Alex Summers, also known as Havok, is a member of the X-Men as well as a teacher at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.
Background[]
Alex was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Major Christopher Summers and his wife Katherine. Being a military family, they spent a lot of time moving around, but basically came to know Alaska as home, largely because their grandparents lived there. Because his military duties often kept him away from his family, Christopher always tried to make the most of the time he had with his family. But during a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park, things took a turn for the tragic.
The weather took a turn for the worse, and it became clear that the plane was going down. Christopher and Katherine put their children's lives first, bundling them into a parachute and all-but-pushing them out of the plane. Scott and Alex touched down safely and were quickly recovered. For one reason or another, though, the boys' grandparents weren't found or contacted, and they ended up as wards of the state. They were quickly separated, as Alex was adopted by the Blanding family of southern California.
The Blandings had recently lost a son, and Alex became the surrogate for all their hopes and dreams for their first child. Alex was of course deeply sad and confused having been separated from his elder brother, but in time came to accept his new situation, particularly with the support of his adopted older sister, Haley. As he grew up, Alex proved to be a gifted student and athlete, both due to pressure by his adoptive family, and a natural "go getter" attitude that became more prevalent as he entered his teens. He also found his favorite hobby: Surfing. As long as he kept his grades up, his parents were more than happy to indulge him, and before long Alex was winning amateur and teen competitions up and down the California coast.
Aside from being a gifted student-athlete, Alex was fairly popular in school, particularly when he started winning state swimming competitions and serving as the quarterback of the football team. Alex received and accepted a Scholarship to the University of Hawaii, but the summer before his freshman year, his life took a turn for the decidedly strange: He was kidnapped by a bunch of strange cultists who carted him off to Egypt. It turned out to be a pretty pivotal affair, as not only did Alex's latent X-gene activate, but he was rescued by the X-Men, led by none other than his brother, Scott.
After his rescue, Alex briefly stayed at Xavier's school, learning to hone his newfound abilities and reconnecting with his elder brother (as well as befriending the other X-Men). His relationship with Scott was sometimes tense and competitive, but generally remained amicable. Eventually, though, he chose regular College over life at Xavier's, and undertook his studies at the University of Hawaii, though he often found himself spending much of his "vacations" at Xavier's (when he wasn't with this foster family).
Alex continued to prove a bright student and an excellent athlete, still winning surf and swim competitions and generally enjoying his time in Hawaii. After a few years passed, Alex not only received his Bachelor's (with a minor in computer science), but also a Master's degree in Geophysics, graduating with honors in both cases. Oddly, Alex decided to take a break from his studies, and headed back to Xavier's, largely with the intention of helping out at the school, but knowing that he would likely be called upon to fight alongside the X-Men again.
Personality[]
Extroverted: While Alex and Scott have several things in common, they're also very different in a few ways. Where Scott is very much reserved and an introvert, Alex tends to wear his heart on his sleeve and is very much a "people person." If he's angry, people know he's angry. If he's happy, the same holds true. He might button up a little or push feelings aside temporarily if he needs to, but generally he's pretty much a "what you see is what you get" kinda guy. Either way, he's generally not afraid to let his feelings show. Of course, that also means that when he's in a bad mood, he has a tendency to brood openly.
Perfectionist: Partially because he's been "pushed" a bit by his adoptive father but mostly because Alex is just that kind of "Type A" personality, Alex holds himself to a high standard, and pushes himself to improve at just about everything he does. Some people think he's just trying to play "catch up" with Scott, but the truth runs deeper than that. They're both very driven at what they do, and they both take failure hard. More importantly, neither of them want to be the "weak link" that leads to others getting hurt, or worse.
Passionate: Alex is in a lot of ways an "all or nothing" kind of person. When he devotes himself to something, be it a cause, a romantic partner, or even a particular hobby or project he works on, he tends to develop strong feelings about it pretty quickly, and focuses pretty strongly on it until he gets it "right." He also gets quite defensive and angry when such things are attacked or threatened. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and when he perceives unfairness or injustice he can get pretty worked up pretty quickly.
Headstrong: Alex has a tendency to think with his heart rather than his head, and once he's set his mind on something he's extremely difficult to sway from his chosen course. He can be tremendously stubborn and on more than a few occasions hot-tempered and brash, taking off on less-than-well advised courses of action before they're really thought completely through. It's a testament to his quick-thinking that he usually manages to make the best of such situations regardless, but the fact is that he's a great deal more impulsive than his elder brother, a fact which often vexes Scott to no end.
Conflicted: Truth be told, Alex isn't completely sold on the idea of being a mutant superhero just yet. There's a part of him that'd like to pursue his scholarly career, another part that'd like to see if he could break into the top tier of the surfing world, and a strong portion that would just like a quiet, normal life somewhere peaceful. Still, he dutifully steps up to the plate when the X-Men need him, but every so often he might just resent them a little tiny bit for it.
Powers[]
Alex's primary mutant ability is to convert ambient cosmic radiation into high-intensity energy plasma. He can project this plasma from his body either as an omnidirectional wave, or a more focused, direct line blast. His plasma blasts can be immensely destructive, capable of vaporizing a mountainside (or a few city blocks) at full power. Under ordinary circumstances his range is limited to line-of-sight, but if he pushed himself to the utmost he could fire a blast all the way into orbit (though doing so would likely exhaust him).
In addition to absorbing just ambient cosmic radiation, though, Alex can also absorb radiation in all forms and use it to fuel his abilities. He can drain radiation from sources within 10-20 feet with mild concentration, and is basically immune to most normal types of radiation. He also possesses an unusual genetic quirk that allows him to absorb the optic blasts of his brother, Scott (who in turn can absorb Alex's plasma blasts). Getting hit with them still stings like heck, but immediately converts to "fuel" for his own plasma blasts, which can lead to a temporary boost in power when needed (or a potential overload if not careful).
Skills[]
Alex is a near world-class swimmer and surfer having won a lot of amateur competitions and even a couple international ones. He has a Master's Degree in geophysics and a minor in computer science. He's a natural leader with a knack for tactical thinking and motivating others, though he hasn't had a lot of opportunity to develop this skill yet. He's a gifted athlete that's in Olympic caliber physical condition, and has received a good bit of self-defense training from the Xavier Institute, which he has supplemented with study of the Hawaiian martial art of Lua, making him a fairly formidable hand-to-hand combatant.
Alex is a licensed pilot capable of flying both propeller-driven and jet aircraft (and the advanced aircraft of the X-Men) and also an avid motorcycle rider. He also has a good general knowledge of various academic fields, as befits a college graduate who performed well academically, and is fairly good at passing that knowledge along as a teacher. Finally, Alex speaks a couple of languages, including Hawaiian and a smattering of Japanese.
Boons[]
Alex is strongly affiliated with Xavier's School, and as a "graduate" and senior X-Man has full access to the resources and technology of the Xavier Estate, and can call on the X-Men for aid if he needs it. Alex also has several copies of his "containment suit" which allows him to harmlessly bleed off excess energy (His X-Men costume also serves a similar function). Alex also owns a Jeep, a motorcycle, and several professional-quality surfboards.
Flaws[]
Alex has two major flaws associated with his mutant powers. First, his power is somewhat difficult to control, and he generally has to unleash some of it every 36 hours or so or risk accidentally discharging plasma. His power "wants" to be used, and reining it in can be difficult without his specialized containment suit. Second his power can be physically taxing to use for extended periods...generally he can handle about two hours of moderate use before he runs out of juice, and it takes him about 16 hours to "rebuild his reserves."
The rest of Alex's flaws? Well, they tend to be based around his personality. He can be very stubborn and argumentative, almost always taking the "underdog" position or playing devil's advocate. He can also be very brash, tending to rush in without thinking things fully through...thinking with his heart instead of his head. Speaking of his heart, Alex has a tendency to be a bit of the proverbial "sucker for a pretty face" and women often have an easier time manipulating him. Finally, he has a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to comparing himself to his brother, Scott. This can lead to some pretty intense sibling rivalry that can land him in hot water or at the very least get on some peoples' nerves.
Logs Including Havok[]
2010-07-24: Welcome Home, Alex: Havok is welcomed to the Mansion by Jean Grey and Nocturne.
2010-07-25: Bugs In the Danger Room? Never: Havok, along with Cyclops and Nocturne, leads a Danger Room scenario that doesn't go exactly as planned.
2010-08-16: One Summers Too Far: Havok meets his niece from another dimension
2010-08-24:Place Your Bets Alex, Jean, and Logan head down to Harry's for drinks and a game of pool. Bets and placed and challenges are set.
2010-08-27:Poolside Encounters Alex, Jean & Scott meet up with the Stepford Cuckoos at the mansion's pool.