MICROBE

 

MICROBE

Real Name: Zachary Smith, Jr.

First Appearance: The New Warriors (Vol. 3) #1, July 2005

Powers: Microbe has the mutant power of germ empathy, enabling him to psionically communicate with micro-organisms in his vicinity. He anthropomorphizes the sensations he receives from these micro-organisms, and believes the germs are actually talking to him. Microbe can use his power to sense the presence of humans around him by the bacteria they carry with them at all times, and recognize the difference between humans and androids or shape-shifting organisms attempting to pass as humans.

His empathy is sensitive enough to tell him how long it has been since a person has bathed, brushed their teeth, and so on. He can also tell how long an animal has been dead. Microbe can exacerbate the effects of different bacteria on people, causing them to become sick or nauseous to varying degrees, or do the opposite and sterilize wounds by keeping micro-organisms away from open and exposed injuries. With the proper micro-organisms present, he can fix a flat tire, cause metals to rust, prevent milk from spoiling, manipulate flesh-eating bacteria so that they only attack cancer cells, and other specific effects.