Lifeform (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Lifeform is a fictional character
, a comic book
supervillain
in the . Created by Mike Baron and Neil Hansen, the character first appears in Punisher Annual #3, Vol. 1.
The Lifeform's alter-ego is George Prufrock, who, after exposure to an experimental virus, becomes the Lifeform, an insane and superpowerful being. Possessing two personalities, one a suicidal pacifist and the other an eternally hungry maniac, the Lifeform is in a state of constant mutation, with each of its appearances in the comics depicting it as less and less human-like.
, in his youth, George, along with his sister Martha, is trained physically and mentally by their father in an attempt to prepare them for the world. After graduating from university, George, despite wanting to be an actor, becomes a scientist after being convinced to do so by his father, who also gets him a job at A.I.M.
While working at A.I.M., George is forced into stealing an experimental virus, the Progamma virus, from a biotechnology lab, but in the middle of the robbery, is attacked by a guard, who he kills, though not before being exposed to some of the virus during the fight with him.
Rapidly mutating due to exposure to the virus, George, having become the Lifeform, encounters the Punisher at an A.I.M. base and battles him, eventually causing the vigilante to flee when his weapons prove ineffective against George. Following the Punisher to his father's mansion, a rambling George bursts on to the scene while the Punisher is in the midst of a fire fight with his sister and father. Killing his father, George is presumed dead when the Punisher, after being allowed access to the Prufrock weapons vault by Martha, blasts him in the face with a rocket launcher
and knocks him into the ocean.
Resurfacing sometime later, the Lifeform, now possessing two personalities, one peaceful and the other evil, begins to feed off people while living in the alleys of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
. During an encounter with two gang members, the Lifeform is forced to flee from them and the recently arrived Daredevil
when one of the gang members shoots off its arm with an automatic rifle. While fleeing, the Lifeform is drawn into a battle with supervillainess Typhoid Mary
, who manages to successfully drive off the Lifeform by appealing to its peaceful side. Once more driven to wandering, the Lifeform attempts to feast on a pair of teenagers, only to be stopped by Daredevil. Attempting to appeal to the Lifeform and convince it to seek aid, Daredevil can only watch as the Lifeform is attacked by police with tranquilizers (which actually hasten its heart rate to the point Daredevil believed its heart will explode) and conventional firearms. The Lifeform appears to die when it collapses to the ground and dissolves, leaving only a bubbling puddle.
Regenerating, the Lifeform is approached by Mercy
, an extraterrestrial who assists beings wanting to die in committing suicide. Confused by the Lifeform's dual personality -one which wants to die and the other which wants to continue living-, Mercy proceeds to teleport it to a ghost town in the Midwest, where the Hulk
is. Forcing the two minds of the Lifeform into a debate with the Hulk and his alter-ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, Mercy's machinations are ultimately fruitless, as in the end the Hulk and Lifeform only end up fighting each other. After being knocked into a fire by the Hulk and temporarily killed by it, the Lifeform regrows and is transported back to New York by Mercy. Despite it begging her to end its life, Mercy refuses to do so and instead changes the Lifeform back into George Prufrock, but neglects to repair his damaged psyche.
Mercy's transformation of the Lifeform back into George Prufrock proves only temporary, as, over time, George begins to re-mutate. Tracking down a scientist named Lamar Kwiat who worked on the Progamma virus, George discovers him in a hospital, slowly dying due to having been bitten by a monkey infected by with the Progamma virus that had escaped when George first stole the virus. Telling Lamar his origin and of his encounter with the Hulk and Mercy while he steadily mutates and devours anyone who disturbs them, George, having become the Lifeform again, kills Lamar, seeing itself as performing an act of mercy by killing the slowly dying scientist.
Devouring everyone in the hospital, the Lifeform draws S.H.I.E.L.D.'s
attention, who contact Mr. Fantastic
to deal with the creature. With help from the Silver Surfer
, Mr. Fantastic tracks the Lifeform, which has grown into a gigantic monstrosity composed of malformed tentacles, mouths, arms and bulging muscle, to the East River, where it had been in the midst of eating marine life. Incapacitating Mr. Fantastic, the Lifeform is attacked by the Silver Surfer, who flies it to a dead planetoid in space with the intent of destroying it. Before the Silver Surfer can kill the Lifeform, its good personality emerges and begs the Silver Surfer to end its life. Unable to bring himself to kill the Lifeforms because doing so would mean killing its innocent side, the Silver Surfer regrettably leaves the being on the planetoid, its good side begging for death and its evil side complaining of its hunger.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the . Created by Mike Baron and Neil Hansen, the character first appears in Punisher Annual #3, Vol. 1.
The Lifeform's alter-ego is George Prufrock, who, after exposure to an experimental virus, becomes the Lifeform, an insane and superpowerful being. Possessing two personalities, one a suicidal pacifist and the other an eternally hungry maniac, the Lifeform is in a state of constant mutation, with each of its appearances in the comics depicting it as less and less human-like.
Fictional character history
The son of a wealthy, fanatical right-wing, LibertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, in his youth, George, along with his sister Martha, is trained physically and mentally by their father in an attempt to prepare them for the world. After graduating from university, George, despite wanting to be an actor, becomes a scientist after being convinced to do so by his father, who also gets him a job at A.I.M.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
While working at A.I.M., George is forced into stealing an experimental virus, the Progamma virus, from a biotechnology lab, but in the middle of the robbery, is attacked by a guard, who he kills, though not before being exposed to some of the virus during the fight with him.
Rapidly mutating due to exposure to the virus, George, having become the Lifeform, encounters the Punisher at an A.I.M. base and battles him, eventually causing the vigilante to flee when his weapons prove ineffective against George. Following the Punisher to his father's mansion, a rambling George bursts on to the scene while the Punisher is in the midst of a fire fight with his sister and father. Killing his father, George is presumed dead when the Punisher, after being allowed access to the Prufrock weapons vault by Martha, blasts him in the face with a rocket launcher
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
and knocks him into the ocean.
Resurfacing sometime later, the Lifeform, now possessing two personalities, one peaceful and the other evil, begins to feed off people while living in the alleys of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
. During an encounter with two gang members, the Lifeform is forced to flee from them and the recently arrived Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
when one of the gang members shoots off its arm with an automatic rifle. While fleeing, the Lifeform is drawn into a battle with supervillainess Typhoid Mary
Typhoid Mary (comics)
Typhoid Mary , also known as Typhoid, Walker, Bloody Mary and Mutant Zero, is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Daredevil and Deadpool in the Marvel Comics Universe. She first appeared in Daredevil #254, and was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr....
, who manages to successfully drive off the Lifeform by appealing to its peaceful side. Once more driven to wandering, the Lifeform attempts to feast on a pair of teenagers, only to be stopped by Daredevil. Attempting to appeal to the Lifeform and convince it to seek aid, Daredevil can only watch as the Lifeform is attacked by police with tranquilizers (which actually hasten its heart rate to the point Daredevil believed its heart will explode) and conventional firearms. The Lifeform appears to die when it collapses to the ground and dissolves, leaving only a bubbling puddle.
Regenerating, the Lifeform is approached by Mercy
Mercy (comics)
Mercy is a fictional villain at the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:"Mercy" Abigail Wright is an extremely unpredictable and dangerous foe, and has given multiple explanations to her origin, including being an alien, and angel, or, most recently, a woman who gained her powers...
, an extraterrestrial who assists beings wanting to die in committing suicide. Confused by the Lifeform's dual personality -one which wants to die and the other which wants to continue living-, Mercy proceeds to teleport it to a ghost town in the Midwest, where the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
is. Forcing the two minds of the Lifeform into a debate with the Hulk and his alter-ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, Mercy's machinations are ultimately fruitless, as in the end the Hulk and Lifeform only end up fighting each other. After being knocked into a fire by the Hulk and temporarily killed by it, the Lifeform regrows and is transported back to New York by Mercy. Despite it begging her to end its life, Mercy refuses to do so and instead changes the Lifeform back into George Prufrock, but neglects to repair his damaged psyche.
Mercy's transformation of the Lifeform back into George Prufrock proves only temporary, as, over time, George begins to re-mutate. Tracking down a scientist named Lamar Kwiat who worked on the Progamma virus, George discovers him in a hospital, slowly dying due to having been bitten by a monkey infected by with the Progamma virus that had escaped when George first stole the virus. Telling Lamar his origin and of his encounter with the Hulk and Mercy while he steadily mutates and devours anyone who disturbs them, George, having become the Lifeform again, kills Lamar, seeing itself as performing an act of mercy by killing the slowly dying scientist.
Devouring everyone in the hospital, the Lifeform draws S.H.I.E.L.D.'s
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
attention, who contact Mr. Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
to deal with the creature. With help from the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, Mr. Fantastic tracks the Lifeform, which has grown into a gigantic monstrosity composed of malformed tentacles, mouths, arms and bulging muscle, to the East River, where it had been in the midst of eating marine life. Incapacitating Mr. Fantastic, the Lifeform is attacked by the Silver Surfer, who flies it to a dead planetoid in space with the intent of destroying it. Before the Silver Surfer can kill the Lifeform, its good personality emerges and begs the Silver Surfer to end its life. Unable to bring himself to kill the Lifeforms because doing so would mean killing its innocent side, the Silver Surfer regrettably leaves the being on the planetoid, its good side begging for death and its evil side complaining of its hunger.