Excelsior

A trans-dimensional visitor from a world populated by superhumans, Excelsior is sent to Earth to wage war on others of his kind bent on enslaving the human race for their own malevolent purposes. Assuming the identity of private detective Barry Beckett, he quickly adapts to American life, coming to view Empire City as his new home. Armed with powers and technology "beyond anything imagined by the human mind" Excelsior embarks on an "epic battle for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Powers
Heir to a race of near-omnipotent superbeings, Excelsior is tremendously powerful, drawing energy directly from the sun and channeling it through his unique trans-human physiology. By manipulating the energy fields surrounding his body, he can fly at super-sonic speeds, melt solid lead with his optic beams, and lift objects in excess of a thousand tons. His strength increases when he travels through outer space, due to the vast amounts of solar radiation beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

In addition to his native-born abilities, Excelsior uses various advanced technologies in his "interminable struggle against the forces of darkness." A pair of cybernetic goggles enhance his optic beams, also allowing him to see in total darkness and sense invisible energy sources. A force-field generator worn around his waist augments his photonic powers and provides added protection from anti-matter beams (his one weakness). The generator also functions as a D-jumping platform, granting him limited teleportation between alternate realities.

Crossover Storylines
Excelsior was one of the founding members of The Chamberlain Knights, initially formed to deal with the transhuman psychopath Imperium. The original roster included Major Triumph, Tachyon and Selina the Moon Maiden. The group later expanded to include Captain Miracle and his cousin Marylin.

Excelsior's powers were tested to the limit when Black Miracle went on a rage-induce killing spree, leveling half of Empire City in the process. After beating the young sociopath into submission, Excelsior blasted his head off his neck with his optic beams, declaring there was no other option - "Such evil cannot be allowed to endure." This brutal execution led to a schism between the Knights' core membership, with the Miracles resigning in protest.

During The Purge storyline, Excelsior is viciously attacked by The Black Triumvirate, each of whom have returned from The Beyond to extract revenge. The result is a near massacre; having no defense against black magic, Beckett is first beaten to his knees then reduced to pleading for mercy. Narrowly rescued by Selina and Double Devil, Excelsior still lapses into a coma due to severe head trauma.