Art by Kostmeyer and colours by Kalle
 
Written by Pericles, December 2002.
Updated, December 2006.

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Code Name: Lazarus
Real Name: James Simon Masterson.
Nicknames: Jim or Jimmy for casual use, but has been known to have more unflattering names.
Occupations: Currently an operative of The Elite; prior to this a nightshift security guard, following fifteen years service in the US Marines.
Legal Status: US citizen, no criminal record; currently going through divorce proceedings.
Identity: Secret.
Aliases: None.
Place of birth: Hammond, near Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Age: 32
Marital Status: Married, undergoing divorce
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual.
Known Relatives: Rose Masterson (wife).
Group Affiliation: The Elite.
Base of Operations: The Citadel, nr. Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA.
First Appearance: The Elite #1 "Waking Up".
Origin: Like the majority of mutants, his powers manifested in his teenage years, or so it is thought, as there is no way of proving, or disproving, this hypothesis, as the nature of his latent mutant gene did not display its true nature until a road accident in which he was killed and his powers then kicked in for what is presumed to be the first time in his life. Although life is a loose term in the case of Lazarus, as his powers shall show.
Height: 5 foot 10 inches
Weight: 135lbs (9 stones 9 lbs)
Eyes: 185lbs (13 stones and 3 pounds).
Hair: Brown and short
Distinguishing Marks: Goatee beard; no scars: these are healed each time he 'dies'.
Strength Level: Normal strength of a human of his age who engages in a strict regimen of military physical training.
Known Superhuman Powers: Lazarus has what has been called by the doctors 'post-mortem regeneration and resuscitation', which is, in layman terms, the ability of healing and coming back to life after suffering otherwise fatal wounds. The extent of this ability is not yet known, and theory simply comes in to play here. It has been shown that he can come back after a road accident, and tests show that gunshot wounds and blunt trauma are also covered by his powers, but whether he can heal after the loss of a limb (or limbs), decapitation, or mutilated in some other way, is, at this moment in time, purely conjecture.
Abilities/Special Skills: On top of his military training, Lazarus is a weapons expert, particularly in the use and maintenance of the majority of small arms and some support weapons. These include a startling array of handguns, including pistols, rifles, machine guns of various caliber's and uses. He also has knowledge of the equipment available to the soldier, and has some rudimentary knowledge of vehicles, such as helicopters, warships, tanks and airplanes, mostly military but also a smattering of civilian which he has picked up in his years since his retirement. He is meticulous in his detail and knowledge, and it is suspected he has a photographic memory, although sometimes people sneer at this.
Weapons Used: Lazarus has access to the arsenal of The Elite, located in The Citadel headquarters of that unit.
 

Personality: Lazarus is generally a likeable fellow; a great personality, easy-going and very casual. He has a sharp mind, combined with a sharp wit, but his sense of humor is used as a shield for his own low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Despite all of this, he is extremely good at what he does, and puts one hundred and one per cent into whatever he is doing at that time.
Personal Interests: Despite his ingrained knowledge of equipment and weaponry, as well as nuggets of pop culture and useless general knowledge, Lazarus takes a great interest in the history of the Second World War, especially the actions of the American forces in the Pacific. Other interests are undisclosed at this time.
History: After leaving school at 17, he entered the US Marine Corps, and began a fifteen year service, seeing action in various actions, including the Chinese incident which, luckily, did not lead to a war in both the conventional and nuclear sense. Although he did not get any promotion higher than NCO, he did gain a position of trust and authority in being a weapons expert. His skill was such that he trained new recruits, and also fellow soldiers and even officers, on the use and maintenance of their weapons. However, he contracted a form of arthritis, common in his family, which affected his hands, and decided, after discussing the situation with the medical and superior officers of his unit, that a joint retirement and discharge on medical grounds was forthcoming.
He left the forces and went back to civilian life with his wife, Rosie, whom he had met whilst serving in the forces in Florida. He found a job as a night watchman at a local shopping mall in at his home town of Chicago. But after a drunken night in which he ended up in bed with another woman, his marriage broke down when he admitted his guilt. He felt it was best to be open and apologize rather than hide it, but it did not work. Rosie kicked him out, and he went out and got himself blind drunk. He was hit by a truck on leaving the bar, and was killed instantly. And then he woke up.