Case 53s were amnesiac parahumans with severe physical alterations, branded with a "C". They were s-called because their origin was the 53rd anomalous case investigated by the PRT[citation needed].
Details
Case 53s were found in out of the way locations in urban areas across North America. They all had retrograde amnesia, with their first memories being waking up in a strange city.[1]
All Case 53s were marked with the same brand, tattoo, or mark; resembling a stylized 'C', 'u' or Omega.
All Case 53s were monstrous in appearance, with the exception of Shamrock, although they seemed increasingly less monstrous as time went on. Faultline estimated that four out of five monstrous parahumans were Case 53s[1].
Examples
Origin
Case 53s were partially failed experiments by Cauldron, successful in creating parahumans who did not immediately die from their physical mutations. They had their memories erased by the Slug to prevent them from sharing Cauldron's secrets, and Cauldron's symbol (a "C" drawn to resemble a stylized cauldron) branded or tattooed onto them with a microscopic ID number.[citation needed]
Case 53s were usually taken from situations where they were about to die, their injuries healed or compensated for by their powers.[2]
Only about two-thirds of Case 53s are monstrous. Some case 53s were put towards the "Nemesis program", released with key weaknesses inserted into their psyches. The vast majority were kept as prisoners in the Cauldron Compound[2][3]
Case 53's are harder to predict with prescient powers than other capes.[citation needed]