MOLTEN MAN

 

MOLTEN MAN

Real Name: Mark Raxton

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #28, September 1965

Powers: Mark Raxton's body was covered with a liquid metal alloy in a laboratory accident, permanently bonding his skin to the substance. There appears to be no loss of sensation or other problems with everyday organic functioning caused by the transformation. As the Molten Man, Raxton possesses Class 40 strength, superhuman endurance, and resistance to all forms of physical impact and injury, temperature extremes, and so on. His skin is incredibly smooth and virtually frictionless, causing many forms of attack to slide off of him if they don't strike straight on. Spider-Man's webbing also has trouble sticking to his skin. The resonance in his metal skin allows Molten Man to operate as an expert safe cracker, feeling the tumblers click into place with his fingers as he turns the dial.

The Molten Man also variably has a true "molten" state, where his body produces intense heat. In this form he can melt through solid metal and produces both flame and radiation. Raxton occasionally has the power to trigger this molten state at will, switching back and forth between cool or superheated metal skin. However, it typically arises in negative circumstances, indicating his powers have grown unstable. He may experience physical pain or fever-like symptoms as a result of the molten transition, and will be unable to stop from melting anything he touches. In extreme cases, Raxton loses physical integrity as his molten skin oozes into itself on contact, like his limbs melting into his chest if they touch.

Mark Raxton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. He is also an intelligent scientist and a highly skilled chemical engineer, partially responsible for developing the alloy that is bonded to his skin.