LIZARD

 

LIZARD

Real Name: Curtis Connors

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #6, November 1963

Powers: Dr. Curt Connors was a United States Army combat surgeon who devised a regenerative serum designed to help amputees regain lost limbs using genetic material derived from reptiles. He tested the serum on himself, hoping to regain his left arm that was injured in a blast and was forced to be amputated. Though effective, it also transformed him into the reptilian monster known as the Lizard.

An anti-serum devised by Spider-Man reversed the initial transformation, but Curt's form remained unstable from then on. He would occasionally revert back to the Lizard when exposed to physical or emotional stress, outside chemicals, and so on. Traditionally, the Lizard persona was a sentient but limited mind, representing nothing but Curt's most primal instincts and a self-identification as a reptile. It remembered nothing of Connors's life or accumulated knowledge. Curt Connors occasionally managed to subconsciously restrain the Lizard from hurting his family or friends, forcing a transformation back into his human form, or even becoming the conscious mind in control of the Lizard. Having his mind control the Lizard body was a very unstable balance, though, and the slightest shift in anger or pain often reverted Curt to the Lizard persona. For a time after his wife died, Curt surrendered to the Lizard and the two bonded as a single personality. This was essentially Curt Connors with the "R-complex" of his brain hyper-stimulated, making him hostile, selfish, and amoral. This incarnation could change back and forth between Curt and Lizard at will. Later, after a feral incarnation of the Lizard killed and ate Curt's son, Connors committed psychic suicide, retreating completely from his own mind and leaving the Lizard fully dominant. This had the unexpected consequence of allowing the Lizard to grow as an individual, becoming significantly smarter as he tapped into Connors' experiences and scientific knowledge as his own. This Lizard also no longer lashed out blindly at the warmbloods, but was cunning enough to choose when battles were worth having. The eventual return of Curt Connors first had the Lizard trapped in Connors' body before settling on the current status quo, Connors' mind in the Lizard's body.

The Lizard is physically larger and more massive than Connors, to a degree that has varied over the years. Curt's missing arm regenerates when he turns into the Lizard, only to fade away whenever he reverts back. The Lizard has Class 12 strength, increased speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, and recuperative powers. Hardened scales give him an impressive resistance to physical impact and punishment, but his coldblooded nature leaves him vulnerable to cold. His tail can strike with immense bludgeoning force. The Lizard's claws can be used offensively or to help him scale walls. The heightened R-Complex of his brain enables the Lizard to communicate with and control reptiles from a distance. Later versions of the Lizard were able to stimulate the R-Complex of human brains as well, causing an outbreak of primal instincts and behavior, causing uncivilized levels of fear, hostility, struggles over food, mates, or other possessions, and so on. Smarter versions of the Lizard could selectively manipulate this effect to gain human followers, like cultists, who clung to him as the Alpha or dominant figure in the area.

Curt Connors holds an M.D. with a specialty in general surgery, and also holds twin Ph.D.s in biology and biochemistry. He is also one of the world’s leading herpetologists and has extensive knowledge of biochemistry and medicine. He was a combat medic specialist with the United States Army where he underwent armed/unarmed combat training and patient care. He was an expert surgeon.