Crucible:Mustang
Mustang
[edit] | |
| Real Name | Candace "Candie" Kellner |
|---|---|
| Identity | Public |
| Affiliation | Factor M |
| Base of Operations | Various |
| Status | Active |
| Known Relatives | Former spouse: Claw; one child |
| First Appearance | Unknown |
| Creator | Ed Messina |
“They called me a freak before I ever broke the sound barrier.”
— Mustang
Mustang is the superhuman identity of Candace "Candie" Kellner, a powerful parahuman speedster and longtime member of Factor M. Possessing extraordinary speed, durability, and combat ability, Mustang became one of the organization’s most feared operatives and one of the most visible symbols of the parahuman rights movement during the modern era.
Though often portrayed publicly as a terrorist and extremist, Mustang’s life was shaped long before Factor M by rejection, isolation, and fear from ordinary society.
By the time she met Claw, she already believed the world had decided what she was.
He simply gave her something to fight for.
Early Life
[edit]Candace Kellner grew up in a remote Western town where life moved slowly and differences were noticed immediately. As a child she was shy, awkward, and socially isolated, never fully fitting in among her classmates or community.
Everything changed during a high-school gym class.
Without warning, Candie’s latent parahuman abilities manifested explosively. One moment she was struggling to keep pace with the other students.
The next, she was moving faster than anyone present could properly perceive.
Teachers and administrators immediately suspected performance-enhancing drugs or cheating, despite having no evidence whatsoever. Rumors spread rapidly through the school and town, turning Candie into an outcast almost overnight.
Unable to explain her abilities and terrified by the hostility surrounding her, she was eventually expelled.
The lesson stayed with her permanently:
people feared what they could not understand.
Drifting Years
[edit]Following her expulsion, Candie drifted across the country alone, surviving through temporary jobs, theft, hustling, and eventually outright crime. Her extraordinary speed made her nearly impossible for ordinary authorities to stop.
During this period she adopted the criminal identity Mustang.
The name reflected both her Western roots and the sensation of freedom she experienced while running at full speed. For the first time in her life, her abilities made her feel powerful instead of ashamed.
But the freedom came with isolation.
Mustang trusted almost no one and lived largely as a fugitive, increasingly convinced that normal society would never truly accept parahumans.
Factor M
[edit]Mustang’s life changed dramatically after encountering Claw, the charismatic and militant leader of Factor M. Unlike most people she had met, Claw did not fear her powers or treat her like a problem to be managed.
He treated her like a weapon.
And eventually, like family.
Claw convinced Mustang that parahumans could never survive through compromise alone. Together they fought for what they saw as parahuman liberation and self-determination, often through violent and controversial methods.
Over time Mustang became one of Factor M’s most loyal and effective members.
Eventually she and Claw fell in love, married, and had a child together — a child who also inherited parahuman abilities.
Divorce
[edit]Despite their powerful bond, the marriage between Mustang and Claw ultimately collapsed under the pressures of violence, ideology, secrecy, and leadership within Factor M.
The two eventually divorced.
Even so, Mustang never fully abandoned the organization or its cause. Though their personal relationship fractured, she remained deeply committed to parahuman rights and continued operating alongside Factor M in various capacities.
Some observers believe she still harbors feelings for Claw.
Others believe they are both simply too dangerous to ever fully separate.
Powers
[edit]Mustang possesses formidable parahuman speed abilities.
Her known powers include:
- Extreme superhuman speed
- Enhanced reflexes and reaction time
- Superhuman durability and toughness
- Accelerated movement perception
- Massive kinetic striking force
Unlike some speedsters who rely primarily on agility, Mustang combines tremendous speed with unusual physical resilience, allowing her to hit with devastating force without injuring herself.
Skills
[edit]Mustang is highly trained beyond her natural abilities.
- Expert martial artist
- High-speed combat specialist
- Skilled evasive tactician
- Qualified aircraft operator across multiple aircraft types
- Criminal infiltration and escape expertise
Her speed makes her exceptionally dangerous in close combat situations.
Personality
[edit]Mustang is fierce, proud, emotionally guarded, and intensely loyal to those she trusts. Years of rejection and persecution left her deeply suspicious of institutions and authority figures, particularly those claiming to act “for public safety.”
At the same time, she possesses genuine compassion for vulnerable or marginalized parahumans, especially younger ones struggling with fear and isolation similar to what she experienced growing up.
Unlike Claw’s colder ideological ruthlessness, Mustang retains a more emotional and personal sense of justice.
She does not merely want victory.
She wants belonging.
Unfortunately, years spent living as both outlaw and revolutionary have made it difficult for her to imagine achieving that peacefully.
Legacy
[edit]Mustang became one of the defining speedster villains — and antiheroes — of the modern era and a central figure within Factor M. Her stories explored discrimination, identity, extremism, family, and the emotional cost of living as someone feared simply for existing.
Because Candie Kellner spent her entire youth running from people who hated what she was.
Eventually she stopped running away.
And started running straight through them.