A former classmate of Bruce Banner at the
California Institute of Technology, Sterns possesses a love/hate obsession with Hulk, originating from his envy and fascination with his former peer. In an attempt to emulate the Hulk, Sterns exposes himself to
gamma radiation, transforming into a monster with abnormal strength and developing
multiple personality disorder. Calling himself the Madman, Sterns hatches a plot to kill the Hulk by injecting him with a poison that rapidly deteriorates his body. In the ensuing battle, the Hulk manages to cure himself and poison the Madman, leaving the cure to the poison just out of reach. Later, the Madman revealed that he simply increased his mass to grab it and recovered in time. He masquerades as a researcher in the
Red Skull's "New World Order" organization. Here, he helped to engineer the transformation of a captured
S.H.I.E.L.D. agent into the power-mimicking creature
Piecemeal. In the series
Thunderbolts, the Madman resurfaces and has been seen supplying gamma technology on the island of Kata Jaya. He encounters
Red Hulk's incarnation of the
Thunderbolts and is killed by the Leader. ==Powers and abilities==