Jon Hancock
Jun 24, 2004, 01:35 am
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/headshots/dc/metamorpho1.jpg" align=left alt="Metamorpho I">Real Name: Rex Mason
Known Aliases: The Element Man
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #57
Known Relatives: Sapphire Stagg Mason (wife, divorced), Joey Stagg (son), Unnamed parents (deceased), Simon Stagg (father-in-law), Shift (duplicate),
Group Affiliation: formerly Outsiders I, Justice League Europe, Justice League America, Doom Patrol
Known Allies: formerly Dr Helga Jace (deceased), Jillian Conway (deceased), Vivian d'Aramis (Crimson Fox I) (deceased)
Major Enemies: formerly Ahk-ton (deceased), Even Steven (deceased), Maxwell Tremayne (deceased), Java (deceased)
Height: 6'1
Weight: 200lbs
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
Rex Mason was an adventurer who was contracted by billionaire Simon Stagg to find the Orb of Ra, a mythical weapon crafted millennia before in Ancient Egypt from a fallen meteorite. Stagg expected Rex to die trying to find the Orb and thus stop his daughter from falling for the adventurer. Rex found the Orb of Ra but was ambushed by Stagg's henchman, Java who stole the Orb. Assaulting Rex, Java left him for dead unaware that Rex had fallen into a hidden chamber. Within this chamber was the meteorite from which the Orb had been crafted. The radiation from this meteor transformed Rex into a new bizarre form and granted him super powers. Rex returned as Metamorpho to confront Stagg. Stagg managed to calm Rex down and proceeded to manipulate him into working for him. All the while though Rex maintained his integrity and fought for good.
Rex initially went to the Justice League to see if they could help him with his condition. The League failed to help him though and Rex turned down an offer of membership. Instead he continued to work for Stagg in the hopes of getting closer to his daughter, Sapphire. Rex frequently clashed with Java who also wanted to be the subject of Sapphire's attentions but the result was never in doubt. Despite his outlandish looks, Rex was the only man for Sapphire much to Stagg's chagrin.
Rex continued his solo adventuring until a trip to Markovia brought him into contact with other super heroes. Rex had been in Markovia to try and find Dr Helga Jace who he believed could cure him. Rex instead became caught up in Batman's struggle to free his associate, Lucius Fox, from Baron Bedlam. Rex, along with several other super heroes, aided Batman and after defeating Bedlam the group decided to remain together as a team. It was Rex who coined the team's name, the Outsiders. Meanwhile, Dr Jace was making progress in finding a cure for Rex's powers. Through her connections she managed to make contact with Sapphire again and reunited Rex and Sapphire. Stagg who was furious at their reuniting had separated the two. Using the Orb of Ra, Stagg appeared to murder Rex, with Dr Jace confirming Rex's death but saying that his physiology was no longer human so a definite conclusion could not be made. Sapphire was distraught and the Outsiders pledged to revive their fallen team-mate. The group decided to return to Egypt to try and find the meteor that gave Rex his powers. Using Batman's technology the team was transported back in time to the year 1200 BCE. While there the group managed to take the remnants of Rex's body and expose them again to the meteor. This restored Rex but meant that he could never reverse the process. Rex briefly came under the control of the priest, named Ahk-ton, who made the Orb of Ra but the Outsiders stopped Rex going out of control and defeated Ahk-ton. Returning to the present day, Rex was proposed to by Sapphire and heartily accepted.
The Outsiders stayed together for some time and in one of their cases they managed to foil an assassination attempt on Stagg's life. Given the debt that he owed Rex and the Outsiders, Stagg agreed to give his blessing to Rex and Sapphire. The wedding looked set to go ahead until one of Rex's old foes, Maxwell Tremayne, managed to kidnap Sapphire with the help of his shape-changing henchman, Even Steven. The Outsiders soon rescued sapphire as Even Steven double crossed his boss and caused an accident killing them both. Finally Rex and Sapphire were able to marry and almost immediately after the wedding the two began talking about how they would be able to conceive a baby. After much physical examination it became clear that Rex's physiology was not able to father children. Instead Rex agreed to undergo an experiment that would infuse him with new DNA. Dr Jace was in charge of this operation and was midway through it when the Manhunters activated their sleeper agents in attempt to take over the world. Jace was one of these agents and she managed to capture the Outsiders. Taking control over Rex, Jace began to wield Rex's powers without abandon and before she could be stopped, destroyed both herself and Rex.
Rex's body lay dormant and was regarded as dead for a long time. However, when the alien race known as the Dominator's attempted to invade Earth, they set off a gene bomb, designed to wipe out all metahuman life. The bomb somehow managed to awake Rex and he continued adventuring. Rex suffered amnesia when he was reawoken and found solace as a charter member of the European branch of the Justice League International. Rex had however, forgotten about his wife. Eventually Sapphire managed to find him and revealed that he also had an infant son named Joey. Rex was distraught not only at this revelation but at the fact that Sapphire had been pressured into marrying Java by her father. Seeing this as betrayal, Rex split from Sapphire. Rex instead fell in love with his team-mate Vivian d'Aramis, one of the sisters who fought crime as the Crimson Fox. Vivian returned his feelings but was torn when her former husband, Rene, returned from the dead. Choosing Rene over Rex the couple faked their deaths again leaving Rex alone and bereft.
Rex was struck by further tragedy as it was discovered that the same meteor also cursed his son. Joey had to be contained or he would randomly transform into the elements around him. Rex agreed to place the boy in Stagg's care for his own safety. Once this decision was made, Stagg prohibited Rex from ever seeing Joey or Sapphire. Rex abided by this order until he met a woman named Jillian Conway. Conway had also been transformed by the meteor and convinced Rex that there was a way to cure them both of their powers. Rex hoped that this cure would also work on Joey and so he stole his son away from Stagg. Conducting the Egyptian ritual, Rex realised too late that Conway had misread the hieroglyphics and the ritual destroyed her rather than reversing the process. Rex was unsure what to do and in the confusion Joey managed to break free of his grasp and touch the meteor. The meteors power was to transform whatever touches it and Joey's was to transform whatever he touched so the two cancelled each other out, curing Joey and rendering the meteor inert.
This didn't bring Rex and Sapphire closer together though as the two remained estranged. Rex continued to mutate and transformed into a more rock like creature. During this time Vivian re-entered his life and the two continued their love affair until the relationship was cut short with Vivian's kidnapping and eventual murder. Rex continued to adventure alone but kept in touch with the Outsiders after they reformed, assisting them twice. After the Justice League Europe disbanded, Rex finally joined the Justice League America. During the League's final mission together, Rex was forced to shield his fellow team-mates as they re-entered the atmosphere of Earth. The strain of the transformation was too much for Rex and he was rendered inert. Interred in the graveyard for superheroes, Valhalla, Rex was laid to rest. However, it was not a peaceful rest.
When the sixth dimensional being known only as the Id, was unleashed on Earth it started to grant the wish of everyone it encountered. Reaching Joey, Id managed to grant him his wish of having his father return. Rex was brought back into the world but was not brought back to life. Instead Rex's strained form was returned to the grave following Id's defeat. Rex still retained some sort of consciousness though and knew that the Orb of Ra could restore him. For months Rex haunted Stagg mansion until he managed to get Sapphire to restore him using the Orb that was locked in her father's vault. Being fully restored to life, Rex was quick to return to the world of super-heroing. For a short while he joined Thayer Jost's rival Doom Patrol that was set up as a corporate scheme but this team soon disbanded.
Later on the entire Mason family was involved in a huge explosion. This altered the identities of the family as Simon, Sapphire and Joey were all merged into one energy being. Rex instead took on the form of the deceased Java. The trio trapped within the energy being suffered from mass amnesia and went into a blind rage that brought them up against the Black Canary. Canary realised what had happened eventually and helped them to regain their individual selves, Rex included. Apparently Rex subconsciously chose to become Java as he was still bitter and jealous of how Stagg had accepted Java like a son and never accepted Rex in that way. Stagg decided to make amends with his estranged former son in law and the two pledged to be friends and start adventuring again together.
Rex disappeared again for some time and was unearthed by S.T.A.R. Labs. Suffering from severe amnesia again, Rex could not remember his family or how to properly utilise his powers. Joining Arsenal's new Outsiders, Rex continued to try to remember his past until someone also claiming to be Rex Mason confronted him. It transpired that the Rex that S.T.A.R. Labs had found was actually a fragment of Rex that had been blown off in the explosion and had gained sentience. The real Rex was trying to gather up all these shards and absorb them back into himself. The Outsiders convinced Rex to allow this new Metamorpho to maintain his independence and Rex agreed as long as he wasn't called Rex Mason or Metamorpho. Rex then left, presumably to continue his search for any other fragments of himself that were lost and to fight crime solo.
Rex Mason was transformed into Metamorpho by the radiation given off by a meteorite. This transformation is permanent and Rex will never look human again. Rex has the power to transform his body into any element or compound that he knows which can be made from or found within the elements of the human body. Rex has built up a vast knowledge of chemistry and is able to form incredibly complicated compounds. Rex also has a vast knowledge of the properties of these chemicals and can choose to turn into solid, liquid or gaseous versions of the elements. Rex appears to be immortal, as he no longer has a human physiology, his life instead being tied somehow to the Orb of Ra.
APPEARANCES:
Action Comics #413-418, 675
Adventures of Superman #489
Adventures of the Outsiders #33-38#
Aquaman (1st series) #30
Batman: Gotham Knights #37
Batman and the Outsiders #1-32
Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1-2
Birds of Prey #50-52, 54
Brave and the Bold #57-58, 66, 68, 101, 123, 154, 200
Captain Atom #34, 38
Crisis on Infinite Earths #3-5, 7, 9-10, 12
DC Comics Presents #40, 83
Doctor Fate (2nd series) #15
Doom Patrol (3rd series) #4-6
First Issue Special #3
Infinity, Inc. Special #1
JLA #1, 5, 52
JLA/JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1
Justice League America #32
Justice League of America #42, 44, 100-102
Justice League Europe #1-9, 11-50
Justice League Europe Annual #1-3
Justice League International (1st series) #24
Justice League International (2nd series) #51-68
Justice League International Annual #4-5
Justice League Spectacular #1
Metamorpho (1st series) #1-17
Metamorpho (2nd series) #1-4
Millennium #1, 3
New Teen Titans (1st series) #37
New Teen Titans (2nd series) #13
Outsiders (1st series) #1-28
Outsiders (2nd series) #20
Outsiders (3rd series) #6-7
Outsiders Annual (1st series) #1
Outsiders Special #1
Red Tornado #3
Superman (2nd series) #66
Superman: The Man of Steel #10
Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3
World's Finest Comics #217-220, 226, 229, 300
Known Aliases: The Element Man
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #57
Known Relatives: Sapphire Stagg Mason (wife, divorced), Joey Stagg (son), Unnamed parents (deceased), Simon Stagg (father-in-law), Shift (duplicate),
Group Affiliation: formerly Outsiders I, Justice League Europe, Justice League America, Doom Patrol
Known Allies: formerly Dr Helga Jace (deceased), Jillian Conway (deceased), Vivian d'Aramis (Crimson Fox I) (deceased)
Major Enemies: formerly Ahk-ton (deceased), Even Steven (deceased), Maxwell Tremayne (deceased), Java (deceased)
Height: 6'1
Weight: 200lbs
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
Rex Mason was an adventurer who was contracted by billionaire Simon Stagg to find the Orb of Ra, a mythical weapon crafted millennia before in Ancient Egypt from a fallen meteorite. Stagg expected Rex to die trying to find the Orb and thus stop his daughter from falling for the adventurer. Rex found the Orb of Ra but was ambushed by Stagg's henchman, Java who stole the Orb. Assaulting Rex, Java left him for dead unaware that Rex had fallen into a hidden chamber. Within this chamber was the meteorite from which the Orb had been crafted. The radiation from this meteor transformed Rex into a new bizarre form and granted him super powers. Rex returned as Metamorpho to confront Stagg. Stagg managed to calm Rex down and proceeded to manipulate him into working for him. All the while though Rex maintained his integrity and fought for good.
Rex initially went to the Justice League to see if they could help him with his condition. The League failed to help him though and Rex turned down an offer of membership. Instead he continued to work for Stagg in the hopes of getting closer to his daughter, Sapphire. Rex frequently clashed with Java who also wanted to be the subject of Sapphire's attentions but the result was never in doubt. Despite his outlandish looks, Rex was the only man for Sapphire much to Stagg's chagrin.
Rex continued his solo adventuring until a trip to Markovia brought him into contact with other super heroes. Rex had been in Markovia to try and find Dr Helga Jace who he believed could cure him. Rex instead became caught up in Batman's struggle to free his associate, Lucius Fox, from Baron Bedlam. Rex, along with several other super heroes, aided Batman and after defeating Bedlam the group decided to remain together as a team. It was Rex who coined the team's name, the Outsiders. Meanwhile, Dr Jace was making progress in finding a cure for Rex's powers. Through her connections she managed to make contact with Sapphire again and reunited Rex and Sapphire. Stagg who was furious at their reuniting had separated the two. Using the Orb of Ra, Stagg appeared to murder Rex, with Dr Jace confirming Rex's death but saying that his physiology was no longer human so a definite conclusion could not be made. Sapphire was distraught and the Outsiders pledged to revive their fallen team-mate. The group decided to return to Egypt to try and find the meteor that gave Rex his powers. Using Batman's technology the team was transported back in time to the year 1200 BCE. While there the group managed to take the remnants of Rex's body and expose them again to the meteor. This restored Rex but meant that he could never reverse the process. Rex briefly came under the control of the priest, named Ahk-ton, who made the Orb of Ra but the Outsiders stopped Rex going out of control and defeated Ahk-ton. Returning to the present day, Rex was proposed to by Sapphire and heartily accepted.
The Outsiders stayed together for some time and in one of their cases they managed to foil an assassination attempt on Stagg's life. Given the debt that he owed Rex and the Outsiders, Stagg agreed to give his blessing to Rex and Sapphire. The wedding looked set to go ahead until one of Rex's old foes, Maxwell Tremayne, managed to kidnap Sapphire with the help of his shape-changing henchman, Even Steven. The Outsiders soon rescued sapphire as Even Steven double crossed his boss and caused an accident killing them both. Finally Rex and Sapphire were able to marry and almost immediately after the wedding the two began talking about how they would be able to conceive a baby. After much physical examination it became clear that Rex's physiology was not able to father children. Instead Rex agreed to undergo an experiment that would infuse him with new DNA. Dr Jace was in charge of this operation and was midway through it when the Manhunters activated their sleeper agents in attempt to take over the world. Jace was one of these agents and she managed to capture the Outsiders. Taking control over Rex, Jace began to wield Rex's powers without abandon and before she could be stopped, destroyed both herself and Rex.
Rex's body lay dormant and was regarded as dead for a long time. However, when the alien race known as the Dominator's attempted to invade Earth, they set off a gene bomb, designed to wipe out all metahuman life. The bomb somehow managed to awake Rex and he continued adventuring. Rex suffered amnesia when he was reawoken and found solace as a charter member of the European branch of the Justice League International. Rex had however, forgotten about his wife. Eventually Sapphire managed to find him and revealed that he also had an infant son named Joey. Rex was distraught not only at this revelation but at the fact that Sapphire had been pressured into marrying Java by her father. Seeing this as betrayal, Rex split from Sapphire. Rex instead fell in love with his team-mate Vivian d'Aramis, one of the sisters who fought crime as the Crimson Fox. Vivian returned his feelings but was torn when her former husband, Rene, returned from the dead. Choosing Rene over Rex the couple faked their deaths again leaving Rex alone and bereft.
Rex was struck by further tragedy as it was discovered that the same meteor also cursed his son. Joey had to be contained or he would randomly transform into the elements around him. Rex agreed to place the boy in Stagg's care for his own safety. Once this decision was made, Stagg prohibited Rex from ever seeing Joey or Sapphire. Rex abided by this order until he met a woman named Jillian Conway. Conway had also been transformed by the meteor and convinced Rex that there was a way to cure them both of their powers. Rex hoped that this cure would also work on Joey and so he stole his son away from Stagg. Conducting the Egyptian ritual, Rex realised too late that Conway had misread the hieroglyphics and the ritual destroyed her rather than reversing the process. Rex was unsure what to do and in the confusion Joey managed to break free of his grasp and touch the meteor. The meteors power was to transform whatever touches it and Joey's was to transform whatever he touched so the two cancelled each other out, curing Joey and rendering the meteor inert.
This didn't bring Rex and Sapphire closer together though as the two remained estranged. Rex continued to mutate and transformed into a more rock like creature. During this time Vivian re-entered his life and the two continued their love affair until the relationship was cut short with Vivian's kidnapping and eventual murder. Rex continued to adventure alone but kept in touch with the Outsiders after they reformed, assisting them twice. After the Justice League Europe disbanded, Rex finally joined the Justice League America. During the League's final mission together, Rex was forced to shield his fellow team-mates as they re-entered the atmosphere of Earth. The strain of the transformation was too much for Rex and he was rendered inert. Interred in the graveyard for superheroes, Valhalla, Rex was laid to rest. However, it was not a peaceful rest.
When the sixth dimensional being known only as the Id, was unleashed on Earth it started to grant the wish of everyone it encountered. Reaching Joey, Id managed to grant him his wish of having his father return. Rex was brought back into the world but was not brought back to life. Instead Rex's strained form was returned to the grave following Id's defeat. Rex still retained some sort of consciousness though and knew that the Orb of Ra could restore him. For months Rex haunted Stagg mansion until he managed to get Sapphire to restore him using the Orb that was locked in her father's vault. Being fully restored to life, Rex was quick to return to the world of super-heroing. For a short while he joined Thayer Jost's rival Doom Patrol that was set up as a corporate scheme but this team soon disbanded.
Later on the entire Mason family was involved in a huge explosion. This altered the identities of the family as Simon, Sapphire and Joey were all merged into one energy being. Rex instead took on the form of the deceased Java. The trio trapped within the energy being suffered from mass amnesia and went into a blind rage that brought them up against the Black Canary. Canary realised what had happened eventually and helped them to regain their individual selves, Rex included. Apparently Rex subconsciously chose to become Java as he was still bitter and jealous of how Stagg had accepted Java like a son and never accepted Rex in that way. Stagg decided to make amends with his estranged former son in law and the two pledged to be friends and start adventuring again together.
Rex disappeared again for some time and was unearthed by S.T.A.R. Labs. Suffering from severe amnesia again, Rex could not remember his family or how to properly utilise his powers. Joining Arsenal's new Outsiders, Rex continued to try to remember his past until someone also claiming to be Rex Mason confronted him. It transpired that the Rex that S.T.A.R. Labs had found was actually a fragment of Rex that had been blown off in the explosion and had gained sentience. The real Rex was trying to gather up all these shards and absorb them back into himself. The Outsiders convinced Rex to allow this new Metamorpho to maintain his independence and Rex agreed as long as he wasn't called Rex Mason or Metamorpho. Rex then left, presumably to continue his search for any other fragments of himself that were lost and to fight crime solo.
Rex Mason was transformed into Metamorpho by the radiation given off by a meteorite. This transformation is permanent and Rex will never look human again. Rex has the power to transform his body into any element or compound that he knows which can be made from or found within the elements of the human body. Rex has built up a vast knowledge of chemistry and is able to form incredibly complicated compounds. Rex also has a vast knowledge of the properties of these chemicals and can choose to turn into solid, liquid or gaseous versions of the elements. Rex appears to be immortal, as he no longer has a human physiology, his life instead being tied somehow to the Orb of Ra.
APPEARANCES:
Action Comics #413-418, 675
Adventures of Superman #489
Adventures of the Outsiders #33-38#
Aquaman (1st series) #30
Batman: Gotham Knights #37
Batman and the Outsiders #1-32
Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1-2
Birds of Prey #50-52, 54
Brave and the Bold #57-58, 66, 68, 101, 123, 154, 200
Captain Atom #34, 38
Crisis on Infinite Earths #3-5, 7, 9-10, 12
DC Comics Presents #40, 83
Doctor Fate (2nd series) #15
Doom Patrol (3rd series) #4-6
First Issue Special #3
Infinity, Inc. Special #1
JLA #1, 5, 52
JLA/JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1
Justice League America #32
Justice League of America #42, 44, 100-102
Justice League Europe #1-9, 11-50
Justice League Europe Annual #1-3
Justice League International (1st series) #24
Justice League International (2nd series) #51-68
Justice League International Annual #4-5
Justice League Spectacular #1
Metamorpho (1st series) #1-17
Metamorpho (2nd series) #1-4
Millennium #1, 3
New Teen Titans (1st series) #37
New Teen Titans (2nd series) #13
Outsiders (1st series) #1-28
Outsiders (2nd series) #20
Outsiders (3rd series) #6-7
Outsiders Annual (1st series) #1
Outsiders Special #1
Red Tornado #3
Superman (2nd series) #66
Superman: The Man of Steel #10
Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3
World's Finest Comics #217-220, 226, 229, 300