Mentor

A young mutant with lots to prove

Description:

Jacob Stephens is a short, thin young man of mixed African and Hispanic heritage with dark skin and large, soulful eyes. His mutation has caused him to go prematurely bald, but he wears it well. His street clothes tend to be neatly-pressed slacks and sweater-vests over button-up shirts.

His costume is a modified Xavier Institute trainee’s uniform, but with a yellow stylized “A” across the chest instead of an “X.” Jake’s face is uncovered in his costume, and he is the only member of the Midwest Avengers whose identity is completely public.

Bio:

Jake Stephens is a mutant success story. Born to middle-class mixed-race parents in New Hampshire, Jake was already living in a tolerant, accepting environment when his powers first started manifesting shortly before puberty. His parents consulted several experts about what they could do for their son, but the most appealing offer was a scholarship to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, which had a reputation for guiding special children on their path to adulthood. Jake spent four years at the school, mastering his telepathic abilities under the guidance of such luminaries as Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, and Betsy Braddock before attending college on the Worthington Scholarship.

Now, a college graduate at 20 years old, Jake has chosen to don a costume to be a good influence on young mutants everywhere. Taking the name Mentor to describe what he hopes to be to other young people with super powers, as well as a nod to his own telepathic powers, Jake pulled some strings with old friends to get an invitation to the newest Avengers team. All his life, Jake has had other people watching out for him and guiding him—now, on his own, the only question is whether or not he can live up to all of their expectations.