Rafael Becerra

you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. you are able to say to yourself, 'i have lived through this horror. i can take the next thing that comes along.' you must do the thing you think you cannot do.
– eleanor roosevelt

Quick Stats

  • NAME. rafael "rafa" becerra. (CODENAME. cinder.)

  • GENDER & SEXUALITY. cisgender man.

  • AGE & ZODIAC. 30. taurus.

  • OCCUPATION. marine corps. veteran; prison guard at the raft, a high security facility housing supervillians and the like.

  • SPOKEN LANGUAGES. english & spanish.

  • POWERS. pyrokinesis, heat invulnerability, & accelerated healing.

Appearance

  • HAIR. jet black and usually kept quite short, but no longer in the military buzz cut he once sported; just long enough to show its slight curl at the ends.

  • EYES. dark brown, but can flicker reddish with power exertion.

  • BODY TYPE. athletic, but not excessively toned

  • TATTOOS. a large, stylized phoenix on his throat stretching from earlobe to earlobe, chin to clavicle; multiple, stacked geometric cuffs on the left calf; geometric patterns on both forearms, and both biceps; mirrored geometric designs spanning shoulder to shoulder, loosely resembling a pair of wings.

  • SCARS. a large assortment of burns and lacerations from an ied ambush, concentrated mostly on his lower back and thighs; transtibial amputation scars, right leg.

Backstory

cw for medical mistreatment
& human experimentation

Rafael Becerra was born and raised in the small city of Grand Island, Nebraska. Orphaned at a young age by poor winter road conditions, Rafael and his younger sister (Diana) were taken in by his older brother (Dante) and sister-in-law (Kimberly). Dante was in the Marine Corps Reserve for much of that time, living at home with the family until he was called into active duty during Rafa’s junior year of high school.

Rafa idolized his brother, admiring him greatly for stepping up to the responsibilities of guardianship over his younger siblings and service to their country, and he worked hard to follow in his footsteps, ultimately enlisting in the Corps after graduating high school as well.

Spending a few years on reserve himself, he was there to see the birth of his niece (Alicia) and several other milestones, documenting it all for Dante’s return, and stepping into both the role of an uncle and guardian to Alicia until he too was deployed. Discharged honorably and without incident, Dante returned home shortly after.

Overseas, the younger Becerra met and befriended James Texidor. They kept in touch even as their duties took them to opposite ends of the earth. But their contact was cut short when Rafa’s platoon fell prey to a series of IED attacks.

The young Marine sustained many serious, life-threatening injuries (including pelvic & spinal fractures, soft tissue shrapnel-related trauma, and the ultimate amputation of his right leg below the knee), and soon found himself in the care of one of Oscorp’s international facilities. There he was offered an experimental treatment–free of charge–in exchange for total cooperation. Delirious from the pain of his injuries and trusting the supposed good will of all involved, he consented without further question, not knowing what would be in store for him.

After being stabilized, Rafael was returned to the States, not to go home, but to undergo approximately a year of experimental treatments in a secret Oscorp facility in New York, living more like a specimen in a lab than a patient. There, through some incredibly inhumane experimentation, he gained superhuman abilities. All under Norman Osborn’s supervision.

Largely regarded as a success–but not the success Osborn had sought–Rafa was released from the company’s “care” with a high-tech prosthetic leg and a temporary living expense allowance, though not without threat to remain silent about the whole ordeal.

Returning to a somewhat normal life, Becerra found a job as a prison guard and reunited with Texidor, quickly steering the other man away from Oscorp and toward Octavius Industries after hearing of his injuries. This, however, backfired when Osborn had Octavius' worksite declared a safety hazard, his grant revoked, and his patient surrendered into the corrupt mayor's hands.