John Doe

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John Doe, a.k.a. John Archer, is a clockwork man who became self aware. He is a close friend of the Flying Squirrel due to his temporary station as the Red Panda II.

History

John Archer was a creation of Captain Clockwork. He was one of nine humanoid bombs, the first eight were destroyed by the Flying Squirrel and the Red Panda. The ninth wandered away and was found by a young woman named Anne who gave him the name John. The two fell in love and were married. John's intelligence led the Red Panda to the decision to simply remove Clockwork's bombs, and set up the robot and his wife with a new identity. 

At the end of the sixth season, when the ranks of the Home Team was decimated by the Deadly Nightshade, John Doe was one of the only three survivors. Unfortunately, his wife was killed in the explosion that very nearly destroyed him. John suffered sever damage, not only from the explosion but also the fire that followed... When he refused to leave his dead wife's side.

Time as the Red Panda

After Dr. Anna Chronopolis repaired John, the newly promoted Major believed that he could easily take the mask of the Red Panda. She had Dr. Anna craft a face similar to that of the Red Panda, with a mask that could not be removed (as she believed he would have no need for a secret identity). 

John Doe suffered extreme emotional trauma as a result of his wife's death. It was the Flying Squirrel who offered him some form of salvation, in the form of revenge. The Flying Squirrel and John Doe became each other's support during this time. The Flying Squirrel helped John to balance his thirst for revenge with his identity as a hero, and John supported the Squirrel's steadfast belief in her husband's survival. In many ways they became best friends.

The Flying Squirrel also acted as both a coach and boss to the man; swapping their roles of hero and sidekick. John Doe even voiced his opinion that Squirrel should take the role of the Red Panda, as she was already calling all of the shots anyway, and would be more than capable when she returned to active duty as the Flying Squirrel. 

The Flying Squirrel attempted to play matchmaker with John and Anna Chronopolis (whom she'd noticed had a crush on John). She even went so far as to reveal her true identity to Anna in order to arrange a date between the two. However, John was still in love with his wife and was uninterested in a romantic relationship. Despite the setback, the Flying Squirrel remained hopeful that John would acknowledge and even reciprocate Anna's feeling someday. 

After the Panda's Return

John Doe had felt that he did not belong to Toronto the way the Red Panda did. He still desired more revenge for his wife. He'd often spoken of joining the efforts of the superpowered allies. Once the Red Panda returned, John Doe did just that. And is now known as "the Red Ensign". A nod to his time as the Red Panda.

He still felt out of place amoung the "chest thumping" flag clad heroes in the service of the Allied Forces, though he did mention getting along with one Australian (most likely Brian McSweeney, whom he had worked with while acting as the Red Panda). 

Flying Squirrel expressed concern that, without encouragement, John Doe would forget that he did not need to work 24/7. The Major told Flying Squirrel that John had predicted this reaction from her, and he would be touched.