Radioactive Man is the name of several

supervillains A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The first incarnation of Radioactive Man, Chen Lu,

first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s ...

'' #93 (June 1963). He was best known as a founding member of the

Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

opponents the

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publication ...

. The second incarnation, Igor Stancheck, debuted in ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'' vol. 4 #3 (June 2005).

Publication history

Chen Lu / Radioactive Man first appeared in ''

'' #93 (June 1963), and was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

. Igor Stancheck / Radioactive Man first appeared in ''

'' vol. 4 #3 (June 2005) and was created by

Reginald Hudlin Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainmen ...

and John Romita Jr.

Fictional character biography

Chen Lu

Radioactive Man's debut story begins with

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

's alter ego Donald Blake providing medical care for Indian soldiers injured in clashes with Chinese soldiers in the Himalayas. Thor then defeats a Chinese armored column. Later in Beijing, Zhou Enlai suggests to

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

that Thor must be destroyed and Mao orders Chinese scientist Chen Lu to devise a way to defeat Thor or die trying. Chen exposes himself to small doses of radiation until he is able to endure a massive barrage, becoming a living "Radioactive Man". He plans to take over the world. Chen travels to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on a submarine. There, he battles Thor whom he hypnotizes in Times Square. Eventually, Thor is able to recover and uses a tornado to send Chen to western China, where Chen detonates. Radioactive Man becomes a recurring foe of the

, being coerced by

Baron Zemo Baron Zemo () is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Heinrich Zemo and his son Helmut Zemo have both been depicted as a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, as well as the l ...

to join the original

in a bid to destroy the Avengers. He is the first to confront the Avengers, and sticks

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

and Giant-Man to the pavement with an adhesive, which Thor dodges. He is defeated by Giant-Man and

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

when they imprison him in

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

coils. He is then deported back to China. The character reappears with the new Masters of Evil, organized by

Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...

. The villains, however, are betrayed by the

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with ...

. Radioactive Man and his teammates appear once again during a Halloween parade and are defeated by a coalition of superheroines called the

Lady Liberators The Lady Liberators, also called the Liberators, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original team's only appearance was in '' The Avengers'' #83 (December 1970), written by Roy Thomas, with art b ...

. Chen escapes and travels to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, where he joins

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

villains

Titanium Man The Titanium Man is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Titanium Man, Boris Bullski, first appeared in '' Tales of Suspense'' #69 (September 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and ...

and

Crimson Dynamo Crimson Dynamo ( Russian: Багровое Динамо, '; also Красное Динамо (Krasnoe Dinamo)) is the name of several characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics who have all been powered armor–weari ...

as part of a team called the Titanic Three. Acting as crime fighters in Vietnam, the trio is duped by a con man and petty thief called the Slasher and end up battling the Avengers until the deception is uncovered. After an encounter with Iron Man, the characters go their separate ways. After a humiliating defeat by

Kang the Conqueror Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #19 (October 1963) as Rama-Tut, an ...

in ''Giant-Size Avengers'', Chen joins another incarnation of the Masters of Evil - led by

Egghead In U.S. English slang, egghead is an epithet used to refer to intellectuals or people considered out-of-touch with ordinary people and lacking in realism, common sense, sexual interests, etc. on account of their intellectual interests. A similar ...

- but is defeated by

Ant-Man Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, his first appearance was in '' Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) as Dr. Henry ...

and

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...

back to China. Radioactive Man continued to feature in ''Iron Man'', and is employed by Iron Man's arch-enemy

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. Chen is employed in his civilian capacity as a physicist by Stane International (taken over by Obadiah Stane). Radioactive Man appears in the graphic novel ''Deathtrap: The Vault'', among other supervillains attempting to escape from the Vault. Chen, however, aids the heroes in preventing a

nuclear meltdown A nuclear meltdown (core meltdown, core melt accident, meltdown or partial core melt) is a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term ''nuclear meltdown'' is not officially defined by the Internatio ...

. Radioactive Man also features in an issue of ''The Sensational She-Hulk'' and once again in ''The Avengers''. After appearing in the second volume of ''Avengers'' which takes place in an alternate universe, and briefly in ''Thunderbolts'', the one-shot ''Heroes Reborn: Masters of Evil'', the third volume of the ''Avengers'', and alternate universe title ''

Exiles Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

'', Radioactive Man features in the limited series ''Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''. Chen attempts to reform and joins the Thunderbolts, a team composed almost entirely of reformed supervillains. During the "

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

" storyline, the character aids heroes Reed Richards and

Yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

imposter in building a holding prison for dissenting superpowered beings, and also battles the anti-registration heroes. A major development occurs in the title ''Thunderbolts'' when the group encounters the

Elders of the Universe The Elders of the Universe are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in '' The Avengers'' #28 (May 1966), but the idea that he was a member ...

member Grandmaster; the Radioactive Man absorbs an excessive amount of radiation and is forced to wear a radiation suit at all times. The radiation eventually subsides, but

Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...

convinces him to retain the suit to distract the American public from his clearly Asian features and quell any lingering fears about his radioactivity. The Radioactive Man is featured in the one shot ''Thunderbolts: International Incident'', the limited series ''Avengers/Invaders'', one shot ''King-Size Hulk'', and ''Thunderbolts: Reason In Madness'' before appearing briefly in the ''

Secret Invasion "Secret Invasion" is a comic book fictional crossover, crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue Limited series (comics), limited series and several ti ...

'' storyline. As part of the Thunderbolts, Radioactive Man fought

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

and

Anti-Venom Anti-Venom is a fictional antihero appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #569 (August 2008), and was created by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. The creature belongs to a race of amorp ...

during the ''

New Ways to Die New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

'' storyline; during the fight, Radioactive Man had a portion of his radiation powers drained by Anti-Venom. He continued with the team however, going after

Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...

. Radioactive Man was one of

Songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

's strongest allies within the team, often supporting her when she fought against Osborn. After the events of ''

'', Osborn and Moonstone began the process of neutralizing the members of the Thunderbolts who oppose Osborn in his plan to exploit the invasion for his own personal agenda to gain more power. Osborn arranged for Chen to be deported back to China, leading to a bittersweet departure involving himself and Songbird. Radioactive Man reappears in ''

The Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

'' as part of People's Defense Force, China's

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

group of

metahumans In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms ''mutant'', '' inhuman'' and ''mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and ''posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comi ...

. The Radioactive Man demonstrates that at close proximity he can safely absorb the radiation of Inhuman Xerogen crystals and presumably safely absorb

Terrigen Mist The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...

. However, the People's Defense Force is largely defeated by an invading entity known as The Unspoken, a deposed former king of the

Inhumans The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...

. The Unspoken is defeated in China by the Mighty Avengers.' During the '' Heroic Age'' storyline, a young man named Warhead appeared as a member of the

Bastards of Evil The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...

, claiming to be the son of Radioactive Man. He has been shown to have similar powers, but killed himself in a mass explosion that killed hundreds of people. Radioactive Man later released a Chinese dragon made of magic in the Federal Bank Reserve. While

, Iron Man, the female Thor, and Vision fought the dragon,

, Ms. Marvel, and

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

encounter Radioactive Man. The senior Avengers managed to destroy the dragon, but upon reuniting with their wards, they learn they let Radioactive Man escape. The young heroes explain they were forced to leave Radioactive Man alone as there was a man that needed to be rescued. The senior Avengers are proud of what the young heroes did as heroes are meant to protect people first and foremost and welcomes them to the team. In ''Immortal Thor'', Radioactive Man allies with

Grey Gargoyle Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Grey Gargoyle first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #107 (Aug. 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and ...

King Cobra The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...

, and Mister Hyde to attack Thor on Dario Agger's behalf while maintaining his Thunderbolts status. With help from Enchantress,

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturl ...

, and Magni, Thor defeats the villains who are taken to the Roxxon subsidiary Daedalus LLC.

Igor Stancheck

Featured in the fourth volume of ''

'', Igor Stancheck is a Russian mutate and is one of several mercenaries (including

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, Batroc,

Cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecology, ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well ...

, and the Vatican

) who invade

Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...

. The group makes an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the

vibranium Vibranium () is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in the kingdom of Wakanda, the metal ...

mound located at the heart of

's kingdom. During this,

Shuri Shuri may refer to: People *, ring name of Syuri Kondo, a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer and kickboxer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese professional wrestler Characters * Shuri (character), a Marvel Comics superhero ** Shuri (Marv ...

kills Stancheck using Black Knight's Ebony Blade.

Powers and abilities

Chen Lu has the ability to manipulate various forms of radiation. His powers include heat, "hard" radiation (inflicting opponents with nausea, dizziness, and extreme disorientation), EMP emissions to deactivate all machinery, and a hypnotic light. He can absorb nuclear energies without harming his body and store those energies for personal use, such as physical amplification,

wound healing Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue. In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, connective layer) form a protective barrier again ...

, creating energy constructs (like force fields or golems with greater strength and resilience than his own), and nuclear transduction alongside the electromagnetic spectrum. Radioactive Man is capable of rendering ghosts solid in mere seconds, as well as breathing underwater. He can create "radiation pills" which infuse an individual with enough radioactivity to give them severe radiation sickness while spreading the contamination to a large population. Radioactive Man is also an expert in

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...

. In later appearances, he must wear a containment suit to prevent his radiation from harming others.

Other versions

Avataars: Covenant of the Shield

Green Death, a character inspired by Radioactive Man from the pocket dimension Eurth, appears in '' Avataars: Covenant of the Shield''.

Heroes Reborn

An alternate universe variant of Chen Lu / Radioactive Man from a pocket dimension created by Franklin Richards appears in " Heroes Reborn" as a member of

Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...

House of M

An alternate universe variant of Chen Lu / Radioactive Man from Earth-58163 appears in ''

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...

''.

Marvel 2099

An unidentified alternate universe variant of Radioactive Man from Earth-2099 appears in "

Marvel 2099 Marvel 2099 was a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that was originally about one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed to be the Earth of the main Marvel continuity in the distant future. It was originally announced ...

In other media

Television

* The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man appears in ''

The Marvel Super Heroes ''The Marvel Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series starring five comic book superheroes from Marvel Comics. The first TV series based on Marvel Comics, Marvel characters, it debuted in broadcast syndication, syndication on Amer ...

'', voiced by Gillie Fenwick. This version is a member of

Heinrich Zemo Heinrich Zemo is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first made a cameo appearance in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #4 (March 1964), ...

. * The Igor Stancheck incarnation of Radioactive Man appears in ''

'', voiced by Rick D. Wasserman. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man makes non-speaking appearances in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''. * The Igor Stancheck incarnation of Radioactive Man appears in the '' Avengers Assemble'' episode "Secret Avengers", voiced by

Roger Craig Smith Roger Craig Smith is an American voice actor. He is known for his voice roles in video games such as Chris Redfield in the ''Resident Evil'' series (2009–2017), Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series (2009–2011), Kyle C ...

. This version is a member of the

Winter Guard Winter guard (sometimes spelled "winterguard") is an indoor Color guard (flag spinning), color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates c ...

Video games

* The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man appears as a mini-boss in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced by

James Sie James Sie (born December 18, 1962) is an American actor and author. He is best known as a voice double for Jackie Chan, having voiced an animated Chan and several other characters in '' Jackie Chan Adventures''. He is also known for his recurri ...

. This version is a member of

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

's Masters of Evil. * The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man appears as a boss in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'', voiced by Don Luce. * The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man appears as a playable character in ''

Lego Marvel's Avengers ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, ...

''. * The Chen Lu incarnation of Radioactive Man appears in '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2''.

References

External links

Radioactive Man (Chen Lu)
at Marvel.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Radioactive Man (Comics) Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by John Romita Jr. Characters created by Stan Lee Chinese superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1963 Comics characters introduced in 2005 Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional Chinese people Fictional nuclear physicists Fictional Russian people Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics scientists