Man-Thing

As described in the text featurette "The Story Behind the Scenes" in Savage Tales #1 (cover-dated May 1971), the black-and-white adventure fantasy magazine in which the character debuted in an 11-page origin story, the Man-Thing was conceived in discussions between Marvel Comics editor Stan Lee and writer Roy Thomas. Together they created five possible origins for the character. Lee provided the name, which had previously been used for unrelated creatures in Marvel's early science-fiction/fantasy anthology Tales of Suspense #7 (January 1960) and #81 (September 1966), 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 the 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 the Swamp Thing. Wein was Conway's roommate at the time and as Thomas recalled in 2008, The 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 anthology title with reprinted 1950s horror/fantasy stories. Steve Gerber, who would become the 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), p. 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), the Man-Thing received a solo title The Man-Thing, 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 letter of comment about Fear #17 by future Swamp Thing writer Nancy A. Collins appeared in the second issue. 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 two-part Howard the Duck co-feature added in the final two issues. The unintentional double entendre in this sister series' title has become a recurring joke among comics readers. In the final issue (#22), writer Gerber appeared as a character in the story, claiming that 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 the 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. Black and white Man-Thing stories, and some color covers, also appeared in the Marvel magazine Monsters Unleashed as well. Chris Claremont provided the story for the Uncanny X-Men #144 (April 1991) where Man-Thing appeared as a guest star battling it out with D'Spayre. 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 miniseries Daydreamers, as well as Man-Thing vol. 3 #1-8 (Dec. 1997–July 1998), illustrated by Liam Sharp. The two would re-team for the Man-Thing feature in Strange Tales vol. 4 #1-2 (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, the Man-Thing has starred in a handful of stories appearing in one-shots and miniseries, 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 the 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. The Man-Thing appeared regularly during The Punisher's Franken-Castle story arc and became a regular member of Thunderbolts with issue #144. The series was retitled Dark Avengers with #175, and the Man-Thing continued to appear as a regular character until issue #183. Steve Gerber's posthumous Man-Thing story "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", with art by Kevin Nowlan, originally planned as a 1980s graphic novel before being left uncompleted by the artist, was revived in the 2010s and appeared as a three-issue miniseries cover-titled The Infernal Man-Thing (Early Sept.-Oct. 2012). The story was a sequel to Gerber's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man" in Man-Thing #12 (Dec. 1974). ==Fictional character biography==

Young biochemist Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, is working in the Everglades as part of Wilma Calvin's Project: Gladiator team, which includes Barbara Morse and her fiancé Paul Allen, and an assistant named Jim. A Dr. Wendell is later cited as being on the staff after Calvin is shot. The group is attempting to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum that had created Captain America. Web of Spider-Man vol. 2 #6 revealed that Sallis at one point treated and worked alongside Curt Connors shortly after Connors' arm was amputated, driving the research that would eventually transform Connors into the Lizard. Though warned that the technological terrorist group Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) has been operating in the area, Sallis breaches security by bringing with him his lover, Ellen Brandt (later retconned to be his wife). He destroys his notes to his formula, which he has memorized. Later, he is ambushed by two thugs 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 scientific and magical forces combine to transform him into a plant-matter creature. Unable to speak, and with dim memories, he attacks the ambushers and Brandt, burning and scarring part of her face with an acid that he now secretes in the presence of negative emotions. The Man-Thing then wanders away into the swamp. Sallis' mind was extinguished, although on rare occasions he could briefly return to consciousness within his monstrous form, as in Doctor Strange vol. 2 #41 (June 1980), The Defenders #98 (Aug. 1981), and Peter Parker: Spider-Man Annual '99, and even to his human form, as in Adventure into Fear #13 (April 1973), Marvel Two-in-One #1 (Jan. 1974), Marvel Comics Presents #164 (Oct. 1994), and Man-Thing vol. 3 #5 and 7-8 (April 1998, June–July 1998). Under writer Steve Gerber, the Man-Thing encounters the sorceress Jennifer Kale, with whom he briefly shared a psychic link and who knew his true identity, in a story arc in Fear #11-13 – the final issue of which established that the swamp had mystical properties as the Nexus of Realities. Through an interdimensional portal in Fear #19, he meets Howard the Duck, who becomes stranded in this reality. Man-Thing became the guardian of the Nexus, 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. He formed a bond with young radio DJ Richard Rory and nurse Ruth Hart. Issue #12's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man", about a crazed writer named Brian Lazarus, spawned Gerber's posthumously published 2012 sequel, "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", in the three-issue miniseries The Infernal Man-Thing. In Man-Thing vol. 2 #1-11 (Nov. 1979–July 1981), writer Chris Claremont introduced himself as a character in the final issue, as Gerber had in the finale of the first series. Additionally, Claremont temporarily became Man-Thing after being killed. 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. In Man-Thing vol. 3 #1-8 (Dec. 1997–July 1998), Ellen Brandt returns to the Citrusville area and encounters a little boy, Job Burke, who is actually the Sallises' son, who had been put up for adoption. Following this series, the story continued in Strange Tales vol. 4 #1-2, and was projected to continue in the unpublished issues #3-4. Summaries based on DeMatteis' unillustrated scripts appear on the K'Ad-mon and Ellen Brandt pages in Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. He gains the ability to speak comprehensibly through the use of the "Universal Language". Phil Coulson subsequently recruits Man-Thing into the Howling Commandos. As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, Man-Thing appears as a member of S.T.A.K.E.'s Howling Commandos. During the "Empyre" storyline, Man-Thing falls under the control of the Cotati. Doctor Voodoo takes control of Man-Thing to free Matthew and Black Knight. As Matthew and Black Knight fight the Cotati, a Doctor Voodoo-controlled Man-Thing fights the Cotati's control and defeats Ventri. As Doctor Voodoo exits Man-Thing to assist Scarlet Witch, Man-Thing continues fighting the Cotati. When the Cotati are defeated, Man-Thing leaves. Ventri claims that what they learned from Man-Thing's energy has been sent to Quoi to fuel the Cotati's invasion. Harriet Brome, an agent of the self-proclaimed eco-warrior group Hordeculture, adopts the name "Harrower" and attempts to use Man-Thing to perform a mass culling of humanity, intending to purge the human race and let another species take over. To this end, she attacks and skins Man-Thing and uses his corpse to produce seedling spores that will emerge in all major cities across the world and burn their victims. When the Avengers respond, Captain America is briefly absorbed by one of the spores, where he meets the remnants of Ted Sallis, who explains that he never truly cracked the super-soldier serum. He attempts to get Cap to contact Curt Connors for help. When Connors affirms that he cannot help, Spider-Man convinces Sallis to take responsibility for his past. After Sallis's essence creates a new body for Man-Thing, Man-Thing returns to Sallis's old office, where it is revealed that Sallis made a deal with the demon Belasco to crack the formula. When he performs the ritual again, he summons Magik, who offers to release Sallis from his current state. Understanding that his freedom would leave Man-Thing an uncontrolled creature of instinct, Sallis agrees to remain and joins Magik's strike team in attacking Harrower. After banishing Harrower to another dimension and destroying her spore-plants, Magik summons Belasco so that Sallis can properly punish the demon for his role in Sallis's fate. Man-Thing later appears as a teacher at Strange Academy, where he teaches Care for Magical Plants. ==Powers and abilities==

In The Thunderbolts, Hank Pym has expressed the view that Man-Thing is sentient, though difficult to communicate with. 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 organized in a completely different fashion than a human. 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. It can sense human emotions, and is enraged by fear and automatically secretes a powerful corrosive; anyone feeling fear and clutched by Man-Thing is prone to be burned (either chemically or mystically), hence the series' tagline: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!". Unusual psychic and mystical forces react in what passes as the "brain" cells located throughout his body. These unique forces render Man-Thing extremely sensitive to emotions. Emotions that are mild and generally considered positive arouse curiosity and Man-Thing will sometimes observe from a distance. However, emotions that are often viewed as negative, such as violent emotions like anger, hatred, and fear, cause Man-Thing great discomfort and might provoke him to attack. Once provoked into violent actions, his body secretes highly concentrated 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 the acid. While Man-Thing is devoid of violent emotions, his body produces mucus that neutralizes the acid. Although Man-Thing's superhuman strength, speed, intelligence, durability, and immortality, give the monster his powers it is his spiritual ability that makes him immune to any other disease, it has been established that the creature possesses physical stamina beyond the limitations of any human athlete. Initially, Man-Thing is only slightly stronger than Captain America, but in later appearances, Man-Thing possesses sufficient superhuman strength to stand toe-to-toe with much stronger villains. He can lift a automobile when sufficiently motivated. 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 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. The 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, Man-Thing can ooze his body through openings or around barriers that would seem too small for him to pass through. 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. 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 of 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. Man-Thing and a host of alternate counterparts have undergone a couple of changes in form, like having the ability to control and alternate plant matter both from its own person and the surrounding area. Man-Thing also has trans-reality shifting abilities due in part to his nature as a living extra-dimensional crossroads; he can open portals to and from alternate realities, interact with different dimensional counterparts and even alternate the physical appearances of said doppelgangers with those of their prime universe iterations. Through his empathic abilities, Man-Thing can grow more powerful by feeding on the fear of others, increasing his size and mass to titanic proportions during Fear Itself. ==Other known Man-Things==

There are several known Man-Things besides Ted Sallis, who are listed below in order of appearance: Savage Land's Man-Thing In Savage Wolverine, a different Man-Thing appears residing on a mysterious island somewhere in the Savage Land. Amadeus Cho confirms that this Man-Thing is not Ted Sallis, as it has been rooted on the island for a long time. The Neanderthals on the island use the blood of this Man-Thing to resurrect Shanna the She-Devil. Weirdworld's Man-Things During the Secret Wars storyline, a group of Man-Things reside in the Battleworld domain of Weirdworld. The Man-Things are led by the Swamp Queen, a version of Jennifer Kale who heads a rebellion against the Witch Queen Morgan le Fay. One Man-Thing, nicknamed "Mossy", has a hybrid son named Toth with a Crystal Warrior named Blythir, with Toth becoming a student at the Strange Academy. She-Man-Thing ''Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars'' revealed the existence of the She-Man-Thing, who battles on the Grandmaster's team in a bonus round of the Contest of Champions. Roxxon's Man-Thing Roxxon created a spawn of Man-Thing with Dario Agger enhancing its abilities with the DNA of Groot. It battles Weapon H and is imprisoned in a Roxxon facility, but is eventually freed. Boy-Thing Xarus obtains a piece of the original Man-Thing and grows a similar creature called the Boy-Thing. Boy-Thing spends all of his time on Xarus' shoulder, supplying him with sticks to use against the vampires. After Xarus is killed by Blade, the latter adopts Boy-Thing. ==Comic book character spin-offs==

Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" 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. Until recently, her spirit fought alongside Daimon Hellstrom to eliminate demons from his version of Hell; however, she has appeared alive during the Secret Invasion crossover event. 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 Adventure into 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 the Devil's Daughter 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 Duckworld, an alternate Earth of anthropomorphic ducks in another dimension, via the swamp's Nexus of 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 that 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 was serving 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 (vol. 1) #2-7) were supporting characters in Gerber's Omega the Unknown, while David Anthony Kraft made Rory a potential love interest for the 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. ==Other versions==

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-12101 appears in Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #4. Earth-91 Several characters from Earth-91 based on Man-Thing appear in Avengers Forever #5. Earth-691 An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-691 appears in Amazing Adventures #38. Earth-11234 An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-11234 appears in Champions (vol. 2). This version is a member of the Swamp Queen Alliance, led by his world's version of Jennifer Kale. Mutant X An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-1298, amalgamated with Doctor Strange, appears in Mutant X. The Adventures of the X-Men An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from an unidentified universe appears in The Adventures of the X-Men. Ultimate Marvel An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-1610 appears in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. Warp World Man-Thing Thang Thoom, a fusion of Man-Thing and Fin Fang Foom created by the Infinity Gems, appears in the Infinity Wars storyline. What If An alternate universe version of Man-Thing from Earth-8130 appears in What If...? #26. This version regained sentience as Man-Thing, but was killed by an alligator, who became his successor. ==In other media==

Television • The Man-Thing appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "This Man-Thing, This Monster! (Six Against Infinity, Part 3)", voiced by Dave Boat. This version is from an alternate reality populated primarily by monsters and is a founding member of the Supernatural Hero Squad. • The Man-Thing appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "The Howling Commandos" as a member of the Howling Commandos. • The Man-Thing appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Hulking Commandos" as a member of the Howling Commandos. • The Man-Thing appears in Guardians of the Galaxy. • The Man-Thing appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) special Werewolf by Night, motion-captured by Carey Jones and additional vocalizations by Jeffrey Ford. Film • The Man-Thing appears in a self-titled film, portrayed by Conan Stevens. This version was a Seminole shaman and chieftain before he was murdered and reborn as Man-Thing. • The Man-Thing appears in Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell, voiced by Jon Olson. • The Man-Thing appears as a boss and unlockable playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. • The Man-Thing appears as an unlockable playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions. Miscellaneous • The Man-Thing appears in Marvel Super Hero Squad #10. • Ted Sallis and his transformation into the Man-Thing was adapted into The Mountain Goats's "Song For Ted Sallis", which appears on the Hex of Infinite Binding EP. • Man-Thing also appears in an LP produced by Power Records in 1974 entitled Night of the Laughing Dead, an audio dramatization of Man Thing #5. Merchandise • The Man-Thing received an action figure in Toy Biz's Marvel Legends line in 2005. • The Man-Thing received six miniatures from HeroClix, with four being released in the "Mutant Mayhem" set in 2004 and two in the "Amazing Spider-Man" HeroClix set in 2013. • The Man-Thing received a build-a-figure in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line in 2017. • The Man-Thing received a San Diego Comic-Con 2019 exclusive Funko Pop vinyl figure. • The MCU incarnation of the Man-Thing received a Funko Pop vinyl figure as part of a Werewolf by Night tie-in set in 2023. ==Reception==

The Man-Thing was ranked #7 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015. == Collected editions ==