Tori Gordon

PLATINUM

Race: Human

Skills: Genius-level intellect, strategy, mechanics, supernatural abilities

Family: Gordons

Victoria "Tori" Gordon (née Elisonne) is a character created by AmandaDoE, featured in tales set on Earth S and Earth N. 

A brilliant girl born into a family of adventurers, she is initially undecided with regard to her path in life. When two of her relatives are victimized by an alien tyrant, Tori lends her aid in battle, deals with other personal matters, and unravels certain mysteries concerning her past and her future.

The Original Defenders

Accounts of Tori's history vary, with different tales told across different worlds.

In at least one dimension, Victoria was born to Ian and Janet Elisonne while both were working as secret agents in America. Two years later, Earth made its first contact with a planet called Mongo, and Janet's brother Flash Gordon, alongside his fiancé Dale, discovered that Mongo's ruler Ming was planning to invade.

As a result, Tori's uncle Flash and aunt Dale fought to sabotage Ming's plans in space, while Tori's parents, Ian and Janet, provided backup at a defense agency on the ground.

This team remained intact for a couple of years, during which time Dale took a break to birth twins, April and Rick.

The Day That Changed Everything

Weary of conflict, Janet concluded — without proof — that the famed magician Mandrake and other mystical beings were making Earth a target for Ming. Against the wishes of teammates, she donned a soldier's uniform, collected a rifle, and snuck off to assassinate Mandrake — all while Dale and the Defenders rushed to stop her.

Mandrake was saved from harm when Ian arrived at the last moment and took the shot for him. Moments later, Ian bled in the arms of a remorseful Janet — who grew highly resentful toward all aliens and supernatural humans, blaming them for her mistake.

Ultimately, this event changed several things. It left Janet incarcerated, ended Ian's career, and weakened Earth's most successful defense team. It also rendered Ian unfit mentally to care for his child, costing them several moments that they would have shared.

An enraged Dale confronted Janet in captivity and had to be restrained from beating her to death. Dale filed for custody of Tori immediately, gaining the right to raise her with Flash and their children for several years. However, she made it clear that the situation wasn't motivated by hatred for Janet, but by love for Tori, whom she wanted to ensure would be brought up properly. She allowed the girl's surname to remain Elisonne, in honor of Ian.

Following her release from jail, an ostracized Janet became an operative for the Intergalactic Union Agency (IUA), an alliance dedicated to interplanetary law enforcement.

Tori's Upbringing

In the midst of all of these conflicts around her, young Victoria Elisonne was beginning to display prodigy-like intelligence, excelling at all subjects in school. During a visit to the IUA, she surprised her mother by proposing a successful solution for a unit engaged in a training mission. She also took an interest in mechanics, gaining extensive knowledge of aircrafts, computer assembly, and computer science. Additionally, upon being taken in by Flash and Dale, she learned that her new home was protected by laser-proof glass, armored door frames, and video cameras that overlooked traps, all of which increased her fascination with security and gadgetry.

A key moment of Tori's upbringing occurred when her aunt Dale revealed that not all members of Mongo's royal family were like Ming, and that people should not be judged prematurely. Dale also explained that while Tori's intelligence was admirable, humility was important, because no one, no matter how wise, could be right all the time.

Janet tried to regain custody of Tori twice, but was denied by law. Following the second occasion, Dale vowed that Janet wouldn't be getting Tori back, and told the woman calmly to cease her efforts.

As was promised, Tori essentially grew up with Dale, Flash, April, and Rick. She also bonded with another cousin, Sara, the daughter of Flash's other sister, Abigail. While she visited Ian and Janet occasionally, she was not given the details of their separation, and remained closest to her household family members.

Though Dale and Flash never intended to relinquish custody, their busy schedules would eventually prompt a court to return Tori to her mother, who later became head of the IUA.

As she grew, Tori developed a fondness for surfing, which she used as a means of escape on occasion to avoid friction with Janet, issues with her crushes, and other personal matters. Though her friends commended her surf ability, they always stated that she was meant for something more, and suggested that she find a true calling in life.

With numerous avenues available to her, Tori was, at first, undecided about what she would do. Being a member of the Gordon family, she had often considered joining her relatives in interplanetary law enforcement. She ultimately opted not to following the Great Rebellion — a battle on Mongo that left Ming devastated — believing that victory for Earth was near. Upon learning that her cousin Rick and her aunt Dale had been captured and victimized by Ming, however, Tori chose to become a researcher and an occasional combatant with the Intergalactic Union Agency. In recognition of her family's legacy, she changed her last name from Elisonne to Gordon.

Within this dimension, she used research to learn the truth about what happened to her father, leading to a temporary rift between herself and Janet. She later replaced her mother, took control of the IUA, and engaged in diplomacy with alien worlds.

Earth S

Tori is featured in the Earth S story Sailor Moon Defenders and its related works. She is introduced as a compassionate and athletic researcher who has gained prominence at the Intergalactic Union Agency. Unlike her mother, she believes that not all supernatural beings deserve to be persecuted, and should instead be judged as individuals.

Earth N

Tori has a prominent role in Defenders Chronicles: Highlander, which takes place in Dimension N. This series features characters appearing in the Highlander works. During the narrative, Tori ends up involved in a supernatural struggle, and uses her talents to unravel various mysteries — some concerning herself. As events unfold, she gains paranormal abilities, and develops unexpected bonds.

Skills and Demeanor

"That girl could rule this world, and probably will. She just doesn't know it yet."

— Abigail Gordon on her niece, Tori

Possibly the smartest girl on the planet, Victoria is a prodigy who possesses genius-level intelligence in numerous fields. Her mother, Janet, once compared her potential to that of the Necklace of Oros.

Tori has multiple certificates in psychology, and has earned the IUA Gold Medal in strategy. As a tactician who monitors combat teams, she is widely renowned for finding weaknesses in powerful opponents while devising clever ways of subduing them. She will typically use every psychological and technological technique available to her, from researching a target's personality and baiting them into draining their strength, to setting physical traps that negate an enemy's abilities. Her tactics enabled the IUA to capture a pre-heroic Veena Dark in Veena's earliest appearance, and she has also proven capable of outsmarting other magicians, along with units of soldiers. Tori's mind is so potent that government leaders of the highest rank, outside of the IUA, have expressed interest in recruiting her, though she has usually declined in order to keep an eye on the agency and her mother.

Like her cousins, she is a talented mechanic who knows a great deal about the assembly and functionality of weapons and vehicles, particularly combat vehicles. In addition, she has created advanced gadgetry that has been used both in and out of battle, including remote-controlled weaponry, observance devices, and tools to protect her mind from telepathic influence.

Though she has not engaged in combat as often as some of the other Gordons, she maintains an above-average level of skill as a fighter. Her creators, AmandaDoE and Neldorwen, introduced her as a kickboxer who appears to have basic Muay Thai training. In unarmed clashes, she typically uses her feet to attack an opponent, along with light grappling. Among her preferred strikes are outside crescent kicks, midsection kicks, axe kicks, and high side kicks. On most occasions, if her swings connect directly, she can subdue an enemy with one blow.

Rick, having trained with both women, once concluded that Jedda Walker kicked a tad faster than Tori, but that Tori's strikes were more powerful. He attributed this to the fact that Jedda was a sprinter during her childhood (as revealed in Sailor Moon Defenders), while Tori's training, handled by Dale and others, was focused more on strength.

In armed battle, notably on Earth N, Tori sometimes employs a sword for self-defense. This Tori also gains mystical abilities that heighten her physical potency. In addition, she has created powerful suits of armor, equipped with laser weaponry and other tools.

Tori is an expert in the field of computer science. She is particularly skilled at creating defensive programs, and at bypassing others, allowing her to gain the information that she needs on opponents and on additional subjects of interest. Some of the finest programmers employed by national governments have been outfoxed by her abilities. She is rumored to have viewed surveillance feeds — clandestinely — in several federal buildings across the world, obtaining knowledge of strengths and weaknesses.

Tori is fluent in multiple languages, including Mandarin, English, German, and Spanish. She was one of the first people on Earth to learn the language of an alien world, and has made several visits to other planets as a diplomat.

Tori's achievements have brought her recognition on a global scale. She also maintains a following among those who admire her allure. Because she is used to success, she tends to be hard on herself when she makes mistakes, though she tries to remember her aunt Dale's teachings with regard to humility. At other times, her dedication to work can affect her relationships.

While Tori is generally humble when it comes to her accomplishments and beauty, during a visit to Hadea's kingdom, she once noticed an admirer kneeling before her out of respect, and did not ask the young man to rise. Though she is sometimes compared to certain members of nobility, she ultimately avoids being vain, and simply considers herself proud.

Creation

AmandaDoE was looking to create one of the most memorable original characters in DoE storytelling. She wanted Tori to be alluring on the outside, but troubled within — a girl with a somewhat difficult home life, possessing sensibilities that divided her and her mother. She also envisioned Tori as very knowledgeable, with value similar to that of the computers Dynak and Octon, but with more versatility and actual reasoning ability. The character was to have a romantic life, and, ultimately, great potential.

In designing Tori, artist Neldorwen created a somewhat innocent and positive look, but made her appear confident and capable at times. Plustina, the second illustrator to draw her, maintained the same basic concepts.

Art:

Neldorwen and Plustina -- Images 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10

Neldorwen -- Images 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11

Plustina, Neldorwen, Katzueki, and Zetarok -- Image 12

Related: Gordon Family