"There was no long-term, and trying to cling to one would only spoil it all."
This article contains spoilers regarding the ending of Worm and plot of the sequel.
Biter is a parahuman that worked under Bitch.
Personality
Together with Barker, he claims to be fearless.[4] Unlike Barker, Biter is well spoken and intelligent, and was willing to do the menial tasks that Bitch demands.[5][6]
Relationships
Barker
The larger of the two Biter is more reasonable and diplomatic then Barker, and able to keep Barker focused and ameliorate any gaffs on his partners part.[5][7]
Rachel
At some point, he began sleeping with Bitch. She appreciated that he didn't "make it more than it should be".[8] However he missed civilization while working for her.[8]
Appearance & Equipment
Biter gives off a brutish vibe,[9] Which can lead to people underestimating him.[6] He is a muscular man over six feet tall, usually shirtless with a bear-trap jaw plate over his severe underbite and spike-studded gear such as a collar and a number of leather straps and belts. His teeth are filed into points.[10] His costume combined casual wear with the already mentioned elements, fitting in with temperature and similar.[1]
When operating as a cape Biter uses the before mentioned rusty bear-trap jaw plate and spiked knuckle-dusters. Sometimes he will rusty, old fashioned looking mechanical rigging The frame seemed set up to hold metal claws around his fingertips while allowing his hands the full range of motion.[4] He would later upgrade the jaw-plate with a cleaner more stylized version, along with more spikes.[11]
Abilities and Powers
Biter has the ability to distort parts of his body to increase their size.[2][10] This includes materials that he wears that give him additional offensive ability.[12][13]
This distortion has an upward limit before he incurs permanent damage, which leads to stretch marks, scarring, and chronic pain.[14]
History
Story Start
Biter is Barker's partner. They showed up in Brockton Bay to fight the Endbringer that appeared there[15][4] and were both incapacitated during the battle. The two were later hired by Coil to work for Bitch. They worked with her since she grabbed territory but did not participate in the fights against the Slaughterhouse Nine.[16]
Post-Slaughterhouse Nine
Biter would help against the Dragon Suits that were deployed against The Undersiders.[17] The nascent Sons of Bitch would effect a strategic retreat from the conflict. Barker would later adapt to Bitch's leadership.[18]
Post-Echidna
Biter and Barker would move to Earth Gimel with the rest of of the Sons of Bitch. Barker would later leave however and Biter would stay in Gimel with Bitch who he started a casual relationship with. The Sons of Bitch would stay in Gimel, sans Endbringer conflicts, for over two years before the End of the World came.
Gold Morning
Biter served during Gold Morning and wore the yellow band on his sleeve afterwards. He joined Rachel in retrieving a kidnapped child for Earth Bet.[8]
He eventually did leave the pack.[19]
Early-Ward
Biter was seen chilling at a 'Villain bar' when some Alaskan villains showed up. Joined in the applause with the others when the strike team came by after completing their mission, and when Prancer announced that he was selling something.[19]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biter – A tall, muscular cape with a homemade costume sporting a bear-trap jaw plate and spike-studded pads. Can distort parts of his body to increase their size. - Cast Page
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Biter Distorts the size of individual body parts Undersiders/Bitch Changer - Parahuman List, bolded edit by Wildbow
- ↑ Someone who could alter their appearance to look like another person/alter their human features vs. someone who could physically take on another form.
Biter would have likely been a shifter vs. a changer. - Wildbow on Reddit - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Parasite 10.6
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Colony 15.1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 To my surprise, it was Biter who did the talking. He had a low voice, and his words were muddled by some combination of the mouthgear and the underbite. “You get along.”
I folded my arms.
He spread his hands, “How?”
“How do Bitch and I get along?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking behind her back.”
The girl with her arm in a sling spoke up, “She acts like she’s frustrated with us. And I think we’re frustrated with her.” - Excerpt from Colony 15.1 - ↑ “He started it, I finished it,” I told her.
She looked at Biter, who shrugged and nodded agreement with my statement. Bitch seemed to accept that as answer enough. She picked up his chair, moved it a few feet so it wouldn’t be in Barker’s way as he kicked and spasmed, and sat down.
“I’m surprised there’s no objections about me attacking your partner,” I told Biter.
“Your house, your rules, you said.”
“What do you do? No demonstrations, please.”
“I make parts of myself - Excerpt from Colony 15.1 - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 She was losing Biter. This wasn’t the life for him. He was loyal, he wasn’t dumb, and he wasn’t a bad lay, if she was in the mood for that. Didn’t, unlike some, make it more than it should be. He took it in stride.
She’d barely had time to register that he was going, before the trouble started. It bothered her more than it should.
People came, people went. There were so many reasons for it all. It was exhausting to keep track of. Sometimes impossible. - Excerpt from Teneral e.4 - ↑ Biter – Bitch’s underling, has powers. A brute with a bear-trap jaw plate as part of his mask and spiked gear, he can alter the size of individual body parts. - Cast (in depth)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Barker and Biter gave me something of a George and Lennie vibe, with the smaller guy as the brains of the outfit, the larger one as the big oaf. While I didn’t have any major clues to Barker’s powers, Biter was clearly a physical powerhouse. He stood over six feet in height with a severe underbite exaggerated by a metal bear-trap style band of metal around his lower jaw. His teeth, I saw, were filed into points. His costume featured spiked knuckle-dusters and a number of leather straps and belts over his clothes. Each length of leather was studded with sharp spikes. - Excerpt from Colony 15.1
- ↑ Rachel took her eyes off the girl, spotting Biter in the crowd. He, too, wore more spikes, but it was somewhat more blatant. With the weather getting colder, he’d donned a hood, held in place by spikes that ran along the top and back of his head, puncturing the material. The bear-trap jaw plate had been replaced with a more stylized version. He was tall and imposing, but she tracked him more by the way the crowd seemed to move and shift to avoid him and the two dogs that zig-zagged in front of him, searching for the scent. - Excerpt from Teneral e.4
- ↑ Biter used the metal ‘bear trap’ jaw-guard in combination with his ability to distort parts of his body to large sizes, clamping down on the suit’s hand. He had to hurl himself back and out of the way to avoid the suit’s retaliatory attack. As he climbed to his feet, he spat out two fingers and a section of the suit’s hand. - Excerpt from Monarch 16.4
- ↑ Biter leaped onto the machine’s back, his hands with the spiked knuckles worked into the gloves growing larger so he could tear the armor plates away. - Excerpt from Monarch 16.4
- ↑ “Can’t,” Biter said. “Limit to how big I can grow myself before I do permanent damage.”
“Define permanent damage.”
“Stretch marks, scarring, permanent aches and pains. I have some in my midsection, all day, every day, it hurts.” - Excerpt from Monarch 16.4 - ↑ The Armband spoke. Losses are as follows: Debaser, Ascendant, Gallant, Zigzag, Prince of Blades, Vitiator, Humble, Halo, Whirlygig, Night, Crusader, Uglymug, Victor, Furrow, Barker, Elegance, Quark, Pelter, Snowflake, Ballistic, Mama Bear, Mister Eminent, Flashbang, Biter… -Excerpt from Extermination 8.3
- ↑ “I make parts of myself bigger.” He pointed to his mouth, then to the fist with the spike-studded knuckle-duster. “Open wide, swing with bigger hands.”
Nothing that would have been that great against the Nine. I couldn’t blame Bitch for leaving them behind. - Excerpt from Colony 15.1 - ↑ The suit hauled the dog off it, climbing to its feet in an instant. It leaped forward to close the distance to its human opponents, and Biter stepped forward to meet it, his fist swelling to five times the normal size, along with the spikes and blades he’d worked into the fabric of his glove. The suit went flying, gathering itself into a rough ball shape as it careened backwards into the side of a train. - Excerpt from Monarch 16.4
- ↑ Imago 21.6
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 - Excerpt from Interlude 1 II
- ↑ Pitch 6.7
| Leader | Grue ‡ • Skitter ‡ • Tattletale |
|---|---|
| Members | Bitch • Foil • Imp • Parian • Regent † • Chicken Little |
| Subordinates | Atlas † • Barker • Biter • Cassie • Charlotte • Forrest • Bryce Kiley • Sierra Kiley • Chicken Large • Snuff |
| Associates | Accord's Ambassadors • Bitch's Dogs • Coil's Organization • The Heartbroken • The Needlepoints • Sons of Bitch • The Chicken Tenders |