Alonzo is born with Kurtzberg-24 Syndrome, meaning he will develop superhuman abilities during his life. Because of his condition, his family moves out of Mississippi to a clinic further north, where his powers can be monitored and he can receive training. When he is sixteen, his powers have fully developed. Thankfully, he only has the Standards, or the more common powers, so he will not be considered a danger to society. Instead, he will be trained to use his powers for good. Soon, much to his father's dismay, Alonzo becomes the only person of color on the newly-formed Teen Justice Force and is given the name Black Fist. While the other members of the Teen Justice Force are given their own comic books and action figures, Alonzo is never awarded any of these opportunities. No matter how many times he saves the other Teen Justice Force members or leads them to victory, he is never recognized by the press as his peers are. He is often mistaken for a supervillain and was once even shot at by the police, though the bullets just bounced off of his skin. By the time Alonzo is twenty, he decides to retire from being a superhero. Though his father never supported his membership with the Teen Justice Force, he is disappointed to see his son quit, especially since Black Fist was so popular among his clients at the barbershop. After quitting his work as a superhero, however, Alonzo sees a group of teenagers standing up to bullies and soon realizes they are all wearing t-shirts with Black Fist on them. Alonzo remembers that there was never any Black Fist merchandise created, but the teenagers all loved and admired Black Fist enough to make their own. The kids explain that they looked up to him as a Black role model. After this experience, Alonzo returns to being a superhero, joining Captain Freedom in the Super Justice Force. Along with fighting crime, he becomes involved in the community, launching initiatives in literacy and giving back to others.