Robert grew up in the slums of Republic City during the days of Prohibition. Surrounded by bootleggers, corruption and poverty, Robert continually tried to remain strong and spat in the face of temptation. While in school, Robert developed a genuine fascination with Martial Arts and when he turned 18, Robert traveled to China where he studied Wing Chun under Yip Man, who would later go on to train Bruce Lee. And after several years under his master's tutelage, Robert returned home to Republic City, where he enrolled in the Police Academy. But Robert quickly became frustrated with the limitations of the law. He found it difficult to catch criminals who were not playing by the same rules he was bound to. And after reading an article in the paper about a caped hero who stopped a bank robbery, Robert found the inspiration and direction he need to take the law into his own hands and become the masked vigilante known as, The Avenger.