Molten Man
Molten Man | |
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Exterminators Alchemax | |
Notable aliases | Burning Man |
Abilities | (Raxton)
(Molten Man)
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Molten Man (Mark Raxton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.[1] Once a chemical engineer who longed to get rich, Mark Raxton was caught in an accident that saw his body get covered by an experimental organic-liquid metal alloy, which granted him superpowers, including the ability to generate extreme heat and radiation. Turning to a life of crime, he started off as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, but eventually was redeemed. He is also the stepbrother of Liz Allan.
The character has made appearances in several forms of media, including animated series and video games. A creature based on the "Molten Man" appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which was actually an illusion created by a series of drones operated by Mysterio.
Publication history
The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #28 (September 1965).[2]
Fictional character biography
Mark Raxton was born in
In his third encounter with Spider-Man, it was revealed that Peter's friend Liz Allan was Raxton's stepsister, and the Molten Man's metallic skin had begun to give off intense heat and to consume itself. His metallic skin became molten and he steals meteor fragments from a museum to attempt a cure. An encounter with Spider-Man resulted in his submergence in the polluted East River, which temporarily reversed the deterioration.[6]
In another encounter, Raxton broke into a pharmaceutical company to steal chemicals which would reverse his condition permanently. When the procedure failed, he went berserk and demanded to speak to Liz, who agreed to talk to him and also tried to convince him to surrender. Liz was saved by Spider-Man and the Molten Man became buried beneath the laboratory.
Raxton realized that his stepsister was the only member of his family who had not abandoned him. He was eventually released from the Vault and approached Liz to apologize. Spider-Man misunderstood his intentions and battled him once more. Reconciled with Raxton, Liz and her husband
In
Sometime after Harry Osborn's death, Raxton is summoned when mysterious forces kidnap Liz Allan's son,
During the Civil War storyline, the Molten Man and the Scarecrow were used as bait for Captain America's Secret Avengers, only for the Punisher to arrive. Raxton is left in critical condition after being attacked by the Punisher.[14]
Raxton next appears, still in poor condition, under the care of Liz Allan. When Harry Osborn comes to visit Liz and Normie, he and Liz argue. Hearing Liz speak Harry's name, Raxton awakens and attacks him, screaming that Harry has hurt his family for the last time and will "die for real".[15] Spider-Man intervenes, but he has trouble fighting Raxton, whose powers have grown out of control. Spider-Man manages to trap Raxton in asphalt, and Harry provides him with a cure that Oscorp had been working on upon using volunteer Charlie Weiderman, the other "Molten Man". The cure is successful, returning Raxton to his original human state. Although he finally was rid of the alloy, he still retained his powers, such as super strength, energy manipulation and a new power to incinerate anything by producing fire from his palms. Harry built him a special suit, using a part of the alloy and his DNA, to help him control his powers.[16]
When Liz Allan became the head of
Powers and abilities
Originally, Mark Raxton was given unnatural powers after the exposure to an experimental liquid metal alloy obtained from a meteor discovered by
Additionally, unlike most of Spider-Man's more thuggish villains, the Molten Man had brains to complement his raw physical strength. An intelligent, but very sane scientist, Raxton was smart enough to learn from his own mistakes and not fall for the same trick twice. He is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
Other versions
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Mark Raxton is a guitarist in a local punk rock band, the name of which is later revealed to be "Molten Man". One of their songs includes the lyrics "I am your molten man and I'm melting on you".[21]
He first appears in the story "Dumped", in Ultimate Spider-Man #78. He asks Mary Jane Watson on a date. She reluctantly accepts, but spends most of the evening talking about Peter Parker, who has just broken up with her. Raxton remains a gentleman the entire time. Later, he encounters Mary Jane at the mall, and upon learning that the boy she was with was Peter, tells her "Good for you", and leaves without further incident.[21]
He later appears in Ultimate Spider-Man #88, the third part of the "Silver Sable" storyline. In the story, a student from Parker's high school dresses up as Spider-Man and runs out in front of the press. He is revealed to be Mark Raxton, who tries to promote his band Molten Man before being dragged away by police.[22]
In other media
Television
- The Molten Man, renamed Mark Allan, appears in the second season of Vault until he is released by the Goblin to hunt down Spider-Man, who was there to test the prison's security. Mark and the inmates nearly succeed until they are eventually knocked out by gas released by Walter Hardyand subsequently re-incarcerated.
- The Molten Man makes minor appearances in Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.[24][25]
- The Molten Man appears in the Spider-Man episode "Brand New Day", voiced by Imari Williams.[26] This version is a mutant volcanic creature, crime boss, and rival of Mister Negative.
Film
A member of the
Video games
The Molten Man appears as a non-player character and boss in the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.[29] This version is among the supervillains placed under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control via nanites.
References
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ISBN 978-0-7566-9236-0.
Mark Raxton was a corrupt partner of [Spencer] Smythe's who worked with him on a liquid metal alloy project.
- ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #28. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #35. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #132–133. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #172–173. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #63. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Web of Spider-Man #62. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Web of Spider-Man #66. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #189. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #440–441. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Exterminators at Marvel Universe Appendix
- ^ "Punisher's Hit List". Marvel Comics. January 24, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #581. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #582. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #16. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #35. Marvel Comics (New York)
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #132-133. Marvel Comics (New York)
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #172-173. Marvel Comics (New York)
- ^ a b Ultimate Spider-Man #78. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Ultimate Spider-Man #88. Marvel Comics (New York).
- ^ Allstetter, Rob (January 14, 2008). "Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Monday, January 14, 2008". Comicscontinuum. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Voice Of Molten Man – Marvel Universe – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Inhumanity". Ultimate Spider-Man. Season 3. Episode 18. August 5, 2015. Disney XD.
- ^ "Brand New Day". Spider-Man. Season 2. Episode 45. October 20, 2019. Disney XD.
- ^ Hullender, Tatiana (May 8, 2019). "Confirmed: Spider-Man: Far From Home's Elemental Villains Based on B-List Villains". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Small, Gretchen (May 8, 2019). "Who Are the Elementals in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME?". Nerdist. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 NPC Spotlight: Wizard, Shocker AND Molten Man". Marvel. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
External links
- Molten Man at Marvel.com
- Mark Raxton at Marvel Database
- Molten Man at Writeups.org
- Molten Man at Comic Vine
- Molten Man at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe