Crucible:Thunder Dragon
Real Name: Jack Storm
Background: Jack Forman was orphaned at an early age. He bounced around foster homes until age twelve when he was taken in by the Storm family. Ed and Lisa Storm gave him the home he dreamed of with two older brothers (Rob and Patrick) and a younger sister (Ellen).
Ed Storm, a disabled vet (lost his right leg to a landmine), was a product of the foster care system himself and his heart broke hearing Jack’s story. What impressed him the most, after reading the case files, about Jack was how he remained upbeat even through abusive foster parents. Ed and Lisa gave Jack something he desperately needed: structure and honest love. They adopted him when he was 14. Jack will always recall that as the happiest day of his life. In fact he celebrates that date as his birthday.
Jack loved the spotlight. He would put on plays with his siblings, do impersonations, and became the star in high school productions.
Ed was a workaday guy. He used his skills as a former combat engineer to land a construction foreman job for the Bianchi Construction Company. Lisa was a stay at home mom. They scrimped and saved to give their children a good childhood.
After high school Jack attended acting school on a full scholarship. His dream was to be a stage actor. During his third year he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease called Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) or Stoneman Syndrome, a debilitating, and often fatal condition. Jack’s doctors were not hopeful.
A fellow student and closest friend at acting school told him that he had heard that the monks in Tibet can cure all kinds of diseases and that maybe he should try there. Jack did not want to burden his parents with the financial cost of a longshot treatment so he sold his 1953 Corvette, Ed rebuilt it for Jack as a graduation gift, and bought a ticket to Lhasa, Tibet. Before boarding the plane Jack mailed a letter to his family explaining what he was going to do. In the letter he said he did not want to bankrupt his family on treatments that would not work and that he would either return cured or not at all.
Through an arduous year-long journey Jack finally found the legendary Druk temple, but he was near death. Shamar Norbu was impressed by Jack’s inner strength and took him in. Over the next few years Shamar taught Jack the way of Druk, the Thunder Dragon. Through his teaching, Jack was able to harness Chi power and cure himself. Shamar also taught Jack how to turn his body into a living weapon. He hoped Jack would stay at the temple and take on the mantle of The Druk - The living Thunder Dragon. But Jack’s heart lay with his family.
During his time at the temple Jack often wrote to his family letting them know that he was safe, that he found a cure, and would be home as soon as he could.
Jack did not know that Ed found out about his plans prior to leaving. In fact he was the person that bought the corvette, paying top dollar for it, with the help of Mr. Bianchi. Giovanni Bianchi lost his son in and he thought of Ed as his “adopted” son and would do anything to help the Storm family. Giovanni was called Grampa by Ed’s children.
Jack’s triumph turned to tragedy when he received a letter that explained Pop Pop Bianchi refused to pay protection money to the Drago crime family and that he and his father were killed in retaliation.
Jack had to go home. Immediately. Shamar implored Jack to stay to continue his training. The death of Mr. Bianchi and his father, while tragic, were beyond his ability to change and that he was at a critical part of his training. But Jack’s grief was too strong and he needed to go back to his family. Shamar asked Jack to promise to return to complete what he started, but Jack refused to make a promise he did not know he could keep.
In response Shamar wiped some of Jack’s memories; those related to the history and real purpose of the Druk Temple, and his full chi potential. Shamar promised to reverse the process upon Jack’s return.
Jack returned to his home in Unity City to find his grieving family. Wracked by guilt that he was not there to save his father and Pop Pop he now dedicates his life to fighting crime. He joined the Unity League and eventually rose to lead the team.
Maybe he will return to the temple some day to complete his training.
Status: Active
Powers: Thunder Dragon has the ability to project his chi ffor a variety of purposes. He can increase the power of his martial arts abilities, increase his accuracy with attacks, and make his body stronger than steel.
Skills: Thunder Dragon is a master of Tibetan Druk martial arts. He is also skilled at stealth and infiltration.
Creator: Rob Guihan
First Appearance: THUNDER DRAGON #1