Molten Man
Encyclopedia
Molten Man is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the Marvel Universe
. The character was created by Stan Lee
and Steve Ditko
and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man
#28 (September 1965).
. He was a scientist who could not wait to use his skills to become rich, and once worked at Oscorp Industries, Inc., as the laboratory assistant to Dr. Spencer Smythe
, creator of the Spider-Slayer
s. Raxton and Smythe developed an experimental new liquid metallic alloy for the Spider-Slayers from a radioactive meteor, but Raxton attempted to steal it and sell it for his own profit. In the ensuing fight with Smythe in the laboratory, Raxton spilled the liquid alloy all over himself, his skin absorbing it and turning golden. Fearing for his life, Raxton ran for the nearest hospital, only to discover that the alloy had changed him for the better when he angrily punched an irate motorist's hood, buckling it. Realizing the great potential his new abilities afforded him, Raxton, now calling himself the Molten Man turned to crime to further his gains. Peter Parker, as Spider-Man, was forced to nearly miss his high school graduation to stop the Molten Man's first crime spree. He was released from jail before long, only to continue his criminal activities. However, he was once again defeated by Spider-Man.
Eventually, his body begins to give off intense heat and to consume itself. His metal skin became molten, and he stole meteor fragments from a museum to attempt a cure. An encounter with Spider-Man resulted in his submergence in the polluted East River, which temporarily reversed the deterioration.
After a few more encounters with Spider-Man, it was revealed that Peter's friend Liz Allan was Raxton's stepsister. Raxton broke into a pharmaceutical company to steal chemicals which would reverse his condition permanently. When the procedure failed, he went berserk and kidnapped Liz. Liz was saved by Spider-Man, but the Molten Man was buried beneath the laboratory. He later resurfaced at the same site and once again sought his sister out. Spider-Man prevented the Molten Man from hurting her, knocking him into a swimming pool, thus extinguishing his flames and cooling his molten properties. He was then taken to the Vault
. Raxton realized that his stepsister was the only member of his family who had not abandoned him. He was eventually released from the Vault and approached Liz once again, this time to apologize. Spider-Man misunderstood his intentions and battled him once more. Reconciled with Raxton, Liz and her husband Harry Osborn
gave Raxton a job as head of security at Osborn Industries. Molten Man later teamed up with Spider-Man and the second Green Goblin against Tombstone
and Hammerhead
. Molten Man was then kidnapped along with Liz, Normie Osborn, and Spider-Man by Harry Osborn, who had suffered a mental lapse, making him the evil Green Goblin once again. Molten Man was saved by Spider-Man. Molten Man and Spider-Man have since become friends, and Molten Man has occasionally used his powers to come to Spider-Man's aid against other supervillains. A few times he has been a bodyguard for Peter Parker's friends and family when disasters overwhelm the city.
However, in the months following the Clone Saga
, Raxton was abducted by Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin
, and brainwashed. Under mind control, Molten Man attacked and killed Osborn's henchwoman Alison Mongraine, the only person who knew of the location of Peter and Mary Jane's baby. While Molten Man has since recovered from the mind control, he still bears a heavy burden of guilt over the incident.
Sometime after Harry Osborn's death, Raxton is called in when mysterious forces kidnap Liz Allan's son, Normie
. He uses his brawn and brains to help Spider-Man and the Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich
uncover what happened.
Raxton is later pressed into a super-villain group again when the Chameleon
approaches him and threatens to kill Normie if Raxton does not join his 'Exterminators'. Raxton is then forced to attack Liz Allan.
During the Civil War
, Molten Man and Scarecrow
were used as bait for Captain America's Secret Avengers only for the Punisher
to arrive. Raxton is left in critical condition after being attacked by Punisher.
Raxton next appears, still in bad condition, under the care of Liz Allen. When Harry Osborn comes to visit Liz and Normie, he and Liz get into an argument. Hearing Liz speak Harry's name, Raxton suddenly awakens and attacks him, screaming that Harry has hurt his family for the last time, and will "die for real". Spider-Man intervenes, but has trouble fighting Raxton, whose powers have grown greatly out of control. Spider-Man manages to trap Raxton in asphalt, and Harry provides him with a cure that Oscorp had been working on upon using volunteer Charlie Weiderman
, the other "Molten Man". The cure works perfectly, returning Raxton to his original human state.
. His skin completely absorbed the experimental alloy, turning all of the external tissues of his body into a solid metallic substance, as well as the trunks, belt, and boots he was wearing at the time of the accident. As a result, Molten Man possesses superhuman strength and his skin is composed of a frictionless metal that grants him a high degree of resistance to physical injury. Raxton's metallic fingers are sensitive enough to pick locks (making him an expert safe cracker), and his skin is so slick he cannot be restrained with Spider-Man's webbing. Molten Man's skin can also generate intense heat, burning anybody who tries to touch him and shooting flaming projectiles at his foes. At one time, his skin was like molten lava, allowing him to project radiation and heat up to 300 °F (148.9 °C). In his molten form, the Molten Man's skin may reach a critical stage at which point his skin could actually melt off him.
Additionally, unlike most of Spider-Man's more thuggish villains, Molten Man had brains to complement his raw physical strength. An intelligent and completely sane scientist, Molten Man was smart enough to learn from his mistakes and not fall for the same trick twice. He is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
universe, Mark Raxton is a guitarist in a local punk rock
band, the name of which is later revealed to be "Molten Man" (Ultimate Spider-Man
#78). In #78 one of their songs has the lyrics "I am your molten man, and I'm melting on you".
He first appears in the story 'Dumped', in #78, where he asks Mary Jane Watson
on a date, and she reluctantly accepts, but she spends most of the evening talking about Peter Parker, who had just broken up with her. Raxton remains a gentleman the entire time. Later, he encounters Mary Jane at the mall, and upon learning that the boy she was with was Peter, tells her "Good for you," and leaves without further incident.
He later appears in #88, part four of the 'Silver Sable' storyline, where a class member of Peter's high school dresses up as Spider-Man and runs out in front of the press. He is revealed to be Mark Raxton, who shouts advertisements for his band 'Molten Man' before being dragged away by police.
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 supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. The character was created by 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 Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#28 (September 1965).
Fictional character biography
Mark Raxton was born in New York CityNew 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...
. He was a scientist who could not wait to use his skills to become rich, and once worked at Oscorp Industries, Inc., as the laboratory assistant to Dr. Spencer Smythe
Spencer Smythe
Spencer Smythe is a fictional character, a comic book villain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 . He is the father of Alistair Smythe.-Fictional character biography:...
, creator of the Spider-Slayer
Spider-Slayer
The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots in the Marvel Comics universe that were specifically designed to hunt down, capture, and/or kill Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...
s. Raxton and Smythe developed an experimental new liquid metallic alloy for the Spider-Slayers from a radioactive meteor, but Raxton attempted to steal it and sell it for his own profit. In the ensuing fight with Smythe in the laboratory, Raxton spilled the liquid alloy all over himself, his skin absorbing it and turning golden. Fearing for his life, Raxton ran for the nearest hospital, only to discover that the alloy had changed him for the better when he angrily punched an irate motorist's hood, buckling it. Realizing the great potential his new abilities afforded him, Raxton, now calling himself the Molten Man turned to crime to further his gains. Peter Parker, as Spider-Man, was forced to nearly miss his high school graduation to stop the Molten Man's first crime spree. He was released from jail before long, only to continue his criminal activities. However, he was once again defeated by Spider-Man.
Eventually, his body begins to give off intense heat and to consume itself. His metal skin became molten, and he stole meteor fragments from a museum to attempt a cure. An encounter with Spider-Man resulted in his submergence in the polluted East River, which temporarily reversed the deterioration.
After a few more encounters with Spider-Man, it was revealed that Peter's friend Liz Allan was Raxton's stepsister. Raxton broke into a pharmaceutical company to steal chemicals which would reverse his condition permanently. When the procedure failed, he went berserk and kidnapped Liz. Liz was saved by Spider-Man, but the Molten Man was buried beneath the laboratory. He later resurfaced at the same site and once again sought his sister out. Spider-Man prevented the Molten Man from hurting her, knocking him into a swimming pool, thus extinguishing his flames and cooling his molten properties. He was then taken to the Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
. Raxton realized that his stepsister was the only member of his family who had not abandoned him. He was eventually released from the Vault and approached Liz once again, this time to apologize. Spider-Man misunderstood his intentions and battled him once more. Reconciled with Raxton, Liz and her husband Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in the . In addition to being Peter Parker's best friend, Harry was the second Green Goblin and is the son of Norman Osborn...
gave Raxton a job as head of security at Osborn Industries. Molten Man later teamed up with Spider-Man and the second Green Goblin against Tombstone
Tombstone (comics)
Tombstone is a supervillain in the fictional Marvel universe. The character was created by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk and first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #36 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Hammerhead
Hammerhead (comics)
Hammerhead is a fictional character, a supervillain that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. He is primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and a member of organized crime who exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
. Molten Man was then kidnapped along with Liz, Normie Osborn, and Spider-Man by Harry Osborn, who had suffered a mental lapse, making him the evil Green Goblin once again. Molten Man was saved by Spider-Man. Molten Man and Spider-Man have since become friends, and Molten Man has occasionally used his powers to come to Spider-Man's aid against other supervillains. A few times he has been a bodyguard for Peter Parker's friends and family when disasters overwhelm the city.
However, in the months following the Clone Saga
Clone Saga
The Clone Saga or Spider-Clone Saga was a major story arc in Marvel Comics which ran from 1994 to 1996 involving many clones of Spider-Man.The story is considered to be one of the most controversial Spider-Man stories ever told...
, Raxton was abducted by Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin
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 ....
, and brainwashed. Under mind control, Molten Man attacked and killed Osborn's henchwoman Alison Mongraine, the only person who knew of the location of Peter and Mary Jane's baby. While Molten Man has since recovered from the mind control, he still bears a heavy burden of guilt over the incident.
Sometime after Harry Osborn's death, Raxton is called in when mysterious forces kidnap Liz Allan's son, Normie
Normie Osborn
Normie Osborn is the grandson of Norman Osborn and the son of Harry Osborn, the first and second Green Goblin, respectively. As Harry Osborn and Peter Parker were best friends, he is also Spider-Man's godson.-Fictional character biography:...
. He uses his brawn and brains to help Spider-Man and the Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich
Ben Urich
Ben Urich is a Marvel Comics character, usually appearing in comic books featuring Daredevil and Spider-Man. Created by Roger McKenzie and Gene Colan, he first appeared in Daredevil #153 ....
uncover what happened.
Raxton is later pressed into a super-villain group again when the Chameleon
Chameleon (comics)
The Chameleon is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko; the Chameleon is the first member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, based on issue...
approaches him and threatens to kill Normie if Raxton does not join his 'Exterminators'. Raxton is then forced to attack Liz Allan.
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...
, Molten Man and Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Marvel Comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Captain America, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #51....
were used as bait for Captain America's Secret Avengers only for 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,...
to arrive. Raxton is left in critical condition after being attacked by Punisher.
Raxton next appears, still in bad condition, under the care of Liz Allen. When Harry Osborn comes to visit Liz and Normie, he and Liz get into an argument. Hearing Liz speak Harry's name, Raxton suddenly awakens and attacks him, screaming that Harry has hurt his family for the last time, and will "die for real". Spider-Man intervenes, but has trouble fighting Raxton, whose powers have grown greatly out of control. Spider-Man manages to trap Raxton in asphalt, and Harry provides him with a cure that Oscorp had been working on upon using volunteer Charlie Weiderman
Charlie Weiderman
Charles Weiderman is a fictional character in The Amazing Spider-Man-Fictional character biography:Charlie was the one student at Midtown High School more bullied than Peter Parker as Charlie was bullied by a group of students led by a teen named Rich, a football player on the school team...
, the other "Molten Man". The cure works perfectly, returning Raxton to his original human state.
Powers and abilities
Molten Man was given superhuman powers after exposure to an organic liquid metal alloy obtained from a meteor discovered by Spencer SmytheSpencer Smythe
Spencer Smythe is a fictional character, a comic book villain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 . He is the father of Alistair Smythe.-Fictional character biography:...
. His skin completely absorbed the experimental alloy, turning all of the external tissues of his body into a solid metallic substance, as well as the trunks, belt, and boots he was wearing at the time of the accident. As a result, Molten Man possesses superhuman strength and his skin is composed of a frictionless metal that grants him a high degree of resistance to physical injury. Raxton's metallic fingers are sensitive enough to pick locks (making him an expert safe cracker), and his skin is so slick he cannot be restrained with Spider-Man's webbing. Molten Man's skin can also generate intense heat, burning anybody who tries to touch him and shooting flaming projectiles at his foes. At one time, his skin was like molten lava, allowing him to project radiation and heat up to 300 °F (148.9 °C). In his molten form, the Molten Man's skin may reach a critical stage at which point his skin could actually melt off him.
Additionally, unlike most of Spider-Man's more thuggish villains, Molten Man had brains to complement his raw physical strength. An intelligent and completely sane scientist, Molten Man was smart enough to learn from his mistakes and not fall for the same trick twice. He is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
Ultimate Molten Man
In the 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...
universe, Mark Raxton is a guitarist in a local punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, the name of which is later revealed to be "Molten Man" (Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#78). In #78 one of their songs has the lyrics "I am your molten man, and I'm melting on you".
He first appears in the story 'Dumped', in #78, where he asks Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
on a date, and she reluctantly accepts, but she spends most of the evening talking about Peter Parker, who had just broken up with her. Raxton remains a gentleman the entire time. Later, he encounters Mary Jane at the mall, and upon learning that the boy she was with was Peter, tells her "Good for you," and leaves without further incident.
He later appears in #88, part four of the 'Silver Sable' storyline, where a class member of Peter's high school dresses up as Spider-Man and runs out in front of the press. He is revealed to be Mark Raxton, who shouts advertisements for his band 'Molten Man' before being dragged away by police.
Television
- Molten Man appears in the second season of The Spectacular Spider-Man voiced by Eric Lopez. In this version, he is renamed Mark Allan and is Liz Allan's biological brother (rather than stepbrother). Mark Allan also incorporates elements of Betty BrantBetty BrantElizabeth "Betty" Brant is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 .-Fictional character biography:...
's brother, Bennett Brant from the original comics, with his gambling connections to Blackie Gaxton. Mark is introduced in "First Steps", the fifth episode of Season 2, as a troubled youth recently returning to Midtown High after spending six months in juvenile hall. He is regretful about his criminal past, having stolen a car to repay debts accumulated through gambling losses. Similar to his Ultimate universe counterpart, he has a romantic connection to Mary-Jane Watson who (along with his sister, Liz) try to convince Mark not to gamble his life away. In "Subtext", the eleventh episode of Season 2, Norman OsbornGreen GoblinThe 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 ....
and Miles WarrenJackal (Marvel Comics)The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
combine to transform the unwitting Mark into the Molten Man, by injecting nanobotsNanoroboticsNanorobotics is the emerging technology field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer . More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from...
into his bloodstream, under the pretence that undergoing the procedure will clear the debt accrued by his recent backslide into gambling. Mark is then blackmailed by Osborn, in the guise of the Green GoblinGreen GoblinThe 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 ....
, to eliminate Spider-Man in exchange for the device which controls his transformation process. During the ensuing confrontation with Spider-Man, he is suspended between two lamp posts by webbing and deluged by a fire hydrant in an effort to quell his flames, but it fails to work. Green Goblin (watching the incident from a safe distance) exclaims to himself, "Oh well, that's what I get for betting on an amateur!" and deactivates the nanobots by remote before Mark is taken to jail. In "Opening Night", Molten Man is shown as an inmate at the VaultVault (comics)The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
. The Green Goblin releases him and RhinoRhino (comics)The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
from solitary as Green Goblin reactivates Molten Man's powers since Molten Man is still in debt to the Green Goblin. Molten Man does his part by flooding the ventilation system with lava. He gets knocked out by the knock-out gas unleashed by Walter Hardy.
Video games
- Molten Man appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 voiced by Andrew KishinoAndrew KishinoAndrew Kishino is a Japanese-Canadian voice actor in video games, animation and voice-over narration.-Animation:*The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - Additional Voices...
. He is among the supervillains under the control of the Control Nanites used by S.H.I.E.L.D. In the Pro-Registration campaign, he is used to assist the heroes in fighting GoliathBill Foster (comics)Dr. Bill Foster, also known as Black Goliath, the second Giant-Man, and the fourth Goliath, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:...
. In the Anti-Registration campaign, he and She-Hulk are shown attacking Cloak and Dagger until the heroes arrive. When the nanites take a mind of their own, Molten Man is among the supervillains that attacks both sides. He will attack the heroes after they replaced the power cores needed to power up the portal that leads out of Prison 42.
Bibliography
- Amazing Spider-Man#28, 35, 132-143, 171-173, 181, 440-441, 581, Annual #13
- The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1 63, 189-190, 201
- Punisher War Journal Vol. 2 #2
- Sensational Spider-Man Vol. 2 29-31
- Spider-Man Unlimited Vol. 1 #1
- Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1
- Web of Spider-Man Vol 1 61-62, 103
External links
- Molten Man at Marvel.com