SANDMAN

 

SANDMAN

Real Name: William Baker

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #4, September 1963

Powers: William Baker was a petty criminal who received superhuman powers when he was exposed to a massive dose of radiation after being caught in a nuclear testing explosion on a beach, and was molecularly bonded to the sand beneath him.

As the Sandman, Baker developed the ability to shift from a uniform carbon-mass body to individualized silicon-mass, essentially becoming a man-shaped mound of sand particles. The Sandman's "essence" was contained in a single, radioactive "soul molecule" among his body. This particle contained his consciousness and was the medium through which his sand body was able to approximate human traits of sight, hearing, speech, and touch. So long as that particle remained, other silicon particles could be added or dispersed from his body as needed. Force or impact could scatter and displace sand from the Sandman's body with negligible effect. The displaced sand could coalesce back into piles and reform him, or even new and previously unrelated sand particles could be accumulated to substitute for original mass that could not be recovered.

In later years, the Sandman has demonstrated the ability to increase in size beyond his original mass by adding new sand to his whole body. He could grow to giant size and make an entire beach into an extension of his body. The Sandman could also formulate multiple independent bodies simultaneously, each animated by different aspects of his mind or personality. This could be done deliberately to increase his manpower or multi-tasking, but it also occasionally happened without his knowledge with different aspects of his personality fighting for control. The Sandman could only increase or decrease his mass while in his silicon state-- he's never demonstrated the ability to transform into a carbon-based man larger than his normal stature, and cannot return to normal without first accumulated enough of his displaced mass to do so.

In his sandy state, the Sandman can manipulate his density. Instead of existing as loosely displaced sand, he can harden into limestone or granite (though only in portions of his body at a time unless he absorbs excess silicon mass first). He can leap from great heights and absorb the impact in his sandy state without injury, or squeeze himself through spaces too small for a human. The Sandman can walk heedlessly through a chain link fence, filter his entire body through drains or air ducts, etc. He can project his mass outwards with great force, often turning his hands into pressurized blasts of sand. By manipulating his density, he can then harden his sand around a victim after striking them, holding them in place. He can expand his fists to enormous size or shift them into different forms like hammers or mace balls. The Sandman is capable of shape-shifting while in his sand form. He can mimic the features and dimensions of another person perfectly, although he still is made of sand when he does so. He also has the mental control to create a tiny sand castle out of his mass, with animated knights and figures moving through it.

The Sandman is vulnerable to heat as temperatures of 3,400° Fahrenheit can cause his highly impure silicate composition to fuse into amorphous silicate (glass). Further, when his sand-state becomes wet, his body becomes soggy and difficult to manipulate.

The Sandman once used a belt and costume designed for him by the Wizard of the Frightful Four. It allowed him to incorporate other chemicals into his sand when he transformed. This could make his sand as slippery as oil, explosive like nitroglycerin, or a freezing substance like liquid nitrogen, which further produced a poisonous vapor when heated back up.