaponry that act as de facto advertisements for their manufacturers. Hothead also has a mostly-secret ability to project his force of will so powerfully it borders on mind control, which he uses mostly to abuse the trust of other people, get paid more than he deserves, avoid repercussions from property damage he inflicts, and make other supers see him as more powerful than he really is. He can also use it to trigger "accidental" attacks from targets he's fighting, which inevitably go astray and hit the target Hothead wants them to. He uses this trick a lot, mostly to make his foes (and sometimes allies) look like careless buffoons, dangerous madmen, or both.
Description: Tall, powerfully built redhead with a lantern jaw and winning smile, wearing a lightly armored red bodysuit with white detailing, belt and boots. It's been carefully cut to show off his remarkable physique to best effect, and has the letters HH in white on the chest. A small arsenal of guns and swords is slung on his back, although he doesn't really need or use them all that much. When he's employing his powers he often manifests showy displays of flame, wreathing his fists in fire and donning a crown of flame.
Gender: Male Age: Early Thirties Height: 6'4" Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red Skin: Caucasian Build: Enormously Broad-Shouldered
Approach: Disruptive
Archetype: Formidable (Weakness: Cold)
Health: 45 + (5 x H)
Powers: Presence d10, Strength d10, Trademarked Arsenal d8, Fire d8
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Corrupt Corporate "Hero" d8, Persuasion d8, Ranged Combat d8
Status: No Weakness Penalties - d12 / Both Bonuses and Penalties - d8 / Only Weakness Penalties - d4
Abilities:
Don't Try My Patience (R) Whenever a target takes a Hinder action against you, you may first Hinder them by rolling your single Presence die.
Heat Wave (A) Destroy one of your bonuses. Deal each opponent damage equal to the value of that bonus.
Heating Up (A) Boost using Fire. Use your Max + Min dice. Remove all penalties on yourself.
Show Us What You've Got (A) Attack using Strength. Use your Max die. A target dealt damage this way Attacks an ally by rolling their single largest power die.
Upgrades & Masteries:
Power Upgrade (I) +20 Health. Increase the die size of each of your powers by one step (maximum of d12).
Master of Annihilation (I) If you can cause massive collateral damage without regard for casualties, automatically succeed at an Overcome in a situation where a show of overwhelming force would help.
Tactics
Hothead won't generally fight heroes publicly unless his sponsorships have been well and truly terminated, but he might take the opportunity to "mistake" a PC for a villain and deliver a good beating if he thinks he get away with it. Similarly, all sorts of "accidents" can happen during team-ups and big confused team super-brawls. His favorite move is to use Show Us What You've Got to both damage his target and use his Presence to trigger an uncontrolled release of power from the victim that appears to be a deflected or accidental attack which coincidentally strikes a target of Hothead's choosing. He can do this both in melee or (by hurling something heavy or doing a thunderous handclap) at range. Don't Try My Patience lets him counter attempts to Hinder him, and if he does pick up a penalty (particularly a cold-related penalty) he'll shed it while boosting (usually himself) with Heating Up. He tries to reserve bonuses for use with Heat Wave if he's outnumbered, or if he just feels mean and wants to "unintentionally" sear everyone nearby - it's a hard ability to counter since it isn't an Attack as such. He'll also take basic actions to Attack with his Trademarked Arsenal of guns and blades at least once a scene even if other choices would be more sensible. Have to keep the sponsors happy and help the toy companies sell accessories for his action figures, you know.
His upgrade bumps his power level up to peak levels, and reflects him benefitting from corporate sponsored mad science augmentations. His mastery shows how he's willing to wreak havoc if it makes for better ratings and more sponsors.
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