Not much is known about the man calling himself Costel Popeseu, other than the fact that he is a Moldavian, and was one of the KGB’s top assassins. The reasons for little knowledge of Costel are twofold. One is that Costel is a known shapeshifter, what isn’t known is if his abilities were natural or artificial. His abilities to become almost anyone were legendary in the KGB before that agency was disbanded. Secondly the files on Costel that were kept were destroyed, as were all copies. Attempts to locate Costel since the breakup of the Soviet Union have proven fruitless.

While in the KGB, Costel went by the codename Doorway. His specialty was the elimination of defectors and dissidents. No one was ever sure when Doorway would strike. It could be your best friend, or even a relative. Costel used a variety of techniques from explosives to silenced weapons. One of few agents to ever rival Costel was the agent known as Sweeper.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Costel disappeared. Many thought that he had been liquidated, as were many KGB agents at the time. However, no records remain detailing his retirement, even though several Hunter and Killer squads were dispatched for such purpose. No traces of Costel Popeseu were found in the Russian Federation. Without further evidence of Costel, it was assumed that the assassin has returned to Moldova. Again, however, it has proven impossible to follow a man who could be almost anybody. Costel is still considered a threat to certain members of the Russian Federation government.

Costel Popeseu still lives. He did return to Moldova, a changed man, at least on the surface. The people of the village he lives in think of him as a true man of god, a caring man, loyal to his ailing mother who lives in the capital. The good priest often goes to visit his mother. Little do they know, the man who gives them communion, is really Costel Popesu, even though he doesn’t use that name. Nor is there an ailing mother. When Costel goes visiting, it’s for his old profession, a paid killer. However, Costel doesn’t go by his old codename that would bring too much heat from the Russians. Now Costel uses the codename Janus, and this time it’s not just political enemies who get visits from the assassin, but anyone who has paid his fee.

Costel is a well trained killer, possibly too well trained. He kills without remorse, because that is what he was trained to do. Just because the KGB isn’t anymore, doesn’t mean that Costel is going to change. Actually since becoming free of the entanglements of the KGB, Costel has actually killed more people. The KGB acted as a control for Costel, and now he’s a free agent. Costel is quite popular with the Russian Mob because not only does he get results, no one knows whom he is either. For Costel, killing is just part of the job, and it is something he’s really good at.

From his days with the KGB Costel was known as a pretty cold customer. However, the number of people who knew Costel from those days are dwindling because Costel has systematically eliminating them. Costel always has a plan, and contingency plan, in case the first plan falls through. A saying that went around the KGB for awhile was that ‘no one got past the doorway’. Needless to say, Costel has no great liking for Spartak, whom Costel feels has no professionalism. Spartaks willingness to protect innocents, is seen as a liability to Costel.

The KGB has instilled Costel with a sense of duty. Once he has accepted a contract, Costel doesn’t back down. While it might be possible to defeat him, that just means that Costel is going to regroup and try to take out the target from a different direction.

"Death always comes knocking on the door. In your case, I think it comes a little sooner."

Costel is an Uber who has superb control over his musculature. With a mere though he can either contract or expand his muscles in his legs allowing him to jump great distances or to run at superhuman speeds. Further Costel can augment the muscles in his arm, allowing him to lift a lot more than a normal human could, or by directing his am muscles, Costel can deliver crippling punches. His control also prevents attacks that would drain energy from him, and also allows Costel to quickly heal from almost any wound.

Costel’s greatest power is his ability to take on the appearance of almost anybody, male or female, adult or child. It’s almost impossible to differentiate Costel from the original. Telepathy and DNA testing are probably the only way to identify Costel when he’s imitating someone. Costel is limited to just humanoid forms. While he can appear as the President of Russia, he can’t take the form of a desk or a chair for example.

The KGB trained Costel to be an assassin. As such, Costel can use almost any sharp object as a weapon. In Costel’s hands a common pocket knife becomes a deadly weapon. It doesn’t matter if a target is up close or at a distance, all Costel needs is a pointed object. The KGB also gave Costel some training in hand to hand combat. His training makes Costel a brutal combatant.

Costel can be almost anyone. With his powers he can appear to be almost anyone, from man to woman, from child to adult. Few have actually ever seen Costel in his true natural form. Currently Costel has taken on the identity of a Romanian Orthodox priest in a small village. In this identity, Costel has a long beard and wears black robes.

The few who remember Costel from his days with the KGB say that he’s a man of average height and weight, and usually looked like he could fit in almost anywhere. However, when on official business, Costel would take on the appearance of a man with short wavy hair, piercing blue eyes, and his favorite mode of dress were tight fitting jeans, shirts that showed off his hairy chest, and combat boots.