FLORUS HOMO

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Mutated intelligent mobile plant (WWII era)

Occupation: None

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Doctor Rhonik (deceased)

Enemies: Vision (Aarkus), Dave Steel, Star City police department

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Experiment 36-B, Plant Man, Vampire Killer

Base of Operations: Star City, USA

First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics#20/3 (June, 1941)

Powers/Abilities: Florus Homo was granted a brain which provided it with normal human intelligence, as well as the ability to speak and control its multiple limbs to provide locomotion. The humanoid plant creature was also smart enough to wear human clothing to disguise itself and blend in among humans. It possessed enhanced strength that increased with its growth. The Florus Homo was constantly hungry and had a voracious appetite for blood from living creatures. Its legs (roots) were able to pierce through flesh and quickly absorb blood to circulate and nourish its body. The creature was also able to grow quickly having matured to its present size within a couple of weeks. However, the creature was highly susceptible to fire and burnt rapidly when exposed to an open source of flame.

History:

(Marvel Mystery Comics#20) - The Florus Homo killed nine other people over the ensuing nights and the police were baffled. The local newspaper dubbed the murders to be perpetrated by a vampire killer. The Vision read the headlines and vowed to hunt the creature down and end its murderous rampage. While the Vision searched Doctor Rhonik’s lab for clues, a policeman guarding the murder scene outside was attacked and killed by the Florus Homo. The next night, craving more blood, it tried to ambush Dave Steel, a newspaper reporter who fought back. Florus Homo, being much stronger, gained the upper hand and began to feed on the now unconscious reporter. Just then, the Vision who was on its trail arrived on the scene and with a burning torch in hand, tossed it at the creature and within seconds, Florus Homo was fully engulfed in flames and quickly perished.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby & Joe Simon.

Doctor Rhonik only appeared as a dead body face down in his lab on page 1of the story. The back story of his experiment was based on a journal that the Vision had found while searching the doctor's lab for clues in finding the murderous vampire killer. All I can say is he was a bald man and possessed a keen intellect in the field of biochemistry and possibly genetics. Dave Steel may have been a recurring character throughout the various stories featuring the Vision. Being a man of so few Golden Age comics I am unable to list this as a fact.

Profile by AvatarWarlord72.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Florus Homo has no known connections to:

• Homo Arachnis, combined the Arachnis Project work, mutated into giant spider in effort to cure himself @ Spider-Man: Arachnis Project#4
• Homo Mermani, race of aquatic blue-skinned humanoids, branched in Atlantean and Lemurian forms @ Motion Picture Funnies Weekly#1
• Homo Perfectus of Earth-Here Comes Tomorrow @ X-Men II#152
• Homo Superior, refers to mutants as a separate species
• Homo Supreme, refers to Mr. Immortal, who has evolved beyond death @ GLA#4
• Flower People of Earth-Guardians, expand consciousness and thrill to joy of life @ Marvel Presents#5
• Plantman (Samual Smithers), super-villain @ Strange Tales I#113
• or any other "Florus" or "Homo" characters

Dave Steel

Dave Steel was a reporter for the Star City Eagle who roamed the deserted streets in hope of nabbing the “vampire killer” and scoop a great story. While out, he thought to himself that if he came across the killer, he would slug it. Having the wish come true, he was soon ambushed by the Florus Homo and valiantly fought off its attack but was quickly overpowered. His unconscious body was then about to be drained of all its blood when the Vision arrived with torch in hand and burned the intelligent plant. The next day, Dave Steel told his story to his fellow co-workers explaining that if it wasn’t for the actions of the Vision he would have died and the plant creature would still be at large. It is unknown if this story appeared in the morning edition of newspaper.

--Marvel Mystery Comics#20/3

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Marvel Mystery Comics#20/3 p1, panel 1 (main image)