FIREBRAND III (Alejandro "Alex" Sanchez)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Brian Augustyn and Sal Velluto

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Alejandro "Alex" Sanchez
Occupation: Investigator, former police officer
Status: Deceased
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Javier Sanchez (brother), Christina Sanchez (sister, deceased); Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez (parents)
Base of Operation: New York City
Gender: Male
Height: 6'
Weight: 188 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
First Appearance: Firebrand #1 (February 1996)
Creators: Brian Augustyn and Sal Velluto

Isn't it great to have a mission? Quote taken from Firebrand #4

OVERVIEW

Former police detective Alejandro Sánchez was kitted out with some experimental armour by the rich Noah Hightower. He used this armour to battle crime and weirdness as Firebrand.

HISTORY

As a child, Alejandro Sánchez survived a terrible fire which killed his sister Christina. Both he and his brother Javier were hanted by this event, and both used it to propel their lives forward in very different directions. Javier became a Catholic priest, while Sanchez joined the police force, where he became a detective specialising in mission person cases, all the while wanting to rescue innocent young lives. When he came too close to uncovering a group who had kidnapped children from across New York, Alex's apartment was blown up. He barely survived the blast, having a near-death experience in which he was visited by his sister, who told him he had much still to accomplish.

Three months later he awoke from a coma to discover that his body was extremely badly damaged in the explosion, and his mobility would only be restored due to some experimental surgery and implants funded by local philanthropist Noah Hightower, known for his quiet funding of various children's charities. Several months later when he was approaching the promised 80 per cent mobility, he visited Hightower, and discovered that his benefactor had greater plans for him. If he wanted, he could take on some experimental armour and become a super-hero - no strings attached. Initially dubious, his doubts were overcome when his police force partner Leo McCloskey was attacked outside the hospital after he too began uncovering evidence of the serial kidnappers. Seeing the additional good he could do as a super-hero, he agreed to become Firebrand.

Working alongside McCloskey, he was able to track down the group responsible for the missing children: a semi-governmental agency into human experimentation. The group was destroyed in fron of his eyes through internal conflicts, but he was able to save the children. He then tackled various other cases, usually involving children, or simply protecting the innocent - working with the intially distrustful Guardian, he took down a young mage who was exploiting kids, and he tackled other evils in New York. Through Hightower's assistance, he gained a job working for the Childfind Agency under Eve Tanner, where he reunited parents and children who had become separated, sometimes finding that

One of his most traumatic cases involved Max the Knife, a serial killer who was supposedly lying paralysed on a hospital bed, having been captured years before. The police became concerned when a string of copycat crimes was perpetrated, an impossiblity, since the gruesome details of Max's murders had never been released to the public. Apparently, he had seen the city as a garden, and young girls (invariably red-heads) as flowers to be pruned. After killing each girl, he would remove a square of flesh and fashion it into a rose. Hearing of the seeming return of this killer, Alex became concerned that one of the missing girls he was investigating may well have been a victim. His brother, Javier, however, was concerned that somehow the killer had managed to spread his evil abroad. When the killings increased, and several copycats had been arrested, all denying any knowledge of their crimes, it seemed that Javier was right. He decided to pay a visit to Max's room in hospital, in order to look true evil in the face. When it became apparent that Max wished to spread his evil even further, somehow having gained the ability to do this even in his insensate state, Javier made the terrible decision to pull the plug on the killer's life support machine.

As Firebrand, Alex took the responsibility for his brother's actions, but it was not until Javier was visited by the spirit of Christina that he was able to begin to forgive himself and move on. Both he and Alex knew they had a mission to change this world for the better, a mission which they were sure was directed by God.

Some time later, Firebrand was kidnapped by Roulette, pumped full of aggressor drugs and forced to fight a Checkmate agent. He was able to resist the drugs to a certain degree, and tried to get his opponent to do the same, but had his throat sliced for his pains. It is possible that he survived his injuries, but it is not thought likely.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

The implants and surgery Alex Sanchez received whilst comatose restored eighty per cent of normal mobility, but it was only in conjunction with the Firebrand armour that his full physical abilities were restored to him. This armour, which looked somewhat demonic, offered great protection from harm, being bullet-proof and heat resistant. Additionally, it could be boosted for four hours every day with extra energy which gave him enhanced strength, speed and agility. This energy boost was signalled by a surge of 'fire' which served also to intimidate those Firebrand was fighting. Although he could push the suit right up to the four hour limit, and slightly beyond, he found this physically exhausting, and it was only recommended in the direst need.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Firebrand in chronological order click here