Man-Thing
Encyclopedia
The Man-Thing is a fictional character
, a monster
in publications from Marvel Comics
. Created by writers Stan Lee
, Roy Thomas
, and Gerry Conway
and artist Gray Morrow
, the character first appeared in Savage Tales
#1 (May 1971), and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear
, which introduced the character Howard the Duck
.
Steve Gerber
's 39-issue run on the series is a cult classic
that was influential on such writers as Neil Gaiman
, who would later write for Swamp Thing
.
Man-Thing is a large, slow-moving, empathic, humanoid
creature living in the Florida
Everglades
near the Seminole
reservation
.
#1 (May 1971), the black-and-white adventure fantasy magazine in which the character debuted in an 11-page origin story, Man-Thing was conceived in discussions between Marvel Comics
editor Stan Lee
and writer Roy Thomas
, and that together they created five possible origins. Lee provided the name, which had previously been used for unrelated creatures in Marvel's early science-fiction/fantasy anthology Tales of Suspense
#7 (Jan. 1960) and #81, as well as the concept of the man losing sentience.
As Thomas recalled in 2002:
Thomas worked out a detailed plot and gave it to Gerry Conway
to script. Thomas and Conway are credited as writers, with Gray Morrow
as artist. A second story, written by Len Wein
and drawn by Neal Adams
, was prepared at that time, but, upon Savage Tales' cancellation after that single issue, "took a year or two to see print", according to Thomas. That occurred in Astonishing Tales
#12 (June 1972), in which the seven-page story was integrated in its entirety within the 21-page feature "Ka-Zar
", starring Marvel's jungle-lord hero. This black-and-white interlude (with yellow highlighting) segued to Man-Thing's introduction to color comics as Ka-Zar's antagonist-turned-ally in this and the following issue (both written by Thomas, with the first penciled by John Buscema
and the second by Buscema and Rich Buckler
).
The Wein-written Man-Thing story appeared in-between Wein's first and second version of his DC Comics
character Swamp Thing
. Wein was Conway's roommate at the time, and as Thomas recalled in 2008,
Steve Gerber would refer to Man-Thing as an "Un-Man
" (eponymous with enemies of Swamp Thing) in Fear #12.
Man-Thing received his own 10-page feature, again by Conway (with Morrow inking pencils by Howard Chaykin
), in Adventure into Fear
#10 (Oct. 1972), sharing that anthological title with reprinted 1950s horror
/fantasy
stories. Steve Gerber
, who would become Man-Thing's signature writer, succeeded Conway the following issue, with art by Rich Buckler (Mayerik began with issue #13). The feature expanded to 15 pages with #12 (art by Jim Starlin
), became 16 pages two issues later, and reached the then-standard 19-page length of Marvel superhero
comics with issue #15, at which point the series also went from bi-monthly to monthly. In Fear #11 (Dec. 1972), page 11, Gerber created the series' narrative tagline, used in captions: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!"
After issue #19 (Dec. 1973), Man-Thing received a solo title, which ran 22 issues (Jan. 1974 - Oct. 1975). Following Morrow, the main series' primary penciller
s were, successively, Val Mayerik
, Mike Ploog
, John Buscema, and Jim Mooney
. A sister publication was the larger, quarterly Giant-Size Man-Thing #1-5 (Aug. 1974 - Aug. 1975), which featured 1950s horror-fantasy and 1960s science fiction
/monster reprints as back-up stories, with a Howard the Duck
feature added in the final two issues. The unintentional double entendre
in the sister series' title became a joke among comics readers.
In the final issue, writer Gerber appeared as a character in the story, claiming he had not been inventing the Man-Thing's adventures but simply reporting on them and that he had decided to move on. Gerber continued to write Man-Thing guest appearances in other Marvel titles, as well as the serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the omnibus series Marvel Comics Presents
#1-12 (Sept. 1988 - Feb. 1989), and a supporting role in The Evolutionary War, coming to the aid of Spider-Man
. Gerber also wrote a graphic novel that Kevin Nowlan
spent many years illustrating, but he did not live to see it published.
A second Man-Thing series ran 11 issues (Nov. 1979 - Jan. 1981). Writer Michael Fleisher
and penciller Mooney teamed for the first three issues, with the letters page of #3 noting that Fleisher's work had received a great deal of negative criticism and that he had been taken off the book. He was succeeded by, primarily, writer Chris Claremont
and illustrators Don Perlin
(breakdowns) and Bob Wiacek
(finished pencils). Claremont's stories introduced Man-Thing and Jennifer Kale
to Doctor Strange
(whose series he was concurrently writing), after which his material focused on two new supporting characters: John Daltry, Citrusville's new sheriff, and Bobbie Bannister, a formerly wealthy girl who is the only survivor when her parents' yacht is attacked. These characters' stories he resolved by tying them to a resolution for his own War Is Hell
series.
Simon Jowett
provided a Man-Thing story in Marvel Comics Presents #164-168 (Early Oct.-Late Nov. 1994). The story was set soon after Sallis' transformation, yet depicted Sallis using a standard personal computer
with up-to-date graphics rather than hard-copy files, an example of the floating timeline
effect.
J.M. DeMatteis began writing the character in a backup story in Man-Thing vol. 2, #9 (March 1981), which opened with a fill-in by Dickie McKenzie. DeMatteis would go on to write Man-Thing stories in Marvel Team-Up
, The Defenders
, Marvel Fanfare
, and the limited series
Daydreamers, as well as the eight-issue Man-Thing vol. 3 (Dec. 1997 - July 1998), illustrated by Liam Sharp
. The two would re-team for the Man-Thing feature in the two-issue Strange Tales vol. 4 (Sept.-Oct. 1998). Four issues were written, but #3 and 4 were never published. Their stories were summarized briefly in Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Annual '99, also by DeMatteis, with art by Sharp and others.
In the 2000s, Man-Thing has starred in a handful of stories appearing in one-shots and limited series, including Marvel Knights Double Shot #2 (July 2002) by Ted McKeever
, and Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing #1 (May 2007) by Charlie Huston
and Klaus Janson
.
In 2008, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
retold Man-Thing's origin in Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing #1-4 (April–July 2008), from the Marvel MAX imprint
. This was followed by an eight-page story in Marvel Comics Presents vol. 2, #12 (Oct. 2008), by writer Jai Nitz and artist Ben Stenbeck.
Man-Thing appeared regularly during The Punisher's Franken-Castle story arc and became a regular member of Thunderbolts
with issue #144.
, is a young biochemist
working in the Everglades
as part of Dr. Wilma Calvin's Project: Gladiator team (which also consists of Dr. Barbara Morse
, her fiancé, Dr. Paul Allen, and Jim. A Dr. Wendell is later cited as being on the staff after Dr. Calvin is shot), which is attempting to recreate the "Super-Soldier Serum" of peak-human physicality that had created Captain America
. During his work, he at one point treated and worked alongside Dr. Curt Connors
shortly after he suffered the amputation of his arm, driving his research that would eventually transform him into the Lizard. Though warned that the technological terrorist group Advanced Idea Mechanics
has been operating in the area, Sallis breaches security by bringing with him his lover, Ellen Brandt (referred to here as "Miss Brandt", but later retcon
ned to be his wife). He destroys his notes to his formula, which he has memorized. Later, at his nearby laboratory, he is ambushed and learns that Brandt has betrayed him. Fleeing with the only sample of his serum, he injects himself with it in hopes of saving himself. However, he crashes his car into the swamp where chemical and, as later explained, magical forces ("the result of all realities gone mad") instantly transform him into a slow-moving plant-matter creature with large, solid red eyes, and three vines in his facial area, often drawn to imitate the features of an elephant
. He finds himself unable to speak, with dim memories, attacking the ambushers and Brandt, burning and scarring part of her face with an acid he now secretes in the presence of violent emotions. The Man-Thing then wanders away into the swamp.
Sallis' mind was apparently extinguished, although on rare occasions he could briefly return to consciousness within his monstrous form, and even to his human form. Contrary to Sallis' belief, Dr. Calvin had also memorized the formula for the serum, but refused to duplicate it, even on direct orders from Nick Fury
, believing that it will only cause further harm. Fury treats her as an elder and respects her decision, much as he dislikes it. The magical elements of the metamorphosis are shown when he shuffled between the forms several times early in his life as Man-Thing, under the influence of others with arcane powers.
Before long, the Man-Thing first encountered Ka-Zar, and agents of A.I.M. Dr. Allen was revealed to be A.I.M's mastermind on the mission; he had killed Dr. Wendell and captured the comatose Dr. Calvin (shot in the back by locals who perceived her as a "witch woman" creating monsters upon her recognition that Man-Thing is Sallis), aware of her knowledge of the formula, while Morse had only pretended to be in love with him on orders from S.H.I.E.L.D., which had suspected him. Man-Thing breaks into A.I.M.'s base, and immolates a terrified Allen, then, after beckoning his friends to leave, sets the base to self-destruct, his friends believing he is committing suicide
.
When next seen, he is catching a baby thrown from a car off a bridge, and knew enough to leave it on the doorstep of the local doctor, Warren B. Thompson, even ringing his doorbell.
After that, he first encountered the sorceress Jennifer Kale
, with whom he briefly shared a psychic link and who knew his true identity, and battled the demon Thog
the Nether-Spawn, who changed him back into Ted Sallis, but would allow him to keep that form only if he killed the Kales. Sallis refused, and was changed by Thog back into the Man-Thing. Although Thog's dimension was shown to be an illusion, Sallis remembered the experience the next time he regained his human form, while retaining no memories of Man-Thing.
Visitors to the swamp soon discovered it was a place of mystical properties known as the Nexus of All Realities, and the Man-Thing visited the extra-dimensional world of Sandt, and met the benevolent Dakimh the Enchanter
, who appeared as an enemy to test his physical and Jennifer's psychological prowess. According to the legend of Zhered-Na, as told by Joshua Kale, Zhered-Na predicted the coming of "a savior men will hate for he will bear the aspect of a monster." Indeed, the powers of Sominus are causing people to become extraordinarily violent throughout the world. After Jennifer, with the aid of Man-Thing, rescues the original Tome of Zhered-Na, things return to normal, and she loses her psychic link to Man-Thing. This severance resulted in frequent nightmares in which she and Man-Thing battled the Congress of Realities and demons of Sominus, Thog's dimension.
Developer Franklin Armstrong Schist attempted to build an airport in Citrusville
. He was opposed by Black Eagle and a number of young Seminole
s living in the area, the rioting attracting Man-Thing's attention.
Man-Thing then first encountered Wundarr (later known as the Aquarian), and then Howard the Duck
. At one point Man-Thing first encountered the Thing
; both were briefly restored to their human forms by a duplicate of the Molecule Man
who thought he was the latter's son. Later, he first encountered the Foolkiller
.
Man-Thing became the Guardian of the Nexus of Realities, and found himself facing demons, ghosts, and time-traveling warriors, while continuing to encounter such non-supernatural antagonists as rapacious land developers, fascist vigilantes, and common criminals. Regular visitors included Thog the Nether-Spawn, Dakimh, Howard the Duck, and several humans, including members of the Cult of Zhered-Na (led by Jennifer Kale's grandfather, Joshua). Dakimh declared that he, Man-Thing, Jennifer, Korrek
, Warrior Prince of Katharta, and Howard were the chosen five needed to defeat Thog, though the latter fell off a cosmic stepping stone, which Dakimh thought would be fatal.
Twenty-something radio DJ Richard Rory
moves to Citrusville, initially after being chased there by the Foolkiller. He and nurse Ruth Hart become involved in defending Man-Thing from Schist's attempts to destroy the creature. Rory in particular formed a bond with Man-Thing, while Hart left Rory for Hell's Kitchen
, New York City
.
In time, reality set in and the energy crisis
prevented Schist from completing his airport. The reason for the airport was then revealed: Schist wanted to find the Fountain of Youth
. Unfortunately, he learned the hard way that the desired effects of the fountain's water come from bathing in it, not drinking it, and with a newly fragile body, was done in by Man-Thing.
Man-Thing and Rory encountered people developing a biosphere
and the Cult of Entropy, who revive the Glob
(Joe Timms), only for Man-Thing to defeat him, and a gorgon
hillbilly named Maybelle Torke who destroys her husband Zeke's harmless dog, Dawg, while he is trying to protect his master, which got an outraged response in letters pages. The two lived through trials of the psychologically disturbed, including a suicidal clown, Darrel Daniel, from Garvey's Carnival, Vietnam veteran
s damaged by mutagenic chemicals, and an institutionalized writer named Brian Lazarus in the acclaimed "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man." Initially accompanied by Ruth Hart, Ayla Prentiss of Garvey's Carnival accompanied Rory after Hart returned to New York.
Soon, Gerber was delving into Ted Sallis' past. In a text story in Monsters Unleashed
#8 and #9, it was revealed that Sallis had slept with an underage girl
, whose father sought to kill the current occupant of his shack
, believing him to be Sallis. In Daredevil
#108, Gerber introduced Foggy Nelson
's sister Candace, who was being harassed over research she was doing at Empire State University
. In issue #113, this was revealed to be about the Sallis Papers, research that could have turned the human race into smog-breathing monsters and allow industry to proceed unchecked. In Man-Thing #15, we are introduced to Sainte-Cloud, a young woman who helped Sallis decide to abandon the project. Sometimes this has been erroneously cited as the project that created Man-Thing, though it is made clear in the stories that this is an earlier project. Daredevil encountered Man-Thing and Richard Rory, and battled Death-Stalker
over the Sallis Papers, eventually disposing of them in a vat of chemicals. Sainte-Cloud, who lives in Greenwich Village
, relives her experience with Sallis via a hallucinogenic candle that was made by a mysterious candlemaker who had seen Man-Thing in New York City
, when F.A. Schist's widow and daughter brought Man-Thing to a theatre in Times Square
and displayed him like King Kong
, from which he inevitably escaped.
At one point, an astral pirate ship headed by Captain Fate
, ended up in the Nexus. A scientist, Dr. Maura Spinner, was the reincarnation
of a pirate queen and both were linked with a satyr
named Khordes. In a controversial ending about which Gerber expressed regrets with having written, Spinner stayed with Khordes.
Dakimh sought his and Jennifer Kale's assistance to help Korrek deal with three villains in Katharta, but the battle is brought to Citrusville, where Man-Thing uses street signs as weapons and Dakimh dies of heart failure. Jennifer places the three villains in cocoons and sends them to outer space. Joshua, Jennifer, and Andy Kale bury Dakimh near the swamp. Man-Thing accompanied them, possibly only intrigued by their sadness.
Not long after, Man-Thing first encountered Spider-Man
, and assisted him in battle against the Lizard
. He would encounter Spider-Man numerous times in the future. Spider-Man would prove sympathetic to him, but would learn very little about him beyond his current abilities.
The final arc of the Gerber series dealt with a hypermasculine
laborer named Josefsen forced into retirement
at age 65. He went on a rampage as a Mad Viking, killed his grand daughter Astrid's artist boyfriend, as well as the lead guitarist of the rock band
Red Feather, and finally, confronted an "Aladdin Sane"-type of dystopian rocker named "Star" Spangler, who had taken over Sallis' partially-burned shack after the deaths of Sallis' underage flame, her father, and the writer he mistook for Sallis. As the Viking, Josefsen allied himself with Olivia Selby, who led a book burning
riot at Citrusville High School, leading to the slaughter of several teachers. Man-Thing's involvement led to him being dumped in the local sewage treatment plant, which only increased his ability to leave the swamp, while Richard Rory got fired by the local radio station for speaking out against the book burning on the air.
Rory attempted to leave for Atlanta, and Man-Thing and Carol Selby, Olivia's daughter, demanded to go with him. In Atlanta, Man-Thing wanders away from the hotel where they are staying the night and encounters a satanic sect about to sacrifice a child and rescues him. The group then meets Robert Nicolle, a man with neither feeling nor physical sensation, who appeared as the costumed criminal the Scavenger, and whose sister, Dani Nicolle, had her sensations on overload and must project them into objects called Nightmare Boxes. The Nightmare Boxes are to build a pyramid for the benefit of Thog, but the use of a Nightmare Box containing both Man-Thing and Steve Gerber, working at the behest of Dakimh's spirit, as the top of the pyramid defeats Thog and saves the world. Gerber tells the final issue in first-person, recapping the entire series and saying that he has to stop writing the series because it has become too personal, since he does not want to have to save the world again. Gerber's involvement is foreshadowed when he twice encounters Richard Rory, who believes he has had a brush with destiny.
Man-Thing later first encountered Jude the Entropic Man
(who had been the Entropist Yagzan before he was killed by the Glob). Man-Thing then first encountered the supernatural villain D'Spayre
and was assisted by Spider-Man. D'Spayre causes him to feel fear and partially self-immolate for the first time. Man-Thing also encountered Doctor Strange
, and aided Strange against Baron Mordo
.
A scientist, Dr. Oheimer, attempted to restore Ted Sallis' mind, now scattered about in ganglia
throughout Man-Thing's body, but was slain by government agents. A love triangle then took Man-Thing to the Himalayas
. Chris Claremont, the writer by this point, introduced himself as a character in the final issue of Volume 2, as Steve Gerber had in the finale of Volume 1. Additionally, Claremont temporarily became the Man-Thing after being stabbed to death with Captain Fate's sword by possessed-Sheriff John Daltry. His and other characters' deaths were later resolved with the intervention of the War is Hell series lead, John Kowalski, now an aspect of Marvel Comics' manifestation of Death
. Man-Thing later appeared briefly alongside the superhero Cyclops
, aiding him in a battle against D'Spayre.
Man-Thing became embroiled in Project: Glamor, a U.S. government conspiracy involving Ted Sallis' "super-soldier" serum related to the Iran-Contra Scandal. Numerous soldiers are being transformed into monsters in attempts to recreate the serum, while the executives financing the scheme are forced to testify before Congress
. Later, the extra-dimensional Quagmire
came into this reality through the Man-Thing's body. It appeared like a pregnancy
, with Jennifer Kale and Quasar
serving as midwives for the delivery of an adult criminal. Later, Jennifer and Quasar have to reassemble their friend's body when it is blasted apart by a war amongst the Nexus guardians of each reality. Quasar ends the war with the Star Brand
that he obtained to escape from the New Universe
(when he returned, he arrived in Man-Thing's swamp and kiss
ed him on the forehead).
After Onslaught
, Man-Thing was somehow summoned to the biosphere
at Charles Xavier
's Massachusetts Academy
, where he helped Franklin Richards
, Leech
, Artie Maddicks
, Tana Nile
, and Howard the Duck
escape from a rampaging Black Tom Cassidy
. Apparently, he helped the group escape from a dark swordsman through various dimensions, and during this time, gained the ability to talk, though he did not speak much like Ted Sallis of old. He expressed that he had no idea how he was doing this, and in fact, he was not. Everything they were seeing, including a world based on Dr. Seuss
and a version of Duckworld in which Howard is seen as a hero and celebrity, as well as Man-Thing's speaking, are all products of Franklin's mutant
mental abilities. When Franklin is willing to accept that even the dark swordsman, a figure representing the apparent death of his family, was his own creation, the group is returned to Man-Thing's swamp. Man-Thing becomes Franklin's self-appointed protector, but when Franklin loses the pocket universe
he carries to an alligator
, his fear draws Man-Thing to turn on him. Although Franklin is able to destroy the alligator, with much sadness, in order to retrieve it, before Man-Thing can touch him, this close call presents him as a superfluous threat to Franklin in the perception of a Celestial
. This Celestial causes Man-Thing to feel fear, self-immolate, and collapse into the swamp.
This was not the end of Man-Thing. He somehow merged with a Norn Stone Bearer named Carl Shuffler, a postal worker in New York City. He initially manifested himself non-physically and with extremely high power, causing all those in Shuffler's very presence to burn at the slightest knowing of fear, with no contact. Eventually developing into a hybrid of Shuffler and Man-Thing's features, they are separated by Spider-Man, who gets a dose of the enormous empathic power of Man-Thing and learns that the latter's body, now sloughed off by a surviving Shuffler, is being reformulated in the Everglades.
The immense psychic energy created by Man-Thing's return draws his wife, Ellen Brandt Sallis, to return to the Citrusville area. She is still half-scarred from the Man-Thing's touch. The existence of the scars contradicts the story in Monsters Unleashed #5 in which her second husband, Leonard, a plastic surgeon, fixes her. Recognizing him as her husband, she tries to save Man-Thing from a hail of bullets; Doctor Strange saves them both. Man-Thing is also set-upon an enormous mission—the Nexus of All Realities has shattered due to the return of the non-mutant heroes lost in Franklin's pocket universe after conquering Onslaught, and he must reassemble the pieces, and Ellen is to be his guide, though she knows not how. A being calling himself Mr. Termineus is interested in both of them, as well as a little boy named Job Burke, who is actually the Sallis' son, who had been put up for adoption. He presents them with a singing staff that apparently has much power, including the ability to lead and transport them to the pieces, and sometimes it is able to sing through Man-Thing, temporarily turning him white when it does so.
The first piece of the Nexus found is trapped within the mind of Eric Simon Payne (also known as Devil-Slayer), who is now in a mental institution in Charles, Massachusetts where Ellen had once been a patient. The next was in Howard the Duck, who had been kidnapped by the Cult of Entropy, who wanted to help along the multi-world destruction. The third was held by Cleito, wife of Poseidon
, and Namor intervened, as her tomb was sacred to all Atlanteans and he would not allow its desecration. A sea deity called Evenor transforms Man-Thing back into Ted Sallis, and takes him, Ellen, whom he has turned into an undine
, and Namor back to ancient Atlantis
, where a living Cleito gives up the piece willingly. The fourth went into outer space and began turning a dead world into a live one. K'Ad-mon
, an entity that had taken possession of Man-Thing through the staff, spoke in a brutal and hypermasculine (in Ellen's words) fashion and fought the Silver Surfer
in order to reclaim the fragment.
Soon after, the Burkes learned of the existence of Mr. Termineus and the identity of Job's biological parents. The story breaks off when Payne and Sorrow (another of the asylum inmates; both made mystics in issue #5) intervene in his gambit. The story continued in issues 3 and 4, but they were never published. Summaries based on DeMatteis' unillustrated scripts appear on the K'Ad-mon and Ellen Brandt pages on Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe, provided to the site by the author.
When Man-Thing next appears, in Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Annual '99, his body, now white, is now fully the vessel of K'Ad-mon, while Ted and Ellen saved the multiverse
by merging fully with the Nexus. This was possible because Ted Sallis was "of the lineage." The couple is both fully merged and fully individual, and Ted has to leave Ellen in charge of the Nexus over the course of the story. A footnote refers us to the "as-yet unpublished" stories in Strange Tales 3 & 4. K'Ad-mon is described as being the first soul on the planet. The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe goes so far as to say, based on communications with DeMatteis, that this is Adam
, who had previously appeared as the entity Spyros, whom Daimon Hellstrom
encountered during Gerber's Marvel Spotlight
run. In this issue, K'Ad-mon departs from Man-Thing's body, and Ted must repossess it, sending Spider-Man through multiple realities to rescue Ellen, drained to a thread. Spider-Man is shocked that Man-Thing could be married, can sing, and wonders when he got bleached, but he complies. In spite of the weakness of Ellen, Man-Thing speaks (not sings) with the voices of Ted and Ellen of how he foiled a plot that K'Ad-mon had been forced to allow, because the two of them are "only human".
When we next see Man-Thing in Hulk #4, he still has his long, shamanistic "hair," but he is once again green and silent. In Hulk #6, this Man-Thing is said to have a dim memory of the K'Ad-mon experience, but in Hulk #7, the story's villain, Owen Candler, is revealed to be a plant monster who only thinks it is Owen Candler, just like Swamp Thing
. All of his vegetable matter, people, and animals, including Betty Ross Banner
and this Man-Thing, collapse into nonexistence after he is burned to death by Man-Thing, who still has this ability in spite of apparently not being the real thing.
At any rate, he is back to is old form when he discovers a mystical disturbance affecting Danielle Moonstar
and Arcadia Deville, reuniting him with Jennifer Kale, who had been teaching t'ai chi to members of X-Force
. There, he imparts knowledge to Moonstar by empathic means via touching her forehead. This allows Moonstar to fire a mystic arrow at the right location in the Citadel generated by the Deville of an alternate reality. Some time later, an unnamed mad scientist
captured Man-Thing and injected him with distillations of various emotions to see his visceral reactions, but once Man-Thing oozed out of his bonds, the scientist felt fear and was destroyed.
Later, Man-Thing and other beings, such as Vermin
, Nightmare
, Carrion
, and Gator Grant become possessed and attack Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler
) at the Florida carnival where he was once imprisoned, all bent on obtaining the Soulsword. Nightcrawler initially believes this to be the work of the demon The Hive, or perhaps Belasco
, but The Hive possessed only Wagner's ex-boss, Jardine, and briefly, Wolverine
(as well as his brother years before). Eventually, Mephisto
reveals himself as the one who was in control of Man-Thing and the others. Dr. Hank McCoy, the Beast
, tells Wagner that the burns he received from Man-Thing were not severe enough to leave a scar.
Some time later, he is captured by the DeFlyte family, the wealthiest in Citrusville, who feast on his body each day, to the point that only his head and shoulders remain. The DeFlytess hire a new gardener named Esperanza, who is appalled by what she sees, and places two flowers from the swamp on the tray, the DeFlytes collapsed in sleep around the dinner table. This is enough for Man-Thing to regenerate fully and destroy his captors, all of whom end up with their intestines spilled.
During the Civil War
storyline, two S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents are sent to the Everglades to register the Man-Thing with the Superhuman Registration Act. As the Man-Thing is mentally unfit to sign documents, this is actually a cover for a corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. boss to take out one disreputable member and put another one in his place while he retires on stolen gold. The attempt to destroy Man-Thing fails.
A young member of the undead surfaces in the swamp to which Man-Thing's arm can be quickly seen, terminating the zombie before it resurfaces. He is next seen walking away in the distance. It is later indicated that he will be part of the Midnight Sons
team to track down renegade Marvel Zombies who have been able to transport themselves to different coordinates. Later, after a disastrous attempt by Michael Morbius
to eradicate the zombie threat, Dormammu
, Lord of the Dark Dimension, tempts Jennifer Kale with dark powers, but she refuses, summoning Man-Thing by breaking a glass orb containing mud from the Florida swamps. Man-Thing swings at the astral projection of Dormamu, his fist passing through it harmlessly. Shortly after, Jennifer introduces Man-Thing to the other members of the Midnight Sons (Michael Morbius "The Living Vampire", Daimon Hellstrom
"Son of Satan", and Jacob "Jack" Russell "Werewolf by Night
").
Morbius' "cure" for the zombie virus caused the virus to become airborne, no longer needing a host body to infect others. The result was a cloud that, according to Jennifer "...is so bloated with blood and gore, it's discharging the viscera...in the form of infected rain...which is sucking any life it comes in contact with back up into itself...like some grotesque parody of the water cycle."
Man-Thing chases the head of an alternate-reality Deadpool, carried by an alternate-reality Simon "Cadaver" Garth
, into the infected rain where he can draw strength from the earth to heal himself, providing resistance to the life-draining rain.
The rain kills the superhumans Ogre, Razor Wire, and Lightning Fist (members of Roxxon Blackridges security force), and assembles their bodies into an amalgam zombie. It appears that Zombie Deadpool has some control over this new zombie, and with it, stabs Man-Thing through the chest with a street lamp, lifting him off the ground. Without the earth to replenish him, Man-Thing is exposed to the rain, dissolving his body and killing him. However, Man-Thing quickly grows back and helps the Midnight Sons by burning the amalgam zombie that was attacking them.
In the Dark Avengers
series during the Dark Reign
storyline, Man-Thing is torn apart by the titular team and captured. Later Man-Thing is seen protecting Moloids who are collecting and spiriting away the Punisher
's body parts after he is dismembered and decapitated by Daken
on the orders of Norman Osborn
. He and Morbius, the Living Vampire
were able to revive Punisher as a Frankenstein-like monster called FrankenCastle. After a fight with Samurai-like monster hunters from the Hunter of Monster Special Forces, Man-Thing manages to get FrankenCastle to join his Legion of Monsters.
Man-Thing also appeared in an issue of Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #6, where he encounters the head of the zombie Deadpool once again, and still holds a grudge against him for attempting to kill him. Man-Thing even attempts to kill the agents of A.I.M and the standard timeline Deadpool to simply get to the head. However, the entire group quickly escapes, due to the Man-Thing's slow speed. Although when Deadpool and the head of Zombie Deadpool are captured by agents of HYDRA
while fleeing, Man-Thing puts aside his possible hatred for the head and assists Deadpool.
During the Heroic Age
storyline, Steve Rogers
in his new identity of Captain Steve Rogers has brought Man-Thing in to serve as the transportation for the Thunderbolts
team overseen by Luke Cage
in order to atone for some of the deaths it has caused. Hank Pym
warns Luke Cage not to let it sense his fear or his corrosive chemicals that secretes will damage his unbreakable skin. Luke Cage then asks Man-Thing if they can cooperate, holding out his arm. Man-Thing grasps it with his own. Since Cage feels no pain, it is apparent that Man-Thing agrees.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Man-Thing is driven on a rampage due to the fear and chaos he senses on the part of the citizenry causing Frankenstein's Monster, Howard the Duck
, Nighthawk
, and She-Hulk
to become the Fearsome Four in order to stop Man-Thing.
and horror
scenarios.
Although he is often described as a nearly mindless mass of slime with no particular affinity to any living thing, his actions are more akin to an autistic and mute human. In the pages of the Thunderbolts, Dr. Henry Pym has expressed the view that the Man-Thing is sentient, though difficult to communicate with. For example, he once rescued an infant and left the child with a doctor (which would require an understanding of the function of a doctor and the ability to navigate to a specific address). He is shown to understand concepts such as how to ring a doorbell, how to put an arm in a sling, and even how to flip an auto-destruct switch. The change in Man-Thing's intellect can partly be explained by fact that its brain, sensory organs, and central nervous system are now organized in a completely different fashion than a human; for instance, Man-Thing's auditory receptors are in his forehead. Regardless of what level of humanity the creature still possesses, it can discern when a person's motivations are evil, which causes it pain and motivates it to lash out.
The Man-Thing possesses a variety of superhuman powers, described below, that are derived from the interaction of the scientific formula created by Ted Sallis and the mystical energies of the Nexus of Realities.
It is able to sense human emotion
s, and is enraged by fear
and automatically secretes a strong chemical corrosive
; anyone feeling fear and clutched by the Man-Thing is prone to be burned (either chemically or mystically), hence the series' tag-line, "Whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing." Though fear is understandably most people's response to the creature, both for his monstrous appearance and the physical danger of his touch, typically only villains end up meeting an immolating death at its hands. Many survive being burned, notably Ellen Brandt, Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner
, whom he does not even scar, and Mongu, whose hand he permanently attaches to his axe, either due to intervention or dissipation. Unusual psychic and mystical forces react in what passes as the "brain" cells located throughout his body. These unique forces render the Man-Thing extremely sensitive to emotions. Emotions that are mild and generally considered positive arouse curiosity and the Man-Thing will sometimes observe from a distance. However, emotions that are often viewed as negative, such as violent emotions, rage, anger, hatred, and fear, cause the Man-Thing great discomfort and might provoke him to attack. Once provoked into violent actions, his body secretes highly concentrated sulfuric acid
that can burn human beings to ashes within a matter of seconds. Even individuals that have high levels of superhuman durability have proven unable to withstand this potent acid. While the Man-Thing is devoid of violent emotions, his body produces a type of foamy, soapy mucus that neutralizes the acid.
Although Man-Thing's superhuman strength varies considerably in his comic book appearances, it has been established that the creature possesses physical strength beyond the limitations of any human athlete. Initially, the Man-Thing is only slightly stronger than Captain America, but in later appearances, the Man-Thing possesses sufficient superhuman strength to stand toe to toe with much stronger villains. He is able to lift a 2,000 pound automobile when sufficiently moved to do so.
The Man-Thing's body is practically invulnerable to harm. Because his body is not entirely solid, but composed of the muck and vegetative matter of the swamp, fists, bullets, knives, energy blasts, etc. will either pass entirely through him or will harmlessly be lodged within his body. Even if a vast portion of the Man-Thing's body were to be ripped away or incinerated, he would be able to reorganize himself by drawing the necessary material from the surrounding vegetation. Devil-Slayer once sliced him nearly in half, and he has survived being incinerated by a Celestial
, although his healing from the latter has been the longest and most complex in his lifetime.
Due to the construction of his body, the Man-Thing is able to ooze his body through openings or around barriers that would seem too small for him to pass though. The smaller the opening, the longer it will take for him to reorganize his mass upon reaching the other side. This ability, can be defeated mystically.
The Man-Thing was once dependent upon the swamp he inhabits for his continued survival; his body would slowly weaken and eventually lapse into dormancy if not returned to the swamp or would be greatly damaged if exposed to clean water. His exposure to the Citrusville waste treatment plant greatly enhanced his ability to leave the swamp, as he became a self-contained ecosystem, feeding off his own waste products. He generally leaves the swamp of his own accord only if he senses a mystical disturbance. Man-Thing has also demonstrated himself susceptible to possession by other entities.
Although the Man-Thing lacks a normal human intellect, in its life as Ted Sallis, it possessed a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Sallis is legally dead, but his identity is known to numerous living people, including Wilma Calvin, Ellen Brandt, Stephen Strange, Owen Reece
, Ben Grimm
, Thog
, and Jennifer Kale, and anyone they may have told. His identity as Man-Thing could not be considered secret, but his existence is generally believed to be a hoax, and an obscure one at that. In-universe, knowledge of his existence is rarely tied to the experiments of Sallis, as are speculations as to any human identity he may have had. Despite having appeared in Citrusville many times, many there still believe him to be a rumor.
in Marvel Team-Up
#95 and went on to become a prominent member of Avengers West Coast, eventually sacrificing her life to save her husband, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton
, from Mephisto
. Until recently, her spirit fought alongside Daimon Hellstrom to eliminate demons from his Hell; however, she has appeared alive during the Secret Invasion
crossover. At the end of Secret Invasion, Mockingbird was revealed to be alive and had been one of the early captures of the Skrulls. Morse has joined the New Avengers and has had adventures alongside Hawkeye.
Jennifer Kale
debuted in Fear #11, which was the first story Steve Gerber wrote for Marvel after his initial tryout. She went on to appear in two team books, The Legion of Night, created and written by Gerber and partially composed of several other Gerber-created supporting cast members such as Martin Gold and Dr. Katherine Reynolds, and Bronwyn Carlton and Bryan Walsh's Witches
in which she teamed with Satana
and Topaz
under the tutelage of Doctor Strange.
Gerber introduced Howard the Duck
in a Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear #19. Howard, who was displaced from a planet of anthropomorphics in another dimension via the swamp's Nexus of All Realities, later acquired his own series, which was written by Gerber for the first 27 issues.
The Foolkiller
, a vigilante who used a ray-gun to disintegrate not only criminals but anyone he considered foolish, was introduced in issue #3 of this series, bent on slaying disc jockey
Richard Rory
, introduced in the previous issue. When Rory served time for trumped-up kidnapping charges, he accidentally created another Foolkiller when he revealed too much detail about the previous incarnation and the whereabouts of his gear. This Foolkiller became an occasional villain in other Marvel comics. Both Rory and this second Foolkiller, along with nurse Ruth Hart (who appeared in Man-Thing # 2-7) were supporting characters in Gerber's Omega the Unknown
, while David Anthony Kraft
made Rory a potential love interest for She-Hulk
. A third version of the character, who was in internet
communication with the second, starred in Gerber's 1990 Foolkiller miniseries. A second series by Greg Hurwitz, featuring a fourth Foolkiller, appeared in 2008.
animated series (Earth-921031), Storm and Jean Grey
are inadvertently teleported to Man-Thing's swamp from the Mojoverse. The three battle D'Spayre, who appears as a fake preacher trying to lead people up a suicide tower that is drawing energy out of the Nexus of All Realities. D'Spayre, working for the Dweller-in-Darkness
, is burned by Man-Thing when he fears failure. After their defeat of D'Spayre, Jean makes a psychic link with Man-Thing (which she had done earlier to learn his origin) and is imparted information that she believes is the most important thing in the world. Jean is forced to become the Phoenix once more, using the information obtained from Man-Thing, destroys the M'Kraan Crystal
, and in doing so, ends the universe. However, one survivor is sent into the universe to come, Galactus
, thereby implying that the animation continuity takes place eons before the mainstream Marvel continuity.
comic book series depicts a Marvel Universe in which characters' counterparts are vastly different. In the Mutant X Annual '99 (1999), Doctor Strange
, the sorcerer supreme of Earth, reveals himself to be the Man-Thing. He returns in Mutant X Annual '01 (2001) and Mutant X #32 (June 2001).
volume 2 #38 tells the story of what happened when Killraven
stumbled across the Miami Museum of Cultural Development and became caught up in the projected dreams of an astronaut from the "Mars launch in 1999." During the hallucination, Killraven encountered distorted versions of numerous Marvel characters. Rather ambiguously, the awakened astronaut later described the figures as "all the heroes from my youth" but he also often referred to them as "myths." The only Marvel character that is definitely "real" in the projected nightmare is the Man-Thing who appears as part of an actual memory of an encounter that the astronaut had with the creature in the Florida Everglades.
.
imprint
, is similar to his traditional counterpart in mainstream continuity. In his first appearance, he teamed with Spider-Man
in Ultimate Marvel Team Up
#10, unwittingly saving the superhero from the Lizard
. Additionally, in Ultimate Fantastic Four
#7, during a flashback that transformed Reed and his colleagues into the Fantastic Four, the Man-Thing is shown for a moment.
anthology
What If
#26 (April 1981) asked, "What if the Man-Thing had Regained Ted Sallis' Brain?" Written by Steven Grant
, with art by penciller
Herb Trimpe
and inker
Bob Wiacek
. In the story, an alligator Dr. Oheimer was working on became the new Man-Thing while Sallis self-immolated at his own fear.
What If
vol. 2, #11 (March 1990) featured the Fantastic Four
in four scenarios written and penciled by Jim Valentino
, showing what might have happened if the team-members had all had the same powers as one another. In "What if the Fantastic Four had All Become Monsters Like the Thing?", Sue Storm
's appearance was that of the Man-Thing. In this form she had lost all but her very basic intelligence and could no longer speak.
Mutant Mayhem set which was released in 2004.
Character (arts)
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 monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
in publications from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Created by writers Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, and Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and artist Gray Morrow
Gray Morrow
Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...
, the character first appeared in Savage Tales
Savage Tales
Savage Tales is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics , and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment.-Marvel/Curtis:The first of the two volumes of Savage Tales ran 11 issues, with...
#1 (May 1971), and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues...
, which introduced the character Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
.
Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
's 39-issue run on the series is a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
that was influential on such writers as Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, who would later write for Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
.
Man-Thing is a large, slow-moving, empathic, humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
creature living in the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
near the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
.
Publication history
As described in the text featurette "The Story Behind the Scenes" in Savage TalesSavage Tales
Savage Tales is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics , and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment.-Marvel/Curtis:The first of the two volumes of Savage Tales ran 11 issues, with...
#1 (May 1971), the black-and-white adventure fantasy magazine in which the character debuted in an 11-page origin story, Man-Thing was conceived in discussions between Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
editor Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, and that together they created five possible origins. Lee provided the name, which had previously been used for unrelated creatures in Marvel's early science-fiction/fantasy anthology Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured...
#7 (Jan. 1960) and #81, as well as the concept of the man losing sentience.
As Thomas recalled in 2002:
Thomas worked out a detailed plot and gave it to Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
to script. Thomas and Conway are credited as writers, with Gray Morrow
Gray Morrow
Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...
as artist. A second story, written by Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and drawn by Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
, was prepared at that time, but, upon Savage Tales
Astonishing Tales
Astonishing Tales is an American anthology comic book series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1970-1976. Its sister publication was Amazing Adventures vol. 2...
#12 (June 1972), in which the seven-page story was integrated in its entirety within the 21-page feature "Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is the name of two jungle-dwelling comics fictional characters published in the United States. The first appeared in pulp magazines of the 1930s, and was adapted for his second iteration, as a comic book character for Timely Comics, the 1930s and 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics...
", starring Marvel's jungle-lord hero. This black-and-white interlude (with yellow highlighting) segued to Man-Thing's introduction to color comics as Ka-Zar's antagonist-turned-ally in this and the following issue (both written by Thomas, with the first penciled by John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
and the second by Buscema and Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s and, with writer Doug Moench, co-creating the character Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25...
).
The Wein-written Man-Thing story appeared in-between Wein's first and second version of his DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
. Wein was Conway's roommate at the time, and as Thomas recalled in 2008,
Steve Gerber would refer to Man-Thing as an "Un-Man
Un-Men
The Un-Men are a group of fictional characters in the DC/Vertigo Comics universe. Created by the writer/artist team of Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, the Un-Men made their first appearance in 1972, in the first and second issues of the original Swamp Thing comic book series...
" (eponymous with enemies of Swamp Thing) in Fear #12.
Man-Thing received his own 10-page feature, again by Conway (with Morrow inking pencils by Howard Chaykin
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material...
), in Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues...
#10 (Oct. 1972), sharing that anthological title with reprinted 1950s horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories. Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
, who would become Man-Thing's signature writer, succeeded Conway the following issue, with art by Rich Buckler (Mayerik began with issue #13). The feature expanded to 15 pages with #12 (art by Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
), became 16 pages two issues later, and reached the then-standard 19-page length of Marvel superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comics with issue #15, at which point the series also went from bi-monthly to monthly. In Fear #11 (Dec. 1972), page 11, Gerber created the series' narrative tagline, used in captions: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!"
After issue #19 (Dec. 1973), Man-Thing received a solo title, which ran 22 issues (Jan. 1974 - Oct. 1975). Following Morrow, the main series' primary penciller
Penciller
A penciller is an artist who works in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms.The penciller is the first step in rendering the story in visual form and may require several steps of feedback with the writer. These artists are concerned with layout to showcase...
s were, successively, Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...
, Mike Ploog
Mike Ploog
Michael G. Ploog is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for movies....
, John Buscema, and Jim Mooney
Jim Mooney
James Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
. A sister publication was the larger, quarterly Giant-Size Man-Thing #1-5 (Aug. 1974 - Aug. 1975), which featured 1950s horror-fantasy and 1960s science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/monster reprints as back-up stories, with a Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
feature added in the final two issues. The unintentional double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
in the sister series' title became a joke among comics readers.
In the final issue, writer Gerber appeared as a character in the story, claiming he had not been inventing the Man-Thing's adventures but simply reporting on them and that he had decided to move on. Gerber continued to write Man-Thing guest appearances in other Marvel titles, as well as the serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the omnibus series Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995; it returned for a second volume in 2007-2008.-Volume 1:The first volume was released on a biweekly basis and lasted for 175 issues...
#1-12 (Sept. 1988 - Feb. 1989), and a supporting role in The Evolutionary War, coming to the aid of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. Gerber also wrote a graphic novel that Kevin Nowlan
Kevin Nowlan
Kevin Nowlan is an American comic-book artist who works as penciler, inker, colorist and letterer.He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic production, from "design to draftsmanship to dramatics".-Biography:Kevin...
spent many years illustrating, but he did not live to see it published.
A second Man-Thing series ran 11 issues (Nov. 1979 - Jan. 1981). Writer Michael Fleisher
Michael Fleisher
Michael L. "Mike" Fleisher is an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters the Spectre and Jonah Hex.-Early life and career:...
and penciller Mooney teamed for the first three issues, with the letters page of #3 noting that Fleisher's work had received a great deal of negative criticism and that he had been taken off the book. He was succeeded by, primarily, writer Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and illustrators Don Perlin
Don Perlin
Don Perlin is an American comic book artist and occasional writer best known for Marvel Comics' Werewolf by Night, The Defenders, and Ghost Rider...
(breakdowns) and Bob Wiacek
Bob Wiacek
Bob Wiacek is an American comic book artist and writer, working primarily as an inker.-Career:Wiacek got his start in the mid-1970s as a member of the "Crusty Bunkers" inking collective. For a short time in 1975–1976 he inked backgrounds on Superman for DC Comics...
(finished pencils). Claremont's stories introduced Man-Thing and Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...
to Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
(whose series he was concurrently writing), after which his material focused on two new supporting characters: John Daltry, Citrusville's new sheriff, and Bobbie Bannister, a formerly wealthy girl who is the only survivor when her parents' yacht is attacked. These characters' stories he resolved by tying them to a resolution for his own War Is Hell
War is Hell (comics)
War Is Hell was a horror/war comic book series from Marvel Comics in 1973-1975. For its first six issues, it featured reprints of old war comics, followed by two issues of reprints of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos...
series.
Simon Jowett
Simon Jowett
-Biography:His early work was in comics, as the writer of the James Bond stories Silent Armageddon and Shattered Helix ) and as a contributor to 2000AD. He left comics largely behind in the mid-1990s, when he moved into script-writing for other media...
provided a Man-Thing story in Marvel Comics Presents #164-168 (Early Oct.-Late Nov. 1994). The story was set soon after Sallis' transformation, yet depicted Sallis using a standard personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
with up-to-date graphics rather than hard-copy files, an example of the floating timeline
Floating timeline
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.A...
effect.
J.M. DeMatteis began writing the character in a backup story in Man-Thing vol. 2, #9 (March 1981), which opened with a fill-in by Dickie McKenzie. DeMatteis would go on to write Man-Thing stories in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
, The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
, Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Fanfare is the title of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both versions of Marvel Fanfare were anthology, showcase titles featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe.-Volume One:...
, and the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Daydreamers, as well as the eight-issue Man-Thing vol. 3 (Dec. 1997 - July 1998), illustrated by Liam Sharp
Liam Sharp
Liam Roger Sharp is a British comic book artist, writer and publisher.-Early life:Liam Sharp was born in Derby at St. Mary's Hospital to parents Roger and Linda Sharp. He has a younger sister, Kerry, and younger brother, Rien. He went to School at Brackensdale Junior then infants school, before...
. The two would re-team for the Man-Thing feature in the two-issue Strange Tales vol. 4 (Sept.-Oct. 1998). Four issues were written, but #3 and 4 were never published. Their stories were summarized briefly in Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
Annual '99, also by DeMatteis, with art by Sharp and others.
In the 2000s, Man-Thing has starred in a handful of stories appearing in one-shots and limited series, including Marvel Knights Double Shot #2 (July 2002) by Ted McKeever
Ted McKeever
-Career:McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit , establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum...
, and Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing #1 (May 2007) by Charlie Huston
Charlie Huston
Charlie Huston is an American author of crime novels and superhero comic books. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Virginia Louise Smith...
and Klaus Janson
Klaus Janson
Klaus Janson is a German-born American comic book artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies...
.
In 2008, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter and comic-book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the HBO drama series Big Love.-Biography:...
retold Man-Thing's origin in Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing #1-4 (April–July 2008), from the Marvel MAX imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. This was followed by an eight-page story in Marvel Comics Presents vol. 2, #12 (Oct. 2008), by writer Jai Nitz and artist Ben Stenbeck.
Man-Thing appeared regularly during The Punisher's Franken-Castle story arc and became a regular member of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
with issue #144.
Fictional character biography
Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis, a native of Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, is a young biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
working in the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
as part of Dr. Wilma Calvin's Project: Gladiator team (which also consists of Dr. Barbara Morse
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
, her fiancé, Dr. Paul Allen, and Jim. A Dr. Wendell is later cited as being on the staff after Dr. Calvin is shot), which is attempting to recreate the "Super-Soldier Serum" of peak-human physicality that had created Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. During his work, he at one point treated and worked alongside Dr. Curt Connors
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
shortly after he suffered the amputation of his arm, driving his research that would eventually transform him into the Lizard. Though warned that the technological terrorist group Advanced Idea Mechanics
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:...
has been operating in the area, Sallis breaches security by bringing with him his lover, Ellen Brandt (referred to here as "Miss Brandt", but later retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned to be his wife). He destroys his notes to his formula, which he has memorized. Later, at his nearby laboratory, he is ambushed and learns that Brandt has betrayed him. Fleeing with the only sample of his serum, he injects himself with it in hopes of saving himself. However, he crashes his car into the swamp where chemical and, as later explained, magical forces ("the result of all realities gone mad") instantly transform him into a slow-moving plant-matter creature with large, solid red eyes, and three vines in his facial area, often drawn to imitate the features of an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
. He finds himself unable to speak, with dim memories, attacking the ambushers and Brandt, burning and scarring part of her face with an acid he now secretes in the presence of violent emotions. The Man-Thing then wanders away into the swamp.
Sallis' mind was apparently extinguished, although on rare occasions he could briefly return to consciousness within his monstrous form, and even to his human form. Contrary to Sallis' belief, Dr. Calvin had also memorized the formula for the serum, but refused to duplicate it, even on direct orders from Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
, believing that it will only cause further harm. Fury treats her as an elder and respects her decision, much as he dislikes it. The magical elements of the metamorphosis are shown when he shuffled between the forms several times early in his life as Man-Thing, under the influence of others with arcane powers.
Before long, the Man-Thing first encountered Ka-Zar, and agents of A.I.M. Dr. Allen was revealed to be A.I.M's mastermind on the mission; he had killed Dr. Wendell and captured the comatose Dr. Calvin (shot in the back by locals who perceived her as a "witch woman" creating monsters upon her recognition that Man-Thing is Sallis), aware of her knowledge of the formula, while Morse had only pretended to be in love with him on orders from S.H.I.E.L.D., which had suspected him. Man-Thing breaks into A.I.M.'s base, and immolates a terrified Allen, then, after beckoning his friends to leave, sets the base to self-destruct, his friends believing he is committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
When next seen, he is catching a baby thrown from a car off a bridge, and knew enough to leave it on the doorstep of the local doctor, Warren B. Thompson, even ringing his doorbell.
After that, he first encountered the sorceress Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...
, with whom he briefly shared a psychic link and who knew his true identity, and battled the demon Thog
Thog
Thog the Nether-Spawn, Overmaster of Sominus is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a demon from the extra-dimensional world of Sominus who has clashed with the Man-Thing.-Publication history:...
the Nether-Spawn, who changed him back into Ted Sallis, but would allow him to keep that form only if he killed the Kales. Sallis refused, and was changed by Thog back into the Man-Thing. Although Thog's dimension was shown to be an illusion, Sallis remembered the experience the next time he regained his human form, while retaining no memories of Man-Thing.
Visitors to the swamp soon discovered it was a place of mystical properties known as the Nexus of All Realities, and the Man-Thing visited the extra-dimensional world of Sandt, and met the benevolent Dakimh the Enchanter
Dakimh the Enchanter
Dakimh the Enchanter is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Dakimh, a wise but eccentric wizard, lived in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis, and was the pupil of the sorceress Zhered-Na. Zhered-Na was banished from Atlantis by King Kamuu for prophesying that the...
, who appeared as an enemy to test his physical and Jennifer's psychological prowess. According to the legend of Zhered-Na, as told by Joshua Kale, Zhered-Na predicted the coming of "a savior men will hate for he will bear the aspect of a monster." Indeed, the powers of Sominus are causing people to become extraordinarily violent throughout the world. After Jennifer, with the aid of Man-Thing, rescues the original Tome of Zhered-Na, things return to normal, and she loses her psychic link to Man-Thing. This severance resulted in frequent nightmares in which she and Man-Thing battled the Congress of Realities and demons of Sominus, Thog's dimension.
Developer Franklin Armstrong Schist attempted to build an airport in Citrusville
Citrusville
Citrusville, Cypress County, Florida is a fictional Everglades town in the Marvel Universe. It appears most frequently in stories related to Man-Thing, and was first shown in Adventure into Fear #11. It was created by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler...
. He was opposed by Black Eagle and a number of young Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s living in the area, the rioting attracting Man-Thing's attention.
Man-Thing then first encountered Wundarr (later known as the Aquarian), and then Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
. At one point Man-Thing first encountered the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
; both were briefly restored to their human forms by a duplicate of the Molecule Man
Molecule Man
Molecule Man is a fictional character, a supervillain or reluctant hero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #20.-1960s:...
who thought he was the latter's son. Later, he first encountered the Foolkiller
Foolkiller
The Foolkiller is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by writer Steve Gerber and first appeared in the pages of 1974's Man-Thing. He also had a ten-issue limited series that ran from 1990 to 1991, followed by another in 2007. There have been four different...
.
Man-Thing became the Guardian of the Nexus of Realities, and found himself facing demons, ghosts, and time-traveling warriors, while continuing to encounter such non-supernatural antagonists as rapacious land developers, fascist vigilantes, and common criminals. Regular visitors included Thog the Nether-Spawn, Dakimh, Howard the Duck, and several humans, including members of the Cult of Zhered-Na (led by Jennifer Kale's grandfather, Joshua). Dakimh declared that he, Man-Thing, Jennifer, Korrek
Korrek
Korrek is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Korrek first appeared in Fear #19 , and was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik....
, Warrior Prince of Katharta, and Howard were the chosen five needed to defeat Thog, though the latter fell off a cosmic stepping stone, which Dakimh thought would be fatal.
Twenty-something radio DJ Richard Rory
Richard Rory
Richard Rory is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He initially was a sort of author surrogate or alter ego for writer Steve Gerber, though Gerber is also shown to exist in the Marvel Universe. He was introduced in Man-Thing Volume 1, #2, a bit of a loner who rather easily befriended the...
moves to Citrusville, initially after being chased there by the Foolkiller. He and nurse Ruth Hart become involved in defending Man-Thing from Schist's attempts to destroy the creature. Rory in particular formed a bond with Man-Thing, while Hart left Rory for Hell's Kitchen
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....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In time, reality set in and the energy crisis
Energy crisis
An energy crisis is any great bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In popular literature though, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, particularly those that supply national electricity grids or serve as fuel for vehicles...
prevented Schist from completing his airport. The reason for the airport was then revealed: Schist wanted to find the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
. Unfortunately, he learned the hard way that the desired effects of the fountain's water come from bathing in it, not drinking it, and with a newly fragile body, was done in by Man-Thing.
Man-Thing and Rory encountered people developing a biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
and the Cult of Entropy, who revive the Glob
Glob (comics)
Glob is the name of multiple fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe.-Joseph "Joe" Timms:Glob is a fictional monster character from the Marvel Universe who first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #121....
(Joe Timms), only for Man-Thing to defeat him, and a gorgon
Gorgon
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a...
hillbilly named Maybelle Torke who destroys her husband Zeke's harmless dog, Dawg, while he is trying to protect his master, which got an outraged response in letters pages. The two lived through trials of the psychologically disturbed, including a suicidal clown, Darrel Daniel, from Garvey's Carnival, Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
s damaged by mutagenic chemicals, and an institutionalized writer named Brian Lazarus in the acclaimed "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man." Initially accompanied by Ruth Hart, Ayla Prentiss of Garvey's Carnival accompanied Rory after Hart returned to New York.
Soon, Gerber was delving into Ted Sallis' past. In a text story in Monsters Unleashed
Monsters Unleashed
Monsters Unleashed was a black-and-white magazine published by Curtis Magazines from 1973-1975. The focus of Monsters Unleashed was on Marvel's own monsters: Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and Frankenstein's monster...
#8 and #9, it was revealed that Sallis had slept with an underage girl
Statutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
, whose father sought to kill the current occupant of his shack
Shack
A shack is a type of small house, usually in a state of disrepair. The word may derive from the Nahuatl word xacalli or "adobe house" by way of Mexican Spanish xacal/jacal, which has the same meaning as "shack". It was a common usage among people of Mexican ancestry throughout the U.S...
, believing him to be Sallis. In 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...
#108, Gerber introduced Foggy Nelson
Foggy Nelson
Franklin P. "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Daredevil ; Foggy is Matt's best friend. The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett....
's sister Candace, who was being harassed over research she was doing at Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
. In issue #113, this was revealed to be about the Sallis Papers, research that could have turned the human race into smog-breathing monsters and allow industry to proceed unchecked. In Man-Thing #15, we are introduced to Sainte-Cloud, a young woman who helped Sallis decide to abandon the project. Sometimes this has been erroneously cited as the project that created Man-Thing, though it is made clear in the stories that this is an earlier project. Daredevil encountered Man-Thing and Richard Rory, and battled Death-Stalker
Death-Stalker
The Death-Stalker is a fictional character, a super-villain of the professional-criminal type, in the Marvel Comics universe. His real name was Philip Wallace Sterling. An enemy of Daredevil, he first appeared as the Exterminator in Daredevil Vol. 1, #39 .-Fictional character biography:Philip...
over the Sallis Papers, eventually disposing of them in a vat of chemicals. Sainte-Cloud, who lives in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, relives her experience with Sallis via a hallucinogenic candle that was made by a mysterious candlemaker who had seen Man-Thing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, when F.A. Schist's widow and daughter brought Man-Thing to a theatre in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and displayed him like King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, from which he inevitably escaped.
At one point, an astral pirate ship headed by Captain Fate
Captain Fate
Captain Fate is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Captain Fate first appeared in Man-Thing #13-14 , and was created by Steve Gerber and John Buscema....
, ended up in the Nexus. A scientist, Dr. Maura Spinner, was the reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of a pirate queen and both were linked with a satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
named Khordes. In a controversial ending about which Gerber expressed regrets with having written, Spinner stayed with Khordes.
Dakimh sought his and Jennifer Kale's assistance to help Korrek deal with three villains in Katharta, but the battle is brought to Citrusville, where Man-Thing uses street signs as weapons and Dakimh dies of heart failure. Jennifer places the three villains in cocoons and sends them to outer space. Joshua, Jennifer, and Andy Kale bury Dakimh near the swamp. Man-Thing accompanied them, possibly only intrigued by their sadness.
Not long after, Man-Thing first encountered Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and assisted him in battle against the Lizard
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. He would encounter Spider-Man numerous times in the future. Spider-Man would prove sympathetic to him, but would learn very little about him beyond his current abilities.
The final arc of the Gerber series dealt with a hypermasculine
Hypermasculinity
Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, body hair, body odor, and virility. This term can be pejorative, though it is also used when examining the behavior dispassionately.One of the first...
laborer named Josefsen forced into retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
at age 65. He went on a rampage as a Mad Viking, killed his grand daughter Astrid's artist boyfriend, as well as the lead guitarist of the rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Red Feather, and finally, confronted an "Aladdin Sane"-type of dystopian rocker named "Star" Spangler, who had taken over Sallis' partially-burned shack after the deaths of Sallis' underage flame, her father, and the writer he mistook for Sallis. As the Viking, Josefsen allied himself with Olivia Selby, who led a book burning
Book burning
Book burning, biblioclasm or libricide is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded...
riot at Citrusville High School, leading to the slaughter of several teachers. Man-Thing's involvement led to him being dumped in the local sewage treatment plant, which only increased his ability to leave the swamp, while Richard Rory got fired by the local radio station for speaking out against the book burning on the air.
Rory attempted to leave for Atlanta, and Man-Thing and Carol Selby, Olivia's daughter, demanded to go with him. In Atlanta, Man-Thing wanders away from the hotel where they are staying the night and encounters a satanic sect about to sacrifice a child and rescues him. The group then meets Robert Nicolle, a man with neither feeling nor physical sensation, who appeared as the costumed criminal the Scavenger, and whose sister, Dani Nicolle, had her sensations on overload and must project them into objects called Nightmare Boxes. The Nightmare Boxes are to build a pyramid for the benefit of Thog, but the use of a Nightmare Box containing both Man-Thing and Steve Gerber, working at the behest of Dakimh's spirit, as the top of the pyramid defeats Thog and saves the world. Gerber tells the final issue in first-person, recapping the entire series and saying that he has to stop writing the series because it has become too personal, since he does not want to have to save the world again. Gerber's involvement is foreshadowed when he twice encounters Richard Rory, who believes he has had a brush with destiny.
Man-Thing later first encountered Jude the Entropic Man
Jude the Entropic Man
Jude the Entropic Man is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Jude the Entropic Man appeared in Marvel Two-In-One #42-43 , and was created by Ralph Macchio and Sal Buscema....
(who had been the Entropist Yagzan before he was killed by the Glob). Man-Thing then first encountered the supernatural villain D'Spayre
D'Spayre
D'Spayre is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a demon, and was one of the Fear Lords. He has been opposed by Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider, Man-Thing, Cyclops, the Juggernaut, Doctor Strange, Cloak & Dagger, and the New Avengers. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up v1 #68...
and was assisted by Spider-Man. D'Spayre causes him to feel fear and partially self-immolate for the first time. Man-Thing also encountered Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, and aided Strange against Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as an enemy of Doctor Strange...
.
A scientist, Dr. Oheimer, attempted to restore Ted Sallis' mind, now scattered about in ganglia
Ganglion
In anatomy, a ganglion is a biological tissue mass, most commonly a mass of nerve cell bodies. Cells found in a ganglion are called ganglion cells, though this term is also sometimes used to refer specifically to retinal ganglion cells....
throughout Man-Thing's body, but was slain by government agents. A love triangle then took Man-Thing to the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Chris Claremont, the writer by this point, introduced himself as a character in the final issue of Volume 2, as Steve Gerber had in the finale of Volume 1. Additionally, Claremont temporarily became the Man-Thing after being stabbed to death with Captain Fate's sword by possessed-Sheriff John Daltry. His and other characters' deaths were later resolved with the intervention of the War is Hell series lead, John Kowalski, now an aspect of Marvel Comics' manifestation of Death
Death (Marvel Comics)
Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...
. Man-Thing later appeared briefly alongside the superhero Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, aiding him in a battle against D'Spayre.
Man-Thing became embroiled in Project: Glamor, a U.S. government conspiracy involving Ted Sallis' "super-soldier" serum related to the Iran-Contra Scandal. Numerous soldiers are being transformed into monsters in attempts to recreate the serum, while the executives financing the scheme are forced to testify before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Later, the extra-dimensional Quagmire
Quagmire (comics)
Quagmire is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics who is a native of the universe of the Squadron Supreme. He first appeared in Squadron Supreme #4 Quagmire (Jerome Meyers) is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics who is a native of the universe of the Squadron Supreme. He first...
came into this reality through the Man-Thing's body. It appeared like a pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, with Jennifer Kale and Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
serving as midwives for the delivery of an adult criminal. Later, Jennifer and Quasar have to reassemble their friend's body when it is blasted apart by a war amongst the Nexus guardians of each reality. Quasar ends the war with the Star Brand
Star Brand
The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar fictional comic book objects of power all of which exist in the multiverse created by the shared universes of Marvel Comics...
that he obtained to escape from the New Universe
New Universe
The New Universe is a comic book imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989. It was created by Jim Shooter, Archie Goodwin, Eliot R. Brown, John Morelli, Mark Gruenwald, Tom DeFalco and edited by Michael Higgins.In 1986, in honor of Marvel Comics'...
(when he returned, he arrived in Man-Thing's swamp and kiss
Kiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
ed him on the forehead).
After Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
, Man-Thing was somehow summoned to the biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
at Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
's Massachusetts Academy
Massachusetts Academy (comics)
The Massachusetts Academy is a fictional prep school in the Marvel Universe. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, it first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #151 .-Fictional history:...
, where he helped Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
, Leech
Leech (comics)
Leech is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe.Leech made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men as a Morlock, a group of mutants whose deformities force them to live in the sewers under Manhattan. He is usually depicted as being around 12 years old...
, Artie Maddicks
Artie Maddicks
Arthur "Artie" Maddicks is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in X-Factor #2 and was created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice.-Publication history:...
, Tana Nile
Tana Nile
Tana Nile is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Tana Nile, of the planet Rigel-3, was a leading female member of the Colonizers of Rigel. In her attempt to colonize the planet Earth, Tana Nile took a human form as Jane Foster's roommate. Tana took control of...
, and Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
escape from a rampaging Black Tom Cassidy
Black Tom Cassidy
"Black Tom" Cassidy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, and archenemy of Banshee. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, he first fully appeared in Uncanny X-Men #101...
. Apparently, he helped the group escape from a dark swordsman through various dimensions, and during this time, gained the ability to talk, though he did not speak much like Ted Sallis of old. He expressed that he had no idea how he was doing this, and in fact, he was not. Everything they were seeing, including a world based on Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
and a version of Duckworld in which Howard is seen as a hero and celebrity, as well as Man-Thing's speaking, are all products of Franklin's mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
mental abilities. When Franklin is willing to accept that even the dark swordsman, a figure representing the apparent death of his family, was his own creation, the group is returned to Man-Thing's swamp. Man-Thing becomes Franklin's self-appointed protector, but when Franklin loses the pocket universe
Pocket universe
-In science:A pocket universe is a concept in inflationary theory, proposed by Alan Guth. It defines a realm like the one that contains the observable universe as only one of many inflationary zones.-In fiction:...
he carries to an alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
, his fear draws Man-Thing to turn on him. Although Franklin is able to destroy the alligator, with much sadness, in order to retrieve it, before Man-Thing can touch him, this close call presents him as a superfluous threat to Franklin in the perception of a Celestial
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
. This Celestial causes Man-Thing to feel fear, self-immolate, and collapse into the swamp.
This was not the end of Man-Thing. He somehow merged with a Norn Stone Bearer named Carl Shuffler, a postal worker in New York City. He initially manifested himself non-physically and with extremely high power, causing all those in Shuffler's very presence to burn at the slightest knowing of fear, with no contact. Eventually developing into a hybrid of Shuffler and Man-Thing's features, they are separated by Spider-Man, who gets a dose of the enormous empathic power of Man-Thing and learns that the latter's body, now sloughed off by a surviving Shuffler, is being reformulated in the Everglades.
The immense psychic energy created by Man-Thing's return draws his wife, Ellen Brandt Sallis, to return to the Citrusville area. She is still half-scarred from the Man-Thing's touch. The existence of the scars contradicts the story in Monsters Unleashed #5 in which her second husband, Leonard, a plastic surgeon, fixes her. Recognizing him as her husband, she tries to save Man-Thing from a hail of bullets; Doctor Strange saves them both. Man-Thing is also set-upon an enormous mission—the Nexus of All Realities has shattered due to the return of the non-mutant heroes lost in Franklin's pocket universe after conquering Onslaught, and he must reassemble the pieces, and Ellen is to be his guide, though she knows not how. A being calling himself Mr. Termineus is interested in both of them, as well as a little boy named Job Burke, who is actually the Sallis' son, who had been put up for adoption. He presents them with a singing staff that apparently has much power, including the ability to lead and transport them to the pieces, and sometimes it is able to sing through Man-Thing, temporarily turning him white when it does so.
The first piece of the Nexus found is trapped within the mind of Eric Simon Payne (also known as Devil-Slayer), who is now in a mental institution in Charles, Massachusetts where Ellen had once been a patient. The next was in Howard the Duck, who had been kidnapped by the Cult of Entropy, who wanted to help along the multi-world destruction. The third was held by Cleito, wife of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, and Namor intervened, as her tomb was sacred to all Atlanteans and he would not allow its desecration. A sea deity called Evenor transforms Man-Thing back into Ted Sallis, and takes him, Ellen, whom he has turned into an undine
Ondine (mythology)
Undines , also called ondines, are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus. They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits. Undines are said to be able to gain a soul by...
, and Namor back to ancient Atlantis
Atlantis (Marvel Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It is based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue the Timaeus, written circa 360 BC. In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis was a small continent with many human settlements...
, where a living Cleito gives up the piece willingly. The fourth went into outer space and began turning a dead world into a live one. K'Ad-mon
Adam Kadmon
In the religious writings of Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon is a phrase meaning "Primal Man". The oldest rabbinical source for the term "Adam ha-Ḳadmoni" is Num. R. x., where Adam is styled, not as usually, "Ha-Rishon" , "Ha-Kadmoni" ....
, an entity that had taken possession of Man-Thing through the staff, spoke in a brutal and hypermasculine (in Ellen's words) fashion and fought 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"....
in order to reclaim the fragment.
Soon after, the Burkes learned of the existence of Mr. Termineus and the identity of Job's biological parents. The story breaks off when Payne and Sorrow (another of the asylum inmates; both made mystics in issue #5) intervene in his gambit. The story continued in issues 3 and 4, but they were never published. Summaries based on DeMatteis' unillustrated scripts appear on the K'Ad-mon and Ellen Brandt pages on Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe, provided to the site by the author.
When Man-Thing next appears, in Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
Annual '99, his body, now white, is now fully the vessel of K'Ad-mon, while Ted and Ellen saved the multiverse
Multiverse (Marvel Comics)
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...
by merging fully with the Nexus. This was possible because Ted Sallis was "of the lineage." The couple is both fully merged and fully individual, and Ted has to leave Ellen in charge of the Nexus over the course of the story. A footnote refers us to the "as-yet unpublished" stories in Strange Tales 3 & 4. K'Ad-mon is described as being the first soul on the planet. The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe goes so far as to say, based on communications with DeMatteis, that this is Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
, who had previously appeared as the entity Spyros, whom Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:He first appeared in Ghost Rider Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics...
encountered during Gerber's Marvel Spotlight
Marvel Spotlight
Marvel Spotlight is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book for new characters. The first series ran for 33 issues from November 1971 to April 1977...
run. In this issue, K'Ad-mon departs from Man-Thing's body, and Ted must repossess it, sending Spider-Man through multiple realities to rescue Ellen, drained to a thread. Spider-Man is shocked that Man-Thing could be married, can sing, and wonders when he got bleached, but he complies. In spite of the weakness of Ellen, Man-Thing speaks (not sings) with the voices of Ted and Ellen of how he foiled a plot that K'Ad-mon had been forced to allow, because the two of them are "only human".
When we next see Man-Thing in Hulk #4, he still has his long, shamanistic "hair," but he is once again green and silent. In Hulk #6, this Man-Thing is said to have a dim memory of the K'Ad-mon experience, but in Hulk #7, the story's villain, Owen Candler, is revealed to be a plant monster who only thinks it is Owen Candler, just like Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
. All of his vegetable matter, people, and animals, including Betty Ross Banner
Betty Ross Banner
Betty Ross is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, and love interest of Bruce Banner...
and this Man-Thing, collapse into nonexistence after he is burned to death by Man-Thing, who still has this ability in spite of apparently not being the real thing.
At any rate, he is back to is old form when he discovers a mystical disturbance affecting Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
and Arcadia Deville, reuniting him with Jennifer Kale, who had been teaching t'ai chi to members of X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
. There, he imparts knowledge to Moonstar by empathic means via touching her forehead. This allows Moonstar to fire a mystic arrow at the right location in the Citadel generated by the Deville of an alternate reality. Some time later, an unnamed mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
captured Man-Thing and injected him with distillations of various emotions to see his visceral reactions, but once Man-Thing oozed out of his bonds, the scientist felt fear and was destroyed.
Later, Man-Thing and other beings, such as Vermin
Vermin (comics)
Vermin is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character's first appearance was in Captain America #272 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Nightmare
Nightmare (Marvel Comics)
Nightmare is a fictional character, a supernatural being who has appeared in many Marvel Comics stories, most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.-Publication history:...
, Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....
, and Gator Grant become possessed and attack Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
) at the Florida carnival where he was once imprisoned, all bent on obtaining the Soulsword. Nightcrawler initially believes this to be the work of the demon The Hive, or perhaps Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
, but The Hive possessed only Wagner's ex-boss, Jardine, and briefly, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
(as well as his brother years before). Eventually, Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
reveals himself as the one who was in control of Man-Thing and the others. Dr. Hank McCoy, the Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
, tells Wagner that the burns he received from Man-Thing were not severe enough to leave a scar.
Some time later, he is captured by the DeFlyte family, the wealthiest in Citrusville, who feast on his body each day, to the point that only his head and shoulders remain. The DeFlytess hire a new gardener named Esperanza, who is appalled by what she sees, and places two flowers from the swamp on the tray, the DeFlytes collapsed in sleep around the dinner table. This is enough for Man-Thing to regenerate fully and destroy his captors, all of whom end up with their intestines spilled.
During the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
storyline, two S.H.I.E.L.D.
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....
agents are sent to the Everglades to register the Man-Thing with the Superhuman Registration Act. As the Man-Thing is mentally unfit to sign documents, this is actually a cover for a corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. boss to take out one disreputable member and put another one in his place while he retires on stolen gold. The attempt to destroy Man-Thing fails.
A young member of the undead surfaces in the swamp to which Man-Thing's arm can be quickly seen, terminating the zombie before it resurfaces. He is next seen walking away in the distance. It is later indicated that he will be part of the Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
team to track down renegade Marvel Zombies who have been able to transport themselves to different coordinates. Later, after a disastrous attempt by Michael Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
to eradicate the zombie threat, Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
, Lord of the Dark Dimension, tempts Jennifer Kale with dark powers, but she refuses, summoning Man-Thing by breaking a glass orb containing mud from the Florida swamps. Man-Thing swings at the astral projection of Dormamu, his fist passing through it harmlessly. Shortly after, Jennifer introduces Man-Thing to the other members of the Midnight Sons (Michael Morbius "The Living Vampire", Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:He first appeared in Ghost Rider Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics...
"Son of Satan", and Jacob "Jack" Russell "Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night is a fictional character, an antiheroic werewolf in the Marvel Comics universe. The Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol...
").
Morbius' "cure" for the zombie virus caused the virus to become airborne, no longer needing a host body to infect others. The result was a cloud that, according to Jennifer "...is so bloated with blood and gore, it's discharging the viscera...in the form of infected rain...which is sucking any life it comes in contact with back up into itself...like some grotesque parody of the water cycle."
Man-Thing chases the head of an alternate-reality Deadpool, carried by an alternate-reality Simon "Cadaver" Garth
Zombie (comics)
The Zombie is a fictional supernatural character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular starred in the black-and-white, horror-comic magazine series Tales of the Zombie , usually in stories by Steve Gerber and Pablo Marcos...
, into the infected rain where he can draw strength from the earth to heal himself, providing resistance to the life-draining rain.
The rain kills the superhumans Ogre, Razor Wire, and Lightning Fist (members of Roxxon Blackridges security force), and assembles their bodies into an amalgam zombie. It appears that Zombie Deadpool has some control over this new zombie, and with it, stabs Man-Thing through the chest with a street lamp, lifting him off the ground. Without the earth to replenish him, Man-Thing is exposed to the rain, dissolving his body and killing him. However, Man-Thing quickly grows back and helps the Midnight Sons by burning the amalgam zombie that was attacking them.
In the Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
series during the Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
storyline, Man-Thing is torn apart by the titular team and captured. Later Man-Thing is seen protecting Moloids who are collecting and spiriting away the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
's body parts after he is dismembered and decapitated by Daken
Daken
Akihiro, also codename as Daken is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Daken is the mutant son of Wolverine and his deceased wife Itsu...
on the orders of Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
. He and Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
were able to revive Punisher as a Frankenstein-like monster called FrankenCastle. After a fight with Samurai-like monster hunters from the Hunter of Monster Special Forces, Man-Thing manages to get FrankenCastle to join his Legion of Monsters.
Man-Thing also appeared in an issue of Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #6, where he encounters the head of the zombie Deadpool once again, and still holds a grudge against him for attempting to kill him. Man-Thing even attempts to kill the agents of A.I.M and the standard timeline Deadpool to simply get to the head. However, the entire group quickly escapes, due to the Man-Thing's slow speed. Although when Deadpool and the head of Zombie Deadpool are captured by agents of HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
while fleeing, Man-Thing puts aside his possible hatred for the head and assists Deadpool.
During the Heroic Age
Heroic Age (comics)
"The Heroic Age" is a 2010 comic book branding that ran through a number of books published by Marvel Comics. It began in May 2010, marking a major change in the status quo of the Marvel Universe after the events of the "Siege" crossover event, much as "The Initiative" and "Dark Reign" dealt with...
storyline, Steve Rogers
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
in his new identity of Captain Steve Rogers has brought Man-Thing in to serve as the transportation for the Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
team overseen by Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
in order to atone for some of the deaths it has caused. Hank Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
warns Luke Cage not to let it sense his fear or his corrosive chemicals that secretes will damage his unbreakable skin. Luke Cage then asks Man-Thing if they can cooperate, holding out his arm. Man-Thing grasps it with his own. Since Cage feels no pain, it is apparent that Man-Thing agrees.
During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Man-Thing is driven on a rampage due to the fear and chaos he senses on the part of the citizenry causing Frankenstein's Monster, Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
, Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...
, and She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
to become the Fearsome Four in order to stop Man-Thing.
Powers and abilities
Man-Thing is a former scientist who was transformed into a creature composed of vegetable matter through the synergistic interaction of mystical energy and chemical mutagens. Though the creature now lacks a normal human intellect and has shed any desire to communicate with human society, it nevertheless often becomes an accidental hero as it stumbles upon various crimeCrime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
scenarios.
Although he is often described as a nearly mindless mass of slime with no particular affinity to any living thing, his actions are more akin to an autistic and mute human. In the pages of the Thunderbolts, Dr. Henry Pym has expressed the view that the Man-Thing is sentient, though difficult to communicate with. For example, he once rescued an infant and left the child with a doctor (which would require an understanding of the function of a doctor and the ability to navigate to a specific address). He is shown to understand concepts such as how to ring a doorbell, how to put an arm in a sling, and even how to flip an auto-destruct switch. The change in Man-Thing's intellect can partly be explained by fact that its brain, sensory organs, and central nervous system are now organized in a completely different fashion than a human; for instance, Man-Thing's auditory receptors are in his forehead. Regardless of what level of humanity the creature still possesses, it can discern when a person's motivations are evil, which causes it pain and motivates it to lash out.
The Man-Thing possesses a variety of superhuman powers, described below, that are derived from the interaction of the scientific formula created by Ted Sallis and the mystical energies of the Nexus of Realities.
It is able to sense human emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
s, and is enraged by fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
and automatically secretes a strong chemical corrosive
Corrosive
A corrosive substance is one that will destroy or irreversibly damage another surface or substance with which it comes into contact. The main hazards to people include damage to the eyes, the skin, and the tissue under the skin; inhalation or ingestion of a corrosive substance can damage the...
; anyone feeling fear and clutched by the Man-Thing is prone to be burned (either chemically or mystically), hence the series' tag-line, "Whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing." Though fear is understandably most people's response to the creature, both for his monstrous appearance and the physical danger of his touch, typically only villains end up meeting an immolating death at its hands. Many survive being burned, notably Ellen Brandt, Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, whom he does not even scar, and Mongu, whose hand he permanently attaches to his axe, either due to intervention or dissipation. Unusual psychic and mystical forces react in what passes as the "brain" cells located throughout his body. These unique forces render the Man-Thing extremely sensitive to emotions. Emotions that are mild and generally considered positive arouse curiosity and the Man-Thing will sometimes observe from a distance. However, emotions that are often viewed as negative, such as violent emotions, rage, anger, hatred, and fear, cause the Man-Thing great discomfort and might provoke him to attack. Once provoked into violent actions, his body secretes highly concentrated sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
that can burn human beings to ashes within a matter of seconds. Even individuals that have high levels of superhuman durability have proven unable to withstand this potent acid. While the Man-Thing is devoid of violent emotions, his body produces a type of foamy, soapy mucus that neutralizes the acid.
Although Man-Thing's superhuman strength varies considerably in his comic book appearances, it has been established that the creature possesses physical strength beyond the limitations of any human athlete. Initially, the Man-Thing is only slightly stronger than Captain America, but in later appearances, the Man-Thing possesses sufficient superhuman strength to stand toe to toe with much stronger villains. He is able to lift a 2,000 pound automobile when sufficiently moved to do so.
The Man-Thing's body is practically invulnerable to harm. Because his body is not entirely solid, but composed of the muck and vegetative matter of the swamp, fists, bullets, knives, energy blasts, etc. will either pass entirely through him or will harmlessly be lodged within his body. Even if a vast portion of the Man-Thing's body were to be ripped away or incinerated, he would be able to reorganize himself by drawing the necessary material from the surrounding vegetation. Devil-Slayer once sliced him nearly in half, and he has survived being incinerated by a Celestial
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
, although his healing from the latter has been the longest and most complex in his lifetime.
Due to the construction of his body, the Man-Thing is able to ooze his body through openings or around barriers that would seem too small for him to pass though. The smaller the opening, the longer it will take for him to reorganize his mass upon reaching the other side. This ability, can be defeated mystically.
The Man-Thing was once dependent upon the swamp he inhabits for his continued survival; his body would slowly weaken and eventually lapse into dormancy if not returned to the swamp or would be greatly damaged if exposed to clean water. His exposure to the Citrusville waste treatment plant greatly enhanced his ability to leave the swamp, as he became a self-contained ecosystem, feeding off his own waste products. He generally leaves the swamp of his own accord only if he senses a mystical disturbance. Man-Thing has also demonstrated himself susceptible to possession by other entities.
Although the Man-Thing lacks a normal human intellect, in its life as Ted Sallis, it possessed a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Sallis is legally dead, but his identity is known to numerous living people, including Wilma Calvin, Ellen Brandt, Stephen Strange, Owen Reece
Molecule Man
Molecule Man is a fictional character, a supervillain or reluctant hero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #20.-1960s:...
, Ben Grimm
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, Thog
Thog
Thog the Nether-Spawn, Overmaster of Sominus is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a demon from the extra-dimensional world of Sominus who has clashed with the Man-Thing.-Publication history:...
, and Jennifer Kale, and anyone they may have told. His identity as Man-Thing could not be considered secret, but his existence is generally believed to be a hoax, and an obscure one at that. In-universe, knowledge of his existence is rarely tied to the experiments of Sallis, as are speculations as to any human identity he may have had. Despite having appeared in Citrusville many times, many there still believe him to be a rumor.
Comic book spin-offs
Dr. Barbara Morse was introduced in the second Man-Thing story by Len Wein/Neal Adams, although because of publication delays, she was introduced in Astonishing Tales #6, with the Wein/Adams story presented as flashback. Morse became the costumed hero MockingbirdMockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
#95 and went on to become a prominent member of Avengers West Coast, eventually sacrificing her life to save her husband, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, from Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
. Until recently, her spirit fought alongside Daimon Hellstrom to eliminate demons from his Hell; however, she has appeared alive during the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
crossover. At the end of Secret Invasion, Mockingbird was revealed to be alive and had been one of the early captures of the Skrulls. Morse has joined the New Avengers and has had adventures alongside Hawkeye.
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...
debuted in Fear #11, which was the first story Steve Gerber wrote for Marvel after his initial tryout. She went on to appear in two team books, The Legion of Night, created and written by Gerber and partially composed of several other Gerber-created supporting cast members such as Martin Gold and Dr. Katherine Reynolds, and Bronwyn Carlton and Bryan Walsh's Witches
Witches (Marvel Comics)
Witches is a supernatural comic book limited series that was published by Marvel Comics in 2004. Plotted by Bronwyn Carlton, with scripts by Brian Walsh, it featured art by Mike Deodato and Will Conrad.-Publication history:...
in which she teamed with Satana
Satana (Marvel Comics)
Satana is a fictional character, a comic book half-demon appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the sister of Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan.Satana first appeared in Vampire Tales #2 in October, 1973...
and Topaz
Topaz (Marvel Comics)
Topaz is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe. She debuted in Werewolf By Night v. 1 #13 .-Fictional character biography:...
under the tutelage of Doctor Strange.
Gerber introduced Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
in a Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear #19. Howard, who was displaced from a planet of anthropomorphics in another dimension via the swamp's Nexus of All Realities, later acquired his own series, which was written by Gerber for the first 27 issues.
The Foolkiller
Foolkiller
The Foolkiller is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by writer Steve Gerber and first appeared in the pages of 1974's Man-Thing. He also had a ten-issue limited series that ran from 1990 to 1991, followed by another in 2007. There have been four different...
, a vigilante who used a ray-gun to disintegrate not only criminals but anyone he considered foolish, was introduced in issue #3 of this series, bent on slaying disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Richard Rory
Richard Rory
Richard Rory is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He initially was a sort of author surrogate or alter ego for writer Steve Gerber, though Gerber is also shown to exist in the Marvel Universe. He was introduced in Man-Thing Volume 1, #2, a bit of a loner who rather easily befriended the...
, introduced in the previous issue. When Rory served time for trumped-up kidnapping charges, he accidentally created another Foolkiller when he revealed too much detail about the previous incarnation and the whereabouts of his gear. This Foolkiller became an occasional villain in other Marvel comics. Both Rory and this second Foolkiller, along with nurse Ruth Hart (who appeared in Man-Thing # 2-7) were supporting characters in Gerber's Omega the Unknown
Omega The Unknown
Omega the Unknown was an American comic book published by Marvel Comics from 1976 to 1977, featuring the eponymous fictional character. The series, written by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes and illustrated by Jim Mooney, ran for 10 issues before cancellation for low sales...
, while David Anthony Kraft
David Anthony Kraft
David Anthony Kraft, also credited simply as David Kraft, is an American comic book writer, publisher, and critic. He is primarily known for his long-running journal of interviews and criticism, Comics Interview.- Writing career :...
made Rory a potential love interest for She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
. A third version of the character, who was in internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
communication with the second, starred in Gerber's 1990 Foolkiller miniseries. A second series by Greg Hurwitz, featuring a fourth Foolkiller, appeared in 2008.
The Adventures of the X-Men
In The Adventures of the X-Men, which is set in the world of the X-MenX-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
animated series (Earth-921031), Storm and Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
are inadvertently teleported to Man-Thing's swamp from the Mojoverse. The three battle D'Spayre, who appears as a fake preacher trying to lead people up a suicide tower that is drawing energy out of the Nexus of All Realities. D'Spayre, working for the Dweller-in-Darkness
Dweller-in-Darkness
The Dweller-in-Darkness is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a demon, one of the Fear Lords, who has clashed with Doctor Strange.- Publication history :...
, is burned by Man-Thing when he fears failure. After their defeat of D'Spayre, Jean makes a psychic link with Man-Thing (which she had done earlier to learn his origin) and is imparted information that she believes is the most important thing in the world. Jean is forced to become the Phoenix once more, using the information obtained from Man-Thing, destroys the M'Kraan Crystal
M'Kraan Crystal
In the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, the M'Kraan Crystal is a gigantic crystalline artifact that lies at the nexus of all realities. The Crystal contains a negative galaxy, a source of near limitless power, which pulls and traps all matter inside. The Crystal plays a prominent role in several...
, and in doing so, ends the universe. However, one survivor is sent into the universe to come, Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, thereby implying that the animation continuity takes place eons before the mainstream Marvel continuity.
Mutant X
The Mutant XMutant X (comics)
Mutant X was a comic book published by Marvel Comics featuring Havok, a mutant and former member of the X-Men, who was transported into a parallel dimension. It was written by Howard Mackie....
comic book series depicts a Marvel Universe in which characters' counterparts are vastly different. In the Mutant X Annual '99 (1999), Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, the sorcerer supreme of Earth, reveals himself to be the Man-Thing. He returns in Mutant X Annual '01 (2001) and Mutant X #32 (June 2001).
Earth-691
Amazing AdventuresAmazing Adventures
Amazing Adventures is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics.The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books...
volume 2 #38 tells the story of what happened when Killraven
Killraven
Killraven is a fictional freedom fighter in several post-apocalyptic alternate futures of the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures #18 , created by co-plotters Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, scripter Gerry Conway, and penciller Adams...
stumbled across the Miami Museum of Cultural Development and became caught up in the projected dreams of an astronaut from the "Mars launch in 1999." During the hallucination, Killraven encountered distorted versions of numerous Marvel characters. Rather ambiguously, the awakened astronaut later described the figures as "all the heroes from my youth" but he also often referred to them as "myths." The only Marvel character that is definitely "real" in the projected nightmare is the Man-Thing who appears as part of an actual memory of an encounter that the astronaut had with the creature in the Florida Everglades.
Marvel Super Hero Squad
Man-Thing appears in issue #10 of Marvel Super Hero SquadMarvel Super Hero Squad (comics)
Marvel Super Hero Squad is the name of a comic series. It is based on The Super Hero Squad Show. The series lasted for 4 issues then ended. Instead Marvel Comics started a monthly comic book series called Super Hero Squad, according to Marvel.com. It is unknown that Super Hero Squad is canceled,...
.
Ultimate Man-Thing
Ultimate Man-Thing, in the alternate-universe Ultimate MarvelUltimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, is similar to his traditional counterpart in mainstream continuity. In his first appearance, he teamed with Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in Ultimate Marvel Team Up
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up is a comic book series, published by Marvel Comics which ran for 16 issues, including a concluding Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special. It is set in one of Marvel's shared universes, the Ultimate Universe. The whole series starred Spider-Man teaming up with another superhero...
#10, unwittingly saving the superhero from the Lizard
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. Additionally, in Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#7, during a flashback that transformed Reed and his colleagues into the Fantastic Four, the Man-Thing is shown for a moment.
What If
The second story in the alternate-realityParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
What If
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#26 (April 1981) asked, "What if the Man-Thing had Regained Ted Sallis' Brain?" Written by Steven Grant
Steven Grant
Steven Grant is an American comic-book writer best known for his 1985-1986 Marvel Comics mini-series Punisher, with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-owned character Whisper.-Biography:...
, with art by penciller
Penciller
A penciller is an artist who works in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms.The penciller is the first step in rendering the story in visual form and may require several steps of feedback with the writer. These artists are concerned with layout to showcase...
Herb Trimpe
Herb Trimpe
Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe (b. May 26, 1939, is an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout...
and inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
Bob Wiacek
Bob Wiacek
Bob Wiacek is an American comic book artist and writer, working primarily as an inker.-Career:Wiacek got his start in the mid-1970s as a member of the "Crusty Bunkers" inking collective. For a short time in 1975–1976 he inked backgrounds on Superman for DC Comics...
. In the story, an alligator Dr. Oheimer was working on became the new Man-Thing while Sallis self-immolated at his own fear.
What If
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
vol. 2, #11 (March 1990) featured the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
in four scenarios written and penciled by Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books.-1970s - 1992:Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim's...
, showing what might have happened if the team-members had all had the same powers as one another. In "What if the Fantastic Four had All Become Monsters Like the Thing?", Sue Storm
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
's appearance was that of the Man-Thing. In this form she had lost all but her very basic intelligence and could no longer speak.
Television
- Man-Thing appeared in The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
episode "This Man-Thing, This Monster", voiced by Dave BoatDave Boat-Animated Roles:* Danny Phantom - Vortex* Family Guy - Rupert, Additional Voices* The Super Hero Squad Show - Thor, Trapster, Thing, John Porter, Uatu, Galactus' Mother, Captain Liechtenstein, Baron Mordo, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing* T.U.F.F...
. He teams up with Iron Man and Werewolf by Night in order to rescue Werewolf by Night's girlfriend Ellen from Dracula.
Film
- Man-Thing, a TV-movie directed by Brett LeonardBrett LeonardBrett Leonard is an American film director, producer and music video director specializing in the science-fiction and horror genres. A few of his films such as The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity feature groundbreaking computer animation and visual effects...
and written by Hans RodionoffHans RodionoffHans Rodionoff is an author of comics and screenplays. Rodionoff has adapted comic books for the screen, such as Marvel's Man-Thing and had his screenplay Lovecraft turned into a graphic novel published by Vertigo adapted by Keith Giffen, with art by Enrique Breccia. In Lovecraft the Elder Gods are...
, premiered on the U.S. Sci Fi ChannelSyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, under the Sci Fi Pictures label, on April 30, 2005. An uncut version appeared on DVD June 14, 2005. Produced by the studio Lionsgate, it is based loosely on a Steve GerberSteve GerberStephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
storyline involving the unscrupulous land developer F.A. Schist. Three characters are named after some of the original comics' creators: Robert MammoneRobert MammoneRobert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
as "Mike PloogMike PloogMichael G. Ploog is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for movies....
", William Zappa as "Steve Gerber", and director Leonard himself as "Val MayerikVal MayerikVal Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...
" (misspelled "Mayerick" in the credits).
Miniature Gaming
There are four Man-Thing miniatures, all with the same sculpt, but different levels of powers, in the HeroclixHeroClix
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...
Mutant Mayhem set which was released in 2004.
Video games
- Man-Thing makes a cameo appearance in Jill ValentineJill Valentineis a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom.Jill is one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil game, where she was introduced as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service , trapped in a secret research complex of...
's ending, in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two WorldsMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worldsis a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
. - In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
, one of Nemesis'Nemesis (Resident Evil)Nemesis, also called the Pursuer or , is a fictional character in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. It first appears in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, before later emerging in other titles and cameo roles. It is also featured on various merchandise and in the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse...
costumes is based on Man-Thing.
External links
- Man-Thing at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
- Index to Man-Thing comics
- Ho, Oliver. "Swamp Monsters and Stoners: When Mainstream Comics Tuned In, Turned On and Dropped Out", PopMatters.com, August 24, 2010