ARNOLD MAJOR

Real Name: Arnold Major

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Prophet

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Forever Changing Man

Base of Operations: San Francisco, CA

First Appearance: Shade, The Changing Man II #7 (January, 1991)

Powers: Major was surrounded by floating eyes, each one giving him a different view of reality, and opening portals to those realms. Arnold Major's madness allowed him to alter reality.

History: (Shade, The Changing Man II #7-9) - Arnold Major was an aging hippy and burnout who remembered they heyday of Haight-Ashbury. He dropped LSD and was caught up in the madness stream created by the American Scream, the embodiment of America's dark side. Arnold was given the power to see all facets of reality, and opened up communes in each realm. He saw himself as a prophet dedicated to a vision of ego-death and love, calling himself the Forever Changing Man, and did not realize the Scream was manipulating him for his own ends. Metan agent Shade was tasked with destroying the American Stream, and Major showed him his vision, particularly the Pink Heaven Commune, the dream of the flower children made reality. Major told Shade to stop fighting the Scream, and to allow America to spiritually die so it could be reborn. Shade just wanted to leave and find his companion Kathy George, and managed to briefly manifest in NYC, where Kathy had hit rock bottom with her new friend Lenny. Shade was pulled back to Pink Heaven where resident Flowerchild convinced him to make love to her to keep the energy flowing. The experience convinced Shade that Major's vision was correct, and the American Scream's madness could be channeled to recreate America as a nation of love. Shade's subconscious was transformed into a giant fetus, and manifested in Lenny's apartment. The fetus told Kathy he loved her, even if his conscious mind didn't realize it, and asked her to help him pull away from Arnold Major be calling to him. Shade saw cracks in Major's work, and when he upset Major he was attacked by werewolf boy scouts. Major tried to merge himself to Shade and Scream, and succeeded to a degree. Shade entered the All the Girls Really Like Me Commune, where the members were dissatisfied with Major. Major said he was a jealous god, and blinded the complainers. Pink Heaven began to unravel, but Major refused to admit that the Scream was using him. Shade, seeing Major on a crucifix as a faux savior, finally made him see that his vision of love was really one of ego, causing his worlds to crumble. Major's madness had spread out into the waking world, and the government called in a surgical strike that destroyed the heart of San Francisco.

Comments: Created by Peter Milligan & Chris Bachalo.