Crucible:Billy Thunder

Real Name: William Klang

Background: Billy Klang is a parahuman who grew up in a musical family. During puberty, his powers emerged as a human sonic amplifier. He was able to take existing sounds and make them louder. He enjoyed showing off by playing an instrument (a guitar was his favorite) and make the sound from it louder. He was a big hit at parties. As he got older, he got stronger, until he learned to amplify sounds to dangerous and destructive levels. With practice, he also learned to push sounds into subliminal frequencies that could be used to control others.

He took the stage name Billy Thunder and pursued a career as a rock musician, creating and playing many hits, and his live shows were all the rage as he could use his powers to create incredible sonic effects and illusions. In addition, he was able to implant subliminal messages in his music that led to criminal behavior in others. His victims were, in effect, hypnotized by the music and programmed to carry out crimes for Billy.

Rebel investigated and stopped Billy from his hypnotic crime wave, but was critically injured in a battle with Billy and nearly lost his hearing. The musician has returned several times to battle the hero.

Powers: Billy has the power to amplify existing sounds and direct them against others. He can fire sonic beams from his instruments than can stun or kill. He can create convincing sonic illusions. He can also insert subliminal messages into his music to control the behavior of listeners.

Skills: Billy is a talented musician and songwriter with many hits to his credit.

Creator: Ed Messina

First Appearance: REBEL #16