NIGHTWIND

Real Name: Jason Stiles
Identity: Not Publicly Known
Occupation: Adventurer/Spy
Group Affiliation: League of Champions, US Special Services
Base of Operations: Oakland CA
Place of Birth: Oakland CA
Marital Status: Single

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
First mentioned: Champions v1 #5 (February 1987)
First appearance: Champions Classics #12 (July 1993)

Background:

Jason Stiles was an Army special forces officer who worked under the command of Colonel Donald Hunter. During a covert mission into the Middle East, something went badly wrong. The details of it are still classified. Suffice it to say that as a consequence of what happened, Lieutenant Stiles was given a general discharge from military service.

It was a few years later that Stiles found a large, unmarked package inside his front door. Upon opening it, he found a costume and some special equipment. The costume he recognized. It was in the same style as an outfit that had been worn by one of the men he'd killed during that unfortunate incident in the Middle East. Attached to the equipment was a hand-written note saying, simply, "USE IT."

It didn't take Stiles long to figure out that the equipment was what had enabled the man he'd killed to simulate some of the abilities of a ghost. The equipment was compact enough to fit into the costume's belt, gloves, and boots, and into the lining of its cape. Fingertip controls in the palms of the gloves allowed Stiles to activate the equipment and simulate the "ghostly" powers of invisibility, desolidification, and levitation. The hood attached to the cape had circuitry designed to disrupt psychic assaults. The costume itself had a Kevlar lining. And there were lenses in the costume's facemask that, depending on which of them were used, would provide either IR or UV vision.

One disadvantage of using this equipment on a long-term basis is that it's created in Stiles a susceptibility to bright light. If it's too bright, it actually pains him.

Suspecting that the package must have come from Colonel Hunter, who had himself recently retired from active military duty, Stiles confronted him about it. Hunter denied having anything to do with it, but suggested to Stiles that maybe he should do what the note said he should do, and put the equipment to use. Redemption and service were, after all, not bad things.

Stiles took Hunter's advice. After some weeks of training with the equipment, he adopted the name Nightwind, decided to present himself in that identity as if he were a ghost, and on Hunter's recommendation became a member of the newly formed League of Champions.

There were problems. Nightwind is not really a team player. His go-it-alone attitude and his resistance to taking what he thinks are stupid orders were what led to his discharge from military service. He also has an abrasive personality, and is a bit of a male chauvinist pig.

It all came to a head when he, Jade Hornet, and Transpower were on a mission for the League of Champions that went even more badly than the one years earlier in the Middle East. Jade Hornet wanted to protect Transpower from the consequences of what she'd done, but Nightwind filed an accurate report. Transpower was expelled from the League, Jade Hornet resigned in protest, and Nightwind thought it best to leave active duty in favor of reserve status.

It was not long thereafter that Nightwind had his first encounter with Moonwraith, the villain who would soon become his arch-nemesis. Moonwraith is a somewhat talented sorcerer who specializes in the magic of the moon, and seeks out mystic artifacts by which to enhance his abilities. Nightwind has thwarted Moonwraith on more than one occasion, and he's also failed a few times.

Nightwind also has to deal with the fact that he and Jason Stiles are hunted by a Middle Eastern terrorist organization. That group does not know that Stiles is Nightwind, but they wants Still for what he did on that mission gone bad, and they want Nightwind because they want to know where he got the idea for that costume he wears.

For the most part, Nightwind focuses on dealing with organized crime in the San Francisco Bay Area. His "ghost" impersonation is so convincing that very few people even suspect he's not really what he pretends to be. Nightwind has also been recruited by US Special Services, and has worked with the Huntsman on a few espionage missions.

To this day, Nightwind does not know who sent him that equipment. But he does know that whenever repairs or replacement parts are needed, he can turn to his old friend, Donald Hunter. Donald's company, Hunter Electronics, has a talented staff of engineers perfectly capable of fabricating the needed items.

Nightwind does not have a good relationship with Flare. They truly dislike each other. He has a much better relationship with the Black Enchantress, who has a serious crush on him. More recently, and a bit more problematically the young Fantastic Girl (she's jailbait) has made it quite clear to him that's she'd be interested in pursuing a romantic relationship.

Nightwind is a member of the League of Champions, but he actually prefers to remain on reserve status. If something comes up that he needs to refer to the League, he'll do that. And if for some reason the League needs him, he will respond.