Robert Nelson

Robert Nelson is the name of at least four characters in the Daria Multiverse who are Ringbearers.

1. Robert Nelson first appeared in Doggieboy’s "A Little Vacation." A 31-year-old survivor of a class-four zombie outbreak, Robert saves Daria Morgendorffer from zombies when she is unwillingly transported from the Lawndale of her universe to the Fostoria, Ohio, of his universe.

Robert had encountered other people from Lawndale before he met Daria, but she was the first who was both alive and unbitten. He made it his goal to not only protect Daria, but to find some way to get her home. He also taught her how to survive in his world.

Before he met Daria, he had managed to rescue a beagle named Buster. The dog was transported to Fostoria under similar circumstances and became his pet.

Initially afraid of the older man, Daria grew to trust him and, by the time they (and Buster) made it back to her world, a romance started to bud between her and Robert. Three Ringbearers (and DELPHI agents), Archangel, Valkyrie and Tiberius, showed up to investigate the transdimensional transports. They reset both Daria’s and Robert’s worlds, which split up the new couple.

Interestingly, the Ringbearers didn’t use their rings and instead worked with standard DELPHI equipment.

Robert had a wife, Maggie, and three children, Scotty, Jacob, and Tammy, all of whom died when their rescue shelter was overrun by zombies. After he was sent back to his world and it was reset, he got back his family and his old life.

After a brief marital conflict when Maggie finds a photograph of Daria in his wallet, Robert is recruited by Archangel, a younger version of himself from another world and a DELPHI agent named “Jeff” to become a Ringbearer.

Robert recently gave Maggie some of his powers, so that in the event of his death, she could protect and raise their children without him.

This Robert is from the world labeled “Daria-23” and this Daria’s world is labeled “Daria-320”.

Elemental Affinity - Air

Ring Symbol - A Wolf

Ring Inscription - Lead, follow, or get out of the way!

2. This Robert Nelson, aged 22, first appeared in the epilogues of A Little Vacation, coming to the rescue of Daria and Jane Lane when they suffered a flat tire. After he scared off three potential troublemakers, he asked Daria out on a date. Daria’s memories of the older Robert were still intact and she quickly accepted his offer.

After she told him of her adventures on the other Robert’s world, the younger man revealed that he was a Ringbearer stationed on her world and showed her some of his powers.

While she initially believed that he was “assigned” to her, Daria came to realize that their encounter truly was a coincidence. Their attraction to each other has progressed and she recently became comfortable enough to tell him that she loved him.

They have achieved a certain level of intimacy in their relationship, but have not consummated it in a physical manner yet.

Robert recently granted some of his powers to Jane, in the hopes that she can help protect Daria during those times that he cannot.

As yet, he is unaware that Daria is a living nexus point and that Fate may have played a hand in bringing them together.

Before he came to Lawndale and met Daria, Robert lived in Fostoria and was in a relationship where the woman died and he was unable to save her.

Robert is from the world labeled "Daria-159", and is a veteran of what is called The Great Zack Walkabout.

Elemental Affinity - Metal

Ring Symbol - A Bear

Ring Inscription - None

3. Little is known about this Robert Nelson except that he was killed by an evil version of Daria Von Doom, who took his Defender Ring afterward.

4. This Robert Nelson was first seen in Richard Lobinske's "Jurisdiction", one of the Tales of the Ringbearers. On a new assignment, he checked in (anonymously) on that world’s Daria, and found that she was college-aged and in a relationship with Michael Fulton.

He encounters Richard, an employee of The Agency, who informs him that he is outside of his jurisdiction as a Ringbearer.

Robert and Richard later came to the assistance of a zombie-besieged Ringbearer on the “nearest” Earth in the Ringbearers jurisdiction.

This Robert was also in a romantic relationship with the Daria from his world, but she died in an as yet unrevealed manner. On every Earth he is assigned to, he checks in to see how Daria is doing.

His home world is unknown at this time.

Trivia
While the second Robert Nelson has more Ringbearer experience than the first one, the older Robert still retains the memories of his thirteen months of experience fighting zombies without any metahuman powers. That experience shows up in the different ways they use their powers. For instance, the older Robert is more apt to kill someone he feels is too dangerous to live, while the younger Robert would try to scare them off first.