The Middleman



''This page is about the title in general. For the most recent man to bear the title, see Clarence Colton.

The Middleman is the inherited title of the hero who represents O2STK, and is charged with defending the world against "threats infra-, extra-, and juxtaterrestrial".

The Organization
Each Middleman is selected by the previous Middleman, and inherits the post after his or her boss dies or retires. Becoming the hero entails surrendering one's individual identity, and being called simply "The Middleman". Retiring Middlemen, however, resume their real identities when they return to the civilian world.

The Middleman commands Middleman Headquarters, a massive complex with hundreds of rooms and ten levels, all dedicated to the fight against evil. He or she is supported in this daunting endeavor by Ida, an android who serves as the only real link among Middlemen, and is the only being to know the true name and history of every Middleman. Neither Ida nor any of the Middlemen know who they work for, but all financial concerns are handled by the mysterious O2STK, and the Middleman is never at a loss for weapons and gadgets and things.

Middlemen are allowed to retire, but more often than not they die in the course of duty. The first rule of the organization is "There can only be one Middleman"; the rule was implemented to ensure a clear chain of command.

Redballs
"O2STK just called, it's a redball."
 * Ida

When O2STK assigns missions to the Middleman, they arrive in messages called "redballs". Redballs tend to be missions with bizarre or paranormal elements, such that normal law enforcement is incapable of handling the situation. O2STK supplies anything unusual needed for a particular mission, be it weapons and gadgets and things, or sometimes vast sums of cash.

The Middleman investigates crimes needing his special expertise through a seemingly limitless series of fake IDs, also provided by O2STK. When the Middleman recruits a partner, matching fake IDs are provided for the partner as well.

Known redballs in the series are:
 * The murder of Don Calferi in "The Pilot Episode Sanction"
 * The Terra Cotta Warrior's attack on the Chinese restaurant in "The Accidental Occidental Conception"
 * The robbery of the Metro Museum by the Mexican Luchadores in "The Sino-Mexican Revelation"
 * The murder of Isabel Schon in "The Manicoid Teleportation Conundrum"
 * The appearance of a warp hole (containing a duck) in "The Boyband Superfan Interrogation"
 * The death of Arty Atkins (by drowning in a motel bed) in "The Cursed Tuba Contingency"
 * The auction of Vlad the Impaler's personal effects in "The Vampiric Puppet Lamentation"
 * The arrival of "VOYAGER 2" back on Earth in "The Clotharian Contamination Protocol"

When Wendy discovers her bracelet is actually a tracking device in "The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse", she calls it in as a redball to the Middleman without waiting for O2STK.

Fake IDs
O2STK supplies fake IDs to every conceivable law enforcement or professional agency. The following have been used in the series:
 * The Department of Sanitation
 * The Ecological Task Force
 * The Mossad
 * The Metropolitan Police Department (used repeatedly)
 * The FBI - possessed, but not used
 * The Fish and Wildlife Commission
 * Time of the Season Unlimited Mutual Insurance
 * The Atkinson Memorial Insane Asylum
 * The Federal Unified Atomic Regulatory Commission
 * Threat Liquidators Incorporated, a boutique security firm specializing in high-risk clients
 * The American Shrimp and Crab Amalgamated Processors - Law Enforcement Branch
 * The Parapsychology Department (of the Metro Police)
 * The Pentagon
 * The Department of Education
 * NASA
 * The United States Police Force

Middleman History
Middlemen have existed since the dawn of humanity. They have faced every conceivable threat, though only one threat (vampires) has claimed the life of more than one Middleman (and vampires killed only two).

By Era Alone
Some Middlemen are known only by their eras. Such heroes include: The World War II Middleman, the Victorian Middleman, Medieval Middleman, Caveman Middleman, Conquistador Middleman, Civil War Middleman, Roman Middleman, Renaissance Middleman, Samurai Middleman, Zulu Middleman, Amazon Middleman, and Barbarian Middleman. The Victorian Middleman did not have a sidekick, and the Middleman during World War II had a sidekick named Middleboy; whether the others had sidekicks is unknown.

Van Helsing
A Middleman who is renowned for his slaying of Dracula. He may also be the "Middleman 1895" who bought the vampire puppet Lizzie and locked her in the fifth floor archive of Middleman HQ.

1969 Middleman
See main article: Guy Goddard

The 1969 Middleman was a swinging hipster and the sworn enemy of the supervillain The Candle.

Zombie Middleman
A Middleman once died during a zombie outbreak, only to return as a zombie. His own Middleman in training had to shoot him in the head to stop him.

Raveena Rao
See main article: Raveena Rao

The Middleman immediately preceding the present-day Middleman, Raveena Rao was noted for her Eisenhower jacket and heroism.

Present day Middleman
See main article: Clarence Colton

The modern-day Middleman is a former Navy SEAL and mentor to Wendy Watson. He rarely curses and drinks his four glasses of milk every day.

Trainees
Middlemen are free to select their trainees at will, though an ability to accept the bizarre seems a crucial job requirement. Modern trainees are taught hand-to-hand combat by Sensei Ping, but learn most of their other skills on the job through observation and experience.

It seems that after being hired, a Middle trainee is allowed at any point to become the Middleman should the current holder of that title die; there is no "probationary period". However, paychecks are not issued until Middle trainees complete initial training (which seems to be based purely on the Middleman's decision).

Weapons and Gadgets and Things
Faced as he is with the prospect of combating all the unusual evil of the world, the Middleman is provided with a wide array of technologies and weapons.
 * Beyond the Realm of Science Scanner
 * Bio-harmonic Universal Multi-Modular Emotional Rerouter
 * Concussive Stun Field Generator
 * HEAL
 * HEYDAR
 * Middle-Clothes
 * Middle-Gun
 * Middlemobile
 * Middlemobile 2
 * Middlesub
 * Middlejet
 * Middle-Watch
 * Psychokinesis Meter
 * Truth bomb

Trivia

 * Of the four named Middlemen and trainees (Guy Goddard, Raveena Rao, Clarence Colton, and Wendy Watson), all four have alliterative first and last names.
 * Clarence Colton, Wendy Watson, Guy Goddard, and the Middleboy (by name) were all introduced in the television series. Barbarian Middleman, Victorian Middleman, and World War II Middleman were introduced specially by series creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach. The remaining known Middlemen (including Raveena Rao) were all first introduced in the series finale, "The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse".