Appearance

Physical Description

Elias is getting on in years. He's relatively fit, but time just hasn't been kind to him. Days spent in the lab from before the sun rose until long after it fell have worn on him. His eyes are a little sunken, he often has a significant stubble, just shy of being a beard. His movements are often wild and excited, despite how tired his long hours may make him. In the lab or around matters of scientific work, he's more controlled, working with precise movements. There's a reverence to what he's doing. He treats every minute in the lab as if he'll produce a nobel prize from the work. Every day making science is like setting foot on the moon for the first time. He's forty years deep into a permenant high from knowledge and the pursuit of what drives the world around him.

Mentality

Personal history

The story begins in the 80s. We see a young Elias Rush watching the Space Shuttle take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's just like the song described, “The earth beneath us starts to tremble With the spreading of a low black cloud A thunderous roar shakes the air Like the whole world exploding
 
Scorching blast of golden fire As it slowly leaves the ground Tears away with a mighty force The air is shattered by the awesome sound” Countdown - Rush
 
He'd spent his whole young life to that point glued to every bit of scientific material he could get. At first, he worshipped the likes of Montgomery Scott, though when he learned that it was fake, he quickly sought out the right role models. There was no shortage. His eyes were soon pulled to NASA as his first scientific love. He couldn't resist the idea of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. They were known the world over for their skill and intellect beyond all else. No profit, no corporations, only the pursuit of innovation. They didn't sell the moon, they just went there. There was a deep purity to it.
 
Unfortunately, that fated day, he was going to learn his first real lesson about science: There was always a price. The space shuttle sat on the pad with the word “CHALLENGER” spelled out along it's hull. Today was the launch of STS-51-L on a cold January morning in 1986. Everything seemed to be going fine to the spectators. The engines roared, it left the ground, there was a teacher on board. NASA was going to show the world that space was safe and accessible. In their entire history, they'd only lost three astronauts, the crew of Apollo 1. Until today. Elias watched as a ball of fire filled the sky miles above them. He glanced with worry between his parents, not sure what he'd just seen. Space shuttles didn't explode.
 
The experience was traumatizing. It gave him a fear of science. His young mind wasn't ready to puzzle out the equation of science, life, and death. In time though, that memory galvanized his resolve to make the world a better place. In the years to follow, he poured every inch of himself into science and improving man's understanding of the world. It wasn't just that knowledge was pure, it was that it was necessary. Science was needed to make it safe for future generations. The act of preserving knowledge must be preserved at all costs. That's what he did. He graduated high school at 14. In a sense, he's almost a real-life Tony Stark, just with less money. His degrees span physics, engineering, and medical science. There was never too much coursework. The recent developments of enhanced individuals has gotten his attention more than anything else. Super heroes pose the possibility of defeating death, and ensuring eternal research and knowledge. They're a key step in achieving his dreams.

Personality

Social