Alexander Weston Marx
Alexander Weston Marx
Paul%20Bettany.jpg
Portrayed By Paul Bettany
Gender Male
Date of Birth July 17, 1974
Age 32
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Aliases Xander
Place of Birth London, England
Current Location New York City, NY, USA
Occupation Prosecuting Attorney
Known Relatives Kenneth Marx (father; deceased), Jane Marx (mother; deceased)
Significant Other None
Known Abilities Electrokinesis
First Appearance Of Dancers And Lawyers

Alexander Weston Marx is an Englishman who is a prosecuting attorney who currently practices in New York City, and is the son of the late Kenneth Marx, a defense attorney of high regard. He is a man capable of manipulating electricity at an atomic level, though unable to generate it himself. In order to avoid bringing unwanted publicity to himself, he keeps this ability a secret.

History

If there was any word that the name 'Alexander Weston Marx' could be associated with, then that word was 'justice'. Alexander, known as Xander by family and associates, is the son of a Kenneth Marx, a British attorney who served the United Kingdom for well over thirty years. It can be easily seen that Xander is following a path parallel to that of his father, where Kenneth Marx was a defense attorney, Xander has since become a prosecutor.

Alexander's youth was fairly in the norm, comparable to that of most youths, though his family was well off compared to others. Xander grew up admiring his father's work in the courts, for a time naively believing his father to be a defender of the innocent, though in a way not an inaccurate belief. Kenneth Marx taught young Xander a great deal about the courts, including that he has had to defend criminals whom he knew were guilty, and that it was only his occupation to defend them. However, he never dispelled his son's belief that in the court of law, one man could bring justice to the world.

Xander was inspired early on by his father's achievements to begin a career in criminal law, though initially there was some indecision regarding his path in the justice system, Xander elected to focus his career on the ways of prosecution. He was very intelligent young man, and an excellent student. High marks in secondary school led him to receive scholarships, which allowed him to eventually attend Oxford's school of Law. When he graduated, it wasn't long before he was hired on to take on a good many criminal cases, his first trial being one where his own father, Kenneth Marx, was on the defense. Needless to say, Xander's father made a successful defense, but it did spark a minor rivalry between father and son. Xander himself came to be highly regarded as a prosecuting attorney for several years to come.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have a black sense of humor. In 2006, Xander received news that his father had been murdered, news that drove him to find his father's killer, and ensure that he was convicted. The investigation would lead to the arrest of Vincent Steppes, son of Oliver Steppes, head of a nefarious criminal organization. It was believed to be an open and shut case, there were witnesses and evidence enough that should have brought about a total conviction. However, when it came to bringing the one key witness to testify, the witness suddenly refused to testify, bringing the whole trial to a grinding halt. Without the testimony of this one witness, Xander's whole case simply collapsed on itself like a house with its foundations removed. Without the testimony to tie the whole case together, the Judge was unable to pass a guilty verdict, and Vincent Steppes was free to go, and Xander was unable to do a thing to prevent his father's murderer from walking out of there.

The anger, frustration, and anguish brought about by this unfair turn of events. There had been times before where he had lost murder cases, but the circumstances were completely understandable in those cases. The fact that the prosecution had done everything in its power to prove the guilt of a murderer who had no way possible to convince anyone of his innocence, all that work was taken away by a witness that had at somehow been tampered with, was all too much for Xander to bear. And on that storm cloudy day, on the steps of the courthouse where Vincent Steppes had taken the time to gloat on how justice had taken his side, something switched on in Xander, and within seconds, arcs of lightning flew through the clouds, before striking down to Earth, a stray bolt of lightning striking Vincent Steppes, and killed the man instantly, bringing about what the news would later report to be 'Divine Justice'.

It didn't really take long for Xander to make a connection between the stray bolt of lightning and his silent call for justice that day. Very quickly he learned that he had a strange power, enabling him to control electricity. It was a power that he didn't know how he gained, but he knew that he couldn't allow anyone to draw a connection between him and the death of Vincent Steppes. Xander may have desired justice, but didn't WANT to kill the man, however unintentional it may have been. With this knowledge in mind, Xander made a decision to take a prosecuting position in the United States. It was there that he hoped to learn to control this strange power, but on top of that, it was in the United States where he hoped he would move past his father's death, and hopefully start his life anew.

Abilities

Xander's power can most accurately be described as the ability to manipulate electrons at an atomic level. As such, he's able to control electricity and move it through any electrical conductors, including his own body. He can quite often cause power surges, and electrical breakdowns. He can create minor electrostatic discharges and electrical arcs that course around his body, though as yet this is only when he puts great focus into controlling it.

His body is cannot be harmed by most electrical shocks, and he is somewhat invulnerable to lightning strikes, through high voltage and high amperage electrocutions can still seriously hurt him. A negative side effect of his power is his tendency to become a human lightening rod, an effect which occurs most often when he's angry, as he subconsciously pushes electrons away from him, resulting in lightening striking him or anyone within the vicinity of him. As yet, this is the extent of his power, without active use of it.

As much as Xander is able to manipulate electricity, however, he's unable to create it from within his own body, requiring him to use the natural electromagnetic field, or external sources of electricity for his power to have any effect. Another obvious flaw that comes from the ability to manipulate electricity is that he can't effect any insulators at all. The flow of electrons is simply blocked by any insulating substance.

Timeline

  • March, 2006 - Xander's father, Kenneth Marx, was murdered.
  • June, 2006 - Vincent Steppes, prime suspect for the murder of Kenneth Marx, found not guilty by way of lack of testimony. Vincent Steppes subsequently killed via lightning strike.
  • August, 2006 - Xander takes a position as prosecutor in New York City.
  • February 10th, 2007 - Xander meets Ramon Gomez, and investigates the case file of Catalina Gomez.
  • February 12th, 2007 - Xander speaks with Elena Gomez regarding her mother. The conversation is interrupted by Aspen, leading to an altercation with the Haitian.
  • February 13th, 2007 - Xander continues the conversation with Elena Gomez. Comes up with a theory.
  • February 14th, 2007 - Xander discovers similar cases. Discusses this with Ramon Gomez.
  • February 15th, 2007 - Xander convinces his supervisor that the Gomez case is possibly a serial.
  • May 4th, 2007 - Xander returns from the United Kingdom, from his mother's funeral.

Quotes

  • "Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the court, I've been asked to present my closing statement, but I'm afraid there are no words that need be said. I have presented to you indisputable evidence. I have produced witnesses whose testimonies cannot be disputed. I have given my all in making my case to all of you… There are no more words that I can say to you except these last… If you indeed believe this man to be innocent, then I have failed the victim of this man's heinous crime… Choose wisely, or you may fail the victim as well… Thank you…"
  • "Bugger… I could be onto something…"

Trivia

  • Xander attended the University of Oxford's Faculty of Law.
  • Xander is suffers from Claustrophobia.
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