Charlie Holt was once Delta, the leader of the Defenders. He had the whole shebang, strength, near invulnerability and the smarts to make him a great team leader. Then he met Totenkopf. The old German was creating a death ray powerful enough to destroy Argent City in mere minutes. The Defenders went to stop him, but the death ray was activated and blasted Charlie’s leg. Even though he was near invulnerable, the death ray did major damage to his leg, destroying it beyond repair. He could still move it but with great pain. Needless to say, they did beat Totenkopf, but Charlie was a changed man.
Despite a leg brace which kept his leg mostly immobile, he was still in a great deal of pain and could only limp. He knew he would only slow his team down, so he quit. He retired for a couple of months before one of his old teammates called for help. She needed Charlie’s great strategic mind to help her defeat a supervillain and Charlie was happy to help. He was still a hero on the inside, even if he couldn’t be one on the outside due to his leg.
He had found his new calling. He now works as a chessmaster, providing heroes with strategic and personal advice all from the safety of his own home.