Crucible:Stingray
Stingray II
[edit]
| |
| Real Name | Wes Miles |
|---|---|
| Identity | Public |
| Affiliation | Knight/Watch |
| Base of Operations | West Coast |
| Era | Modern Age |
| Status | Inactive |
| First Appearance | SIERRA FORCE #4 (as Stingray) |
| Creator | Wes Miles created by Steve Mancuso; Stingray II revision by Jeff Messina |
“Smile for the camera.”
— Stingray II
Stingray II is the armored heroic identity of Wes Miles, a prominent West Coast television reporter who inherited the Stingray mantle after the original hero’s death. Better known at first for covering superheroes than fighting beside them, Miles entered the field personally when grief, loyalty, and an investigative instinct drew him into the hunt for Azrael.
Background
[edit]Wes Miles made his name as a television reporter on the West Coast, specializing in the increasingly dangerous and unpredictable superhero beat. Unlike many journalists who treated costumed figures as spectacle, Miles built his reputation on persistence, access, and a rare ability to understand the people behind the masks. His connections throughout the hero community made him both a valuable source of public information and a trusted presence behind the scenes.
That distance between observer and participant collapsed when the original Stingray, a friend of Miles, was killed by tge supervillain Azrael. The murder left behind not only a personal loss, but the Stingray battlesuit itself. Rather than simply report on the crime, Miles took up the armor and the name, using his friend’s equipment to pursue justice directly.
Career As Stingray
[edit]As Stingray II, Miles entered a world he had long studied from the outside. His early actions were driven by the need to avenge his friend, but he soon proved that his value extended beyond emotional urgency. His journalistic instincts translated surprisingly well into hero work: he knew how to follow leads, read people, cultivate sources, and recognize when a story did not fit the official version.
His later association with Knight/Watch gave him a formal place among the West Coast hero community, though he never entirely stopped thinking like a reporter. Even in armor, he remained someone who looked for the hidden angle.
Skills
[edit]Wes Miles possesses no superhuman powers, but his civilian background gives him unusual advantages in the field.
- Experienced investigative reporter
- Extensive connections throughout media, law enforcement, and the superhero community
- Eidetic memory
- Remarkable luck under dangerous circumstances
His greatest weapon is often not the armor, but the question no one else thought to ask.
Technology
[edit]The Stingray battlesuit is an advanced armored system that gives its wearer significant combat capability.
- Flight systems
- Electrical weaponry
- Laser systems
- Protective armor and tactical support features
Miles relies on the suit to survive threats far beyond normal human limits, but his effectiveness depends on judgment as much as firepower.
Personality
[edit]Wes Miles is curious, stubborn, and difficult to intimidate. Years in journalism taught him to keep pressing when others wanted him to stop, and that instinct carried into his brief superhero career. He is not naturally a warrior, but he has courage, loyalty, and a talent for being in exactly the wrong place at exactly the right time.
Reputation
[edit]Among heroes, Stingray II is remembered as an unusual successor: a reporter who crossed the line from chronicler to participant and did so with more competence than many expected. His tenure was not long, but it left an impression because he brought a different set of instincts to the role.
Among journalists, Wes Miles remains a reminder that some stories do not let the reporter stay neutral.
Legacy
[edit]Stingray II’s career reflects one of the stranger paths into heroism in the modern era. He did not seek powers, fame, or a costume; he followed a murder, put on a dead friend’s armor, and refused to let the story end where the killer wanted it to.