▁a ▁young , ▁recently ▁or phan ed ▁Cl iff ord ▁as ▁a ▁sur rog ate ▁son , ▁whom ▁he ▁shelter ed ▁from ▁the ▁current ▁world ▁and ▁taught ▁to ▁ideal ize ▁earlier ▁times . ▁ ▁Turner ▁D . ▁Century ▁was ▁a ▁young ▁man ▁with ▁dark ▁hair ▁worn ▁in ▁the ▁style ▁of ▁ 1 9 0 0 , ▁and ▁a ▁handle bar ▁m oust ache ▁of ▁the ▁sort ▁popular ▁at ▁that ▁time . ▁ ▁He ▁wore ▁a ▁cost ume ▁consisting ▁of ▁typical ▁summer ▁cl othing ▁as ▁would ▁be ▁worn ▁by ▁a ▁young ▁man ▁of ▁the ▁middle ▁classes ▁in ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 9 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States — a ▁st raw ▁bo ater , ▁a ▁strip ed ▁jack et , ▁and ▁white ▁tr ous ers . ▁ ▁His ▁motiv ation ▁was ▁a ▁hat red ▁of ▁the ▁social ▁changes ▁that ▁had ▁come ▁about ▁since ▁the ▁time - period ▁he ▁ideal ized ▁( the ▁period ▁just ▁before ▁World ▁War ▁I ) ▁and ▁many ▁of ▁his ▁cr imes ▁involved ▁striking ▁out ▁at ▁things ▁or ▁people ▁that ▁represented , ▁in ▁his ▁view , ▁these ▁changes . ▁To ▁that ▁end , ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁er ad icate ▁the ▁current ▁population ▁of ▁San ▁Francisco ▁using ▁a ▁hyp erson ic ▁weapon ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁design ▁and ▁re build ▁the ▁old ▁society ▁again . ▁He ▁was ▁opposed ▁by ▁Spider - Man ▁and ▁the ▁ag ing ▁advent urer ▁Domin ic ▁Fort une , ▁and ▁his ▁scheme ▁turned ▁out ▁to ▁be ▁in ▁vain ; ▁although ▁the ▁weapon ▁affected ▁all ▁within ▁its ▁range ,