Franklin Dodds (Earth-1)

"John Wayne movies, cigars and bourbon. You don't need much else when you're old and sad like me."

Franklin Dodds is an NPC in the Generation X campaign. He was introduced in S01E01 and became a main character that same game. Franklin is a former Chicago police detective with a good soul and a gentle heart beneath his gruff exterior. While he plays at being a grump and a hardass, Franklin is really a big softy who cares about his new family, although you'd never hear him admit it.

Personality
Franklin is a gruff man with a big heart. Generally kind to others, he suffers from a bit of a temper. A police detective most of his adult life, Franklin is good at talking with people diplomatically and he possess a working knowledge of police procedure, law enforcement tactics, deductive reasoning and combat. He is often a bit grumpy and more impatient and strict with his co-workers than he should be, and he knows it. But he can't help it; he's used to working with professionals and other police. Now he has to work with untrained civilians, one of whom is a hyperactive hothead.

Franklin is a very strong, physically active man who, although older than forty years old, is just as fit as men half his age. A tough guy and a real "man's man", Franklin grew up in the "greatest generation" and values honesty, integrity and respect. A traditional and conservative man, Franklin dislikes the "new generation", hippy counter-culture that is rising up and sees them as ungrateful, ignorant fools. He dislikes how they treat soldiers and police. While he understands that it is their right as Americans to "express themselves" however they please, he also knows that he fought and bled for their rights to be idiots and expects a little respect. He dislikes hippies, beatnicks, greasers and junkies, as well as their music. Nothing better than Elvis, man.

A classic sort of gentleman, Franklin is very kind and respectful toward women and is kind toward children. He never curses in their company and will always go out of his way to show them courtesy. He loves jazz music and the rat pack, especially Sinatra. He tries to model his wardrobe off of "Ol' Blue Eyes", and he finds the Rat Pack and that entire culture the epitome of "cool". He thinks the "dying breed of the Crooner" is a crying shame. Franklin could talk about it for hours on end, and he has. He is very protective of his record player and his car radio.

He is very empathetic, able to put himself into almost anybody's shoes. Professionally, he can use this knack for getting into others' heads to quickly analyze a situation and determine what a criminal was thinking and how to stop them. This allowed him to be a prolific police detective and even now, more than six years off the force, he continues to approach every situation and every case like a detective.

He has difficulties turning "Detective Mode" off, however. He is a workaholic and often doesn't leave the office until nearly midnight; Anna rides to the office with Franklin almost every day but she almost never goes home with him. He has problems coping with the problems and difficult truths in his personal life and often masks them with his work. He becomes heavily involved in whatever case the Institute is working on, while pursuing his personal P.I. agency. Between the two, he is always enveloped in one case or another. Even out at a restaurant, he can be seen going over paperwork. Rhoades often has to remind Franklin to sleep or eat. Franklin has trouble sleeping due to his ability, requiring medication to get even a few hours. These problems are further compounded by his bipolar disorder.

At his core, however, Franklin is a good man and a selfless individual. No matter his mood or what state of mind he's currently in due to his abilities or psychological hang-ups, Franklin will always do his all, working tirelessly to keep innocent people safe. A humble, simple man, he possesses very little. The things he does have, such as his car, are old but durable. Just like him.

He is very handy around the house, often taking care of any maintenance issues around the Complex and the Office. He insists people don't need to waste any money on repairmen when they can do the job themselves with some know-how, the right tools and a little elbow grease.

In the end, despite his many issues, Franklin is a good, honest, hard-working man and those who call him friend can be sure that they have a friend in him that will never, ever let them down.

History
Born in Plano, Illinois in 1926 to a young banker, Franklin is the oldest of five children. He does not remember Plano very well, however as his family moved to Chicago before he was a year old in order to find new opportunities.

Raised in one of the more prominent "Black Neighborhoods", Franklin was a very active boy who enjoyed bumming around town with his friends, playing baseball in the streets, reading dime novels and listening to exciting radio serials, his favorite being "The Lone Ranger".

Growing up in the Great Depression, Franklin was a hard worker, taking small jobs wherever he could find them from as young as ten years old. He would sweep hair at the local barber's, shovel neighbor's walkways during winter, unpacking barges at the docks or even working as a newspaper delivery boy. He pulled his weight around the house, working hard to help support the family, earning a tireless work ethic.

In 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Despite being only 15 at the time, he attempted to enlist but was rejected due to his age. He continued to work for his family but also took a job at a local factory, doing his part to support the troops. It was during a shift at the factory that his powers first flared up. He happened upon a co-worker roughing up a Chinese worker. Franklin stepped in to defend the Chinese man and in the heat of the moment, he electrocutes the assailant into a coma. Though the incident was blamed on faulty machinery, Franklin nevertheless left the factory to work full time at the docks.

After the war ended in 1945, Franklin began attending college, studying to be a police officer. During this time, he continued working however and wherever he could to pay his way through school, while sending money to his family. His abilities continues to flare up every few weeks, but things got better when he married childhood sweetheart, Mary Goodman, in 1947 at the age of 20. In 1948, he became a fully-fledged and ordained officer of the law. He worked as a beat cop for two years, until the outbreak of the Korean War. Despite his career as a police, Franklin enlisted, refusing to "be useless at home again" while American soldiers died overseas. In November of 1950, he was shipped to Korea.

War was much more horrific than Franklin anticipated. Fighting among fierce gunfire, deafening explosions and the blood and bodies of his friends and fellow soldiers, Franklin suffered both physical and psychological wounds during the war. He was present during the battles of Chosin Resovoir, Hoengsong, Heartbreak Ridge, and Outpost Henry, each of which are considered the bloodiest battles of the entire war. It was the Battle of Outpost Henry that was the most significant battle for Franklin, however. During the battle, his unit was pinned down, suffering major casulaties. Franklin took a bullet to the chest during the fighting and as a reflex, Franklin's power exploded outward, killing everybody in the area (including his own squad) and brought a whole building down. The only survivor of the incident, Franklin lied to his superiors, stating he was unconscious due to his injuries and did not know what had happened.

By the time the war came to a close in 1953 and the DMZ established, Franklin had served in Korea for three straight years and had undergone severe trauma. When he returned home, he suffered from nightmares, flashbacks and outbursts derived from his experiences in Korea, oftentimes knocking out power for entire city blocks. This did not stop him from going right back to work as a police in 1954. He served with distinction during the labor riots in 1956, after which he was promoted to the rank of Police Detective. He continued serving with distinction for several years. During this time, he struggled with his ability, which occassionally flared up. Despite this, Franklin continued on, trying to be the best detective, husband and father that he could be.

In 1961, during an tense stand-off with a group of criminals cornered in a warehouse, Franklin took another bullet. Wounded and angry, Franklin's power flared up again, killing everybody around him--criminals and police alike. In the wake of the incident, Franklin retired and became withdrawn and sullen. After two years, Franklin accidentally discharged during a period of depression, hospitlizing his oldest son. Horrified, Mary took their children and left him, moving to Michigan. Franklin sank into a deep depression and alcohol. He could not control his power at all after that. He tried living in the city for a while but was forced to move to the country, living by himself in a secluded cabin so his powers did not hurt anybody.

In 1963, a fugitive tried to take shelter in Franklin's wood shed. Franklin wasn't having any of that and, using his power, he disabled the man long enough for police to arrive to apprehend him. Not long after this incident, Franklin was visited by Alexander Rhoades, a doctor of neurology and genetics. Rhoades revealed that he knew what Franklin was: an evolved human who possessed an extraordinary ability. Rhoades was starting an institution to study and protect evolved humans like him and invited Franklin to be a part of it. While initially hesitant, Franklin eventually agreed to join and became the first official member of the Rhoades Institute.

Since joining the Institute, Franklin has learned to control his power in a basic way and he is learning ways to cope with and control his psychological issues that stem from not only his powers but from the War. While the road has been long and not always easy, he is well on his way to operating like any other productive member of society and he feels his work on Rhoades' Field Team is good work that he can take pride in.

Notable Accomplishments

 * Veteran of the Korean War

Notable Victories
N/A

Relationships with Others
While he tries to be warm and courteous all the time, Franklin has a habit of losing his temper and being impatient with others. He often gets frustrated if people have a difficult time keeping up with him or if they are being ignorant. He is polite more often than not, however, and he is usually a friendly, open guy (if not the warmest fellow).

Alexander Rhoades
Doctor Alexander Rhoades is Franklin's mentor and compatriot. He connects with Rhoades and agrees with him on a myriad of topics. While they differ in terms of religion and politics, the two often connect over music and their mutual hopeful, optimistic and overall positive view of people. Both men believe in what they're doing and Franklin trusts Rhoades and believes that the doctor knows what he's doing and he agrees with the plan. He is Rhoades' most loyal friend and associate.

Kurt Pinkman
Kurt Pinkman is Franklin's roommate and fellow member of the Institute. An impulsive, impatient hothead, Franklin finds living with Kurt to be difficult and grating. He often scolds or chides Kurt for being rude or invasive, and he does his best to try to keep the kid on the right track. Despite how annoying Kurt can be, Franklin knows that Kurt is a good kid with his heart in the right place. He tries to be a good influence on Kurt. The two share a playfully antagonistic relationship and while he would never admit it, under pain of death, Franklin actually kind of likes Kurt and he is very protective of him.

Anna Flint
Anna Flint is another teammate of Franklin's. He is usually calmer and warmer to her, and he is on his best behavior when she is around. While he sees her as being just as capable as any man (and more so in some cases), he still respects her as a woman and as such treats her with respect. He admires her tenacity and recognizes that, underneath her tough exterior, she possesses a kind and gentle heart. He relates to her in that way and he is most protective of her in the field. In some ways, Franklin acts like a father figure to her, albeit unconsciously and he is just as protective as any Papa Bear.

Powers and Abilities
Franklin is an evolved human, which means that in addition to mundane training, he possesses several superhuman abilities.

Electrogenic
The human body is an electrical system. The nervous system controls an electrochemical current, while the body processes food to generate electricity, using liquids as a conductive medium. Humans have often been compared to a battery, or an electrical engine. There are even cases where a human being can absorb large amounts of current and survive. Franklin is able to tap into this system, using it to influence other systems and self-generate freeform electricity. On a physiological level, this means Franklin's metabolism is tuned to the production of electricity, and his body is toughened against electrical shock. On a neural level, Franklin's sensory organs are keyed to electricity, gauging its intensity and direction; other unknown neural functions allow him to change its intensity and direction.

​--Current Redirection: Franklin can use his ability to short out electronic and technological devices, such as radios, lightbulbs, television sets or even cars. If it runs off of an electrical current, Franklin is able to manipulate the currents and overload it. He can also use this aspect of his power to heat objects to an unbearable temperature very quickly.

--Electrical Discharge: By focusing, Franklin is able to generate a massive amount of static electricity in the air around him. The natural current his electrogenic power affords him causes his hands to act like a lightning rod, attracting all of that static electricity. If he then charges his hands with a burt that is charged with the opposite current, it causes the particles to react, forming explosive arcs of lightning-like electrical energy. With practice, he has been able to harness this discharge as a weapon in combat.

--Electromagnetism: Franklin is able to utilize his ability to manipulate electromagnetic fields, which effectively allows him to almost "telekinetically" control small, metallic objects. He can also use this ability to cause headaches in other humans.

Skills and Training
--Athletic: Franklin is very physically active and engages in regular exercise. He is a bit stronger than even his intimidating size would suggest.

--Detective: Franklin is a natural and talented detective. Incredibly observant and a skilled practioner of deductive reasoning, he is able to analyze data and draw a conclusion from even sparse data. He is also educated is law and police procedure.

--Empathy: Franklin is very empathetic and is able to put himself into a criminal's shoes, which enables him to better understand and apprehend them

--Marksmanship: With a military and police background, Franklin is an excellent shot with a firearm.

--Melee Combat: A military man and police detective, Franklin is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant.

Paraphernelia
Franklin does not usually carry much gear, although the below is an exception:

Equipment
--Revolver: Franklin carries with him a loaded service revolver, which is a standard firearm used by many American police forces.

Weaknesses
Franklin also possesses a number of weaknesses:

--Bipolar: Franklin suffers from a disorder that causes him to switch back and forth between periods of extreme good moods or extreme bad moods. These changes can be very quick and can come without any warning signs. During his manic episodes, he is very charitable and energetic. His electrical powers seem to be more powerful during these periods. However, he also undergoes severe depressive periods. His abilities do not flare up as often during these periods and are, in fact, more difficult to control, more often coming across in explosive discharges when he loses his temper. As such, his temper is also much more unpredictable while in his depressive periods. These swings also affect his professional life. While manic, he is always working; he's almost machine-like in his efficiency and output. While depressive, Franklin is lethargic and easily frustrated by his cases, resulting in more fits of rage.

--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Franklin suffers from this anxiety disorder that causes him to suffer nightmares, mood swings and occassional flashbacks from his time serving in the Korean War.

--Stubborn: Franklin is a stubborn bastard. It's his way or the highway.

--Workaholic: Franklin works compulsively, non-stop, as a coping mechanism. This leads to a very unhealthy lifestyle that is taxing both physically and mentally.



Trivia

 * Favorite musician is Frank Sinatra.
 * Has always wanted to go to France.
 * Favorite color is green.
 * Dislikes television.
 * Favorite movie is Casablanca.
 * Dislikes dogs. He's more of a cat person.