Assault

Ethan, known publicly as Assault, is a member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate.

Personality
Smart, witty, and annoyingly good with kids, Ethan is also a highly observant individual, able to see Battery's trepidation about discussing where her powers came from even though she tried to hide it.

He was one of the heroes who had the best chance of nudging Taylor Hebert toward the Wards program, had he encountered her on her first night out, likely making a neutral, low-pressure offer.

As the villain Madcap, he claimed to stand against everything that the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center stood for, leading into his career as a jailbreak specialist. However, this seems to have been a lie.

Appearance
As Assault, Ethan wears red body armor with a visor covering the upper half of his face. At one point, when his costume was damaged, he replaced the top half with odds and ends from the PRT's stock costumes.

His costume as Madcap is the opposite; a grinning mask that covered the lower half of his face, and bulky, spike-studded, decorative armour. He had a pointed black leather cap connected to the mask and his costume, and wore black face paint around his eyes. He wielded discus-like throwing weights.

He was less muscular than Triumph.

Abilities and Powers
Ethan is a kinetic energy manipulator, controlling the energies of movement, acceleration, and motion, but only on himself and things he touches.

Battery was able to kick off him and leap in the opposite direction at full power without hurting him; in fact, he could use the energy of the impact to move himself at high speeds. He could move over long distances at speeds similar to Chariot, whose suit allowed him to move a hundred miles an hour. He could cross a room with a single leap. He couldn't hit as hard or move as fast as Battery could when charged, but he moved faster than she did on average. He had a limited ability to resist incoming containment foam, which slid off him more easily than normal. Bugs slid off him as if oiled.

He could deliver kicks that shoved a person across a room without hurting them. He could kick a desk into the air across a room at an enemy.

As Madcap, he used his extremely flexible power somewhat differently. He could hit an armoured van hard enough to make it roll, or stand in front of one and have it bounce off him, crumpled as if hitting a telephone pole. He could rip the doors off an armoured van. He could rip a weapon from an enemy's hand or smash them against the ground with a touch. He could smash his way through a solid concrete wall without slowing. When Battery slammed him against a wall, he rebounded as if made of rubber. He was able to throw her down the length of a hallway. When he ran, he moved faster with every step. He could make a metal chair that was tripping him crumple and explode. His power didn't prevent him from stumbling on unanticipated objects, nor make him immune to Legend's kinetic lasers. His power was totally ineffective when he was in midair.

Background
According to Doctor Mother, he was a natural trigger.

Ethan operated under the name of "Madcap" as a jailbreak specialist. He battled Battery eight times before she finally defeated him, continuously annoying her by calling her "puppy". After he was caught, he joined the Protectorate under the name of "Assault".

His main requirement for joining the heroes was being on the same team as Battery.

As a hero, he continually pestered Battery for a date. Armsmaster struggled to deal with his harassment of her. Eventually, she agreed in exchange for forcing him to help her with community outreach, which she mistakenly assumed he would hate.

Eventually, he and Battery married, though this was unknown to the public; some speculated that he might be her brother.

He was part of a team that battled Lung without success.

Story Start
Assault was present for the Battle at the Gallery, where Grue disabled him using stolen containment foam.

He was among the group that went to fight Leviathan in close quarters.

Post-Leviathan
He caught Chariot racing around, and convinced his mother to talk to a Wards recruiter. Shadow Stalker witnessed him battling the Chosen alongside Miss Militia and PRT agents, fist-fighting with Stormtiger.

He was present for the end of the battle when the Undersiders attacked the PRT ENE Headquarters.

He was among the heroes who fought the Slaughterhouse Nine in identical fireproof costumes, brawling with Crawler.

Post-Slaughterhouse Nine
His wife was killed by Bonesaw while she was in the company of Skitter, under the influence of Bonesaw's agnosia miasma. He blamed the Undersiders for her death, and pushed for the heroes to be more aggressive against them, even to the point of disobeying orders.

He was present when the Undersiders and Travelers attacked the PRT HQ to kidnap Director Piggot, fighting Skitter.

Post-Echidna
He was at the PRT base when Skitter surrendered.