Metamorpho

Metamorpho
Metamorpho #1, 1993 art by Graham Nolan
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965)
Created by	Bob Haney Ramona Fradon
In-story information
Alter ego	Rex Mason
Team affiliations	Outsiders Justice League Seven Soldiers of Victory Doom Patrol
Notable aliases	The Element Man, Dyna-Man
Abilities	Transmutation into a wide variety of elemental compounds.

Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. A founding member of the Outsiders, he has also been a member of the Justice League Europe and the Justice League of America.

Publication history

Metamorpho's creator, Bob Haney, had seen success with DC Comics in 1963 with the titles Metal Men and Doom Patrol, featuring bands of superheroes exhibiting fantastic powers. Under the editorial management of George Kashdan, Haney was asked to capitalize on these titles' popularity with a similar character. Metamorpho, the Element Man, debuted in The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965). As first conceived, Metamorpho was a parody of the fantastic characters that populated comic books in the 1960s. Artist Ramona Fradon was coaxed out of maternity-retirement to illustrate Metamorpho's first appearances. The popularity of Metamorpho's appearances in The Brave and the Bold led to a seventeen-issue ongoing series between 1965 and 1968. Metamorpho also appeared during this time in an issue of Justice League of America, but became the second superhero to decline an invitation to join that organization (Adam Strange being the first).

After becoming a charter member of the Outsiders in 1983, and member of the European branch of the Justice League International, he received his own 4-issue series in 1993.

In 2005, DC reprinted Metamorpho's early The Brave and the Bold appearances and the entirety of the 1965 series as one of the company's volumes of Showcase Presents.

In 2007 Dan Jurgens launched the 6-issue series Metamorpho Year One.

Fictional character biography

Rex Mason was an adventurer who was hired by business tycoon Simon Stagg to retrieve a rare Egyptian artifact. Mason also started dating Stagg's daughter, Sapphire Stagg.

In an Egyptian pyramid, Rex Mason was exposed to a radioactive meteorite called the Orb of Ra which transformed him into the Element Man. He became able to shapeshift and change himself into any element found in the human body, or any combinations thereof. It was later revealed that Mason was but one of many metamorphae, created by the sun god Ra to serve as warriors in his battle against the god Apep, "the serpent who never dies".

Metamorpho briefly had a crimefighting partner: a woman named Urania "Rainie" Blackwell who deliberately exposed herself to the Orb and gained his powers, and called herself Element Girl. She worked with him on a number of cases, before her unrequited attraction to him became too much for her. Blackwell's power was removed, resulting in her death, at her own request by the sun god Ra, with assistance by Death, in Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

Outsiders

Metamorpho spends some time working with the Outsiders. While in the despotically ruled country of Mozombia, Metamorpho is subdued and taken apart. The tyrant's forces keep him inert with a constant application of radiation. He is freed by Katana's indestructible sword, which had been latched onto a live electrical wire.

While leaving Mozombia, the Outsiders' plane is shot down by the Bad Samaritan. Metamorpho and the others spend some time stranded on a deserted island, simply too far away from land to rescue themselves.

Metamorpho perishes, for the first of multiple times, during the Millennium event. The scientific advisor to the Outsiders, Dr. Jace had decided that life with the more logical Manhunters was preferable and she betrayed the team. They fought back but Metamorpho had been brainwashed into assisting Jace. He was killed in the resulting battle. He returns during the Invasion mini-series, when a gene-bomb set off by invading aliens affected his biomass.

Justice League

Metamorpho spent some time with the Justice League, including Justice League Europe. There, he encounters Sapphire Stagg again. He becomes involved in a battle with the Metal Men, who had been tricked by Simon. His League friends, Rocket Red and Animal Man were at the site of the battle but were being detained by Simon's brutish bodyguard, Java. At the conclusion of the battle, Metamorpho learns he had a son by Sapphire. Unfortunately, its touch harmed all but Sapphire and Metamorpho himself. Java held the baby and his arms melted. Metamorpho handed the baby over to Simon, who became convinced he would die, harmed like Java had been moments ago.

Simon came through without a bit of harm, something in his genetic structure protecting him just as it did with the baby's mother. Simon's stance softened and everyone was left free to go. Doc Magnus, the leader of the Metal Men, offered his services in creating new arms for Java.

On the way home, Metamorpho's friends were puzzled as to how he knew Simon would be unaffected by the child. Metamorpho indicates that he had hoped the baby would have killed Simon.

Metamorpho would later have a romantic relationship with Crimson Fox, which is cut short by her seeming murder. His personal investigation of the incident uncovers multiple layers of lies and deceit.

Second Death

Later, the Hyperclan attacked the Justice League Of America orbiting base, destroying it. Metamorpho protects three of his team-mates, Nuklon, Obsidian and the second Icemaiden in a giant, fluid filled ball. The intent is for them to survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The three make it, injured but alive, but Metamorpho does not. He is buried with solemn honors. After a temporary resurrection by the wish-granting Id- which was fundamentally flawed because the wisher, his son Joey, only wished for him to be back rather than to be alive-, he would return some time later.

Outsiders Again

Recently Metamorpho had seemingly been appearing in Outsiders vol. 3, but Rex Mason informed the team that their Metamorpho is a regrown fragment of his own body (Outsiders #7, February, 2004). Rex attempts to reassimilate his "twin" but the Outsiders convinced him that the "twin" deserves the chance to lead his own life. This "second" Metamorpho chose the name "Shift" and develops a relationship with Indigo. After the events of One Year Later, Shift willingly chose to be reassimilated into Metamorpho, because he had killed several people. Rex has stepped in to fill Shift's position in the Outsiders, while a full account of Shift's crimes is pending.

In other media

• Metamorpho appeared in the Justice League animated series two-part episode "Metamorphosis". He also briefly appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episodes "Clash" "Alive" "Panic in the Sky" and was seen for a few moments in "Initiation" with the rest of the newly invited members of the Justice League.

Metamorpho as in Justice League Unlimited

In "Metamorphosis", he was voiced by Tom Sizemore. Rex Mason was a friend to John Stewart when they were former Marines. He was exposed to a level of chemical gas by his boss and clashes with the League as he tries to take revenge out on his boss (Stagg). When Metamorpho's attempts at revenge cause a giant monster to be created that threatens to harm his girlfriend (Sapphire, voiced by Danica McKellar), Metamorpho subsequently seemingly sacrificed himself to stop the creature by turning into the chemical combination that would destroy the creature; it would have taken days to create the mixture naturally. He subsequently regenerates himself when a piece of his destroyed body feels a tear drop from the eyes of his girlfriend. In a later episode, Hereafter, when Superman apparently dies, John Stewart's first and only idea for a replacement member in the League is Metamorpho. In another adventure, John Stewart, Wonder Woman, and Batman went to the future where they met the JLU, including Stewart's son, Warhawk. Warhawk's real name is Rex Stewart, as he was named after John's good friend Rex Mason. Metamorpho also appears in the episode "Panic in the Sky", fighting with the Justice League when is under attack by the Ultimen clones. His appearance is slightly more deformed in his animated incarnation.

External links

• Metamorpho's secret origin on dccomics.com