"The Prowling Panther of Echo Hills"
Since he was young, Marcus has led a troubled life. As far back as he can remember, he's felt a deep emptiness within himself, and he's spent much of his youth trying to find a way to fill the emptiness. This would lead him to forming a small gang at Echo Hills High School. It wasn't enough. Marcus shifted to trying to find fulfillment in more physical activities, at first resulting in him bullying other students at school. This would help to soothe some of his pent-up aggression; however, it still didn’t fill the empty void he felt within himself.
After getting in trouble several times Marcus’s parents enrolled him in SumA training, in hopes that it would teach him discipline and help to release his aggression in a healthier way (as well as hoping it might be able to be used to raise him without getting involved themselves. They don’t go to see his matches.)
SumA helps, but not by much. The emptiness remains. It does give Marcus bit of purpose and resolve. He decides he wants to be the best, strongest SumA Player, thinking that in doing so, the fame and fortune may give him the fulfillment he so desires. As his journey into SumA continues, Marcus becomes acutely aware of Kochi Hikatsuki, a 3 time champion of the sport. From then on, Marcus declares Kochi as his rival and aspires to surpass him. This all comes to a head when the pair meet during a SumA Tournament. It’s a tough match, and Marcus comes close to winning, but in the end, Kochi turns things around and defeats him. Marcus is upset and enraged by his loss, the feeling of emptiness feeling like it’s only growing bigger and all consuming.
It's then that Marcus is approached by Tom and the Masked One who offer him the fulfillment he seeks. They promise him that merging with his Shadow will allow him to finally feel whole and give him the strength to defeat his rival. Marcus agrees and merges with his Shadow, joining Tom in the Red Eye Gang...
