Hans Marco

Hans Marco (マルコハンス, Marukō Hansū; in the English "Hans Marko") is one of the leading scientists of the Providence Research Facility as well as an Alchemist. Hans is not a certified state alchemist and has no desire to apply to become one, seeing them as nothing more then dogs for the Military to boss around.

Personality & traits
A complex and in depth man, Hans' only interest in life is the concept of Science. He looks down on those who worship "Gods" and regards mankind as fools for doing so for hundreds of generations. Through intense research and analysis, Hans has come to the conclusion that perfection is impossible in man as we can only function at limited brain power and are often blinded by our own flaws. Hans believes that through the study of Alchemy, he can trigger the "true extent to Humanity." His goals are often misconceived as an attempt to perfect man, drawing anger from the religious zealots of Amestris, but his studies and research are anything but. Hans' goal is to test the extent of man and to attain our true "power" which we had lost when we began to forsake logical thought.

Hans is a condescending man and often looks down on his associates, rarely praising them for their effort and loyalty to him and his cause. Despite the way he treats his assistants, they revere Hans as a genius and have outwardly stated that they would follow him to the end of the world and back. Hans cares little for their loyalty and sees them nothing as meager fodder, test subjects and drones at his disposal. Despite this, he does not treat them harshly and is not one to overwork them, for Hans is understanding that man has their limits.

Suffering from chronic insomnia, Hans has stated that the last time he got to rest properly, he had begun his first day at the Research Facility. The effects of his lack of sleep are evident in his often cranky persona and tendency to drift off in his thoughts.

Hans' natural sense of authority and willingness to sacrifice anything for the sake of science has lead to the attempt of which inevitably lead to the loss of his foot and lower calve, making up for the missing appendage through means of. Hans' attempt at Human Transmutation is unknown to all except his assistant, the latter having spent several gruesome hours stabilizing Hans' then fitting him with the automail. It is because of her strong bond to Hans, that he respects and trusts her and no one else.

Hans has witnessed which did nothing more then strengthen his beliefs in science. The Truth tried to misconceive Hans, claiming to be the messenger of the God that Hans himself had forsaken. Hans denied the Truth the joy of breaking the scientist down mentally and called him a "fool" for having such authority to a so called God. Hans proceeded to opt out and offered his entire being, soul and all, just because the idea that a God exists in this world was as ludicrous as the claim he had made. The Truth, angry with Hans lack of care for his own flawed personality, claimed Hans' foot as his own and returned him to the Living World.

Witnessing the Gate left a considerable impression on Hans, further pushing his belief that Man can fulfill what they were meant to through Alchemy and began his own Research Facility to achieve this goal. His strong resolve is evidence that no simple "belief" can sway Hans from his penultimate ideals and beliefs.

Appearance
A tall, lanky and slender man; Hans Marco boasts a wild plume of emerald colored hair and brown colored eyes that are notably blood shot from lack of sleep and being overworked. Hans wears a plain white shirt with a skinny black tie and a pair of slacks with a white lab coat inscribed with a cursive M. A pair of rectangular framed glasses sit on the brim of his nose.

Following his attempt at Human Transmutation, Hans lost both his left foot and lower calf, which would eventually become replaced by automail.

During the discovery of Compound 46, Hans removed his clothes to take a shower, revealing an elaborate tattoo scheme going down the right half of his shoulder and spiraling down to his waist. Noticeably, a rune that resembles a "Blood Seal" sits at the center of the tattoo, raising alarms as to where Hans' priorities genuinely are.

Biography
Born Aurelius Marco III to a traveling physician and Drachman immigrant, the Marco family would find their way to settling in two months after their sons birth. They sought to give Aurelius a good life, one free of war and violence that Drachma had faced for so many years. For the early part of his life, Aurelius lived a normal one, spending his days at school and his weekends playing with his friends at the local park. Aurelius proved to be an outstanding student and was highly intrigued in the fields of science and medicine, via his father's background as a physician.

Things changed heavily for the Marco family when the Führer came to power in the year 1894, who wrote up a draft that would pull Aurelius' father into the military as a medical officer. For the next few years, Doctor Marco saw very little action and spent the majority of his time directly at home awaiting deployment. It was during this time that he began enforcing harsher education onto the young Aurelius, out of fear that if he died in battle, Aurelius could take up the mantle and support his mother by becoming a Doctor or a scientist.

When the year 1901 came around, Doctor Marco was transported to Ishval where he would spend the next few months in an effort to help calm the rebellions and hostiles. Following the death of an Ishvalan girl at the hands of an Amestris soldier, uprisings broke out through Ishval where Doctor Marco lost his life at the hands of a mob. Sent to execution before a crowd of hundreds, Doctor Marco hung for bearing the insignia of Amestris.

The Shift
The news of his fathers death was not an easy one for young Aurelius, who was left in shambles just as his mother was. During the funeral, oddly enough, Aurelius didn't shed a single tear. When a General who was in attendance commended Aurelius for his bravery and strength through this most pressing time, Aurelius stated that "A man does not shed tears for somebody who died a heroes death, he thanks him."

Aurelius would continue his daily routine of school, forcing himself to become the man his father envisioned. Graduating from school at the age of 18, Aurelius graduated at the top of his classes and was the valedictorian of his class. Shortly after graduating, Aurelius found himself working at a small laboratory situated in Central City that focused on disease control. Aurelius was one of the best the lab had to offer and often received praise by the military who funded the center.

The long hours of work and harsh working conditions took their toll on Aurelius, bringing out a harsher side of him. Aurelius would often find himself in fits of rage for no reason, breaking glass windows out of anger and even digging into his own arm with his nails out of frustration. He had little options left and couldn't take the stress, taking his last paycheck he proceeded to dump out all of his savings and give them to his mother before disappearing into the night.

Aurelius needed to get away and find a more peaceful place in the world. Central City was too much for Aurelius and took a heavy toll on his personality. was what he found. A small town, with a population of a meager hundred or so situated in the far easy of Amestris. They were in dire need of medical care, having a single doctor treating the entire town. Aurelius enlisted as an assistant to the doctor, but not before changing his name so nobody could ever find him. Dropping the name Aurelius, he became known as simply Hans Marco.

The Promised Day
Euphora Town had made very little contact with other cities, having lived off their own agriculture and farms for years, but were shocked to hear the broadcast of the train explosion that killed the Führer and his son. Hans and the local Doctor spent the better part of the day discussing and going over what was next for the country with the Führer dead. Hans insisted that the Government step down and a politician take the reigns as leader of the country drawing a laugh from the Doctor.

As they conversed, the subject of the solar eclipse came up and Hans displayed his enthusiasm for watching it. He was always a fan of such anomalies like solar eclipses and would kill to see one first hand.

As the solar eclipse began, Hans stepped outside to see people dropping to the floor around him, as if their lives were being ripped from them. Hans turned to see the same thing happen to the doctor and quickly fumbled to help him. As he reached out to the doctor, Hans fell too, gasping for air and recalling his last thoughts: "This is the end?"

Awaking several minutes later, Hans gasps for air and quickly consoles the doctor about what happened. Heading outside, the two go to work with assisting the rest of Euphora Town.

Abilities & skills
Despite being a man of science and a scholar, of sorts, Hans has proven to be a capable firearm expert with great precision that rivals most military men. Often accompanied by his signature Walther P38, Hans was able to shoot down a group of AWOL soldiers who attacked his Research Facility in an attempt to salvage supplies. Hans commented that their attempts at stealth were flawed and proceeded to deliver a gruesome bullet to each of their heads before they could react.

His lack of empathy and curiosity of the body has forged Hans into nothing more then a monstrosity that walks, serving as a truly dangerous combatant on the battlefield. Hans has gone as far as to dissect a Human-Chimera creation in an attempt to "master their anatomy." His anatomical skills are revered in his field of study, as Hans wrote one of Amestris' most captivating thesis' entitled .

His Alchemic prowess is also something to not be trifled with, having mastered the usage of  electrical-based Alchemy. Having witnessed the, Hans is capable of seal-free Alchemy and can discharge electrical currents from his hands on a whim. Through his Alchemy, Han has performed tasks such as jolting a subject's heart back to life to frying his target alive through means of electrocution. Hans is a noted Alchemist, having earned the nickname Polarity Marco (マルコ極性, Marukō Kyokusei) despite not attaining the status of State Alchemist.

His Alchemic abilities reached the point where Hans was capable of performing Human Transmutation, although his attempts proved futile, leaving nothing more then a reanimated skull that can only mutter the few feint words "Kill... me". Hans has chosen to continue his research of the skull, believing it could be the key to furthering his goals.


 * Enhanced Speed: Hans is quite fast, being capable of quickly moving across the rooftops of Central City in pursuit of the noted vigilante . During an attack on the the Providence Research Facility by AWOL Amestris soldiers, Hans was capable enough to dart around his gun-toting opponents, dodging their attacks with ease. Hans proceeded to stand at the center of them and mock them before shooting them all down with his pistol.


 * Genius Intellect: One of the foremost researchers of Anatomy and Human Study on Amestris, Hans is credited with writing dozens of theories and research papers on his findings that have been highly regarded and praised by the Government, the military and other scientists in his community. Since his childhood, Hans was known to have a higher intellect then others and was enrolled into one of the top educational systems that Amestris had to offer as a result. His grades stood at even A+'s across the board. During his school years, Hans became famous for his creation of a unique Alchemic compound that could transmutate between time and space, although the transmutation circle proved to be inadequate and required too much raw power to use.

Quotes
"Hans speaking down to his assistants"

- Failure is not an option... If you mess up, It'll be you on that operating table next

Behind the Scenes
Marco's likeness stems from the character Verde of Katekyo Hitman Reborn of which the character Verde is a scientist as well. Although Hans and Verde share some similarities, Hans can be called an extremist in the field of science and stands above Verde in terms of skill and intellect.

Hans' seiyū is Yūya Uchida who also voices the character Dr. Franken Stein in the series Soul Eater.

The difference between Hans and most canon-characters is that his name is not derived from any World War II military vehicle or aircraft, although there may be name inspiration in the Noble Prize winning Biochemist Hans Fischer.