Shade eventually becomes the leader of a collection of loners, losers, drop-outs and rebels, holding them together through unwitting charisma and a sense of personal vengeance against the government of Mars.

Shade also possesses increased strength and reflexes, a photographic memory, excellent mathematical knowledge, the ability to change his own shape and the power to "shift" into "high temporal", which tremendously enhances his speed.

Aside from crude cosmetic surgery to reconstruct her face and part of her skull, she exactly resembles the woman Shade married nearly four hundred years ago while he was still human.

Mandrake has so far avoided the fate of insanity due to his close personal friendship with military strategist RJ Benjamin and, later, John Shade.

Minor characters include Shade's colleague and romantic interest Pappy, the government strategist RJ Benjamin and a rich "nettie" called Sinclair.