Boy Redundant Lad

Boy Redundant Lad is a net.hero created by Jesse Willey. See also Boy Redundant Lad II.
Alter Ego:	Rick Henkerton
Aliases:	RedundantC
Primary Writer:	Jesse Willey
Status:	Member of The Team
Usability:	Reserved

History

Rick Henkerton was born with a unique genetic disorder – Henkerton's Synaptic Development Disorder – which caused him to have seizures and lose the use of his legs. He also had ADD. In elementary school was relentlessly bullied by his fellow students and had few friends; the exceptions being the supergenius doctor Jerome Gully (who had a college degree at 14 and worked at Rick's high school), and Carolyn Forge, who had rescued him from bullies. Rick and Carolyn had another friend, Libby, who was mute and died of a heart attack when they were young. He also had an imaginary friend, the cartoon rabbit Mr. Fast, who may have become the future tyrant known as Monark.

While difficult, his childhood and adolescence wasn't all miserable. He won a contest to create a hero for his favorite comic, Kid Saturn. For a time he worked as announcer for the school sports game, one of the happiest moments of his life. Unknown to him, a cheerleader, Amelia Chesterfield, developed a crush on him.

As a teenager, Rick was almost killed by a supervillain. He was rescued by the legendary hero of Toss-It City, Captain Redundant, and his sister Mary AKA Girl Redundant Lass, who saved his life by giving him the powers of the Redundancy Stream, transforming him into Boy Redundant Lad, part of the Redundant Family. Rick was overjoyed to become a net.hero, which gave him mobility in the Boy Redundant Lad form and a new social life, but sound found that being a superhero carried its own kind of stress. He developed a crush on Mary, but her brother violently disapproved. However, there was a silver lining – Rick rekindled his friendship with Carolyn, now the net.hero Aero Lass of Teenfactor. For a time, Rick called himself RedundantC to assert his own independence, but then went back to his original name because it granted him more power.

Captain Redundant assaulted Rick, and Jerome Gully and Doctor Ashley Variel saved his life with a mystical procedure which sent him to the pocket universe that held Lost City. It turned out his grandparents, the original Captain Redundant and Redundant Lass, were still alive there, and had created a construct called the Guardian Knight to watch over that world's version of him. With the Knight's help, he escaped, but was critically injured again and could not transform back to his heroic persona. He was saved by Monark, who made a Faustian bargain with him, implanting nanites in his body which allowed him to walk.

Shortly afterwards, he was approached by Mystery to become a founding member of The Team, finally giving him a friend group. He also started seeing Amelia, but this Amelia was actually a construct of Brain-O. He became attracted to both Mystery and his and Sky's friend Allison Delphi, and soon found out that Mystery was the real Amelia.

When Simon McGillis, a man whose DNA had been reengineered by aliens to give him Henkerton's Disorder, was injured, Rick saved his life by passing on his Boy Redundant Lad powers. Now that he could walk, Rick was overjoyed to be simply human again, and planned to do all the things his disability and superhero life had kept him from doing. But he was still friends with the Team, and found himself drawn into their battles.

<Stuff from The Team goes here>

Personality

Often withdrawn and bitter as a result of his experiences. Basically wants friendship and a place to belong, even though his life circumstances and his own resentment can make this difficult.

Powers and Abilities

As Boy Redundant Lad, Rick was connected to the Redundancy Stream, which is more powerful the more people there are who use it. It allowed him to transform into the form of Boy Redundant Lad (initially with the sound of a flushing toilet, though this seems to have disappeared later) and gave him flying brick type powers. The process of transformation could sometimes send him into other dimensions.

Without his powers, Rick is still surprisingly resourceful, able to take on enemies like Ominous with his wits.

Appearance

Has a cape.

Relationships

Rick was close friends with Carolyn Forge from a young age, though that friendship could be conflicted at the best of times. They became romantically involved when Carolyn and Terrence Coffee's marriage faltered. He is the godfather of her son, Sammy.

Appearances

• Hell's Titans #-5- -4
• Necessary Evils #3-5
• Boy Redundant Lad Special, #1-12
• The Team #1-50, Secrete Files #1