| For alternate versions of Edward Richtofen, see Edward Richtofen's Character Hub |
- “Gruntijackal! It is I, Richtofen! And I have come to release you from your eternal prison in the Fractured Realm! Come to me!”
- ―Edward Richtofen
Doctor Edward Richtofen was a mad German doctor and scientist that was once affiliated with Group 935, serving as Ludvig Maxis' second-in-command. Following his soul's banishment and eventual release from the Cursed Realm, Richtofen would become indoctrinated by Gruntijackal's powerful influence, completely driving him to the point of utter madness.
Under Gruntijackal's control, Richtofen would become his loyal number two, and would be given the task to extract him out of the Fractured Realm and resurrect him with a new body. Teaming up with Xarcoh, the pair successfully brought back Gruntijackal, and would come into conflict with the heroes of Novus during the villains' attempts to secure ultimate power. Ultimately, Richtofen met his end after he and Xarcoh sacrificed themselves to further empower Gruntijackal, allowing him to transform into the Emperor of Destiny.
Not long after his death, Richtofen, alongside Xarcoh, Gruntijackal and a few other multiversal villains, were resurrected by Ataraxia using the Time Blade, who sought help in obtaining the Infinity Stones. Richtofen and Gruntijackal were tasked to retrieve the Reality Stone for Ataraxia, though once the ancient villain had acquired all of the other stones, he betrayed Richtofen and the other villains, destroying them with the completed Infinity Gauntlet.
Richtofen would be revived one last time by the Grandmaster using Prima Materia, who was amassing a collection of villains and heroes alike to fight to the death to forge the Sentinel Key. During the battles, Richtofen joined the ranks of the Thirteen, earning Rank XII for his prior history before engaging against Novus in battle. However, Richtofen would be slain for the final time, but not before being released from Gruntijackal's influence and realizing what he had done.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Edward Richtofen was born April 4th, 1897. As a child, Richtofen developed an interest in experimental sciences, most notably the concept of achieving human teleportation.
Time with Group 935[]
When World War II broke out, Richtofen joined an experimental research organization calld Group 935, where he spearheaded research in teleportation utilizing the recently-discovered Element 115. During one of his experiments, Richtofen found himself on the Moon, where he discovered the Chamber of Repose that housed the MPD. After establishing a secret base on the Moon to study the MPD, Richtofen learned that the MPD functioned as an external port to remotely siphon energy from the Aether.
With this information, Richtofen intended to gain access to the Aether's power for himself, hoping to use it to further Group 935's experiments. However, complications arose when Samantha Maxis, the daughter of Group 935 leader Ludvig Maxis, discovered Richtofen's operation and attempted to report her findings to her father. To prevent her from escaping, Richtofen cryogenically ensnared Samantha within the MPD, leaving her to now act as a physical link to the Aether. As a result, Richtofen deduced that if he were to now access the Aether's energies, he would have to find a way to either remove Samantha from the MPD or possess her.
With Samantha's disappearance and the conclusion of World War II affecting Group 935's funding, Ludvig found himself severely depressed and in no position to lead the group, promting Richtofen to plot his elimination to inherit leadership over the group to continue his work with the MPD. During a teleporter trial, Richtofen betrayed Ludvig and locked him in an unfinished teleporter, vaporizing him upon its activation. While Richtofen basked his victory, he sudden clenched his chest and collapsed to the ground; within moments, Richtofen had suffered and died from a heart attack due to his exposure to the energy released from the unfinished teleporter. Despite his physical death, his soul would live on to be banished to the Cursed Realm.
Imprisonment in the Cursed Realm[]
Whilst trapped in the Cursed Realm as a spirit, Richtofen used his imprisonment in the realm as a means of preserving himself for years to come; through this, Richtofen would be driven mad as a result of his solitude. However, after several decades without Nictis to maintain the realm following his disappearance, it would slowly fall apart and crumble, causing its inhabitants to be dispersed across the Ethereal Divide and the various universes of the Roach Chronicles multiverse.
Now in a perpetual state of limbo drifting across the Ethereal Divide outside Earth-61017, Richtofen would be telepathically contacted by Gruntijackal, who made use of his fractured state to brainwash him to his cause. Gruntijackal then instructed Richtofen to travel to Earth-61017 to acquire the Yin Blade, as its dark magic could grant Richtofen's mortal status a physical form to carry out Gruntijackal's plans.
Day of the Departed[]
Upon arriving in Earth-61017 as a spirit, Richtofen traced the Yin Blade back to Willard Wyler, an enigmatic film director with ties to dark magic. There, he quietly observed Wyler hiding the weapon within Wyler's Zombies in Spaceland film at his theater in New York City. Using his ghostly status, Richtofen snuck by Wyler and entered the film to procure the Yin Blade.
Rebirth of Gruntijackal[]
The Beginning of the End[]
While in the film, Richtofen was successful in retrieving the Yin Blade from its hiding place. Before he could leave the film, he was confronted by the cloned actors of the film, which were created by Wyler as a means of stopping Richtofen from escaping. However, Richtofen proved to be too much for them and ultimately escaped back to reality and Wyler's theater. There, he kills Wyler with the Yin Blade and preserves his soul in Wyler's Soul Jar, another important object in his plan in bringing back Gruntijackal. With his mission complete, Richtofen uses the Yin Blade to tear open a rift to Earth-31218, his home universe.
Lifelink[]
Continuing where he left off, Richtofen proceeds to open the Soul Jar and uses the Yin Blade to take control of most of the imprisoned souls. With the Yin Blade's powers, Richtofen turns the souls into his own personal zombie army, an army out of the control of anyone but him. Richtofen then notices a strange and unique soul in the Soul Jar, to which Richtofen begins to grin at.
While his zombie army invaded the city of Green Mountain, Richtofen used this distraction to enter the city and enter the research lab of Dr. Samuel Higgins, a researcher who studied the powers and location of the ancient Omega Key, a relic that is crucial in Richtofen's plan. While stealing his research, Richtofen is confronted by Higgins himself. A short fight ensues, ending with Richtofen capturing Higgins within the Soul Jar. With the stolen research, Richtofen decrypts the location of the Omega Key and sends its coordinates to an unknown contact at the end of a radio. With his mission complete, Richtofen watches four of the survivors of the outbreak escape in a private jet before using the Yin Blade to escape to another location.
The Omega Key[]
Richtofen arrives at the Torngat Mountains with the Soul Jar still in hand, where he then proceeds to release Higgins from the jar and holds him at swordpoint with the Yin Blade. Richtofen then orders him to show him the location of the Omega Key. As the four survivors fight nearby, Higgins questions the purpose of the others, with Richtofen stating that they were "the bait".
Richtofen then enters the Omega Key's chamber with Higgins still as his prisoner after the four survivors locate the key, congratulating the masked man on his success. The man then holds the other three at gunpoint before going over to Richtofen, who proceeds to shove Higgins towards the other three. The man then takes off his mask, revealing himself to be Xarcoh.
Richtofen explains to the four that Xarcoh was the Soulless of Roach, a hero in another dimension, saying that he was surprised to discover that Xarcoh was able to develop a soul of his own prior to his destruction. Xarcoh then explains that he managed to find his way into Wyler's Soul Jar by traveling through the collapsing rift he was destroyed in, where he remained in order to preserve himself. Richtofen then continues, saying he found Xarcoh's soul in the Soul Jar and released him, tasking him with helping him in his ultimate plan. Higgins questions what his ultimate plan was, to which Richtofen replies to; it is to resurrect Gruntijackal and release him from his imprisonment in the Fractured Realm. Xarcoh then explains it was time for the four to get their hands dirty, using his powers to knock the four unconscious. Richtofen and Xarcoh would then capture the four offscreen.
Shaded Truths[]
The four heroes awaken in a cell at Richtofen's research lab at his safehouse in Brazil sometime later. There, Richtofen explains more details of his plans; since Gruntijackal's aether energies were depleted following the events of the Day of the Departed, Gruntijackal needed a new source for him to get unlimited power. To do this, Richtofen explained there was a reason he traveled to the dimension he did; this dimension had Samantha Maxis cyrogenically frozen in the MPD, which was still at the Moon. Richtofen explained that with the combined powers of Element 115, the Yin Blade, and the Soul Jar, Richtofen could forcefully create another Green Eclipse on the Moon, to which would allow Gruntijackal to escape his prison with the use of the Yin Blade. With the Soul Jar, he would preserve Gruntijackal's soul, which would then be preserved with the Omega Key, which can be inserted into the Soul Jar and transfer souls between the two. Richtofen would then insert the key into the MPD, allowing Gruntijackal to be reborn within Samantha's dormant body and give him full control over the Aether, making him unstoppable and all powerful.
Richtofen then proceeds to raise their cage into a massive futuristic arena that he created with the dark magic of the Yin Blade. There, Richtofen explains they must kill enough zombies and find a way to unlock the exit if they are to survive, saying it was their final test and chance to be free. Unknown to the heroes, Richtofen didn't explain how he planned on opening the MPD; he would need plenty of souls, souls he would be able to retrieve with the help of the four survivors. As the survivors fought through the arena, the zombies they killed would have their souls preserved in the Soul Jar. After the four manage to hack into the arena's systems, they are forced to fight Richtofen's massive Tiger Widow spider he created as a distraction for the heroes while Richtofen and Xarcoh recovered the Soul Jar from within the arena. After the heroes defeat the Tiger Widow with the use of its own venom, they witness Richtofen and Xarcoh escaping in a teleporter with all three of the items they need to bring upon the rebirth of Gruntijackal.
The Rebirth[]
Upon arriving at the Moon, Richtofen used the Yin Blade to transform Griffin Station into his own image. As the heroes closed in on their location within the base, Richtofen began the ritual to open the Fractured Realm by launching an Element 115 meteor into the orbit of the Moon. As a new Green Eclipse began, Richtofen began to use the Yin Blade to tear open a rift to the Fractured Realm. While Xarcoh kept the heroes at bay, Richtofen called out to Gruntijackal, saying was time for him to be reborn. As Gruntijackal weakly called back, Richtofen continued his speech. As the rift expanded even more, Gruntijackal was soon able to cross into reality from the Fractured Realm. As the rift closed, Gruntijackal commends Richtofen and Xarcoh for the work they've done, saying it was time to indeed become reborn. Using what little power he has, Gruntijackal teleports himself, Richtofen, and Xarcoh to the Chamber of Repose, the MPD's chamber, which was hidden within the base.
By the time the heroes reached the Chamber of Repose, Richtofen had already deposited the collected souls, and infused Gruntijackal's soul into the Omega Key. Despite the four's pleas, Richtofen ignores them and inserts the Omega Key into the MPD's interface, allowing Gruntijackal's soul to enter the device and possess Samantha's body, ultimately allowing Gruntijackal to be reborn. As Gruntijackal announces his return, he proceeds to explain that he will soon remake the universe into his image before engaging the four in a final showdown. With Richtofen and Xarcoh's help, Gruntijackal would use his powers to fight since he was unable to leave the MPD without leaving Samantha's body.
Despite this, however, the heroes were able to exploit a flaw in the MPD by shooting out all of the four soul tubes around the device, weaking Gruntijackal and diminishing his power. As Richtofen and Xarcoh attempted to stop the heroes from further tampering with Gruntijackal and the MPD, Higgins was forced to shoot a control panel, opening a metal canopy above the MPD. As he shoots a chain holding the MPD down, the MPD is then sucked out into the vacuum of space, leaving Gruntijackal trapped in the MPD as it becomes lost in space. As Richtofen and Xarcoh attempt to escape the chamber, Jacob uses the Soul Jar to imprison the two within it before throwing it into the vacuum of space, leaving it lost in space alongside the MPD.
Day of Judgment[]
While Richtofen doesn't directly appear in the saga, he is mentioned by Samantha during Divided Reality. In the ending cutscene of Divided Reality, the Soul Jar containing Richtofen and Xarcoh can be seen floating in space next to the MPD as Gruntijackal breaks free.
The Hands of Destiny[]
The Attack[]
Gruntijackal soon proceeds to open the Soul Jar, releasing Richtofen and Xarcoh from within it. While Richtofen and Xarcoh lament over their failure to ensure Gruntijackal took control of the Aether's energies, Gruntijackal assured his second-in-command otherwise, saying that while gaining his powers again, Gruntijackal learned of an ancient power known as Dark Creation. Gruntijackal then explains that with that power, he would be able to transform himself into the Emperor of Destiny, an all-powerful being that would have ten times the amount of power than the Demonic Announcer, as well as the ability to reshape all of existence and rewrite destiny. Richtofen then suggests they have the heroes they previously encountered do most of the work while they step in at the end to claim the power of Dark Creation for themselves.
In order to lure out the heroes, the three villains traveled back to Earth, where they arrived at Green Mountain. Richtofen would then watch Gruntijackal use the powers he still had to transform the entire city into a massive medieval fortress and create a new zombie army out of the citizens, all whilst sparing the four survivors and Samantha Maxis, who became Daniela's adoptive daughter. After fighting through the city, the four reach the fortress, where they confront Richtofen, Gruntijackal, and Xarcoh. As Higgins angrily questions how they all returned, Richtofen explains that there were still loose ends they forgot to tie up completely. In an act to show superiority, Richtofen proceeds to pull out an MR6 and brutally shoots Higgins in the chest twice. As Higgins dies, Gruntijackal explains that if they wish to save Higgins' life, they must find the location of the fabled Lamp of Destiny and bring the relic to Gruntijackal at the Temple of Terminus, a temple that was hidden in the skies above the world on a floating land mass. With this, Xarcoh proceeds to use his powers to teleport himself, Richtofen, and Gruntijackal to their new base at the temple.
The Final Struggle / Palace of Secrets[]
At the Temple of Terminus, Gruntijackal is in a large ritual chamber with the Lamp of Destiny while Xarcoh and Richtofen watch from a balcony. Gruntijackal soon smashes the Lamp of Destiny into pieces, which causes the Dark Creation energies within the lamp to spew out into the room. Suddenly, an alarm goes off within the temple, alerting the three. Gruntijackal orders his generals to attend to the intrusion while he continues with the ritual. As Richtofen and Xarcoh seal off the ritual chamber, Xarcoh puts the Gauntlet of Ataraxia back onto his arm, saying to Richtofen that everything changes today.
The four heroes soon land their helicopter on the outside balcony, which served as the main entrance to the temple. Richtofen and Xarcoh appears, telling the heroes to give up, or face the wrath of the Emperor of Destiny. When the heroes refused, Richtofen then explains that the temple will merely become their eternal grave before snapping his fingers. This triggers the temple's emergency response system, creating an army of zombies in order to face the heroes. Xarcoh and Richtofen soon enter the temple before sealing off the main door. However, the heroes are able to open the door into the temple and proceed inside.
While the heroes fight off the zombies within the temple, Richtofen and Xarcoh travel to the sky garden below the temple, where they discover Umbra Ops retrieving the Reversal attribute of the Time Blade. Xarcoh grabs the attribute, shocking everyone. As the team questions why Xarcoh was here, Xarcoh explains the whole story to them, revealing his shocking survival and how he was able to develop a soul of his own. He soon reveals that both him and Richtofen were currently working to help Gruntijackal become the all-powerful Emperor of Destiny, saying they have no intentions of being here at the temple. Xarcoh then absorbs the Reversal attribute, gaining its power before charging into battle against Umbra Ops with Richtofen. After a long and gruesome fight, Alex "Rook" Miller is able to use the Time Blade to absorb the Reversal attribute from within Xarcoh. Undeterred, Xarcoh explains he hopes to one day fight them again before teleporting away with Richtofen.
Back within the temple, the heroes enter the lower levels of the ritual chamber, where they see Gruntijackal performing the ritual. As the energies of the Dark Creation circle around Gruntijackal, the heroes attempt to stop the ritual, but are stopped by Richtofen and Xarcoh. A fight against the two villains begins in the ritual chamber, with Gruntijackal becoming untouchable in his chamber due to a forcefield he was able to create with his growing powers. After the battle, Xarcoh drops the gauntlet, while telling Richtofen that the ritual will succeed, no matter the cost. As Gruntijackal nods to his generals, Xarcoh grabs Richtofen's arm and the two jump into Gruntijackal's forcefield, destroying both of them, but causing both of their energies to be absorbed by Gruntijackal. With this added energy, Gruntijackal is able to complete the ritual. As the forcefield around him is disabled, Gruntijackal begins his ultimate transformation into the Emperor of Destiny. Gruntijackal soon backs up into another room behind the ritual chamber before sealing the door with the use of his Dark Creation powers.
However, despite the Emperor of Destiny's incredible strength and power, his power was dimished with the use of the Ravish by the four heroes. This would cause the Emperor of Destiny to lose his physical form upon absorbing the Ravish's powerful yet unstable energies, causing the Emperor of Destiny to turn into a ball of energy and explode in the skies above the temple, destroying the Emperor of Destiny, Richtofen and Xarcoh in the process.
The Greatest Threat of All[]
To be added
Boss Rush[]
A reflection of Richtofen is created by the mystical Delphi Amphitheater and influenced by the Grandmaster with the use of Prima Materia that was unleashed by the completion of the ultimate Sentinel Trial. This reflection would be imbued with Richtofen's strong thoughts that still lingered even after he ceased to exist, thus allowing Richtofen to live on one last time, though he would remain bonded to the Delphi Amphitheater along with the reflections of other villains across the multiverse until he was to be defeated by one of the Heroes of Light.
Upon being defeated by Novus, Richtofen clenched his head and cried out in agony as he fell to the ground, dropping his replica Yin Blade as it dematerialized. Looking up towards the heroes that defeated him, Richtofen lamented on what he had become, having finally been released from Gruntijackal's influence before fading away. Of the thirteen Roach Chronicles bosses present in the tournament, Richtofen was the first boss to be eliminated.
Trivia[]
- Richtofen, along with Samantha Maxis and Ludvig Maxis, are the only characters that appear in the Roach Chronicles to have originated from Treyarch's Aether storyline.
References[]
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