METAMORPHO

Real Name: Rex Mason

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Superhero, former soldier of fortune

Group Affiliation: formerly Outsiders, Justice League Europe

Known Relatives: Joey Stagg (son), Sapphire Stagg (ex-wife), unnamed parents (deceased), 

Aliases: Dyna-Man

Base of Operations: Mobile, formerly Los Angeles, California, Paris, France

First Appearance: Brave and the Bold I #57 (December, 1964-January, 1965)

Powers: Metamorpho possessed superhuman strength and durability. Massive damage could render his body inert, but he would eventually recover, and as long as any part of Metamorpho's body remained intact he could regenerate. He could transform his body into any combination of chemical elements, and shape those elements into any form he desired.

(Metamorpho I #2) - Stagg put Metamorpho’s remain’s in a body-shaped container and added methane, oxygen and carbon. He then conducted lightning into it, recreating the conditions that led to life on Earth, and Metamorpho was revitalized. A worldwide crime spree had worldwide authorities seeking Metamorpho’s aid, and he was approached by a top g-man. At a government command center Metamorpho learned that communication satellite Telstar had been compromised by crime czar Nicholas Balkan for his own purposes, and they needed Metamorpho to become a human rocketship and repair the satellite. Java hitched along for the ride to prove how pure his love for Sapphire was. When they boarded Telstar Balkan threw it out of orbit, returning it to his base in South America, knocking out Java and freezing Metamorpho in liquid oxygen. Stagg and Sapphire came looking for Metamorpho, and Balkan apprehended them. His eldest son Gunther was enthralled with Sapphire, so Balkan pronounced them man and wife and sent them on a honeymoon in his atomic sub-turtle. Stagg freed Metamorpho and demanded he save Sapphire, which he did by becoming a torpedo and destroying the sub. Metamorpho had Balkan beat, so in despair he activated his doomsday clock, preferring to destroy the world and die before conceding defeat, but Metamorpho dug underground as a drill and disabled the weapon.

(Metamorpho I #3) - Simon Stagg announced that he was engaged to wealthy and young Zelda Trumbull, and brought Metamorpho, Sapphire and Java to her father T.T.T.’s Science Station Alpha in the Grand Canyon. T.T.T. showed off the newly discovered element extracted from meteorites that he named Staggium in honor of Simon and was most interested when it weakened Metamorpho, just like his scientists predicted. Zelda lured Simon away while T.T.T. introduced Metamorpho to his Thunderbird Robot, constructed with Staggium. T.T.T. was about to unleash Operation Super Colossal, taking over the U.S. by destroying their missile defense system, and wanted Metamorpho out of the way. Metamorpho evaded the robot, and their battle made its way to the Grand Canyon. The U.S. army was in the wings, but were hesitant about a direct attack on T.T.T., so Metamorpho signaled them to destroy the Thunderbird, enabling him to destroy T.T.T.’s Super Colossal devices that targeted U.S. missile defense systems. The President called Metamorpho to thank him, and the hero created a gold medal on his chest to honor himself.

(Metamorpho I #4) - Sapphire pressured Metamorpho about their marriage, and even though she loved him as is he didn’t want her to marry a freak. She broke up with him and planned to make him jealous enough to marry her. She went so far as to get engaged to Cha-Cha Chaves, Playboy of the Pampas. Simon Stagg approved of their engagement, and still refused to work on a cure for Metamorpho, finding him more valuable as an Element-Man. Cha-Cha had planes bombard the Stagg mansion with flowers, and they would have been crushed if Metamorpho didn’t save them. He then had Sapphire’s face carved into Mt. Rushmore, and Metamorpho obliterated it, partly because he was jealous, but also because he hated seeing a national monument defaced. They all went on a cruise with Cha-Cha’s home as the destination, and there were several attempts on Chavez’ life by his countrymen. Metamorpho questioned him, but Cha-Cha feigned ignorance as to why anyone would want him dead. At Cha-Cha’s engagement fiesta rebels kidnapped Simon and Java, and Metamorpho rescued them from a firing squad. He learned that Cha-Cha supplied the country’s dictator El Lupo with armaments, and agreed to help the rebels overthrow him. Cha-Cha only got engaged to Sapphire so his men could steal a piece of paper from Sapphire’s favorite clockwork toy. Chemist Heinrich Von Glockenspiel designed the toy, and he left the secret formula of a super-explosive inside it. Cha-Cha loaded up a bull’s horn with the explosive and planned to have it detonate at a bullfight, taking out the rebel army. Metamorpho acted as bullfighter, avoiding a massacre by disabling the bull, and then knocked out Cha-Cha with one punch. Sapphire and Metamorpho reunited.

(Metamorpho I #5) - Metamorpho and Sapphire went Christmas shopping, and when they returned Simon Stagg introduced them to architect Edifice K. Bulwark, who’d designed a chemo-scraper for him, a skyscraper using chemical reactions to change shape and function. Simon needed Metamorpho’s skills to construct it, but Metamorpho had seen recent press that called Bulwark’s design a possible threat to the city and refused. Simon pressed him, so he left his service and went to the tropics with Sapphire to celebrate Christmas. In his absence Simon used the Orb of Ra to recreate Bulwark as Metamorpho II and construct the chemo-scraper, and when Metamorpho returned Simon told him his services were no longer needed. The chemo-skyscraper’s dome flew off, bathing the city in chemicals. Bulwark knew this could happen, and was happy to destroy the work of rival architects. Metamorpho confronted his double and defeated him, and then turned into an iron meteorite to destroy the out-of-control chemo-tower. Simon welcomed him back with open arms after Metamorpho II’s transformation turned out to be temporary and he reverted to plain old Bulwark.

(Metamorpho I #6) - Metamorpho, Simon, Sapphire and Java went on vacation in the French Riviera, and Simon was determined to break the bank at Achille le Heele’s casino using what he thought was an infallible method. He lost millions and wagered Metamorpho’s services to le Heele, losing once again. Metamorpho reminded Simon that he didn’t own him, and refused to work for Heele, so Heele kidnapped Simon. Sapphire told Metamorpho she’d never talk to him again if he didn’t save her daddy, so Metamorpho capitulated. Heele told Metamorpho that an international police agent obtained evidence documenting his criminal exploits, and before Heele’s men shot him they heard him tell his superiors the evidence was hidden with the seven wonders. Le Heele took this to mean it was hidden in one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World and wanted Metamorpho to steal them one by one. Metamorpho melted the Eiffal Tower with nitric acid and became a superheated coil to melt Taj Mahal, but le Heele’s men found not a scrap of evidence. The next target was the Empire State Building, and Metamorpho had had enough, so he located Stagg on the island of Monte Cristo and rescued him. International police approached them and revealed that seven wonders was code for a complimentary pillow sent to Stagg when he arrived in the Riviera, and that the evidence was imprinted on his leg. Le Heele once again kidnapped Simon, but Metamorpho and Java saved him and turned Heele over to the police. The police promised to pardon Metamorpho’s actions as long as he put the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal back the way he found them.

(Metamorpho I #7) - Simon went to a vulcanologist conference on the island of Tarboli, and left Metamorpho in charge of things back home. Simon and the other vulcanologists were kidnapped, and a distressed  C.I.A. and a weepy Sapphire demanded that Metamorpho find her daddykins. Metamorpho, Sapphire and Java found a supervillain lair inside the Tarboli volcano, and caught sight of Simon, but were forced to flee when an unseen attacker used a heat-ray on them. Metamorpho was then called to Seashell II, a scientific platform drilling the Mohole, an opening into Earth’s crust. The Mohole was rapidly draining the ocean, but Seashell’s vulcanologist Otto Von Stuttgart told Metamorpho not to interfere, and briefly solved the problem with counter-molecular catalysts. Metamorpho suspected Stuttgart, the world’s only vulcanologist no kidnapped on Tarboli, and when the Mohole reopened Stuttgart panicked and revealed he’d caused the drain with his neutron dissolver, and kidnapped the other vulcanologists so he’d be the one to play hero. Stuttgart was mad, happy that the dissolver would end life on Earth, so he didn’t care that he’d failed. Metamorpho rescued Simon Stagg, and turned himself into a drill, boring deep into the earth until he found the dissolver and smashed it.

(Metamorpho I #8) - Metamorpho and Sapphire went to a hipster club, where they did the latest dance-craze, the “Element Man.” Java summoned them back home, where Simon was waiting with the governor and police commissioner. They needed Metamorpho’s help in apprehending the criminal mastermind Doc Dread. They’d been unable to gain any solid evidence for a search warrant, so Metamorpho created the villainous identity of Dyna-Man to infiltrate Dread’s gang, broke into Doc Dread’s castle, and challenged him to a showdown. Using a raygun to channel his element powers he defeated Doc and took control of his gang. Doc Dread begrudgingly accepted being second-in-command, and led Dyna-Man and his former gang to a shipyard where gold was being delivered disguised as scrap iron. After the heist the police were in pursuit, and to establish Dyna-Man as a capable leader they allowed him to escape, melting the gold down, and flushing it into the sewer, where he later re-collected it in an oil truck. Java broke into Doc’s castle and gave away Metamorpho’s identity, hoping that Doc would kill him and that Sapphire would then be his. Doc broke into Stagg’s mansion, stole the Orb of Ra, and then told Dyna-Man their next job, stealing the government computer Smarty-Pants as it was being transported via railroad. They pulled the heist, and as Dyna-Man was about to apprehend Doc Dread the villain produced the Orb. The Orb weakened Metamorpho, and his true identity was revealed, so the gang switch allegiance back to Dread and made off with the computer. Sapphire saved Metamorpho was hurling the Orb into the distance, and Metamorpho caught up with Doc and his gang and captured them.

(Metamorpho I #9) - Simon Stagg’s satellites located a South American valley filled with immobile giant robots, and he brought Metamorpho, Sapphire and Java along to investigate. They were attacked by prehistoric cavemen, but Metamorpho fought them off. Professor Carlos Goya appeared out of the jungle, claiming to be a lost scientist, and promised to help Simon uncover the mystery of the robots. They hypothesized that the robots were created by the cavemen’s ancestors, who were an advanced race that later devolved. They seemingly gained control of the robots after reactivatring them, at which point Goya revealed himself as El Mantanzas, an exiled dictator, and at he led the robots to his former country and forced the rebels to capitulate. The robots then revealed that they were only playing along until they were ready to strike. They were a space-faring race that transferred their minds into machines but were immobile in South America’s climate. Metamorpho went into action, defeating Mantanzas and sinking the robots into the bottom of a river.

(Metamorpho I #10) - Metamorpho agreed to marry Sapphire, but their marriage ceremony was interrupted by Element Girl, a woman who’d gained her powers the same way as Rex in order to battle the criminal organization Cyclops. She demanded that Metamorpho help take down Cyclops’ leader Stingaree with her. He agreed, although Sapphire said she’d never forgive him, and was convinced by her feminine intuition that Element Girl wanted Metamorpho for herself. Metamorpho and Element Girl penetrated Cyclops’ hq, and destroyed Stingaree’s Liquefier robot, but Stingaree turned the full force of Cyclops against them, and they were forced to flee and hide. Sapphire convinced Simon and Java to fly to Europe to find Metamorpho, and when Cyclops targeted their plane Metamorpho had to reveal himself to save the woman he loved. Stingaree confronted the heroes, seemingly destroying them with the chemical cocktail in his scorpion tail before turning his attention to the Staggs. Metamorpho’s body fell in salt-water, reviving him, and he saved Sapphire, and clipped Stingaree’s tail, rendering him helpless. As a last act of revenge Stingaree pushed a button to flood the European villages above their hq, but Metamorpho turned into a giant iron bulldozer, saving the day. He retrieved Element Girl’s body, and asked Simon to bring her back to life, although this made Sapphire jealous.

(Metamorpho I #11) - Simon Stagg couldn’t resurrect Element Girl, and Metamorpho staid by her body and blamed Stagg for not trying hard enough. Sapphire believed that Metamorpho had fallen for someone like himself, and although he wouldn’t admit it to her, Metamorpho realized that Element Girl got under his skin. Sapphire jilted him, called him a freak, and told him she regretted turning down so many eligible bachelors to be with him. The drama was interrupted by a call from Washington after a U.S. jet was shot down by a U.F.O. Metamorpho, Simon and Java investigated and met Vrag-Kol, commander of the ship. He turned out to be a human posing as an alien to overthrow the government, and after freezing Metamorpho with liquid hydrogen he had Simon broadcast to Washington, telling them they had no chance against the unstoppable aliens, forcing them to hand over Bunker Baker Able to Vrag. When Metamorpho thawed he became a fireworks display that alerted the army that Vrag was a phony. The army attacked the bunker, disabling Vrag and his crew, and destroying the military cache.

(Metamorpho I #12, 13) - Simon announced the Stagg Prize, a million dollars and full access to his labs for the scientist with the best idea for curing Metamorpho. Metamorpho suspected that Simon had ulterior motives, because he’d never part with his cash without a self-serving reason, and he was correct, Simon planned on awarding the prize to a crackpot. That way he appeared to be doing everything he could to cure Metamorpho while keeping him as a useful lackey. Professor Franz Zorb won the prize, playing Simon like a fiddle, and using his lab to create the Test-Tube Terrors, a number of element-based robots. They defeated Metamorpho in combat and burned down Stagg’s mansion. Simon used an atomic oscilloscope to track them to his alma mater State tech, and learned that Zorb was after nucleonic moleculizer projector, created on campus and hidden in a trophy football currently being used in the annual State Tech vs. State U. game. The Test-Tube Terrors posed as State U. while Metamorpho played for Tech in a battle to get control of the moleculizer. The Terrors defeated Metamorpho and made away with the moleculizer, so Stagg decided to resurrect Element Girl. Metamorpho was behind the plan, but Sapphire thought he was so enthusiastic because he was in love with Element Girl, and broke down in tears. Metamorpho reminded her that it was her duty to safeguard the world, and that only Element Girl could help him defeat Zorb, but she continued to weep and told him it was over between them. Secretly Metamorpho knew that he harbored deep feeling for Element Girl, a freak like him. They found Element Girl’s containment case already empty, Zorb had accidentally revived her with the moleculizer. When Zorb tried toi take over Stagg Building Metamorpho and Element Girl teamed-up, with Element Girl gaining Zorb’s trust to make him vulnerable, and defeated him and the Test-Tube Terrors. Element Girl proclaimed her deep love for Metamorpho, and Simon was pleased with the unstoppable team they made.

(Metamorpho I #14, 15) - Sapphire and Element Girl both tried to woo Metamorpho, Sapphire with a wedding dress and Element Girl with a bikini. The jealous women tried to attack each other, but Metamorpho broke up their spat, and when Simon warned him of a coming Armageddon he was glad for the distraction. Neutrog, a servant of the cosmic Thunderer destroyed the Simon Stagg School of Science to draw in Metamorpho and defeated the hero by activating an atomic reactor, causing an explosion. Simon claimed that he couldn’t remove the nuclear contamination in Metamorpho’s system and rocketed him into space. This was a ruse to make the Thunderer feel safe enough to make himself known. He landed his spaceship in Washington and demanded the world’s surrender. Element Girl revived Metamorpho, and the duo returned from space to confront the Thunderer. The Thunderer once again sent Neutog after the heroes, but when he proved incapable of defeating him his master blasted him into a river. Metamorpho and Element Girl attacked the Thunderer, but were blasted by the villain into the sub-atomic realm. Boy genius Billy Barton detected their presence in a speck of dust and used a chemical reagent to bring them back to size. They fought the Thunderer again, who’s taken Sapphire hostage, and Billy aided them with a laser guitar that disrupted Thunderer’s beams. The battle seems unwinnable when other members of Thunderer’s alien race appeared and took him into custody, explaining that he was a renegade.

(Metamorpho I #16) - Sapphire jilted Metamorpho for playboy wastrel Wally Bannister, who she married. Metamorpho was heart-broken, and when Element Girl approached him he rejected her, deep into his self-pity, and convinced he’s ruin anything they might have. Mr. Shadow approached Metamorpho and asked for his help in finding the legendary city of Ma-Phoor. Metamorpho announced his departure to Simon Stagg, who tried to force him to stay using the Orb of Ra. Element Girl helped Metamorpho make his escape, and reminded him that she’d wait for him if he ever reconsidered her love for him. Shadow and Metamorpho found Ma-Phoor in Ethiopia, hidden inside a gigantic statue of a pharaoh. They were greeted by the ageless queen Jezeba, a dead ringer for Sapphire who revealed that Shadow was her agent that she sent to retrieve Metamorpho. She believed Metamorpho was her love Algon, an Element-Man who betrayed her and was put into exile. She wanted to marry him, but the ceremony was delayed by Dracon, an android guardian of Ma-Phoor who was in love with Jezeba. Metamorpho defeated him, and Jezeba promised him they’d rule the world together, showing him her cache of modern weaponry. Metamorpho went through with the marriage, believing it would never hold up in the States, and led Jezeba and her army into the outside world. They crossed a natural stone bridge, which Metamorpho wrecked disabling the army. Jezeba was outraged at the betrayal, and tried to use her Orb of Ra to control Metamorpho, but contact with the outside world made her age rapidly, turning her into a mummy. Shadow grabbed the Orb and told Metamorpho he’d now follow his commands.

(Metamorpho I #17) - Shadow was frightened away by international police agents who came to arrest Metamorpho for the murder of Wally Bannister, who was drowned on his honeymoon with Saph. They knew they couldn’t force him to come along with him, but they appealed to his sense of justice, so he complied. Metamorpho started to doubt his own innocence, even though he knew he was in Ma-Phoor when Wally was killed, imagining that he’d blacked out and murdered his rival. He was most upset that Sapphire believed in his guilt, and her eyes flashed hatred at him during his trial. He was convicted and sentenced to execution by freezing his body in an execution box, which was tossed into the ocean after his fate was sealed. Element Girl was convinced of his innocence and freed him, but was attacked by the Prosecutor, a supervillain who’d framed Metamorpho on behalf of a mysterious client. The Prosecutor fled, and they followed him to a volcanic island, where he met with Algon, who was the actual culprit behind Wally’s death. This explained why all the eye-witnesses believed Metamorpho was the killer, because Algon was a fellow metamorph. Prosecutor departed to meet with his client, and Metamorpho engaged Algon in battle. Algon perished because he’d spent too much time in the seemingly rejuvenating volcanic bath, another ploy by the Prosecutor. He bemoaned being seduced into evil by the Prosecutor, wanting to eliminate Metamorpho so he’d be the world’s only Element Man. He made Metamorpho promise he’d use his powers only for good. Metamorpho decided to leave his old life with Stagg and Sapphire behind, they'd both played him for a fool for far too long. He partnered with Element Girl and they decided to clear his name.

(DC Comics Presents #40) -Metamorpho and the Staggs moved to Haneyville, and Metamorpho became the local hero. Simon Stagg reconstructed the Orb of Ra to return Metamorpho to human, but needed to test it. Java saw this as an opportunity to destroy Metamorpho and win over Sapphire, so he knocked out Simon and stole the Orb. Unfortunately the new Orb randomly displaced elements in its vicinity, and as it made nearby elements unstable it was becoming a fusion bomb. Superman teamed with Metamorpho to stop Java, and his Orb approached critical mass, so Metamorpho snatched it away and flew into the stratosphere. It exploded harmlessly, and Metamorpho reunited with his love Sapphire.

(Batman: Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat #1) - Metamorpho and the Outsiders helped deal with the chaos in Gotham, and found Man-Bat, who was desperately searching for his wife Francine. When they tried to detain him he hit them with a sonic scream and flew off. The Outsiders later cleaned up after a fight between Man-Bat and Dr. Phosphorus, who'd captured Francine. Alfred noted that Kirk Langstrom could now transform into Man-Bat without his serum, and this complicated matters.