- This article is about a fictional subject in the Wild Cards universe that has a non-fiction inspiration. For an article on Wikipedia about the real world subject, see Wikipedia:Alan Turing.
| Enigma | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Aliases | Enigma |
| Gender | Male |
| Class | Joker-ace |
| Wild Card Traits | Silver skin, enhanced durability, enhanced genius, longevity |
| Social Information | |
| Place of Birth | London, England |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Analyst |
| Base of Operations | London, England |
| Affiliations | The Order of the Silver Helix |
| Relatives | Sebastian Wallace (husband) |
| Allies | Captain Flint, Queen Margaret, Prince Richard, Winston Churchill |
| Origin | |
| First Appearance | Knaves Over Queens |
| Creator | Mary Anne Mohanraj |
Alan "Enigma" Turing is a character in the Wild Cards series of books.
History[]
Alan Turing was afflicted with the wild card virus in the early years after it was unleashed on the world's populations. He was among the fortunate few who survived, and even though he drew a joker the physical change was a relatively minor one, leaving him with shiny silver skin that could be covered with makeup. His psychological change, however, was quite significant in that it enhanced his mind to be able to operate like a living computer. It was this latter trait that made him of great value in the service of Great Britain as a founding member of the Order of the Silver Helix. Code named Enigma, he was immediately placed into competition for leadership of the order, but ultimately lost out to Captain Flint.
After years of service for the crown he was drawn to the deathbed of Queen Margaret and informed that her sister Princess Elizabeth had had a joker boy in 1948 before she died, which raised the possibility that the true heir might still alive somewhere. Turing promised to try and find this heir, a hunt that had him crossing paths with the Twisted Fists as well as with royalty who preferred not to have their claims to the crown disrupted. The search led to a Twisted Fist terrorist known as Seizer, but after determining that Seizer was not the son of Elizabeth, as many had thought, he noticed a data omission that had him discovering the true heir. Having fulfilled the late queen's dying wish, Turing opted to resign from the Silver Helix and take a long awaited break from court intrigue and wild card powered conflicts.
Wild Card Traits[]
Enigma has shiny, metallic skin and an enhanced mind. His skin has proven to have some degree of damage resistance, hardening momentarily in response to impacts directly at the impact site. His age appears to have stopped as if he hasn't progressed past his thirties. Despite numerous attempts at self-analysis he has been unable to determine whether or not he has a finite lifespan.
Appearance[]
Turing is a man of middling height and unremarkable aside from his obvious silver skin. Any exposed skin he keeps covered in makeup to give himself the appearance of a normal man.
Personality[]
Turing has an interest in puzzles, occasionally commenting with the words, "I love a good puzzle." His analytical mind will often latch on a problem and compute the variables to myriad possible outcomes, even if the computations take days to complete.
Trivia[]
Enigma is based on the real world Alan Turing who was famous for cracking the Enigma Code.
Selected Reading[]
- Wild Cards Volume XXVII: Knaves Over Queens
- Wild Cards Volume XXVIII: Three Kings
- Wild Cards Volume XXXIII: House Rules - "Two Lovedays"