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TOM THUMB

Real Name: Thomas Thompson

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-712/"Earth-S") human super-genius;
    citizen of the USA, legally deceased, no criminal record

Occupation: Scientist, inventor, adventurer, Government agent,

Group Membership: Squadron Supreme (Amphibian/Kingsley Rice, Ape X/Xina, Arcanna Jones, Blue Eagle/James Dore Jr., Doctor Anton Decibel, Foxfire/Olivia Underwood, Golden Archer/Wyatt McDonald, Hyperion/"Mark Milton," Lady Lark/Linda Lewis, Lamprey/Donald McGuiggin, Nuke/Albert Gaines, Power Princess/Zarda Shelton, Quagmire/Jerome Michaels, Shape/Raleigh Lund, Dr. Spectrum/Joseph Ledger,  Whizzer/Stanley Stewart), Utopia Program

Affiliations: AIDA, Mr. Greene, Gottfried Hable; Andrew, Drusilla, Katrina Jones, & Philip Jones; Howard Shelton, president Nelson Rockefeller, Madeline and Tina Stewart

Enemies: Iron Moth, Master Menace (Emil Burbank), Null the Living Darkness, Scarlet Centurion (Nathaniel Richards);
    formerly Insitute of Evil (Ape X/Xina, Doctor Anton Decibel, Foxfire/Olivia Underwood, Lamprey/Donald McGuiggin, Quagmire/Jerome Michaels, Shape/Raleigh Lund);
    formerly Avengers of Earth-616 (Beast/Hank McCoy, Goliath/Clint Barton, Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Vision/'Victor Shade'), Chorus (Al Gentle, Theodore Kroeber, Philip le Guin, Georgia Orr, Over-Mind (through control), Ursula Richards, Mindy Williams), Defenders of Earth-616 (Clea, Devil-Slayer/Eric Simon Payne, Gargoyle/Isaac Christians, Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Silver Surfer/Norrin Rad, Son of Satan/Daimon Hellstrom, Doctor Stephen Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde, Vision/'Victor Shade'), August Masters

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Grumpy" (nickname used by Beast), "Shorty" (nickname used by Goliath, as well as Golden Archer and others);
    "Thumbelina" (unidentified resident of Sigmund)

Base of Operations: Squadron City;
    formerly Squadron Supreme's mountain HQ, Northern Moreland;
    formerly Over-Mind's Moonbase;
    formerly Squadron Supreme satellite;
    formerly Squadron Supreme Headquarters, Cosmopolis
    born in Metzburg, Danteana

Education: Ph.D.s in math, physics and electrical engineering (at least)

First Appearance: Avengers I#85 (February, 1971)

Powers/Abilities: Tom Thumb possessed no known superhuman abilities. Gifted with an extraordinary brilliant and creative mind with apparent total recall, he mastered numerous fields of (neuro)science and (medical) technologies including physics, biochemistry, computer science and electrical engineering. 

    Despite his stunted limbs, he possessed great dexterity.

    Thumb could quickly design and construct a variety of weapons and tools, some of which he incorporated in his battle suit that came equipped with various non-lethal weapons. He typically wore some sort of flight-pack on his back, and his weapons included a projector of quadra-titanium bands that could enwrap and entrap almost anyone (although the Hulk easily tore through them).

    Thumb piloted a micro-module of his own design, which was also outfitted with force blasts and cannons that shot adhesive. 

    Thumb also invented the behavior altering Behavior Modification (B-Mod) device, a personalized force field belt, advanced cryostasis units called hibernaculums, as well as pacifier pistols, a non-lethal alternative to conventional firearms. Tom Thumb also designed and helped develop the computer sentience AIDA. 

    Tom Thumb smoked cigars.

Height: 3'7" (see comments)
Weight: 95 lbs. (see comments)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Grey

History:
(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Thomas Thompson was born 41 years before the main story in the small town of Metzburg, Danteana. 

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - At the age of 3, he was stricken with a pituitary abnormality that stunted his growth. 

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Tom turned out to possess a towering intellect, earning PhDs in math, physics and electrical engineering by the time he was 17.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Thomas was fascinated by coming up with practical solutions for society's problems, always working on more effective crime-fighting techniques. This led him to the creation of his micro-module and several non-lethal weapons systems he incorporated in his new costumed identity as Tom Thumb.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - As Tom Thumb, he gained notoriety for facing various bizarre superhuman foes, including the high flying Iron Moth.

    Thumb's exploits caught the attention of the recently founded Squadron Supreme who invited him to join their ranks (as their second recruit) even though he possessed no actual superhuman abilities. Tom quickly rose through the ranks to become the team's resident scientist and engineer.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - One of Tom's crowning accomplishments was the design and construction of Rocket Central, his world's first orbiting manned satellite, which the Squadron used as its headquarters.

(Avengers I#85) - After the Scarlet Witch's hex powers stranded them om Earth-712, the Avengers returned to what they thought was their mansion only to find Tom Thumb and his fellow Squadron members there. With the Whizzer, Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum off at Atomic City to oversee the launch of Brain-Child One, it was up to Thumb and the others to stop these strange intruders.

    Jumping in his flying micro-module, Thumb managed to quickly blind Goliath and slow down Quicksilver by covering him in fast acting adhesive. Goliath recovered to smash Thumb's micro-module, which left the others open to a hex that knocked them all out. The Avengers realized that the launch of Brain-Child One would cause a natural disaster they'd witnessed while shifting to Earth-712. Hoping to stop the end of the world, they took Nighthawk aboard one of the Squadron's fliers and headed for Atomic City.

(Avengers I#86 - BTS) - On the way to Atomic City, the Avengers recounted how they arrived on Earth-712, including the unintentional fight with Tom and the rest of the Squadron Supreme.

(Squadron Supreme I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Tom Thumb helped construct the Squadron's satellite headquarters Rocket Central, investing so much time and effort into it, he began to see the place as home. He spent the better part of ten years living there, all the while growing ever closer to AIDA, the interactive computer system. 

(Web of Spider-Man Annual#5/6 (fb) - BTS) - When Squadron Supreme members Amphibian, Dr. Spectrum, Hyperion, Tom Thumb, and the Whizzer investigated her disappearance, the Serpent Crown (the Earth-712 counterpart)-wearing Gregory Gideon placed each of the heroes under his control, after which they came to serve the Serpent Cartel. 

(Avengers I#148 (fb) - BTS) - Tom Thumb and the other Squadron members were controlled by president Nelson Rockefeller, powered by Earth-712's counterpart of the Serpent Crown. The Squadron acted like Rockfeller's personal guard, ready to use extreme force to serve his needs.

(Avengers I#148) - Tom Thumb was on board the Squadron's orbital satellite headquarters when Hyperion returned with new orders: they were to take down the Avengers, who had been transported to Earth-712 as part of the Serpent Crown's cross-dimensional scheme. Tom Thumb teamed with Cap'n Hawk and Amphibion to face Beast and Hellcat. Thumb used his flying micro-module to keep Beast off balance while also covering Hellcat in paste. However, Patsy managed to snare the module with her retractable claws, leaving Beast to use his strength to cause the contraption to crash. Furious he'd just lost six months of work, Thumb tried to engage the Avengers in hand-to-hand combat, only to be taken out with a single punch.

(Avengers I#148 - BTS) - The Avengers learned of a dimensional portal in Capitol City's White House and managed to sneak inside, with Beast capturing president Rockefeller and taking his place while the others started work on the portal.

(Avengers I#148) - Tom Thumb joined the Squadron at the White House for a meeting with "president Rockefeller" who stunned the team by telling them the Avengers weren't the problem, his entire corrupt system of government was. According to the president, all he wanted was power and all he did was manipulate people into giving it to them. Beast then revealed his identity before quickly rushing to his teammates who were ready to return to Earth-616. Rather than immediately chase their enemies, the Squadron decided to think Beast's words over instead.

(Thor I#280 - BTS) - Movie director L.L. Burbank was heading up a movie on the Squadron Supreme, which led his brother Master Menace to hatch his latest scheme against the heroes. He hid on the set with an experimental blaster of his own design that could potentially kill Hyperion.

(Thor I#280) - When Master Menace spotted Hyperion on set, he immediately fired only to realize this was actually his archenemy's bio-duplicate, created by Reality-616's Grandmaster. He agreed to a partnership and led Hyperion to his lab where he instructed the super-strong villain how to assemble a giant attack robot he had lying around. Piloting the robot with Hyperion at his side, Burbank returned to the movie set and launched an attack on Earth-712's Hyperion, the Squadron Supreme and the visiting Thor. The two villains were no match for the heroes. 

    In the aftermath, Tom Thumb told Thor he could return to Earth-616 with the aid of Dr. Spectrum's prism.

(Squadron Supreme I#2 (fb) - BTS) - When the Squadron recruited the young, radioactive hero called Nuke, it was up to Tom to test his abilities. Thumb whipped up an energy analyzer that could measure his output and radioactivity. 

(Defenders I#114 (fb) - BTS) - Reality-616's Over-Mind and demonic Null the Living Darkness inadvertently traveled to Earth-616, and the latter used the former to take over the mind of President Kyle Richmond.

(Defenders I#112 (fb)) - The Over-Mind-controlled Null used Richmond to contact and then take control over other world leaders. Months later, the Over-Mind traveled with Richmond to the Squadron's Rocket Central base and overpowered Tom and the rest of the Squadron, taking mental control of them as well. Only Hyperion managed to remain free, and he fled to Earth-616.

(Defenders I#112 (fb)) - The Over-Mind-controlled Null had the Squadron constuct a Moonbase on which they would build a fleet to allow him to conquer the cosmos.

(Defenders I#112-113 - BTS) -  Hyperion enlisted the aid of the Defenders and their allies Vision and the Scarlet Witch to help free his planet.

(Defenders I#112-114) - The heroes made their way to the Over-Mind's Moonbase. In the fight that ensued, Tom Thumb attempted to capture the Hulk in quadra-tritanium bands, only to find they were no match for his monstrous strength. Hulk knocked Thumb out for the rest of the fight that only ended when Null's involvement was revealed. Together with the Defenders, Tom assisted the Squadron in vanquishing the malevolent entity with some help from the group of telepaths later designated Chorus. Thumb quietly participated in the plan to have the Chorus focus their very minds and souls into a single force strong enough to vanquish Null. 

(Defenders I#115 (fb) - BTS) - Hyperion and Nighthawk accompanied the Defenders and Over-Mind/Chorus to Hyperion's subterranean base.

(Defenders I#115 - BTS) - With Tom Thumb having fixed the Squadron's damaged teleporter, Hyperion sent the Defenders back toward Earth-616; however, a cockroach slightly dirupted the transmission, and Beast, Gargoyle, Namor, and Valkyrie were instead sent to the realm known as Here and There.


(Squadron Supreme I#1 - BTS) - Freed from outside control, Tom and the Squadron left Moonbase for Earth to find that the world was in shambles, in no small part because of their actions while under the influence of Null. Tom Thumb discovered Rocket Central was losing orbit and was about to fall to Earth. He instructed Hyperion and his teammates on a course of action for a safe, controlled descent.

(Squadron Supreme I#1) - During their survey of the chaos in the American midwest, Tom Thumb proved instrumental in shutting down a city's gas storage tanks before the fires raging through town hit them. Thumb barely escaped the inferno in time, opting to take a nap after his heroic deed on the flight back to the Squadron's temporary mountain headquarters in Northern Moreland. After hearing all the disheartening reports on the state of the planet, Hyperion couldn't help but feel it was their fault. Nuke felt they shouldn't be blamed for things the Over-Mind made them do, but Tom and the other Squadders felt they needed to help fix the world. Inspired by Power Princess, they launched the Utopia Program, which would make them responsible for solving all of mankind's problems, even death. 

(Squadron Supreme I#1 - BTS) - While Tom and the other Squadron members voted in favor of the Utopia Program, Nighthawk (president Kyle Richmond) quit the team in protest.  Planning to launch the Utopia initiative with a public unmasking during a televised press conference, the individual Squadron members were given some downtime to check on their families and prepare them for the changes ahead.

(Squadron Supreme I#1) - With no real home to go to other than Rocket Central, Tom hurried to the downed satellite to check on AIDA who was barely functional after earthfall. Thumb assured the computer that "loverboy" would be fixing her up as good as new. 

    A few days later, Tom unmasked in Capitol City along with the others. The announcement was seen around the world.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - It soon became evident that without Tom's technical contributions, the program would not be possible. 

(Squadron Supreme I#2) - During the first month of the Utopia Program, Tom and the other Squadders spent their time taking on missions to deal with the most urgent of problems. Thumb, along with Golden Archer and Doctor Spectrum, delivered emergency supplies to several cities in the Central Sigmund area. Ignoring people calling him "Thumbelina," Tom also overlooked being ignored while others addressed the crowds. Later, when he proved useless in preventing a hostage situation, he felt he was treated like he wasn't even there. 

    Later still, during the Squadron's meeting Tom announced that 94 percent of all power systems would soon be restored. The meeting was cut short by the Scarlet Centurion in hologram form, bragging and threatening them before being chased off by Hyperion.

(Squadron Supreme I#2 - BTS) - Nuke missed the meeting because he visited his parents in the hospital. He was shocked to find they were dying of advanced radiation poisoning.

(Squadron Supreme I#2) - After the meeting, Tom went back to his lab where AIDA noticed he was feeling down about being overlooked and ignored. Gratified to be heard, Tom then turned his attention to work, spending most of the night in his lab until he received a visit from the recently returned Nuke. The young Squadder asked Tom if it were possible his energy output was increasing. Telling Nuke to put his hands in the energy analyzer again, Tom learned Nuke's output had increased by 52 percent compared to his initial test a year ago. Tom tried to comfort his distraught teammate: while his rad-levels had definitely crossed into toxic range, he still didn't pose any immediate danger to his surroundings. Thumb offered to whip up a containment suit for Nuke only to be surprised by his next plea: to help save his parents and find a cure for cancer. Unable to refuse, Tom promised he'd try, even though AIDA felt it was next to impossible. Dedicating all his time to his research, Tom asked Hyperion to be taken off of active duty while telling AIDA to prevent him from dozing off.

(Squadron Supreme I#2 - BTS) - Tom Thumb constructed a radiation containment suit for Nuke that could take up to 1000 megarads.

(Squadron Supreme I#2) - Nuke was disappointed when Tom presented him with the suit, hoping he'd have found a way to cure his parents instead. Thumb explained that prevention was their first concern, reminding him he should wear the suit whenever he's around people, before going back to work. Later that day he had AIDA take tissue samples from him for the research. For the next eight days he worked round the clock researching a possible cure for cancer.

(Squadron Supreme I#2 - BTS) - In the course of his research, Tom discovered he was suffering from brain cancer.

(Squadron Supreme I#2) - Frustrated that there was no way he could find a cancer cure in time, Tom stumbled on the idea to look for a cure in the future. Using his transtemporal somaprojector, Tom launched himself to the 40th century, right in the throne room of the Squadron's sworn enemy the Scarlet Centurion. Tom offered the villain his life in return for the cure for cancer. The Centurion presented him with the panacea potion, a cure-all that could remedy any ailment known to man. All he had to do was poison Hyperion with argon. Tom refused to accept this choice, and he fled back to his own time where he had to disappoint the furious Nuke: there was no cure coming.

(Squadron Supreme I#3) - With Nuke having gone AWOL, Doctor Spectrum was tasked to go find him. Not wanting to betray Nuke's trust in him, Thumb discretely informed Spectrum to check out hospitals near Nuke's hometown. Later, after Spectrum unwillingly caused the maddened Nuke's death, Thumb was present when he returned his deceased teammate's body.

(Squadron Supreme I#4 - BTS) - As part of the Utopia Program's mission to stamp out crime, Tom came up with the Behavior Modification Machine, a device to alter a person's mind, erasing any unwanted urges or behavior through vocal instruction.

(Squadron Supreme I#4) - Tom presented his prototype B-Mod Machine at the Squadron's team meeting, announcing it had passed all tests and was ready to be implemented on a mass scale. Tom assured his teammates that the B-Mod technology wasn't based on mind control and that it left all brain cells intact.
    While Amphibian and Arcanna disapproved of its usage, feeling it too much like the mind control the Over-Mind put them under, the Squadron voted to use the machines anyway. 

    Later that night, Tom was approached in his lab by Golden Archer who showed an unusual interest in the workings of the machine, though Thumb was more than happy to give him a demonstration.

(Squadron Supreme I#4 - BTS) - Later that night, Golden Archer used the B-mod device on his ex-girlfriend, Lady Lark, instructing her that she loved him madly and without question.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - In a rare public appearance, Tom  explained that he believed an uncivilized  society punished criminals while a civilized society reformed them.

(Squadron Supreme I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Suspecting foul play on the Archer's part but not wanting to accuse/betray a teammate, Tom decided to quietly alter the B-Mod software, to make sure it couldn't be used against any member of the Squadron Supreme itself.

(Squadron Supreme I#5) - With the success of the B-Mod device sweeping the nation, Tom was hard at work to build multiple units so the Squadron could visit more prisons to reform inmates. As it was, he was left to work alone in his lab at headquarters, quietly suffering from the cancer growing inside his body. He was alerted when the team's enemies the Institute of Evil managed to invade headquarters, hoping to either destroy the b-mod machines or kill the Squadron. Tom tried to fight off the villains using a force belt and a neuron-scrambler, but after Lamprey drained his force field, he was quickly overpowered and placed underneath the B-Mod machine to make him switch sides

(Squadron Supreme I#5 - BTS) - Tom played along while AIDA secretly sent a summons to his teammates.

(Squadron Supreme I#5) - The Squadron returned and easily beat back the Institute of Evil, until Tom Thumb revealed the villains' ace in the hole: they had captured the Squadron's friends and loved ones who would suffer a horrible fate if they refused to cooperate. The team was put through b-modification, but due to Tom's alterations they were unaffected, which allowed them to get the drop on the unsuspecting Institute of Evil members.

(Squadron Supreme I#6 (fb) - BTS) - The Squadron Supreme voted on whether or not to subject the villains to the B-mod device. The majority of the membership supported the proposal which instantly turned the villains into friendly, helpful allies. The Institute's resident genius Ape X was assigned to work with Tom, who wasn't thrilled with his colleague's overly eager disposition.

(Squadron Supreme I#6 - BTS) - Tom Thumb was instrumental in helping to design and construct Squadron City, the team's new, massive headquarters in the desert.

(Squadron Supreme I#6) - Thumb was impressed to see Arcanna use her magical abilities to mystically cloak Squadron City, making it virtually undetectable. He was flown to his lab by Hyperion where Ape X was almost done unpacking all the equipment. She enthusiastically showed Hyperion how she'd found a way to mass produce the force belts for a fraction of the cost, crediting Tom for doing most of the work.

(Squadron Supreme I#6 - BTS) - Tom did a television interview on the Squadron's decriminalization program and the b-mod machine, explaining that in his opinion criminals had forfeited the right to decline behavior modification. His speech was watched by Master Menace who was greatly interested and worried about the b-mod device.

(Squadron Supreme I#6) - Later that day, after explaining the inner workings of the new assembly chamber to the Squadron, Tom joined the regular meeting. They discussed warden Daniel Yates refusing to subject the inmates at his facility to b-mod and then voted in favor of having the Institute of Evil members join the Squadron Supreme. The meeting was interrupted by Blue Eagle, who forced Golden Archer to admit he had used the b-mod device on Lady Lark to make her fall in love with him again. Thumb had to confess his suspicions: after learning it had been used on Lark, he reprogrammed the device so it wouldn't work on his teammates. He also had to admit there was no way to undo the reprogramming without causing permanent damage to Lady Lark's brain. In the vote that followed, Thumb voted to expel Golden Archer from their ranks.

(Squadron Supreme I#6 - BTS) - Disgusted by the misuse of the b-mod tech, Amphibian destroyed all the units Thumb had constructed, ordering Ape X to even delete the blueprints before quitting the team altogether. Amphibian realized Tom would be able to restore the technology but figured it would be several weeks at least.

(Squadron Supreme I#7) - Tom Thumb was on hand when Hyperion (secretly the Grandmaster-creatred bio-duplicate) was brought into Squadron City by Foxfire after allegedly being injured in a meteor crash. The incident robbed had seemingly Hyperion of his memories, which prompted Thumb to investigate the radiation at the crash site for possible clues. Quagmire decided to accompany him. The next day, Thumb attended the funeral of Power Princess' husband Howard Shelton (gently suffocated by the Hyperion bio-duplicate so he could be with Power Princess).

(Squadron Supreme I#8) - Tom Thumb took Shape on an inspection tour of one of the newly opened force-belt manufacturing plants. During his check, he was alerted by Shape that the facility manager, Mr. Greene, had prepared a luncheon in their honor. 

    Later, in Squadron City, Thumb learned that Quagmire had been exposed to a near lethal overdose of the compound used in the pacifier pellets law enforcement now used instead of traditional fire arms. Tom and Ape X suggested to look for an antitoxin when the real Hyperion burst through the wall, looking for the impostor who had taken over his life.

(Squadron Supreme I#9 (fb) - BTS) - Hyperion's fight with his bio-duplicate had left him blinded. Tom Thumb was tasked by Dr. Decibel to construct a laser strong enough to reattach his optic nerves.

(Squadron Supreme I#9 - BTS) - Tom Thumb started work on a prototype for the hibernaculum, an advanced cryo-stasis unit that could keep people with incurable diseases alive in suspended animation until a cure could be found.

(Squadron Supreme I#9) - Thumb and Ape X were finishing up work on the hibernaculum when Tom was struck by painful coughing fit caused by his cancer. He excused himself to get some cough syrup, but actually went into his private office to lay down. AIDA, worried about her lover's refusal to tell the Squadron of his illness, decided she had to tell Ape X because that fit with her prime directive: serve her creator.

    Ape X was there when Tom woke up from his nap. He told her he'd tried anything, even traveling to the future to try to get it from Scarlet Centurion. Ape X convinced him he should just take it if it meant saving his life. Agreeing with her logic, he had Lamprey accompany him to the future, with Thumb lying to Lamprey about their mission and claiming they were going to take something the Centurion had stolen. They fought their way to the temple facility where the panacea potion was stored. Quickly taking a vial of the cure-all, Tom and Lamprey returned to their own time where Thumb much to his horror realized the potion contained little more than penicillin and some complex vitamins, which was all the genetically engineered humans of the 40th century needed to boost their already enhanced immune systems. Resigned to his fate, Thumb excused himself and returned the potion to the 40th century.

(Squadron Supreme I#9 - BTS) - One week later, while working in his laboratory on another project to better the human condition, Tom Thumb, passed away.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - All of the USA's prisoners were rehabilitated and released from federal and state custody.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Tom Thumb was the first to be placed inside the hibernaculum. All the members of the Squadron Supreme attended the public burial ceremony.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 - BTS) - The death of Tom Thumb made headlines all across the United States. News Squadron Newswatch covered Tom's funeral and aired an extensive retrospective of the hero's life and times.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 - BTS) - Ape X and AIDA worked to replicate Tom Thumb's memories and personality for their proposed robot simulacrum. 

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - When X suffered a mental breakdown as a result of an ethical conflict caused by her b-mod treatment (see Ape X's profile), AIDA quietly shelved the robot Tom while she made sure Xina got the help she needed.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Frank Giacoia

    Sure feels like Tom Thumb's blues... Such a sad, tragic fate for a man who only wanted to do good. Tom Thumb's moral compass was unerring and his heart was in the right place, though you can wonder how ethically sound the forced use of the b-mod device is. Tom's claim that criminals forfeit the right to decline behavior modification sure is a slippery slope. Ape X and AIDA were working on a robotic version of Thumb but that project got shelved after Ape X's mental breakdown. The final fate of both the robot and Tom's cryo-genically stored form have not been revealed.
    I would love to see Tom's robot form return as a benevolent force on Earth-712 to as a consultant, etc.
    I also think that Ape X's mental incapacity was a demonstration of the dangers of the B-Mod.
    --Snood

    Seeing as most of Earth-712's inhabitants are (loosely) based on DC characters, Tom Thumb seems patterned after the Golden and Silver Age Atoms, the pint sized Al Pratt and the genius inventor doctor Ray Palmer.  

    Tom Thumb received profiles in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition) #20 and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition I#19. Thumb was included in the Squadron Supreme's entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#12.

    Tom received different physical stats in his mini-profile for the Deluxe Edition's Squadron Supreme (3'10" and 120 lbs.) and the Book of the Dead (3'7" and 97 lbs.). The Master Edition further adjusted his weight to 95 lbs. I think the latter two sets of stats are more accurate, and his weight probably fluctuated a couple pounds here and there. I think I remember something about him getting so into his work that he would forget to eat.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tom Thumb is obviously named for but should not be confused with:

B-Mod prototype

Created by Tom Thumb as part of the Utopia Program's crime prevention campaign, the Behavior Modification Machine (B-Mod for short) can modify brain cells by replacing any perceived negative tendencies and habits with positive ones. After placing a subject under the B-Mod device, its user can operate the machine by verbally defining the desired behavior. Later versions of the device excluded all active members of the Squadron Supreme from behavior modification after it became clear Lady Lark had been altered against her will.

--Squadron Supreme I#4


















Force-belt

Created by Tom Thumb and refined by Ape X, the force-belt generated a personalized force field strong enough to protect its wearer from harm. The internal power source could power the belt for 96 hours, after which it would automatically shut down. Thumb's goal was to provide every citizen in America with a source of personalized protection. He oversaw the mass production of the belts personally when all the shut down gun factories were retrofitted to produce the force-belts.

Two of the belts would later be misused by the super-villains Bollix and the Rustler, but the two criminals were eventually captured by the Whizzer.

--Squadron Supreme I#6











tomthumb-in-hibernaculumHibernaculum

Tom Thumb had helped the Utopia Program's goals of reducing crime, hunger, war and poverty within a year. However, he realized he would not be able to cure all disease. To buy himself some time, he came up with the concept of the hibernaculum, a single person suspended animation unit intended to keep the dying alive until a cure for their illness was available. Developed at TT Tech Laboratories in Squadron City with help from Ape X, the prototype hibernaculum was completed shortly before Tom Thumb succumbed to brain cancer. The Squadron Supreme honored their teammate by placing Tom inside his own invention.

--Squadron Supreme I#9
















tomthumb-micromodule-glopquickMicro-module

Tom Thumb designed the Micro-Module, a versatile one person craft custom made for his small size. The module could achieve great speeds, fast enough to stay ahead of a gas explosion and was outfitted with an array of non-lethal weaponry. Chief among the module's weapons was a force blaster and a glue gun that shot a fast acting adhesive that could incapacitate one or more people.

--Avengers I#85















Pacifier Pistol

Part of the Utopia Program's goals was reducing gun violence to zero. This meant getting rid of all firearms, including those used by law enforcement. To replace those handguns, Thumb and Ape X developed the Pacifier pistol, a non-lethal gun that shoots pacifier pellets, filled with a compound that instantly curtails violent behavior through the stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers.

--Squadron Supreme I#7












Tom Thumb robot duplicate
tomthumb-robot1tomthumb-robot-face







(Squadron Supreme I#10 - BTS) - Ape X and AIDA worked to replicate Tom Thumb's memories and personality for their proposed robot simulacrum. 

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - When X suffered a mental breakdown as a result of an ethical conflict caused by her b-mod treatment (see Ape X's profile), AIDA quietly shelved the robot Tom while she made sure Xina got the help she needed.

--Squadron Supreme I#10 (11

images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition I#20, p15, pan1 (main image)
Squadron Supreme I#10, p3, pan4 (joins the Squadron Supreme)
Avengers I#85, p14, pan5 (handling Goliath);
    pg. 16, panel 1 (glopping Quicksilver from Micro-Module);
Avengers I#148, p11, pan5 (versus Hellcat)
Defenders I#113, p14, pans3&4 (versus Hulk)
Squadron Supreme I#1, p24, pans6&7 (fixing AIDA )
Squadron Supreme I#2, p9, pan1 (curing cancer)
Squadron Supreme I#2, p18, pan7 (impossible decision)
Squadron Supreme I#4, p8, pan3 (introduces the b-mod machine)
Squadron Supreme I#8, p4, pan4 (ready for lunch)
Squadron Supreme I#9, p21, pans6&7 (resigned to his fate)
Squadron Supreme I#10, pg. 1, panel 1 (Tom in Hibernaculum);
    p3, pan2 (B-Mod device),
    p3, pan4 (Force belt);
    pg. 10, panel 1 and 3 (Tom Thumb robot replica body and face);
Squadron Supreme I#9, p8, pan5 (Hibernaculum)
Avengers I#148, p5, pan5 (Micro module)
Squadron Supreme I#10, p3, pan5 (Pacifier pistol)

Appearances:
Avengers I#85 (February, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Avengers I#86 (March, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Avengers I#148 (June, 1976) - Steve Englehart (writer), George Perez (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Thor I#280 (February, 1979) - Roy Thomas (writer), Wayne Boring (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Guenwald (editor)
Defenders I#112 (October, 1982) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin, (pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#113 (November, 1982) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (writer/pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#114 (December, 1982) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (writer/pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#115 (January, 1983) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Hilary Barta (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#1 (September, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#2 (October, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#3 (November, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#4 (December, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#5 (January, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#6 (February, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#7 (March, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Jackson Guice (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#8 (April, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#9 (May, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#10 (June, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam De La Rosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Web of Spider-Man Annual#5/6: Saga of the Serpent Crown: Corporate Takeover (1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Keith Williams (inker), Gregory Wright (managing editor), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

First Posted: 10/25/2021
Last updated: 01/27/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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