Lord Recluse

Lord Recluse, real name Stefan Richter and additionally known as The Count of Cruel, is a primary antagonist of City of Heroes and is the leader of Arachnos, a large organization of supervillains. Also appearing in City of Villains, Recluse is the arch-enemy of the heroic Statesman.

Past
Wealthy orphan technocrat Stefan Richter and Marcus Cole were close friends and brother-in-laws who served in World War I. However, in the middle of this time, Richter survived being exposed to a dose of mustard gas, but was rendered chronically ill. As such, Richter and Cole headed out to the Fountain of Zeus in Greece and use the fountain as a cure for Stefan's deadly illness. When they came upon Praxidae, the home of the Well of Furies and the Foundation of Zeus, they both drank from the former, gaining superhuman strength, near-immortality, and god-like capabilities as well as curing Stefan.

However, they also found the power-source of the foundation, Pandora's Box, and opening it triggered an overwhelming energy explosion, sending both near-deities flying into an ocean. When Richter awoke, he became high on his new power and sought to become more than a god. After murdering his friend, Billy, Stefan labeled himself Lord Recluse and used his dark powers to spawn eight spider-like appendages on his back. He then organized the supervillain group Arachnos and became an international terrorist rivaling the Statesman, Marcus Cole's superhero identity, and his heroic organization the Freedom Phalanx.