Tommy Russo

"Some are content to sell their souls to the devil in exchange for power. I'd much rather be the devil brokering that power. To give power is to have it. And in the case of this ridiculous metaphor, I would have some souls to boot."

- Tommy Russo

Tommy Russo is the CEO of Lorein Multinational, and an executive within the Hunter conspiracy Cheiron Group. Surviving the attempt on his life by the Castiglione family with multiple injuries, he fled into FBI protection, and would eventually return to New York as the leading force of Cheiron's expansion into the city. In this role, he would serve as a major antagonist within New York storylines, as well as to his brother, Trevor Russo. Eventually, Tommy and the Cheiron Group were the driving force behind Providence Now (often called "the Conspiracy"), who served as the primary antagonistic force throughout multiple storylines.

Pre-Bombing
"Don't worry about what your brother says, Tommy. One day you are going to be a great man."

- Sofia Russo to Tommy Russo Thomas Delano Russo was the middle child of the Russo family, having been born three years after his older brother Trevor. Throughout his childhood, he would develop a rivalry with his brother, vying for the attention of his parents. He proved himself to be much more clever and academically gifted than Trevor, and yet would develop a fear that Trevor was still perceived as the superior brother due to Trevor's charisma making him more popular in school. The difference in this popularity was not actually that great, but it ultimately fueled an inferiority complex within Tommy, as well as his hatred for Trevor. This complex melded with Tommy's ego, leading to an obsessive drive to not only prove he was better than Trevor, but better than everyone. This drive would eventually lead him to be more responsible with the opportunities that were offered by his parents, as Trevor proved to be too immature to help run Oakwood Industrial. Tommy had been preparing for a role in the company, but once his parents sent Trevor to join the military, Tommy decided he too would join the armed forces.

While Trevor would gain his first experience with the supernatural while in Task Force: VALKYRIE, Tommy joined the tradional U.S. Army. He would ultimately spend several years with the military, where he would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart for his role in saving the lives of seven other men ambushed in an attack. The injuries he sustained to his arms, torso, and legs would end up causing him lasting pain throughout his life, and he would be honorably discharged soon after.

After his return to New York, he immediately began assuming duties in Oakwood Industrial. While his quick rise in the company was originally thought to nepotism, that reputation was almost immediately dispelled as the organizational and business prowess he demonstrated led to a rapid expansion into Mexico and the UK. Soon after his rise in the company, Trevor would return from his time in the armed forces as well, and begin his time at Oakwood at well. While this did greatly annoy Tommy, he enjoyed the idea that he would soon be Trevor's superior in the company. These plans were derailed however, when on Christmas Day of that year, a bomb went off in the Russo home. Trevor was seemingly the only person to survive, but his left eye had been gouged out by shrapnel, and he was bleeding from multiple cuts. Despite his condition, he desperately searched the bottom level of the house for his parents and sister, all of which he found dead. Surprisingly, he tried to go to the second floor to find Trevor, but the stairs had been destroyed by the bomb, and so he had to flee the house. He immediately went to the police, who recognized the bombing was done by the Castiglione family, and he was put into witness protection.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder
"I've been here a long time, and never have I seen someone with such a ruthless drive to rise above his station."

- Leonard Owl, in his report about Tommy Russo While under witness protection, Tommy took on the name of "Tristan Duran" and began living in Texas. He applied for work at an oil refinery, and was accepted. Upon joining, however, he learned the oil refinery was more than it seemed. The company, "Lorein Petroleum", was actually a subsidiary of the Cheiron Group. It was the officials of Cheiron who had wanted to hire Tommy, and they revealed to him that the Castiglione's were more than mere men. Tommy was told that the Castiglione's were vampires, and that it was Cheiron's business to destroy evil entities such as them. Recognizing his previous experience in business, they offered to immediately make him the CEO of Lorein, and to join their crusade against darkness. Tommy, still enraged by what the Castiglione family did, accepted immediately.

Cheiron introduced him to the supernatural slowly, but steadily. Tommy was given a group of scientists to supervise and observe, as they dissected specimens they brought in. This process originally made Tommy nautious, but as he continued to observe he grew desensitized to it, eventually even finding it fascinating. His drive to be the best took over early on in his new career, as he did everything he could to increase the influence Cheiron had in Texas, using multiple Hunter cells and other groups involved in the supernatural as proxies to further Cheiron's goals. This rapid expansion once again proved how much of an asset Tommy was, and he was soon able to secure a chance to return to New York and destroy the Castiglione family. Shortly before leaving Texas, Lorein Petroleum was renamed to "Lorein Multinational".

Darker shades of Tommy's personality began to emerge during his early time with Cheiron as well. He was assigned to work with Emmanuel Alvarez, another high-ranking Cheiron official, who would help guide him in his transition into Cheiron. However, Emmanuel was showing signs of "going Bateman" (a Cheiron term for executives beginning to show signs of becoming a Slasher). Tommy, seeing an opportunity to exploit the rumored powers of Slashers, set up a scenario where Alvarez had to fight for his life against multiple captured, humanoid creatures, only giving him an ax to defend himself. In spite of the odds, Alvarez killed all of the creatures, but the experience left him even colder and more detached. His transformation into a Slasher had been completed, but at the cost of most of the social skills Alvarez had developed during his life. Since that experience, Tommy began using Alvarez as muscle for himself and any missions he needed completed with violence.

New King of New York
"What part of this do you not get? I've won. Everything that was promised to me when I was born I have regained. It's official, Trev. I'm better than you. Now all that's left to do is finish what you never could. I'm going to rid this city of it's bat problem. All you'll be able to do is watch."

- Tommy Russo to Trevor Russo Upon returning to New York, Tommy revealed his true identity to the world, becoming the subject of a media craze. His status as a war hero, and the fact that no one had known what happened to his body, led to massive amounts of coverage on his return, especially with him being the CEO of a obscure, yet incredibly well-financed company like Lorein Multinational. When he learned that Trevor was alive, however, his focus shifted from the Castiglione's to his brother. While he was initially happy he was alive, his happiness deteriorated into bitter hatred once again when he learned that Trevor had taken over as the CEO of Oakwood Industrial. While he still was plotting to destroy the Castiglione's, Tommy was now infatuated with the idea of taking over Oakwood Industrial and turning it into a subsidiary of the Cheiron Group.

To accomplish his new goal, Tommy began sending corporate spies into Oakwood, slowly gaining power. Meanwhile, Tommy would use Cheiron cells to take the fight to the Castiglione's, going so far as to interrupt Trevor mid-fight to help him. However, after each victory he won over the Castiglione's, Tommy would contact Trevor, letting him know that it was him who would be defeating the Castiglione's. While Trevor initially did not mind Tommy's help, as unwanted as it was, he soon began to grow angry as Tommy's agents killed men before Trevor could. As Trevor was becoming a Slasher, he could not tolerate the lack of bodies he was leaving, and began to grow unstable.

This instability was just what Tommy counted on. As Trevor became more and more desperate to continue his trail of destruction, his already minimal appearances with Oakwood Industrial grew almost nonexistent. This drew the ire of the board at Oakwood, and led to Tommy approching them with an offer to replace Trevor. Many people within the company remembered the promise Tommy had shown during his earlier tenure with the company and supported his idea. Those who didn't were ultimately persuaded either with bribery or blackmail, and Tommy eventually gained the support of all members of the board at Oakwood.

Tommy would eventually stop interfering with Trevor's mission, and Trevor was able to calm down from his temporary madness. However, Tommy would confront him immediately afterwords, using his speed to beat Trevor down until he could not walk. He then chained Trevor to a nearby pipe in the warehouse they were in, as his disappearance would make it easier to continue his takeover of Oakwood. Tommy would then leave Trevor there.

Trevor would escape about 22 hours later, however, and come after Tommy. However, he would learn that the merger between Lorein Multinational and Oakwood Industrial was already underway. This merger had drawn the attention of Castiglione capo Luis Galletti, however, who came after Tommy. Tommy would fight Galletti and his men off, and tracked Galletti down to his home. Tommy, excited to finally take out some vengeance on one of the men who killed his family, was able to keep Luis down as he tortured the vampire. To damage what was left of Luis' humanity even further, Tommy went as far as torturing his wife in front of him. This was ultimately ended after Trevor found Tommy doing this, and chased him off. Trevor would however shoot Luis after forcing Tommy to flee, killing him.

Upon returning to Oakwood, Tommy was helping prepare for the merger, until Trevor returned and spoke to the board. During the discussion, an intense argument sparked between the brothers. In the argument, Tommy became so enraged that he accidentally revealed his plans to turn Oakwood into a subsidiary of a conglamorate. This revelation angered the board, who turned on Tommy's ambitions, and terminated the merger deal immediately. Tommy stormed out, swearing revenge on his brother.

While his plan to take Oakwood Industrial failed, Tommy set up solid roots for Lorein Multinational in New York, acting as competition to Oakwood. Meanwhile, he continued overseeing operations to destroy supernatural forces and harvest any parts they could get.

Leading Providence Now
"New Ideas. New World. New Reality."

- The motto of Providence Now XXX

Appearance and Personality
Tommy is the only one of the Russo siblings to have inherited his mother's looks, with his hair being black, and appearing with a slightly darker complexion. However, like his other siblings, he has his father's ice blue eyes. He is around six feet tall, and he has a lean physique. As a businessman, he is fond of formal and business attire, and he always wears an eyepatch over his left eye. Tommy's life has been defined by his need to be better than his brother, as well as everyone else. His drive and determination are unmatched, and when he sets his sights on a goal, he is laser focused. However, he can be petty and vengeful, frequently taking time out of his schedule to harm those who have crossed him in the past. He is also capable of being ruthless to those who do not do what he wants, as he is willing to crush anyone who stands in the way between himself and a goal. Despite Tommy's desire to be better than everyone, and his occasionally vitriolic personality, he has a deep-seated respect for authority, which was instilled by his respect for his father. Tommy's ultimate goal in life is to join the Board of Directors of the Cheiron Group, and he is completely legitimate in the loyalty he has towards them. He has also been known to develop respect for those he feels have earned it, such as Remy St. Paul. He also is not completely heartless, as he has been shown to have emotional attachment of some people. For example, when he learned that his sister was alive, he immediately began to cry tears of joy, and held her tightly. He also has denied enacting plans he deems too vile, such as needlessly tormenting more human supernatural beings such as mages. While most characters in Acolytes of Sin write Tommy off as a cunniving, soulless, egomaniacal sociopath, it is important to note that Tommy, much like many of his enemies, is a victim. Cheiron uses his drive and flexible morality as fuel for their own ends. His excellent planning and execution of schemes make him an invaluable asset, but he will never be able to join the Board of Directors. The Directors are actually inhuman creatures that no Cheiron employee has ever physically seen, and not even Tommy is aware of this. With his desire to join them being so intense, they have actually attempted to assign him missions that will end in his death, as they are running out of excuses to not let him join the Board. Tommy is being used as a tool of inhuman manipulators that if he truly knew, he would despise, and he has no idea.

Personal Statistics
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Name: Thomas Delano Russo

Origin: Acolytes of Sin (Villainousverse)

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Classification: Human

Date of Birth: January 13

Zodiac/Horoscope: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Weight: 170 Ibs

Height: 6’0”

Likes: XXX

Dislikes: XXX

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Black

Hobbies: XXX

Values: XXX

Martial Status: Single

Status: Alive (Active)

Affiliation: Cheiron Group, Lorein Multinational

Previous Affiliation: U.S. Military

Themes: Money - I Fight Dragons

Combat Statistics
Tiers: High 8-C

Powers and Abilities:


 * Superhuman Condition - Due to various surgeries by Cheiron doctors, Tommy is more durable than the average person, and he has incredible speed.


 * Vampire Detection - With use of the "Anger Patch" on the back of his neck, he can always tells when vampires are nearby.


 * Mind Manipulation - With use of his "Evil Eye", Tommy can hypnotize victims. While he cannot force them to do anything outright suicidal, he has been able to mitigate this limitation with creative wording in the past.

Attack Potency: Athlete to Large Building Level depending on his speed (has been able to puncture Werewolves, steel-skinned Changelings, and certain pieces of God-Machine infestructure with physical hits).

Speed: High Hypersonic+ (easily dodges bullets, has dodged lightning spells from mages).

Lifting Strength: Street Level

Striking Strength: Athelete to Large Building Level

Durability: Street Level

Stamina: Superhuman (runs at incredible speeds for prolonged periods of time).

Range: Standard Melee Range

Standard Equipment: XXX

Intelligence: Genius

Weaknesses: Feats: XXX
 * Pride - Tommy's primary vice is pride, and his ego is massive. He cannot comprehend someone being able to win a final victory over him, and in the event that they do, he will justify it to himself by thinking up some new scheme to get revenge on whoever defeated him. While he has grown somewhat resistant to the trick, one can stroke his ego to lower his defenses.
 * Inferiority Complex - Throughout his life, Tommy's success has come from his dedication to proving he is superior to Trevor. This drive is brought on by Tommy's belief that on some level, everyone believes that he is inferior to Trevor in every way. When faced with this fact, it clashes with his ego, causing lots of emotional distress. O'Brien ultimately used this to temporarily incapacitate Tommy, though he was eventually murdered by Alavrez on Tommy's orders for doing it.
 * Still Human - While he has been enhanced with Cheiron's surgeries, he is still ultimately human, and has the same weaknesses.

Notable Attacks/Techniques:
 * XXX

Key: Cheiron Executive

Note:

Other
Notable Victories: -XXX

Notable Losses: -XXX

Inconclusive Matches: -XXX