Topher (comics)

Origins

Topher was originally born at some point before the year 1900 before being turned into a vampire at the age of sixteen. At some point after 1939, after the great depression had ended, he was able to amass a large amount of wealth by cleverly playing the stock market. During this time period, he turned at least one individual into a vampiric minion and later consumed at least one Mutant in 1979^[2].

Topher laid low with his earned affluence for the rest of the twentieth century, preferring to keep out of the spotlight and keep his vampiric nature secret.

During the Dot-com bubble burst and subsequent economic turmoil, Topher lost his entire wealth and turned to a life of crime, creating at least one more vampiric minion to do his bidding.

Joining the Runaways

Topher first encountered the Runaways while robbing a convenience store in Los Feliz with his two vampiric minions. The Runaways intervened in the robbery attempt, causing Topher to flee and leaving him with the six teenagers. Playing the victim, Topher convinced the Runaways that the two minions (who were conveniently an adult man and woman) were his parents. He fabricated a lie that the super strength and speed the minions had displayed in the fight were, in fact, super powers imbued from an accident at a power plant that had also left them psychologically unstable, leading them both to a life of crime which they forced their helpless son into^[1].

The Runaways are sympathetic to his plight due to the similarity between his supposed situation and their own and invite him back to their hideout at the sunken hostel. After connecting with the members, they offer him a provisional membership to the Runaways and show him around their home. Topher begins to pursue a faux-romantic relationship with Nico after bonding about their current predicament, ending with the two of them kissing. Nico stops things from progressing any further after feeling guilty about her current romantic interest in Alex.

The next day, Topher sets his sights on pursuing Karolina in addition to Nico, leading to Topher and Karolina also kissing. Nico catches the two together and this causes Nico and Karolina to have an emotional fight. The fight is stopped by the intervention of Gert, which leads to Topher following an emotional Nico leaving the hostel.

Reveal and demise

Now outside and alone with her, Topher reveals his true nature to Nico, he details his deception including his supposed parent's identities as his minions and his past as an affluent recluse. Nico tricks Topher into drawing her blood, which causes the wooden Staff of One to emerge from her chest and puncture his heart. However, this does not kill Topher as it would a normal vampire and he heals quickly from the wound. Alex appears and attempts to fight off Topher with a flaming torch, which only delays him long enough for Alex and Nico to retreat and join with the rest of the Runaways.

Topher uses his array of vampire abilities to quickly defeat the majority of the Runaways with ease. Leaving Karolina standing, he reveals his intention to turn her into a vampiric servant, a fate which she willingly accepts due to being disheartened after her parent's betrayal and her fight with Nico. Topher sinks his fangs into her neck, but stumbles back almost immediately before exploding before their eyes. Karolina's Majesdanian physiology caused her blood to be filled with solar energy that was highly toxic to vampires.

It is later revealed that The Pride killed his two minions after interrogating them for the Runaways' location.

Vampire

Topher is a Vampire that is over 100 years old and as a result, has many powers associated with being a vampire of his age. He is functionally immortal and immune to aging and disease and will forever have the appearance of a sixteen year old boy. He is impervious to most forms of harm and will rapidly heal and regenerate from attacks that are not lethal to vampires.

As with other Vampires, Topher's physical attributes are greatly superior to those of a regular human, with his body capable of feats of superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. His senses are heightened allowing for night vision and feats of tracking far beyond both humans and animals.

His mouth contains protractile fangs and claws which are able to easily pierce skin and allow him to quickly drain a human of blood completely. He has the ability to sire other vampires by injecting an enzyme while feeding upon a victim, before his demise he had created at least two other known vampires - both of which have since been destroyed.

Though not utilized in his appearances, he has the potential to display any of the following powers: hypnotism, animal summoning and control, and the ability to transform into a blood mist or certain animals^[3].

Other abilities

Topher displayed a number of abilities which had not been seen before in other vampires in the Marvel Universe. He was resistant to a number of attacks that would usually prove fatal or damaging to a vampire; he displayed enhanced healing and regenerative capabilities and was able to completely heal within seconds after being penetrated by a wooden stake through the heart^[2].

Topher displayed resistance to fire attacks and was also able to sense the condition of vampires that he had created over distances up to several miles away.

Television

Topher will appear in the upcoming second season of the Hulu television series, Runaways and will be portrayed by Jan Luis Castellanos.^[7]