Plant Man
Real name: Samuel Smithers
First Appearance: Strange Tales 113
Apparently Died In: Namor: the Sub-Mariner 25, after making the unpleasant discovery that not all plants were beneficent...
What's His Problem? A former botanist's assistant obsessed with discovering a means of communication with plant life, Samuel Smithers was fired from his gardening job for wasting time on his bizarre research. Shortly thereafter, lightning struck his experimental plant gun and somehow made it functional. As it happens, the lightning was not what it seemed; it was actually an empowering energy bolt from the H'ylthri, the highly-evolved plant race that frequently bedeviled Iron Fist -- editor Jeanne. Embarking on a criminal career as Plant Man, Smithers sought revenge on his employer but was thwarted by Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. Since then, Plant Man has engaged in activities ranging from mercenary work to plotting world conquest.
Abilities: Plant Man is an accomplished machinesmith and inventor specializing in the study of plants.
Weapons: Plant Man's principal weapons include his chloro-blaster gun, which promotes rapid plant growth, and his vega-ray gun, which enables him to animate and control any plant at will. He sometimes carries pistols loaded with special thorns or spores. His most impressive creations are his simuloids, humanoid plant life forms grown from alien spores and capable of exactly duplicating the appearance of any human they contact, complete with their memories (though not their personality). Plant Man sometimes employs simuloid duplicates of himself in potentially dangerous situations, such as most of his mercenary jobs. The duplication is so thorough and convincing that some simuloids even believe themselves to be the people they impersonate, though they usually lack free will beyond the parameters of Plant Man's programming. One simuloid, for instance, successfully impersonated the hero Iron Fist for months until its death revealed the subterfuge.
Favorite Quote: "Do not speak to the Plant Man of power! Mine was the genius that gave the semblance of life to unthinking plant tissue! There can be no greater power than that!" (Avengers 231)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Plant-Man's adversaries include Human Torch II, the X-Men, the Sub-Mariner, Triton, Iron Fist, the Avengers, Hawkeye, the Falcon and Spider-Man. And the Micronauts! And She-Hulk! He couldn't just pick one nemesis and stay with it -- editor Jeanne
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Plant Man's criminal allies have included Count Nefaria, Eel, Unicorn, Porcupine, Scarecrow and the Cowled Commander. More recently, Plant Man was a member of the new Enforcers criminal organization until their defeat by Spider-Man.
Most Despicable Act: Toss-up between taking over a SHIELD base with an army of SHIELD simuloids to attempt the abduction of Ronald Reagan, and attacking London with a giant plant Leviathan.
Potato? Tomato? Jeanne the editor here. I'm not quite sure if this guy is "Plant Man," "Plant-Man" or "Plantman." But you get the idea...
by Sean McQuaid
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