Nexus of All Realities Thunderbolts
Daydreamers
Legion of Monsters
Notable aliases
.
Abilities
Empathic Senses
Superhuman strength and durability
Ability to secrete a powerful corrosive chemical agent and a counter agent
Ability to teleport himself or others through 'the nexus of all realities'
As described in the text featurette "The Story Behind the Scenes" in Savage Tales
#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,[4][5] as well as the concept of the man losing sentience.
As Thomas recalled in 2002:
Stan Lee called me in; it would've been late '70 or early '71.
[...] He had a couple of sentences or so for the concept — I think it
was mainly the notion of a guy working on some experimental drug or
something for the government, his being accosted by spies, and getting
fused with the swamp so that he becomes this creature. The creature
itself sounds a lot like the Heap,
but neither of us mentioned that character at the time.... I didn't
care much for the name 'Man-Thing', because we already had the Thing [of the superhero team the Fantastic Four], and I thought it would be confusing to also have another one called Man-Thing.[6]
Thomas worked out a detailed plot[7] 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,[8] "took a year or two to see print", according to Thomas.[9] 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[10] and second[11] version of his DC Comics character Swamp Thing. Wein was Conway's roommate at the time, and as Thomas recalled in 2008,
Gerry and I thought that, unconsciously, the origin in Swamp Thing
#1 was a bit too similar to the origin of Man-Thing a year-and-a-half
earlier. There was vague talk at the time around Marvel of legal
action, but it was never really pursued. I don't know if any letters
even changed hands between Marvel and DC. [...] We weren't happy with
the situation over the Swamp Thing #1 origin, but we figured it
was an accident. Gerry was rooming with Len at the time and tried to
talk him into changing the Swamp Thing's origin. Len didn't see the
similarities, so he went ahead with what he was going to do. The two
characters verged off after that origin, so it didn't make much
difference, anyway.[12]
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 pencillers 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.[13]
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.[14] Gerber also wrote a graphic novel that Kevin Nowlan spent many years illustrating, but he did not live to see it published.[15]
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.[16]
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 seriesDaydreamers, 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.[17][18][19]
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 MAXimprint.[20] 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.
Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis, a native of Omaha, Nebraska,[21] 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),[22] which is attempting to recreate the "Super-Soldier Serum" of peak-human physicality that had created Captain America.[volume & issue needed] 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.[23] 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 retconned
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"[24]) instantly transform him into a slow-moving plant-matter creature with large, solid red eyes,[25] 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.[26]
Sallis' mind was apparently extinguished, although on rare occasions
he could briefly return to consciousness within his monstrous form,[27] and even to his human form.[28]
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.[29]
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.[30]
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.[31]
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.[32]
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,[33]
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.[34]
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.[35]
Visitors to the swamp soon discovered it was a place of mystical properties known as the Nexus of All Realities,[34] 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.[36]
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.[37]
This severance resulted in frequent nightmares in which she and
Man-Thing battled the Congress of Realities and demons of Sominus,
Thog's dimension.[38]
Developer Franklin Armstrong Schist[39] attempted to build an airport in Citrusville. He was opposed by Black Eagle and a number of young Seminoles living in the area, the rioting attracting Man-Thing's attention.[40]
Man-Thing then first encountered Wundarr (later known as the Aquarian),[41] and then Howard the Duck.[42] 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.[43] Later, he first encountered the Foolkiller.[3]
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[44] (led by Jennifer Kale's grandfather, Joshua).[45] 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.[24]
Twenty-something radio DJRichard 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.[46]
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.[47]
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,[48] 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.[49]
The two lived through trials of the psychologically disturbed,
including a suicidal clown, Darrel Daniel, from Garvey's Carnival,[50]Vietnam veterans damaged by mutagenic chemicals,[51] and an institutionalized writer named Brian Lazarus in the acclaimed "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man."[52] 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.[53] 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.[54] 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.[55]
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.[56]
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.[57]
Not long after, Man-Thing first encountered Spider-Man, and assisted him in battle against the Lizard.[58]
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[59] 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.[60]
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.[61]
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.[62] Gerber's involvement is foreshadowed when he twice encounters Richard Rory, who believes he has had a brush with destiny.[63]
Man-Thing later first encountered Jude the Entropic Man (who had been the Entropist Yagzan before he was killed by the Glob).[64] 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.[65] Man-Thing also encountered Doctor Strange, and aided Strange against Baron Mordo.[66]
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.[67] A love triangle then took Man-Thing to the Himalayas.[68]
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.[69] Man-Thing later appeared briefly alongside the superhero Cyclops, aiding him in a battle against D'Spayre.[70]
Man-Thing became embroiled in Project: Glamor,[71] 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.[72] 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.[73]
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 kissed him on the forehead).[74]
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.[75]
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.[76]
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.[77] 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.[78]
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.[79]
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.[80]
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.[81]
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.[82]
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.[83] 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.[84] 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.[85]
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.[86]
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.[17][18]
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.[18][87]
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 tai chi to members of X-Force.[88]
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.[89] 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.[90]
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.[91] 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).[92] 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.[93]
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.[94]
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.[95]
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.[96] 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.[97] 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.[98] However, Man-Thing quickly grows back and helps the Midnight Sons by burning the amalgam zombie that was attacking them.[99]
In the Dark Avengers series, Man-Thing is torn apart by the titular team and captured.[100]
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, acting on the orders of Norman Osborn.[101] He and Morbius, the Living Vampire were able to revive Punisher as a Frankenstein-like monster called FrankenCastle.[102] After a fight with Samurai-like monster hunters, Man-Thing manages to get FrankenCastle to join his Legion of Monsters.[103]
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.[104]
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.[105]
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 crime 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.[106]
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).[107] He is shown to understand concepts such as how to ring a doorbell,[32] how to put an arm in a sling,[108] and even how to flip an auto-destruct switch.[31]
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.[41]
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.[109]
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 emotions, 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,[110]Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner,[111] whom he does not even scar,[93] and Mongu, whose hand he permanently attaches to his axe,[112]
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,[volume & issue needed]
but in later appearances, the Man-Thing possesses sufficient superhuman
strength to stand toe to toe with much stronger villains.[volume & issue needed] He is able to lift a 2,000 pound automobile when sufficiently moved to do so.[24]
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,[113] and he has survived being incinerated by a Celestial,[114] although his healing from the latter has been the longest and most complex in his lifetime.[115]
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,[116] can be defeated mystically.[112]
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[117] greatly enhanced his ability to leave the swamp, as he became a self-contained ecosystem, feeding off his own waste products.[118]
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.[119]
Although the Man-Thing lacks a normal human intellect, in its life as Ted Sallis, it possessed a Ph.D. in biochemistry.[volume & issue needed]
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.[95][115]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.[120]
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 Mockingbird 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.[121] Until recently, her spirit fought alongside Daimon Hellstrom to eliminate demons from his Hell;[122] however, she has appeared alive during the Secret Invasion crossover.
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 jockeyRichard 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.
In The Adventures of the X-Men, which is set in the world of the X-Menanimated 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.[123]
The Mutant X 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).
Amazing Adventures 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.
Ultimate Man-Thing, in the alternate-universe Ultimate Marvelimprint, 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.
The second story in the alternate-realityanthologyWhat If #26 (April 1981) asked, "What if the Man-Thing had Regained Ted Sallis' Brain?" Written by Steven Grant, with art by pencillerHerb Trimpe and inkerBob 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.
^ Gerber's run is continuous from Fear #11-19, and Man-Thing #1-22, as well as the concurrent Giant-Size Man-Thing #1-5, and Monsters Unleashed #8-9, and these were followed quickly by a story in the The Rampaging Hulk #7 for a total of 39 issues. In addition, Gerber also wrote Man-Thing into Marvel Two in One #1, three issues of Daredevil as well as Iron Man Annual #3, which are not here counted among the 39.
^ As Thomas, for one, recalled: "Giant-Size Man-Thing later had a decidedly funny ring to it, but not 'Man-Thing' in itself". (Thomas interview, p. 21)
^Doctor Strange vol. 2, #41 (June 1980); Peter Parker: Spider Man Annual '99--Daydreamers
depicts him speaking, but this is revealed to be a psychic projection
from Franklin Richards. Similarly, K'Ad-mon speaks through him in
several issues of Man-Thing vol. 3 and Strange Tales vol. 4.
