James Radcliffe

James Radcliffe (1946 - ) A.K.A. Strikeseeker was one of the Stormwatchers, the group of costumed adventurers that lasted from 1968 to 1972. Strikeseeker was one of the strongest when it came to fighting experience, knowing special police combat techniques that only officers of SWAT knew.

Early Life
James Radcliffe's very early life is unknown, but during his late adolescence or just coming of age, he played football in a junior team.

James wanted to fight in Vietnam when he became an adult, but couldn't because of some injuries he suffered during a football match. However, he somehow managed to join SWAT not long after.

Time in SWAT and becoming Strikeseeker
In the beginning, young James Radcliffe was a member of SWAT. And was a greatly respected one indeed. But as time marched on, James could see that SWAT weren't doing their job properly. He eventually discovered that it's leaders had formed a pact with the mafia. Disgusted by the amount of sinister people in it, James Radcliffe left the force in 1967, deciding to battle the city's criminals by himself.

Calling himself "Strikeseeker", he hunted down the drug dealers and evil businessmen of New York using the skills and combat techniques he learned during his time in SWAT.

In 1968, Strikeseeker joined the Stormwatchers, a team of costumed heroes just like him. His unique fighting style and police combat techniques made him a powerful member. When costumed crime fighters were outlawed in 1972, the entire team disbanded and retired. Everyone except Strikeseeker and Korsakoff, who continued to fight crime illegally.

1973. The Last Stormwatchers
In the harbour of New York City in the winter of 1973, Korsakoff and Strikeseeker were solving a new case: a cargo ship of mysterious origin had arrived at the docks. The two started investigating the cargo ship, which belonged to an organization known as "Triple M", and contained several Ford Granada's which were to be transported to Europe. The duo opened the trunk of one of the cars and found bags of cocaine, which made them guess that the cargo ship belonged to a drug trafficking cartel. Once they were spotted by the protectors of the cargo ship, they fought them off and escaped in the Stormmobile. Discovering that the ship came from Los Angeles, his partner in crime suggested they go to LA to start solving the case at the ship's place of origin. They took a long drive the other side of the country and eventually, after briefly breaking down close to their destination (with him fixing the Stormmobile), made it to Los Angeles.

They headed to nearby Slab City, a run-down Californian desert town ran by bikers and rednecks that dealt with Triple M. While Korsakoff went out to kill the rednecks, Strikeseeker stayed in the car listening to the results of the general election on the radio. Upon returning, Korsakoff told him to head to Fillmore, home to a massive drug farm which was kept a secret by corrupt cops.

They both planned out the raid on the drug farm: Korsakoff kidnapped the farmer to get the information out of him, and Strikeseeker burned down the farm. The plan went almost exactly according to plan, However, Korsakoff got chased by Australian bounty hunter Jesper Keene, beginning a dramatic vehicle chase which ended well, with Korsakoff and the kidnapped farmer escaping.

When the duo reunited at a motel, he was told that the man in charge of it all was Marco María Martiánez ("Triple M"), the richest man in Los Angeles. They distributed the drugs in three: one part for the customers in Los Angeles, another was taken to New York by train, and the third was taken to Rio De Janeiro by plane for the South American customers. Strikeseeker decided to stop the plane headed to Rio, while Korsakoff would destroy the train. Strikeseeker headed for the airport and detonated the cargo plane and all the henchmen inside it with C4 explosives. After completing his part of the operation, he spotted a Dodo sea plane, and decided to use it to catch Korsakoff and escape quickly. Flying it, he spotted Korsakoff and Jesper Keene fighting on top of the train; with Jesper initially winning, but Korsakoff striking back with his hidden knife. Strikeseeker swooped in with the seaplane, and Korsakoff jumped off the train and luckily managed to grab on to the wing of the seaplane and trigger the bombs to explode the train (and presumably Jesper Keene with it).

Once they landed the seaplane in a junkyard, they started getting chased by the LAPD. While driving, Strikeseeker reveals the location of Marco Martiánez's house (which was given to him earlier on). Strikeseeker, in order to distract them and allow Korsakoff to escape, sacrificed his freedom to the authorities, jumping out of the car and attacking the police. While the police caught Strikeseeker and arrested him, Korsakoff drove to Marco Martiánez's mansion in Beverly Hills and stopped him.

Despite having Korsakoff (in disguise) trying to save him from prison, James Radcliffe got a life sentence at a New York prison. While being watched from a rooftop by Korsakoff, he was dragged out of the courthouse by the authorities. The last thing he said before being shot in the leg and thrown into the prison bus was "Screw the law!". His friend Korsakoff firmly stuck by this phrase, and used it as the basis for his new crime-fighting methods and schedule (he would later use this phrase against George Fillmore when talking about the team reuniting in 1993).

James Radcliffe remained in prison for 20 years, until 1993.

Events of Stormwatchers
In the film's setting (1993), James Radcliffe is still in prison after 20 years. The Stormwatchers reunite after hearing of the Phantom Soldier's murder, and the first thing they do as a team again is break James out of prison. After a big fight with police and prison guards, they free James and escape in the Stormmobile.

Once again in the Strikeseeker costume, James and the others infiltrate Mister Explosion (one of their old enemies who had just returned)'s warehouse in South New York. Strikeseeker and Lionheart attack the main entrance, but Strikeseeker got caught in a bomb blast, and trapped in the burning building. Everyone believed James had died.

After learning that Francois (Lionheart) was the true villain, Korsakoff and Eagle Eye went to New Mexico to fight Francois in his desert retreat: the Aquitaine. George (Captain Ares) somehow found James alive, and went with him in the Stormmobile to help the other two in the Aquitaine. Francois, shocked to see James alive and well, got shot in the chest by James. Everyone was surprised to see him well. But, Francois was actually wearing a bulletproof vest, and jumped up and punched George in the face.

When the terrorist made a TV message saying the plan is impossible, James agreed to keep quiet about the failed plot. Korsakoff refused to surrender and walked out to inform the rest of the world. After Eagle Eye unsuccessfully tried to persuade him not to, James walked out into the desert to confront him. James and Korsakoff argued in the middle of the desert standing underneath the boiling New Mexico sun. James had no choice but to shoot Korsakoff in the head, killing him instantly. He then placed the gun in Korsakoff's hand and returned to the Aquitaine. In the end; Strikeseeker, Eagle Eye and Captain Ares decide to continue fighting crime in secret, as the people believe the Stormwatchers are still retired.

Personality
It is known that Strikeseeker was incredibly strict and was most likely the most serious of the old team. He knew the law enforcement system from inside out, having worked as a SWAT officer before putting on the mask, therefore he was tough on crime bosses that he knew were connected to corrupt police chiefs.

After being arrested in Los Angeles following the defeat of Marco María Martiánez, James Radcliffe spent 20 years behind bars. These years in prison greatly affected him and permanently scarred and damaged his spirit. When he was broken out of prison by the reunited Stormwatchers, what was left of James' emotions and sense of humour had completely died, and he was a shadow of who he once was. It is possible that he regretted having rebelled with Korsakoff back in the '70s, as shown in their final confrontation in the dunes outside The Aquitaine in New Mexico.

The team members that James most respected were Korsakoff and, surprisingly, Lionheart. They presumably had a good friendship and connected well back in the day, but when Lionheart was revealed to have been the killer in the film, James lost all respect for him, and call him "such an idiot" before shooting him in The Aquitaine.

Trivia

 * Although he isn't based on any specific Watchmen character, the scene in which he kills Korsakoff in a deserted area is almost identical to that of Dr. Manhattan disintegrating Rorschach in Antarctica. When it comes to his appearance, Zebcast Studios partially based him on DC Comics superhero Nightwing.
 * There is a theory that suggests that Strikeseeker appears in the Jsmboinick films, specifically in Jsmboinick and Knightman. It implies that the film's villain, the Black Shopper, is in fact an older and now insane James Radcliffe, who could have been driven to lunacy after spending 20 years in prison and after having been forced to murder one of his closest friends (Korsakoff); completely giving up on being Strikeseeker shortly after promising to fight again alongside Eagle Eye and Captain Ares and moving from New York City to Playa Blanca City to begin a new life with his sister. After this, he would fully descend into madness, starting a life of crime and killing both his sister and his brother-in-law, orphaning young Jason and Dick Randalf; essentially creating Knightman and Killer Shot. If this theory is true, it would mean that Strikeseeker is now dead.