Overshadow
Wilhelm Kantor was born in Germany in the early 1900s. A dashing, athletic, and intellectual young man, he found his way into certain esoteric circles around the same time the Nazi Party was gaining prominence in his homeland. Eventually, Kantor was initiated into the Thule Society, a secretive lodge of mystics who embraced the ideal of an Aryan past, and wielded ancient Teutonic magic.
Kantor’s experiences in the Thule Society awakened him to numerous past lives, in particular a previous incarnation in ancient Egypt when he was the sorcerer Tan- Aktor, who betrayed and attempted to overthrow the Prince Heru-Ra. He learned that his soul, his ka, and that of Heru-Ra had reincarnated throughout history to carry out their age-old conflict.
The awakening of his ka made Kantor a formidable magician, quickly exceeding his mentors and rising to prominence within the Society. Coupled with her perfect Aryan looks and cold ambition, Kantor earned the favor of the Nazis and the Füehrer himself. He became a key occult advisor to Hitler and was placed in charge of various secret Nazi programs to create übersoldaten: super-soldiers for the Fatherland. Kantor used the opportunity to ensure many of these Nazi super-agents were loyal to him, foreseeing the day when he would topple Hitler and claim the Third Reich for himself.
During the Second World War, Kantor was a shadowy mastermind behind numerous Nazi schemes. His rituals granted Nacht-Krieger and others their powers, and he maintained something of a rivalry with Übermensch, Hitler’s favored champion, as they both plotted to eliminate the Füehrer for their own reasons. Kantor knew Übermensch was a rogue Ultiman, but was never able to use the information to his advantage, although he did manage to acquire many technological secrets of the Ultima.
When the Third Reich collapsed in defeat, Kantor fled Germany, along with a cache of gold and occult artifacts. For years, he schemed to regain the power he’d lost. Eventually, he used a combination of occult lore and Ultima and Preserver technology to clone himself; replacing his aging body is a young, healthy, physically perfect form. He also created clones in his own image as ideal followers: programmed for loyalty and obedience. From this grew the organization known as SHADOW, with Kantor as its supreme leader, the Overshadow.
Since then, the Overshadow has largely abandoned pretenses of Aryan superiority and focuses solely on his superiority. He wants nothing less than complete world domination and he’s come close to getting it on a number of occasions. His old foe Heru-Ra returned for a number of years as the Scarab to oppose him, but he has been removed from the picture for the time being. Likewise, the champions of Light have not found a successor, while Kantor has reclaimed the services of Nacht-Krieger. The time is growing ripe for the rise of SHADOW and for the Overshadow to lord over the world!
