METAZOID

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate, citizen of USSR

Occupation: Unofficial soldier for USSR; former occupation unrevealed

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Agent of USSR

Enemies: Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Formerly a space research facility in the USSR

First Appearances: Captain Marvel I#5 (September, 1968)

 

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: The Metazoid possessed the strength and physical abilities of 50 men, giving him anywhere from enhanced human to Class 10 strength. He possessed superhuman durability, enabling him to survive in the vacuum of space, at the depths of the ocean floor, or virtually any hostile environment. In addition, he could alter his adhesive qualities, causing anything which struck him to become firmly adhered to him. He could even stretch portions of himself some distance from the rest of his body when he was adhered to something. He possessed a weakness to certain forms of radiation, such as x-rays.

 

History:
(Captain Marvel I#5 (fb)) - The Metazoid was originally a soviet citizen who was accused of anti-state activities. Although this would normally mean death, agents of the soviet government offered him life in exchange for participating in an experiment designed to advance their space research. The research was designed to make a man who could survive the alien conditions of almost any planet. The machinery used to "energize" him overloaded and the change went awry, transforming him into a hulking monster. Rethinking his possible use, the soviet agents sent him to travel to the USA to capture Walter Lawson, a prominent US missile expert. In exchange, they promised to return him to human form if he survived.

 

 

(Captain Marvel I#5) - A soviet submarine dropped the Metazoid off underwater off the coast of Florida, and he walked along the ocean floor until he reached land, by the Cape (Cape Kennedy or Canaveral). He soon located Lawson, but failed to realize that the man he had located was actually the Kree Mar-Vell who had taken over Lawson's identity. Nonetheless, he ambushed "Lawson" at a hospital where the Kree was trying to use a Mind Eraser on Jeremy Logan, who had observed him in action. "Lawson" quickly made it into hiding and changed into his costume as Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel could not match the physical power of the Metazoid, and even his uni-beam proved useless against it. The Metazoid could have killed him when they fell out of a window, but did not wish to commit murder, and so took the majority of the impact himself, leaving Mar-Vell only stunned. However, Mar-Vell recovered quickly and lured the Metazoid in front of an x-ray projector, and zapped him. This energy was apparently fatal to the Metazoid.

Comments: Created by Arnold Drake and Don Heck.

The name Metazoid was chosen because he had the "metabolic rate of fifty men."

Mar-Vell reasoned that the Metazoid might be susceptible to x-rays because they reminded him of the Vintars of Galaxy-7, who had a similar structure to him.

The Metazoid could easily be in an inert state, waiting for some writer to revive him.

An alternate version of the Metazoid appeared in a What If story.

That's the best image there was for his pre-mutation state...sorry.

Also, as mentioned by Prime Eternal: The Metazoid was one of the several forms impersonated by Skragg and the Super-Skrull during Captain Marvel I#25 (March, 1973).

New images and sub-profile by Markus Raymond.

Profile by Snood.

Clarifications:Metazoid should not be confused with:


Metazoid
of Earth-90111

(What If? II#19) - <2136 A.D.> The Metazoid, housing the mind of the late Mad Thinker, developed a drug called Thraxoin for the Ultra-Vision.

   A delegation of Earth's ruler including the Metazoid, a clone of Doctor Doom and a female Supreme Hydra met on the behest of the Ultra-Vision with the Mega-Skrull and the Kree's Supreme Intelligence to feign an alliance with their respective races in Earth's conquests in outer space. The Metazoid was part of Earth's forces that defeated the Shi'ar, their leader Lilandra and her Praetorian Guard.

   As the Ultra-Vision foresaw the Kree and Skrulls turned on Earth and allied with the Badoon, but plans to overthrow their empires had already been set in motion. In the Skrulls' case the Metazoid's drug had already been universally used by Skrulls. It eliminated their shapeshifting abilities, turned them blue and any Skrull that didn't receive a regular supply from Earth would die, making them completely dependent on Earth.

--What If? II#19


images:
Captain Marvel I#5, p6, pan4 (main)
Captain Marvel I#5, p7, pan6 (head shot)
Captain Marvel I#5, p7, pan2 (before mutation)
What If? II#19, p23, pan1 (Upper body)
What If? II#19, p23, pan3 (head shot)
What If? II#19, p24, pan3 (full body)


Appearances:
Captain Marvel I#5 (September, 1968) - Arnold Drake (writer), Don Heck (pencils), John Tartaglione (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
What If? II#19 (November, 1990) - Roy Thomas & J.M. Lofficier (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Sam DeLaRosa (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)


First Posted: 09/07/2001
Last updated: 08/03/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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