Chase
39
Elijah Wright (young)
#ffdd94Chase, formerly known as Track Star, is a major supporting character in Dispatch and the "Get Up" and "The Death of Mecha Man" comics. He is a former hero turned dispatcher for the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) and a close friend of Robert Robertson and his father, Robbie.
Biography
Background
Chase was a hero known as Track Star and the youngest member of the Brave Brigade. He was close friends with Robbie Robertson, better known as Mecha Man Astral. During this time, he frequently babysat Robbie's son, Robert, typically using his superhuman speed to buy him things from the store. Following the death of Robbie at the hands of Brave Brigade member Elliot Conners, Robert cut off all contact with Chase and became the new Mecha Man, not speaking to him for fifteen years. Chase never faulted Robert for this, knowing just how much his father's death affected him.
In time, Chase rapidly aged as a side effect of his superpowers, causing him to appear as an old man by the time he was 39. Unable to use his powers without the risk of dying, he joined the Torrance branch of the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) as a dispatcher to continue aiding other people.
After Robert lost the Mecha Man suit at the hands of Elliot, now known as Shroud, Chase recommended him to Blonde Blazer as the new dispatcher of the Z-Team.
Get Up
TBA
The Death of Mecha Man
TBA
Onboard
Entering the archive room of the SDN office, Robert is reunited with Chase, who greets him with a hug as Blond Blazer enters. Robert fails to recognize him due to his old appearance, however, until he strikes his signature pose. After explaining the circumstances of his condition, Chase jokes to Robert that he would "resurect and kill [his] father right in front of [him] if it meant using [his] powers again," earning a laugh from him while mildly disturbing Blazer. With the pleasantries done with, Chase and Blazer show Robert a series of files to familiarize him with the Z-Team.
Chase guides Robert to his desk and instructs him on how to use his new computer, and tells the Z-Team not to talk over each other and keep the line clear, as Robert requested of them. Following the botched dispatch of Invisigal to Granny's Donuts, Chase gives Robert money to spend at the snack machine in the breakroom.
Later, Chase and Robert meet again with Blazer in her office to discuss his performance as a dispatcher, with Chase and Blazer noting his bloody nose, which he may reveal as being the result of Invisigal punching him in the face. Although Blazer and Chase are satisfied with the Z-Team's performance under Robert, Robert himself is not and states that the team can only improve if they are held to a higher standard and if he coaches them directly. Blazer and Chase are convinced and resolve to hold a meeting between Robert and the team next Monday.
Turnover
Arriving at his desk, Robert asks Chase to look after Beef. He happily obliges, immediately taken in by the dog's adorable appearance.
With the Z-Team sabotaging each other to keep themselves from getting cut from the Phoenix Program, Robert was forced to call an emergency meeting to get them to cooperate, which Blazer and Chase, carrying Beef, attend.
At the end of the day, Robert and Chase meet up again and talk about the hero Robert had to cut before the old man shows the toys he bought for Beef, when they notice Invisigal proudly taking a picture of her new leaderboard score. She and Chase exchange jibes before she thanks Robert for helping her and disappears out of sight.
Restructure
Witnessing Robert being the victim of a prank at the hands of Punch Up or Malevola, depending on whether Coupé or Sonar was cut, Chase warns him to keep an eye out for the offended party and informs him that Blonde Blazer is planning to fill the now open spot with either Waterboy or Phenomaman.
The next day, Chase comments on whatever hero Robert chose and wishes him goodbye before leaving.
Team Building
Chase joins Robert to Royd's workshop as he works on the Mecha Man suit and mentions hearing that the Z-Team clashed with the Red Ring, warning Robert that messing with the gang could provoke Shroud. Robert says that won't be an issue if Shroud is dead, whereupon Chase asks if he'd be willing to kill Shroud, saying that it should not be something he will need to think about once the time comes. Regardless of Robert's answer, the two discuss the progress on the Mecha Man suit as they enjoy their lunch.
Moving Parts
Chase and Invisigal, and the rest of the Z-Team (if Robert revealed his identity as Mecha Man), attend the latest Proto Pulse test. Annoyed that he has to stand next to criminals, Chase urges him to hurry, as he does not want to spend much time with criminals and bickers with Invisigal. The test soon goes awry, and Chase is forced to watch helplessly as the Mecha Man suit blows up with Robert inside.
Fortunately, Robert survives and his taken to the infirmary, where he awakens to Royd and Chase. Feeling immense guilt over putting Robert's life in danger, Royd apologizes to him for letting him down and says that he will no longer work on an Astral Pulse replacement for his sake before sauntering off. Now alone, Robert and Chase joke with each other as Robert asks if Invisigal (and the others) are alright, to which he derisively answers that she "is good at disappearing when other people get hurt." Noting his particular dislike for her, Robert asks why he hates her so much, to which Chase states that he believes she is a danger to Robert and, since they are getting closer, he has to "hate her for the both of [them]." Chase further urges Robert to rest, but he states he is fine and goes back to work.
At some point, Invisigal discovers that the Astral Pulse is still intact and invites the Z-Team, Chase, and Blonde Blazer to Robert's apartment for a housewarming party so they can use their connections to track it down. Chase arrives along with Blonde Blazer, gifting Robert a bed to sleep in. Over the course of the night, Chase gets progressively drunker and watches as Robert interacts with Invisigal as he grows slowly more resentful of her. When the heroes track the pulse down to a warehouse by the docks, Invisigal insists on attacking it tonight despite Blazer's insistence on making a plan and attacking tomorrow. Chase intervenes and airs his built-up thoughts about Invisigal, with the latter disappearing and the former calling her a coward. He is hit in the chest by the younger hero, which causes him considerable pain. Blazer calls an end to the housewarming party and orders the rest of the Z-Team to keep the argument to themselves.
Later, Robert finds Chase sitting on the sidewalk as he is taking out the trash and invites him back to his apartment. The two talk on Robert's balcony about why they chose to be heroes and Robert's relationship with Invisigal, leading Chase to admit that he "hadn't considered some things." Going back inside of the apartment, Robert receives an alert on his computer and finds that Invisigal has once again gone against orders to retrieve the Astral Pulse from the warehouse. Although Robert is successful in guiding Invisigal to the Pulse, she is soon ambushed by Shroud, who chokes her out with a smoke grenade as she is suffering an asthma attack. Deciding she needs to be saved, Chase runs to her location with superhuman speed and brings her to a safe location, only to collapse soon after.
Retrospective
Following his rescue of Invisigal, Chase has fallen into a coma, with it being uncertain if he will ever wake up.
Personality
Chase was a crass and blunt man with a no-nonsense attitude and a potty mouth. He playfully ribs those he is close with, calling Robert a 'skinny latte prick' and 'freckled faced fuck' after being reunited with him for fifteen years.
While able to comfort others, Chase expressed a limited tolerance for emotional vulnerability on his end, expressing his disdain for being pitied if Robert offers his condolences for his powers, eventually saying he's had enough of the 'feelings crap' before moving on. He freely admits to using dark humor to suppress trauma.
Chased used to have a predeterministic view of people, believing that some are born inherently good while others are inherently evil. This view led him to have a negative opinion of the Z-Team. This, along with his protective disposition towards Robert, made him frequently clash with Invisigal. Only when Robert told Chase that she felt trapped in villainy did this view change with Chase admitting that he "hadn't considered some things."
He regrets not being able to use his powers again, calling his accelerated aging "war criminal-level punishment," and joked he would resurrect and kill Robbie's father again right in front of Robert if it meant being able to use his powers again. Later when he uses his superhuman speed to save Invisigal, Chase is seen smiling.
After receiving Blonde Blazer's amulet, Chase became notably energetic, shedding most of his 'grumpy old man' tendencies to show a personality more akin to that of his younger self.
Abilities
- Superhuman speed: Chase can move fifty times faster than the average human, allowing him to run to the docks from Robert's apartment within seconds. When he was babysitting Robert, Chase could run to the store and be back before his friend had the chance to close the door.
Equipment
- Blonde Blazer's amulet: During the final battle against Shroud, Chase was given Blonde Blazer's amulet to aid the Z-Team in the fight. Although it is implied that this gave him all of Blazer's powers, he is only seen using the following:
- Accelerated healing: Chase was brought out of his coma as soon as he received the amulet, and it is implied he would fall back into it should it be removed. With the amulet, Chase acts more energetically than he did otherwise, likely a side effect of the amulet giving him enhanced vitality.
- Flight: Chase can fly and levitate at will. Using this in combination with his superhuman speed, Chase appeared as a streak of golden light as he punched through Shroud's mech.
- Superhuman strength: Chase punched right through the metal exterior of Shroud's mech and can easily lift fully grown men with no effort.
Weakness
- Accelrated aging: A side effect of his powers is that Chase ages fifty times faster as well. This resulted in him appearing as an old man by the time he was 39 and could no longer use his powers without putting himself at risk. After using his super speed to rescue Invisigal, Chase fell into a coma.
Relationships
Blonde Blazer
Blazer seems to trust Chase's advice, having accepted Robert into the SDN per his recommendation and given him her amulet (the source of her power) until they can find a way to make him healthy without.
Beef
Chase has a profound affection for Beef. He frequently dotes on the dog and, at one point, emphatically stated that he would "let literally everyone here melt in eternal hell" before allowing any harm to come to Beef. This affection was returned by Beef, who cuddled up to Chase and slept in his chair while he was comatose.
Shroud
Chase has known Shroud from before he was a member of the Brave Brigade and went by Elliot. Chase used to be an enthusiastic advocate for his membership, as Elliot's implants would greatly enhance the performance of their superpowered members, stating during a barbecue that he had spent weeks sucking up to Elliot in the hopes of getting one. As Robbie was beating Elliot, Chase expressed a deep concern for his well-being and scolded Robbie for nearly killing him. This changed when Elliot shot and killed Robbie.
As Shroud held Beef hostage, Chase referred to him by his real name, rather than his alias, while Shroud reacted amused by the old hero's presence, referring to him by his superhero name.
Despite the loss Shroud inflicted on him, Chase cautioned Robert against killing him, though he later seemed to have changed his mind, praising either Robert or Invisigal if either of them killed Shroud, likely having soured on him after he threatened to kill Beef.
Robbie Robertson
Robbie and Chase used to be close friends, both having served on the Brave Brigade and frequently drinking and smoking together while off duty. Robbie was convinced of Chase's skill as a hero as soon as they met and, in turn, Chase babysat Robert when Robbie was not available. Their relationship became strained after Robbie mercilessly beat Elliot, however, he was nonetheless distraught when Elliot murdered him for it.
Robert Robertson
According to Robert, Chase "practically babysat [him]" during his time on the Brave Brigade, frequently buying candy from the store for him. Because of these trips to the store, Robert held himself responsible for Chase's condition after he fell into a coma following his rescue of Invisigal, believing that if he hadn't asked for one more trip, Chase would have been fine. They were quite close; in fact, their relationship is comparable to that of siblings, though Robert cut off all contact following his father's death. Chase did not hold this against Robert, however, and recommended him to Blazer to be the Z-Team's new dispatcher.
Upon reuniting, the pair greet each other like old friends, embracing each other and trading playful insults and morbid jokes. At SDN, Chase acts as a mentor to Robert, cautioning him against killing Shroud. In turn, Robert trusts him to take care of Beef when he isn't available.
Because of their past together, Chase is highly protective of Robert, which eventually caused him to lash out against Invisigal, believing her to be a threat to his well-being.
Z-Team
Chase initially has no faith in the Z-Team, believing they all should have been cut for their poor performance a long time ago, and having little faith in their abilities. Despite this, he nonetheless attends Robert's housewarming party with them, and the team reacts worried for his well-being after he fell into a coma after rescuing Invisigal. Following Shroud's defeat, Chase has fully warmed up to the team, openly joking with them and calling them the best in the SDN.
Invisigal
Although Chase did not like the Z-Team in general, he especially didn't like Invisigal, calling her "the worst of the lot." As Robert grows closer to Invisigal, Chase's hostility towards her grows, as he believes her to be a danger to Robert's well-being and frequently bickers with her. This eventually culminated in the two fighting at Robert's housewarming party, where he went on a drunken rant against her. After talking with Robert about her emotional struggles, however, Chase's view of her softens, leading him to risk his own life to save her.
After being woken up from his coma by being empowered by Blonde Blazer's amulet, Chase enthusiastically expresses relief upon seeing her well, and she playfully teases him over his new appearance, showing they had grown past their mutual dislike of each other. If Invisigal killed Shroud, Chase expresses thanks for her doing so.
Notes
- When Chase is powered by Blonde Blazer's amulet, the subtitles refer to him as Starblazer.
Trivia
- He went to Dave and Busters for his birthday a few months prior to Robert's first shift.
- According to Alanah Pearce, Jeffrey Wright read his lines in a fast manner because he had thought Track Star, being a speedster, might talk fast.
- Elijah Wright, the voice actor for when Chase is younger, is Jeffrey Wright's son.
Gallery
Track Star
Starblazer
1999
2003
