Bio

Backstory: Maria Capelli, a successful businesswoman and lawyer of Cuban and Italian descent, was elected to the US Congress in 2004, running on a platform that emphasized education, business development, cracking down on crime and corruption, and protecting national security. As for her stance on ultrahumans, Congresswoman Capelli thinks many of them are menaces to society- but she welcomes those who are law-abiding and protect society from the malcontents. Her public statements decrying vigilante “loose cannons” didn’t exactly endear herself to ultrahumans, but it garnered her support among many concerned citizens.

Maria pretends to be a happy woman in public, but she’s struggling with a marriage on the skids (her husband, Samuel Trask, is having an affair), and she’s been so focused on a successful career that she’s never had much time for family and kids. She also possesses a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School. In addition, she is also a Roman Catholic when it comes to her faith.

Origin: About three months ago, Maria delivered a speech where she denounced an alarming increase in ultrahuman crime, including the activities of both vigilanties and supervillains. As she returned to her condo in Washington DC, she was knocked out and kidnapped by a group of masked people awaiting her. They took her then to a laboratory of some kind, where a masked man promised that he would turn Maria into “the very thing you hate so much, something that would be ashamed to see the light of day.” He then injected her with various genetic alteration formulas, which then transformed the Congresswoman into a hybrid of amazon and cougar. Her strength surprised her captors, and she broke free, knocked several unconscious, and escaped. However, when she returned to the site, the whole lab was abandoned and she has not heard of her kidnappers ever since.

Maria is a very reluctant superheroine, especially given her previous stance against ultrahumans, but she secretly enjoys the power, beauty, and grace of her mutant form and the sense of liberation she feels as Cougress. At other times, she will succumb to cougar-like tendencies even while seemingly in control of herself. She also distances herself from Cougress in public and denies any knowledge of the superheroine except in the news, keeping her identity secret. She has some control over her alternate form, but she can transform at inopportune moments- provoked by emotional extremes such as fear, anger, and stress.

Maria has now officially registered with the Office of Ultrahuman Affairs to protect her secret identity. She has also acquired a patron in Russell Harrison, the prominent Neapolis philanthropist. And to top it all off, Congresswoman Capelli is in a tough re-election fight against Kaitlin Powers, a ruthless urban planner from Miami (Maria’s Congressional district includes Miami, its suburbs, and the Florida keys).

Personality: Maria is a passionate and engaging politician who is devoted to public service. She tends to be upbeat and adheres to a firm sense of right and wrong, and firmly believes in the system of justice. As Cougress, Maria often indulges her feline acclinations- she is feisty and hedonistic, as well as someone enjoys doing things for the thrills of it. Maria is often embarassed by the antics of Cougress, but there is little she can do about it.

Physical Appearance: Cougress is 7’2" with the phsyique of a female bodybuilder, and covered with cougar fur. She has yellow catlike eyes, disheveled blonde hair that cascades past her shoulders, and long, sharp claws and fangs.

Battle Tactics: Cougress takes advantage of her quick speed and stealth to move into surprise foes. She will also feint in combat to catch enemies flat-footed and then rake them with her claws using power attack. She uses grapple as well to subdue targets.

Motivation: Before her accident, Maria Capelli was an ambitious woman with dreams of becoming President. Now, she hopes merely to find fulfillment and acceptance given her rocky personal life and new existence as an ultrahuman.

Style of Dress: Maria is a 44-year old woman, 5’5" with olive skin, brown eyes, and trimmed black hair that comes down to her neck. She wears designer powersuits to work, or elegant dresses to social events. Cougress, however, wears a bikini or a revealing running suit.