Adrian Chase was an enthusiastic district attorney. He had made quite a name for himself chasing down mobsters, and was steadily building a case against the infamous Anthony Scarapelli. To stop him, Scarapelli ordered Chase killed. A bomb was planted in Chase’s car, but instead of killing Chase, it killed his wife and daughter.

Chase was devastated. Not long after their deaths, he was approached by a member of a strange cult dedicated to punishing evil. They trained him to be their instrument of deadly justice, honing his physical skills to perfection, and teaching him to accelerate his healing process. Thus Chase became the Vigilante. Still the attorney was never entirely comfortable with his role and attempted to give it up repeatedly, only to have a number of others take up the costume with tragic consequences. Chase was forced back into the role, but the killing (and the revelation of his identity) worked to drive him over the edge of sanity.  - ComicBase™ 7.0.