Man-Thing

Real Name
Theodore "Ted" Sallis

Occupation
Guardian of the Nexus of Realities; former research scientist, university professor

Citizenship
U.S.A.; legally dead

Place of Birth
Omaha, Nebraska

Known Relatives
Ellen Brandt Sallis (wife); Cleito, Adam K'ad-Mon, and their descendants (ancestors)

Group Affiliation
Thunderbolts; formerly the Daydreamers, Legion of Monsters, United States Army, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)

Education
PhD in biochemistry

Height
7'

Weight
500 lbs.

Eyes
Red

Hair
None, though hair-like green strands of vegetable matter cover much of his body

Powers
The Man-Thing can lift 1000 lbs. and is very durable. Punches or projectiles tend to pass entirely through him or lodge harmlessly in the porous muck of his body. Even after losing much of his physical mass, his body will rebuild itself, drawing new material as needed from the surrounding swamp. Similarly, he can ooze through or around openings or barriers, such as wire mesh or steel bars.

The Man-Thing is extremely sensitive to emotion, which can affect his behavior and physiology. Mild emotions arouse "curiosity," and lead the Man-Thing to observe events from a distance. Violent emotions, such as fear, anger, and hatred, cause him extreme discomfort, often provoking him to attack. Fear in particular causes him to secrete a chemical similar to fuming sulfuric acid, such that whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing.

The Man-Thing's unique mystical-chemical physiology makes him dependent on swamp environments, particularly the Florida Everglades near Citrusville. While he is ageless and immune to disease, prolonged separation from the swamp could render him dormant or dead. Exposure to the chemicals of a sewage treatment plant has slowed the rate at which he weakens, and he recovers rapidly when returned to the swamp.

Abilities
Except on rare occasions, the Man-Thing is virtually non-sentient. He reacts to emotion and other magical phenomena, but otherwise lacks decision-making capacity or memory; however, he does "remember" emotional patterns, enabling him to sometimes "recognize" people he's met before. On occasion, mystic and/or chemical forces have temporarily restored Sallis's mind, but this has always proved temporary.

Other Info
Supposedly, before the Earth was formed, a creator made a woman named Cleito. Cleito then spawned Adam K'ad-Mon, the first Man of Lineage, and their birth site became the Nexus of Reality (a focal point uniting all dimensions). Descendants of K'ad-Mon served as Nexus guardians; however, over time the Men of Lineage became less concerned with this mission, until eventually one man abandoned it completely: Ted Sallis. (To learn about the Nexus of Reality, click on its name above. Also, a picture of Ted Sallis is shown in the third picture posted.)

Ted Sallis was a biochemistry professor at Empire State University. He had no knowledge of his destiny and preferred books to people. The United States Army recruited him into "Project Sulfur," where they tried to find a way to survive bio-chemical warfare. Dr. Sallis developed "Serum SO-2," which granted immunity to all known toxic biochemicals, but its mutagenic effects would have transformed people into monsters. Ted's friend, the free-spirited girl Sainte-Cloud, convinced him to denounce the Project, shutting it down before any serum was produced. Ted also proposed to Sainte-Cloud, but she refused the proposal due to their many differences. Returning to teaching, Ted fell in love with one of his students, Ellen Brandt; the two eloped following a secret affair. (To learn about the school and/or wife above, just click on their highlighted names.)

Ted Sallis was then reassigned to "Project Gladiator," a S.H.I.E.L.D. research program based in the Florida Everglades and aimed at re-creating the lost "Super-Soldier" serum that had created Captain America. Working separately from his colleagues, including Dr. Wilma Calvin and Dr. Barbara Morse (aka future Mockingbird), Ted modified his SO-2 formula as the basis for a new Super-Soldier serum. The subversive organization A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) wanted the serum and conspired with a bitter Ellen (whom Ted had neglected since their honeymoon). Upon completing his new serum, Ted committed its formula to memory and burnt his records. When Ellen led Ted into an A.I.M. ambush, he fled and injected the only existing sample of the serum into himself just before his car crashed into a swamp. He should have died, but the magical energies of the swamp (containing the Nexus of Reality) combined with the serum actually transformed him into a hideous creature who would later be known as the Man-Thing. With his intelligence rapidly fading, he slew the A.I.M. agents and horribly burned half of Ellen's face. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or teams.)

Unknown to Ted, Ellen had actually been pregnant. Recovered by Project Gladiator agents, she underwent surgery that repaired her face, but it proved temporary. She later gave birth and gave up her son up for adoption.

Later on, A.I.M. again tried to obtain Sallis' formula, but was foiled by the Man-Thing and Ka-Zar. Man-Thing made the swamps his home and became the guardian of the Nexus of Reality. Its magic made the swamps a focal point of bizarre activities which attracted super-beings such as Wundarr and Molecule Man. Then, when Thog was trying to use the Nexus to merge all realities, Man-Thing teamed up with Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Howard the Duck, and Korrek (warrior of Katharta), to destroy Thog's plan. (To learn about all the different highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

Once, Man-Thing joined forces with Ghost Rider (John Blaze), Morbius, and the Werewolf (Jack Russell) in a team known as the "Legion of Monsters." (To learn about the characters and/or team, just click on their highlighted names above.)

Once, an experimental project briefly transported Man-Thing to the Himalayas, where he encountered a Yeti race. The sorcerer Baron (Karl) Mordo returned Man-Thing to the swamp, and used him as a pawn against Dr. Strange in a plot to destroy Earth. However, Jennifer Kale helped the Man-Thing throw off Mordo's control and they foiled his plot. (To learn about the above characters, just click on their names.)

Back in the swamps, Man-Thing actually refused an offer from the demon known as Eblis to become human in exchange for his mortal soul.

This next part is kind of confusing, but at one point, the Nexus of Reality shattered into fragments due to lots of dimensional travel. Therefore, Dr. Strange recruited Ellen Brandt to help Man-Thing restore it. However, the Fallen Star known as Mr. Amodeus Q. Termineus had captured Ellen Brandt's long-lost son, Job Burke, and trained him as his disciple in a plot to destroy all existence. But, Devil-Slayer (Eric Simon Payne) united the remaining Fallen Stars (including K'ad-Mon and Sorrow) to stop Termineus. Unfortunately, using the power of the final Nexus fragment, Termineus succeeded in shattering the healing Nexus, wiping out all reality. However, Ted Sallis' nature as the Man of Lineage, combined with his love of Ellen, allowed him to briefly maintain the dream of existence; he joined forces with Job (who rebelled against his mentor) to re-imagine the creator's dream that had formed reality. All existence was then restored. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the characters.)

Recently, Man-thing was slashed in half by Ares of the Dark Avengers and "bagged and tagged" by orders of Norman Osborn. But, after Norman Osborn was deposed during the events of Seige, Man-Thing was moved to the Raft. There, Hank Pym studied the Man-Thing, and Man-Thing agreed to allow them to use his connection to the Nexus of Realities to enable Luke Cage's Thunderbolts to teleport anywhere in the world. (To learn bout the characters, place, and/or teams above, just click on their highlighted names.)

The Man-Thing has actually teamed up with many famous Marvel characters in his life including Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, and Franklin Richards.

To learn more about Man-Thing, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Man-Thing.

I haven't seen the made-for-TV movie Man-Thing. It's rated "R" and from what I've read about it, it doesn't follow the Man-Thing storyline very much, and it wasn't very good at all.