Fernando Montello was raised in privelege in the poor town of Verona Bay where most families worked hard and struggled to to live. The two big houses and two big businesses were dominated by two families, the Montellos and the Castilas. Rivals they were in business, politics, and fighting crime. Both families were studded with uberhumans of various strength and had been for as long as could be remembered.

But Fernando was not. He had not even the slightest of power that could be described as superhuman. Still, his father and mother raised him as if he would become a superhero - raised him as if at any moment, his powers would surface. But even whils his brother and sisters were easily lifting cattle with a single hand, Fernando struggled as a young teen to lift the sack of maize or push the tractor out of the mud. And he would turn away offers of help from his family to do his share of work.

At sixteen, he changed his name to Fernando Garcia, intent on proving his mettle elsewhere. Quickly he found the place. The bullfighting ring. In two years he was promoted to matador and was soon a fan favorite all across the country. In another year, he had earned international fame in the sport.

And then, after he had gathered up an armful of roses one day in Madrid, he received a telegram. His family and the rival house, the Castilas, had all perished combating an evil menace known as Huitzilopachtli. None survived and the fact that everyone across the country both lauded them and mourned them as heroes for forcing the giant bloodthirsty god to flee north did little to console Fernando.

His next performance, in Mexico City, was half-hearted and, if not for his past accolades, Fernando was certain that the crowd would have jeered him out of the ring. He went back to Verona Bay and took a leave of absence. He set the family ranching business back on track and promoted several of the best hands to positions of responsibility, but still he felt alone and even unworthy.

When a gang of motorcycle-riding superhuman hoodlums terrorized the nearby city of Manzanillo, the mayor visited the Montello manor and pleaded for help. The city was being vandalized and even his daughter, Maria, was kidnapped. Fernando turned him away, saying that the heroes of the Bull were dead and there were no superheroes left.

But, as he walked through El Pasillo Magnifico the decorated hall that stood as the receiving area to the manor, Fernando felt eyes looking at him from the portraits. At first he felt shame at his lack of superhuman powers, then, looking at his father's portrait, he remembered what the Toro Grande had told him once, "the hero lies not within the fists of the man, but within his heart."

Fernando donned the matador costume that his mother herself had sewn for him for the Mexico City performance and he mounted his brother's horse. The ride through the thick night air was lonely, completely different than the feel of the the bullfighting ring in a stadium. But now, he was fighting for more than just money and accolades, the lives of people were at stake and so was the pride of the Montello - and even the Castila.

The Pack were surprised thinking that with the demise of Montello and Castila, the region would be easy prey. One by one they were disabled and captured. The folk cried out "Ole!" and applauded. A few even threw roses on the streets. And the beautiful Maria Rodriguez gave the masked man a kiss.

All his life, Fernando has felt like, because he was not an uberhuman like the rest of his family (and their rivals, the Castilas) he had to prove that he, too, could be a superhero. Now, with them all deceased, he feels even more so that he has to show the world that the last hero of Verona Bay can protect Mexico from its many threats. He has taken the verve and attitude of the matador to heart and fights crime with style and flash.

"Ole!."

His father, his mother, his two sisters, and his brother all were uberhumans of some level of power. But, Fernando has not exhibited superhuman strength or superhuman durability as they did. He is one of the world's top matadors and has transformed this art into use fighting against villains of both the common sort and the superhuman sort.

Matador Rojo wears a traditional Mexican bullfighting Traje de Luces consisting of a red tunic embroidered with gold-colored thread, black pants and boots, a red and yellow short cape, and a red and crimson long cape. In addition, he wears a mask that is very similar to that of Zorro. On his belt and sleeves he carries several bullfighting weapons.