Origin
Darren was born August 28, 1993, in the State of Washington, to a Mr. Doug Wink, and Ms. Joann Wink. Darren’s mother worked as a Paramedic. Darren’s father was a Computer Software Engineer. As a child Darren used to get picked on due to his scrawny appearance. Darren would usually get into fights at school on a weekly basis and have to take a different route home from school everyday just to avoid trouble. At night Darren would fall asleep to the sound of his parents fighting and arguing, about money and spending time with the family. One particular night when Darren was 8 years old he could hear his parents fighting as usual, when all of a sudden he heard a loud bang. When Darren crept down the stairs to see where the noise had come from, he saw his father lying on the floor in a pool of blood; Darren’s father had been shot to death, and as Darren called out to his father from the top of the stairs he saw his mother put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. Darren had just witnessed his mother kill his father, then commit suicide. Now all alone, Darren was placed into an Orphanage. At the orphanage, Darren, along with several other children were experimented on with Human performance enhancers (See “The Awakened” story-line for further). After the children were released, Darren was eventually adopted at the age of 12 by an elderly couple, but Darren kept to himself. At age 15, Darren began lifting weights and learning self defense, eventually becoming a hit man for various clients at the age of 24. At the age of 25 Darren became an Awakened. When Teslacorp. took over the old orphanage property (See Orphanage history), their agents began tracking down the potential “Awakened”. And Darren was eventually found and hired by Teslacorp. as the ultimate security, and also to monitor him for harvesting at a later time. One year later Darren is 27 years old, the oldest of the “Awakened” and the story begins.
Creation
When Creator Joshua Skidmore was in the process of creating Darren, thoughts of having a mentally scared person came to mind. Creating a character who was flawed more than others and had painful memories of the trauma he had suffered as a child, seemed more “human” and allowed the reader to relate more too. Co-creators Stacie Renee’ and Brett Keith also had a hand in Darren’s creation, making his personality and demeanor more aggressive than the other characters. Darren also draws from his childhood relationships with Corbin Reed and Ashlyn Beringer, making him a force to be taken seriously. Model/Actor Curtis J. Moore plays the role of Darren perfectly.
Personality
Darren is angry at the world. He takes his job and believed “purpose” very seriously. Feels alone, and responsible for not being able to stop or save his parents. He has a hard time trusting people, and because of that he keeps to himself. Believes the human race are a kind of “disease”, and has no problem exterminating them if need be. He goes where the money is. He has a softer side but it is buried deep within, and it is dormant. As a child Darren was the protector of the children when he was at the orphanage, and feels partially responsible for the experiments due to not being able to stop them and protect the children. He still has the feeling of responsibility towards protecting the defenseless, but it has been buried beneath all rage, hate and abuse.
Character Profile
Real Name: Darren Curtis Wink
Occupation: Assassin
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 172 lbs
Hair: None
Eyes: Brown
Base: Irvine, CA
Partnerships: Ashlyn Beringer, Corbin Reed.
Foes: Many
First Appearance: The Awakened # 1 (August 2014)
Created by: Joshua Skidmore, Stacie Renee’ and Brett Keith
Powers and Abilities
Darren didn’t have any special super human abilities, until he awakened and gained several powers from the “Human Performance Enhancers” tested on him as a child.
Earth/Rock Control
Darren can generate Earth/Rock at will from his body, being able to generate Earth/Rock has its benefits, such as, Darren is now immune to Earth/Rock effects such as stone-like surfaces as well as Rock or Earth themselves. Darren’s body absorbs it now. While concentrating Darren’s clothes as well as anything he is in contact with can sustain the same Earth/Rock resistance and consistency as his body. People, Darren comes into contact with may also share in his Earth/Rock generating ability if he so chooses to concentrate on that person. Darren also has the ability to merge with stone-like objects and use them as weapons or as projectiles, Darren can even go as far as changing the size and shape of his limbs.
Healing Factor
Darren has a healing factor that has a mind of its own. Darren’s body and mind can heal themselves without Darren being aware or conscious. Other awakened hybrids may hurt Darren but the only way to truly kill an “Awakened” is by cutting off their head, due to fast regeneration.
Agility/Strength
Darren’s agility is now off the chart, from running faster than a standard human to jumping higher, even Darren’s strength and endurance is far superior to that of an average human. when it comes to lifting weight, Darren can lift approximately 11793.4 kg (13 tons), which is the equivalent to the average 21st century School Bus, making Darren the strongest of “The Awakened”.