Australian NinjaAustralian Ninja
History:
This is the story of two brothers. Twin brothers born to General Harrison Markham and his lovely wife Cathy. The two boys, Clifford and Gary, were a rather unusual pair. Both excelled at sports - the skills of one matched only by those of the other - but in other pursuits they were as differentas the two sides of the same coin.
Clifford displayed a remarkable level of natural genius. Early in life he dedicated himself to the fields of science with a diligence and passion seldom seen in such esoteric fields. By his early twenties, Clifford had already received his Ph.D. in Physics and was regarded as a noted expert in the field of quantum theory.
Gary, on the other hand, had a more laissez-faire attitude towards life and spent most of his time discovering new and ingenious ways to have fun and kill time. Gary eventually entered the Australian Military at his father's behest and, although he excelled at all physical challenges presented to him, the military could not long hold his attention nor his interest. After serving a single tour of duty, Gary left the military to return to civilian life.
While Gary was in the military, Clifford had become married and widowed, all in the same year. Shortly after the death of his wife, Susan James-Markham, Clifford was approached by a secret organization, calling itself SAVE, who claimed to have devoted themselves to the eradication of the creatures of the supernatural. They claimed to have been observing Clifford since the death of his wife. They went on to present Clifford with irrefutable evidence that his wife's death was the direct result of the forces of the supernatural.
Clifford, whose entire life's work was based in the logical and scientific understanding of the natural, then decided to join with these operatives of SAVE and dedicate his life to destroying the Evil of the supernatural in all it's myriad forms.
Clifford approached his brother Gary and implored him to join in his quest; for the two brothers shared a secret that only they knew. Both Clifford and Gary were mutants gifted with incredible, superhuman agility and speed. Clifford felt that, together, the two of them could become a nigh-unstoppable force for Good in the never-ending battle against the Evil of the supernatural.
Gary declined his brother's offer and went off to his own ephemeral pursuits, whilst Clifford became a part of the organization known as SAVE. In addition to his actions as a member of SAVE, Clifford also embarked upon his own private crusade against the forces of Evil as the costumed adventurer known as The Comet.
Shortly after his career began, however, it was cut short by Comet's death at the hands of international super-criminals empowered by the forces of darkness and the supernatural.
Vowing revenge, Gary donned an identical costume to that of his brother's and posed as the restless spirit of Comet; come back to haunt and hound his murderers. But, once his vengeance was complete, Gary realized that even the death of his brother's killers would not bring him back nor assuage the guilt that gnawed at his very soul. Gary could not help but feel that if he had taken Clifford up on his offer, and the two of them had worked together, perhaps Clifford would still be alive.
Vowing to atone for his guilt, Gary promised to carry on the work of his brother. Gary then began his own career as Comet II and went on to many adventures and exploits as he battled the forces of Evil in all its myriad forms.
Eventually, Gary came to terms with the death of his brother and established his own identity as The Australian Ninja. But he never forgot the vow he made to carry on Clifford's good works and the sense of purpose and accomplishment that he has gained in his adventures have proven to be the one constant that holds his continued interest for lo these many years.
And, as The Australian Ninja, Gary has become the pinnacle of human achievement.
Movie Star, Rock Star, Businessman, Philanthropist, Superhero.
There is very little that The Australian Ninja has not managed to achieve and, with his high profile status, has served to inspire a whole new generation of youth with the belief that, with a little hard work and dedication, there is very little that cannot be aspired to and achieved.