Tobias Benz

Tobias Benz is the protagonist of the Kalharian superhero franchise Solid Light.

Fictional character biography
Benz was born in 2071, which places his age at the beginning of the Solid Light story arc at 22. He lived with his mother, Karlotta, in Markstadt, a technologically advanced but socially dystopian city. His father was murdered when he was 12 years old, leaving his mother manically depressed and agoraphobic. Automation and artificial intelligence have drastically reduced the number of jobs available, so Tobias has to resort to petty crime to support himself and his mother.

One night, he breaks into what he assumes to be an abandoned warehouse, but is captured and drugged. When he comes round, he finds himself in the lair of a mysterious older man, who introduces himself only as Schmidt but appears to be some form of scientist. Schmidt reveals that he has CCTV footage of Tobias' attempted break in, which he threatens to release to the police. Tobias pleads with him not to do so: he is on his third strike, meaning that another felony will result in his incarceration in a private labour prison, which will inevitably result in his mother becoming destitute. Schmidt offers to destroy the footage on one condition: that Tobias will 'help' him with one of his experiments.

Tobias reluctantly agrees. Schmidt reveals that he has discovered a hypothesised but assumed to be unobtainable substance: light in a solid, crystalline form. He exhibits fragments of the subject, which have various unusual properties. One shape of crystal attracts metal objects, while another crystal of a different shape repels metal. One shape heats objects rapidly; another freezes them. Schmidt shows Tobias a cage of mice that have been injected with solid light crystals. The mice have massively increased in agility, strength and stamina, and appear to no longer need to eat. Schmidt theorises that the solid light has given the mice the ability to photosynthesise. Schmidt explains that the mice also seem to have the ability to regulate their body temperature: when the cage was placed in a freezer, the mice were able to raise their temperature back to normal.

Schmidt then maniacally reveals his plan: Tobias is to be the first human guinea-pig to be injected with solid light crystals. Tobias refuses and attempts to escape, but Schmidt uses an unknown weapon to subdue him. When Tobias wakes, Schmidt informs him that he has been injected with serum.

Powers and skills
The crystalline light compound periodically injected into Tobias imbues him with enhanced strength, stamina and agility. It allowed him to attract or repel metal at will, which he uses to shield himself in combat, and to manipulate electric current to a limited extent.

The solid light was also designed to give Tobias the ability to thermoregulate. When he first came under its influence he struggled to control this power and frequently overheated, but he gradually gained more control over his body temperature. Schmidt intended this ability to only be used for a limited time in extreme circumstances. However, Tobias chose to keep his body temperature constantly high and wear only minimal clothing.

Costume and equipment
When Tobias agreed to undertake missions for Schmidt in return for further injections of solid light, it was decided that he needed a means of concealing his true identity from the public and, more importantly, the police. For unknown reasons, Tobias decided to go nearly naked, wearing only briefs, trainers, gloves, a headset to allow communication with Schmidt and the harness that supplied light crystals to his bloodstream. Although Schmidt disapproved of this, Tobias argued that the solid light provided all the protection and warmth he needed, thus allowing him to enjoy wearing very little.