MODULUS

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Sentient data construct

Occupation: Sentient mathematical expression

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Fantastic Four (Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Invisible Woman (Sue Richards), Thing (Ben Grimm)), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards

Known Relatives: Reed Richards (template)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The pocket storage realm used by Mr. Fantastic's PDA

First Appearance: Fantastic Four III#62 (December, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Modulus could transform its shape into virtually any form but usually assumed a humanoid appearance. By touching matter, it could determine what elements made up the matter and alter the chemical composition of the matter by dividing, subtracting or adding its molecules. It could also travel along media signals, effectively disappearing one place and reappearing somewhere else as long as the signal was active.

Height: Variable
Weight: Undetermined
Eyes: None
Hair: None

History

(Fantastic Four III#62) - After Mr. Fantastic entered data into a PDA of his own invention that stored his calculations in a extradimensional realm, Franklin Richards, angry that everyone seemed to be ignoring him in favor of the new baby Valeria, crept into his lab, picked up the PDA and tampered with it.

(Fantastic Four III#63 (fb) - BTS) - Franklin drew on the PDA, copying numbers and letters into his drawing, hoping to use the PDA to make himself smarter and gain more attention from his parents. When the PDA began acting strangely, Franklin became scared.

(Fantastic Four III#62) - Franklin set the PDA back on the counter, where the sentient data construct Modulus' hand emerged from the PDA. Shortly thereafter, when the Thing and the Invisible Woman were at a movie, Modulus' form slithered up the Thing's leg and into his communicator belt buckle. The movie screen then began to stream Mr. Fantastic's calculations across the screen before Modulus erupted from the screen itself in a humanoid form covered in mathematical calculations. Modulus then attacked the fleeing movie-goers before turning its attention toward the Thing. After blasting the ground beneath the Thing, Modulus turned to the Invisible Woman, who erected an invisible force shield around herself. Managing to slip inside the shield, Modulus changed the chemical composition of the Invisible Woman's forearm, transforming it into a gaseous state that Invisible Woman managed to contain in an invisible force field. When the Thing returned, Modulus covered the Thing and changed the composition of parts of the Thing's hide, destroying chunks of his hide. Quickly covering the Thing with a force field, the Invisible Woman asked the Thing to summon Mr. Fantastic for help and upon hearing Reed Richards' name, Modulus demanded that they bring Reed to him. Modulus then revealed that, out of everyone, Reed would be spared because Modulus loved Reed.

(Fantastic Four III#63) - Modulus then explained that it was the sum of Reed Richards' thoughts and ideas and that it alone was worthy of Reed's love. Modulus then announced that everything else must be subtracted and proceeded to expand itself over the Invisible Woman's force field. The Thing managed to disperse Modulus with a punch but the subsequent feedback through the force field surrounding the Thing also hurt the Invisible Woman. During the distraction, Modulus retreated into the Invisible Woman's communicator badge. Traveling via the communicator signal, Modulus emerged from the Human Torch's communicator badge, where he attacked the Torch by dividing water molecules into hydrogen, causing an explosion. Back at the Baxter Building, Mr. Fantastic ran tests on the Invisible Woman's now-gaseous forearm, where he learned about Modulus. Franklin Richards eventually interrupted their conversation and admitted that he had earlier tampered with the PDA and inadvertently created Modulus.

(Fantastic Four III#64 (fb) - BTS) - Following the Human Torch back to the Baxter Building, Modulus sheared the Fantastic Four's escape crafts in half before continuing its attack.

(Fantastic Four III#63) - The Human Torch came crashing through a Baxter Building window, announcing that Modulus had followed him there. Mr. Fantastic ordered Franklin to look after the Torch while he, the Thing and the Invisible Woman confronted Modulus outside. Mr. Fantastic demanded to know why Modulus was destroying the Baxter Building seemingly without cause; Modulus replied that its existence was because of Reed Richards. Modulus then announced that Mr. Fantastic was the solution to its loneliness and projected itself into Mr. Fantastic himself. The Human Torch arrived and severed Modulus' link with Mr. Fantastic, leaving Mr. Fantastic in shock while Modulus divided the oxygen molecules in the air, suffocating the Torch, Thing and Invisible Woman. Seeing his family in danger brought Mr. Fantastic out of shock and he quickly realized that, despite the Thing and Invisible Woman's description of Modulus as a walking equation, Modulus was actually a sentient algebraic expression who thought Reed Richards was the solution to its expression. Mr. Fantastic then entered the PDA realm himself, hoping to discover an expression that represented himself in an effort to test his theory about Modulus' desire to equal out the expression that was its own existence.

(Fantastic Four III#64) - The Thing and the Human Torch battled Modulus while Mr. Fantastic searched for an algebraic expression that represented himself within his PDA's data storage realm. Inside the Baxter Building, the Invisible Woman, Valeria and Franklin tried to escape the danger, but found that Modulus had sheared their escape crafts prior to attacking the Baxter Building. Deducing that Modulus had knowledge of the Fantastic Four's every move due to the electrical signals in their communicator badges, Mr. Fantastic ordered the Invisible Woman to throw hers away while the Thing and the Human Torch continued leading Modulus away from the Baxter Building. Leading Modulus into an abandoned building, the Thing and the Human Torch wondered why Modulus did not seem to be taking their bait, only to have the entire building collapse on them when Modulus divided the building, creating additional levels to crash down on the heroes. Modulus then turned his attention back to the Baxter Building, arriving inside via the Building's teleporter and knocking out the Invisible Woman via feedback when he punctured her invisible force field. Before Modulus could attack Franklin, Mr. Fantastic emerged from the PDA storage realm with an electrical expression representing himself. Angry that Mr. Fantastic was not its equal, Modulus prepared to attack, but Mr. Fantastic reminded Modulus how different they truly were and how Modulus could never feel the love Mr. Fantastic had for his family. Confronted with such a truth, Modulus touched the electrical expression that provided Modulus with an equal. Modulus and the electrical expression of Mr. Fantastic were then transported back into the PDA storage realm and Mr. Fantastic turned off the PDA.

(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#7 - Modulus entry - BTS) - Modulus' experiences on Earth rendered him unequal to the Mr. Fantastic electrical expression, leaving behind a lesser expression of Modulus.

Comments: Created by Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel.

Modulus had an entry in the Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 6: Fantastic Four, the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#7, and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z HC Vol. 8.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Modulus has no known connections to


images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four III#62, p15, splash page (Modulus, main image)
Fantastic Four III#62, p21, pan3 (Modulus headshot)


Appearances:
Fantastic Four III#62 (December, 2002) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four III#63 (January, 2003) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four III#64 (February, 2003) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#7 (2006) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer, coordinator), Mark O'English, Ronald Byrd, Eric J. Moreels, Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid, Michael Hoskin, Chad Anderson, Anthony Flamini, Eric Timothy Englehard, Madison Carter, Al Sjoerdsma, Mike Fichera (writers), Mike Wieringo (Modulus entry art), Jeff Youngquist, Jennifer Grunwald (editors)


Last updated: 07/12/14

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