Plantman
Plantman is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Samuel Smithers
As a child, it was noted that his mother would sing lullabies to him. Smithers later came to lose his parents at a young age. (Thunderbolts v1 #67) He was noted to had grown to manhood in the slums of London. (Sub-Mariner v1 #3) By this point, he was an orphan and raised as a servant with him becoming a gardener where despite his talents he never developed the skill to become a botanist. (Thunderbolts v1 #69) Sam Smithers held a special affinity for plants and felt that they had special intelligence. He tried designing a ray that could increase the I.Q. of plants. He continued working to perfect his ray until one night a seemingly random bolt of lightning struck the device and Smithers discovered he could make plants grow and respond to his commands by using the ray. He tested it by making two trees fight. (Strange Tales v1 #113) Unknown to him, the bolt of lightning that struck his device was an attempt by the plant-like race of H'ylthri from the mystical city of K'un-Lun looking for an agent to aid in their attacks against the world of mankind. (Namor the Sub-Mariner v1 #24)
At some point, he came to get a job as a gardener for the Evans family though used his time to continue his experiments in plant intelligence. This eventually resulted in an argument with his employer who ended up firing him with Smithers vowing revenge against him. At his home, he continued his research whilst a storm was in the area and a bolt of lighting struck his device. He made a disguise and called himself Plantman. Smithers then thought out a suitable revenge for his former boss Mr. Evans, framing him for robbery. However, Evans' daughter Dorrie was dating the Human Torch, who thwarted Plantman and cleared Evans' name. Even though the Human Torch destroyed Plantman's ray gun, Smithers escaped. (Strange Tales v1 #113)
(Strange Tales I#121) - Now in a new leaf-themed costume, Plantman designed a new ray then broke into the Torch's home, had a plant dump a bucket of water on him, and locked him in the closet for a half hour while he used plants to rob a hotel safe. Plantman thrilled to all his stolen goods, then challenged the Torch to a final battle at the Botanical Gardens. Human Torch met Plantman there, and the villain uprooted trees, used acorn projectiles, fired needles from cacti, and plant-wielded garden hoses to defeat the hero. Human Torch, though, wielded a weed killer and sprayed it on attacking plants. Human Torch called Fantastic Four for help, when Plantman revealed he had a plant holding Doris Evans hostage. Thing saved Doris, though, and Human Torch punched Plantman out, leaving him to be arrested. (Strange Tales v1 #121)
Later, he, along with the Porcupine and the Eel attended the Celestial Mind Control Movement established by Nebulon in the hopes of turning around their failing criminal careers. Smithers quickly left, as he thought that the movement was nothing more than a fraud. He devised a plan to kidnap millionaire Kyle Richmond, who was in hospital recuperating from brain surgery, and ransom him for fifty million dollars. (Defenders v1 #36) He was opposed by Richmond's teammates, the Defenders, and was soon forced to retreat. He decided that he could not do it alone and returned to the Celestial Mind Control headquarters. When he saw his friends who were brainwashed by the movement, he changed his mind and wanted to leave. This time, however, Nebulon blasted him unconscious. (Defenders v1 #37)
Smithers later branched out on his own to become the mastermind of a larger criminal operation. He developed his Pretty Poison which he field tested on his long-time nemesis Captain America. The toxin placed the Captain in a debilitating, life threatening coma. The Falcon and Spider-Man were able to track down and defeat Plant Man, acquiring and administering the antidote just prior to Captain America succumbing to the poison's effect. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #71)
Smithers more closely allied with the H'ylthri when he worked with their representative Sssesthugar. The two worked to bring the H'ylthri to Earth to conquer mankind and set up their species as the dominant new world order. However, Smithers was betrayed by the H'ylthri and left for dead. He gave his ray gun to Namorita who was able to use it and stop the H'ylthri invasion. (Namor the Sub-Mariner v1 #25)
He later appeared as a giant plant monster that attacked Los Angeles in order to punish humanity for polluting the planet. The Avengers arrived at the scene to combat them where they fell under the influence of the Red Onslaught with Iron Man defeating Plantman in the process. (Avengers & X-Men: AXIS v1 #1) During the Cotati invasion of Earth, he came to ally with the invaders and empowered by them where he grew in power from a lake in Manhattan that was draining water from the region. The Avengers arrived at the scene leading to a battle with Smithers who believed that meat-based races were a plague on the Earth that needed to be expunged. (Empyre: Avengers v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
After gaining his powers, he first came to take the name of Plantman. (Strange Tales v1 #113) Smythers later decided to take he name of Blackheath for himself. (Thunderbolts v1 #67)
He long believed that plants such as flowers had the capacity for intelligence and sought a means of increasing their intelligence. (Strange Tales v1 #113)
His parents were said to had worked themselves to an early grave and left him an orphan. (Thunderbolts v1 #69)
Powers and abilities
He had a device that was struck by a bolt of lighting that could then emit rays that were capable of manipulating plants. With it, he could increase the intelligence of plants and also make them follow his commands. He could command them to alter their form to the shape of keys to open a lock. (Strange Tales v1 #113) In reality, this device emitted an energy frequency that could draw the attention of the H'ylthri. (Namor the Sub-Mariner v1 #24) Another device was the vega-ray that could be used to animate plant matter. (Sub-Mariner v1 #3)
His body came to be drastically evolved with more vegetative matter incorporated into his body than human organics. (Thunderbolts v1 #69)
Plantman was capable of creating flora-based beings known as Simuloids. These were plant-based copies of people that could be used to replace the real person. Their bodies were composed of wood and it was said that they were not sentient. (Avengers v1 #231)
A powerful monster he had created was the titanic Leviathan that was a mass of coral which came to be animated by the vega-ray. (Sub-Mariner v1 #3) One of his mightiest creations was a gigantic humanoid plant creature referred to as a tree-man. It towered over humans and held incredible strength. (Avengers v1 #231)
Smythers later gained access to the Verdant Fields that was a bioelectric wavelength that was the rhythm and pulse linking all organic vegetation across the planet. (Thunderbolts v1 #67)
Notes
- Plantman was created by Stan Lee, Jerry Siegel and Dick Ayers where he made his first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #113 (October, 1963).
Alternate Versions
- In Ultimate Comics X-Men v1 #18 (2012), an alternate version of the character named Blackheath appeared in the Ultimate Marvel reality that was designated as Earth-1610 in the Multiverse. Sam was in the camp, headed by William Stryker, when Storm was taken to the camp. Sam got to know her, admitting that he was already a fan. Despite the situation, Sam's spirit was not broken, which made an impression of Ororo. A few weeks later, Sam and other the mutants see Nimrod Sentinels fly over them and the camps were opened. Blackheath told Ororo that Kitty Pryde had built an army of mutants against the Nimrods and that they cleared Camp 14. Sam decided that Kitty needed help and tried to raise the spirits of Ororo, and later with other mutants captured. He then went to one of the camps to help to Kitty. Ororo thanked Sam as his actions had raised her spirits. Sam, together with twenty other mutants, traveled to their new home of Utopia. He was not happy that he and the others were sent into the desert. When Mach Two decided to change the leadership of the mutants and arranges a vote. Sam voted for her as a leader. However, Kitty Pryde won more votes and became leader. After voting, the company traveled to the village, where Sam was angry from the heat. So, Storm, with permission from Kitty, caused rain to fall, earning the admiration from Sam. After reached Utopia, they gathered to make the place more hospitable. Sam, Storm, and Zero discussed with Kitty in the Reservation where they can grow crops. Later, Blackheath talked with Nomi. Nomi showed him her abilities, picking up the trailer in which they were in high above the earth. Blackheath operated with Mach Two as a spy in Kitty Pryde's group, but he also chose to continue working with the Kitty to make the land more hospitable. Blackheat worked together Zero and Storm on the cultivation of the soil and created a hothouse for growing crops. On the following morning, Ororo and Sam go to Teplice. Sam expressed interest in her the desire to help Kitty. Ororo understood that Sam was trying to recruit her to the Nomi's side and said that all she cared about was that Kitty liberated the camp. Blackheath, through a microscope, saw that they can grow smart seeds and asked Ororo to call Kitty. Later, Sam told Kitty the worth of these seeds, and Kitty decided to talk with Sam alone. Sam explained that they needed to show their discovery to the outside world, but Kitty decided to only reveal it to Tony Stark. The next day, Tony Stark came and learned about the mutant seeds. Sam explained to him that he planted seeds only a few minutes ago, but they were already starting to grow rapidly. From what he could tell, Tony replied that the seeds would bring wealth to the population of Utopia
In other media
Television
- In The Super Hero Squad Show, the Samuel Smythers Plantman appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "O Captain, My Captain!" where he was voiced by actor Charlie Adler.
Appearances
- Strange Tales v1: (1963)
- Defenders v1:
- Namor the Sub-Mariner v1:
- Thunderbolts v1:
- Avengers & X-Men: AXIS v1:
- Empyre: Avengers v1: (2020)
External Links
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