What Even Major DC Comics Fans Don't Know About Metamorpho
As part of James Gunn's reboot of the DC Universe, it was recently revealed that a classic character from DC Comics is set to be in the cast of "Superman: Legacy." Metamorpho, played by Anthony Carrigan (known by many fans as NoHo Hank from "Barry"), has a long history in DC Comics. He first appeared in "The Brave and the Bold" #57 in 1965 and went on to star in his own series as well as numerous other comic lines and animated television shows.
Yet, Metamorpho was never a huge success and didn't become a mainstream hero within DC Comics – which is surprising considering just how interesting and exciting he is. With a striking appearance unlike almost any other hero in the world of DC Comics and a set of distinctive powers, Metamorpho is a compelling superhero who deserves his chance to shine on the big screen.
With that in mind, now is a good time to take a deep look at Metamorpho and learn what makes him such a unique figure in the world of DC Comics.
He was conceived by the creator of the Teen Titans and an Aquaman illustrator
The two most influential people in the development of Metamorpho, widely credited as the character's creators, are Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon. Both had been longtime DC Comics contributors with plenty of experience working in the industry. Haney worked at DC Comics as a writer from the 1950s until his departure in the 1980s, where he had his hands on everything from "Batman" to "Wonder Woman."
He is best known for co-creating the Teen Titans with Bruno Premiani. The young superhero team has become one of DC's most prized assets since its introduction in 1964, with numerous live-action and animated adaptations coming to television screens in recent years. Haney also played a major role in creating Eclipso and the Super-Sons before retiring from the comic book industry and passing away in 2004.
Illustrator Ramona Fradon previously worked on the artwork for comics featuring Aquaman and Brenda Starr, but had largely departed from DC Comics to become a full-time mom when Haney was working on Metamorpho. Haney was able to persuade her to come back, and she was responsible for the hero's look — at least in the early days of the comic.
Many people can be credited with helping to create the hero
Like many comic creations, Metamorpho was a collaborative effort and quite a few people had a hand in developing the superhero. Both Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon had important roles in getting Metamorpho onto comic book pages, but they were assisted by several others within DC Comics.
Perhaps the most notable of these was DC Comics editor George Kashdan. He originally came up with the idea of having a hero who could change his chemical makeup before he passed it on to others to flesh out. These other figures included Jack Schiff and Murray Boltinoff, with Kashdan saying in a 2006 interview with Jim Amash (via FandomWire), "Jack Schiff threw in some thoughts, and Murray [Boltinoff] did, too." These two are prominent comic book writers who worked on many of DC's biggest series.
Meanwhile, Fradon has spoken about the way she and Haney were able to work in unison on the character with a synergy that she had never replicated with another writer. The two felt so strongly about the superhero that they considered it their baby and had a deep affection for Metamorpho. She also explained how the character was conceived in an interview with CBR News, saying "[Kashdan] had studied science when he was in school and he thought of a character made of four elements who could change himself into different chemical compounds. He gave Bob Haney the idea, and Bob fleshed it out brilliantly."
His powers are incredibly varied
In addition to the previous skills that he gained from his experiences before he became Metamorpho — which include strong detective reasoning and martial arts abilities — Rex Mason developed a series of powers that made him able to manipulate and control the molecular structures of elements. He can transform any element in his body into another one, essentially shapeshifting at will.
For example, he can transform body parts into specific objects, using them to perform a near-limitless number of actions. It also means that Metamorpho can stretch his body to vast sizes allowing him to fit into almost any shape. His unique physiology even allows him to fly by switching to a gas form that can propel itself through the air. Like many other superheroes, he also possesses enhanced durability, resistance to damage, and also has the ability to duplicate himself many times.
"Batman/Superman: World's Finest" #13 showcases just how powerful Metamorpho really is. The two legendary DC heroes are investigating the death of Simon Stragg, who was seemingly killed while in a locked room without any obvious signs of a struggle. All evidence indicates that Metamorpho would have been capable of pulling off such a crime by turning into a gaseous form to enter the chamber and producing a deadly nerve gas to murder his longtime foe. That Batman and Superman are reluctant to consider Metamorpho a suspect demonstrates the deep respect they have for him, as he has the necessary abilities to be a dangerous villain if he were ever to turn.
A curse from an ancient artifact caused his powers
Before he became the hero known as Metamorpho, the character was an archeologist by the name of Rex Mason. He was hired by Stagg Enterprises to find the ancient Egyptian artifact called the Orb of Ra. This mystical item was constructed by an alchemist during the reign of Ramses II from a fallen meteorite before being gifted to Ahk-Ton. The radioactive energy given off from both the Orb of Ra and the meteorite that was used to create it transformed Mason into Metamorpho, just one of many different characters to hold the title over the course of history.
While the artifact is the origin of his powers, it also has a debilitating effect on Metamorpho. When it comes into close contact with the hero, his powers are diminished and it can be used effectively to control Metamorpho. Simon Stagg, the owner of Stagg Enterprises, eventually takes control of the Orb of Ra and uses it to force Metamorpho to do his bidding until it is forcibly taken away from the villain. Outside of this orb, few things have any power over Metamorpho, and even Green Lantern is incapable of transforming him during the events of "Justice League of America" #42.
The character is closely associated with several superheroes and groups
Having been first introduced more than 50 years ago, Metamorpho is a veteran of DC Comics closely associated with many superhero teams, thanks to his sheer longevity. Throughout his long career, he has worked with almost every major hero from DC's continuity. Metamorpho is arguably most closely associated with the Outsiders, but has also been involved in other organizations, including the Justice League and lesser-known groups.
One example is The Terrifics, a group made up of Mister Terrific, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl that was part of the New Age of DC Heroes comic line. He was also part of the lineup of the Post-Crisis version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory alongside the likes of Batgirl, Blackhawk, and Adam Strange, as well as an occasional Doom Patrol ally.
Metamorpho also had a brief sidekick known as Element Girl. She joined with the hero after purposely exposing herself to the same artifact — the Orb of Ra — that had inadvertently given him his powers. She was eventually killed in a Neil Gaiman "The Sandman" comic after years of being abandoned by DC Comics.
Metamorpho was initially meant to be a parody
Metamorpho arrived right in the middle of what is now known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. This followed the Golden Age, the origin of comics as a popular medium. Originally focused on superheroes, by the mid-1940s the industry soon shifted to other genres as classical stories became less popular with readers. These covered everything from war to crime and horror. However, this change didn't last long, and with controversy arising over the influence of comics on children, the Comics Code Authority effectively controlled what could appear on comic pages.
In turn, this new restrictive environment led to a return to superheroes in comics. Series such as "Fantastic Four" and many others were created to fill the void and saw a dramatic rise in popularity. The Silver Age became a time of colorful characters with ever-wackier powers and abilities. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that this period also saw characters introduced that were designed to parody the new and successful superheroes. Metamorpho was one such character, with the original writer and artist intending to lampoon popular comic characters with his exaggerated abilities and ever-changing form.
Neil Gaiman has written a short story about the hero
Neil Gaiman is one of the most famous comic book writers to have ever lived. Throughout his long career, he has worked on some of the biggest comic properties, expanded to writing books and screenplays, and developed his own series. Just a few of his creations include "The Sandman," "Good Omens," and "American Gods." During his career, Gaiman has been a close associate of Alan Moore, even contributing to "Watchmen" at times. Having learned his trade from the legendary writer, he went on to write several DC Comics such as "Black Orchid," "Swamp Thing," and "Secret Origins."
As part of the "Wednesday Comics" anthology series, Gaiman produced a 12-page story about Metamorpho. Mike Allred provided the art for a tale that sees Metamorpho join an expedition organized by Simon Stagg as the two attempt to find a lost diamond hidden within a temple in Antarctica. The original stories were printed in a large form to mimic broadsheets, with Gaiman later saying on Twitter that his Metamorpho story was purposely "designed to be read at enormous size," meaning that readers are best served reading it at the original size.
He cannot take on a standard human form
Almost every superhero in DC Comics either has a human form or can disguise themselves as a human. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Martian Manhunter and Swamp Thing, but the vast majority of good characters resemble normal people — albeit with great physiques. However, that isn't the case for Metamorpho, who cannot take on a human form, ensuring that he constantly stands out among the rest of humanity and his superhero peers.
Considering that Metamorpho was once a standard human male, it's even stranger that he can't make himself look like the rest of Earth's population. This is largely because the meteorite that gave him his powers essentially completely transformed his body so that it has a different chemical composition. His body is not made from flesh and bone like other people, it is now composed of different elements, making it impossible to look like a human. Even his shapeshifting abilities are limited in that respect, though he can turn into almost any other shape or form.
Over the years, he has been temporarily killed many times
Anyone who is even somewhat familiar with comics will be aware that superhero resurrections are commonplace. It is rare for any death to be permanent, whether it's an important figure such as Batman or Spider-Man, or even lesser-known heroes and villains. Invariably, the figure will either return in a later story when new writers take over a series or even be brought back to life as part of the same comic.
Metamorpho has endured the same fate, killed at least four times throughout various different comics over the years. His first death came at the hand of Simon Stagg, who bombarded him with the harmful effects of several different versions of the Orb of Ra to devastating consequences. The second time he died in a confrontation with Looker and Doctor Jace during the events of "Outsiders" #27. Metamorpho also saw brief deaths after sacrificing himself to save the Justice League and at the hands of Talia al Ghul when she attacked the Outsiders.
Metamorpho was a founding member of the Outsiders with Batman
While Metamorpho has been part of several superhero teams since he made his debut, he is most closely associated with the Outsiders. This is a group that was first depicted in comic books back in the early 1980s, made up of various outcasts and loners who had largely turned their back on the rest of society. The Outsiders included Batman, Metamorpho, Black Lightning, Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, and Looker in their original incarnation, although the lineup has changed throughout the years. Yet, Metamorpho has remained one of the most frequent members of the team and often appears aside Black Lightning, another hero who turned down the chance to join the Justice League.
The Outsiders were initially formed due to events in the fictional European country of Markovia. Batman had resigned from the Justice League because the group refused to become embroiled in the country's turbulent affairs, after which he traveled to Markovia to rescue his friend Lucius Fox. While there, he encountered the other heroes, including Metamorpho who was searching for Dr. Jace in the hopes she would be able to cure his condition. The individual heroes joined forces to defeat Baron Bedlam and decided to continue to operate as a group because they worked so well together.
Anthony Carrigan loves how obscure the character is
With the news that Anthony Carrigan was set to join the upcoming "Superman: Legacy" movie as Metamorpho, the actor spoke out about his pleasure at being able to portray the character on screen. In particular, Carrigan seems pleased to get the chance to play a character that many people may not be particularly familiar with and who hasn't been seen in that many on-screen adaptations.
"It'll certainly be a bit of a jump," Carrigan said to Variety. "I'm excited just to shake things up. NoHo Hank is such a specific character, and I'm excited to play someone completely different and surprise people with just being unrecognizable."
The actor expressed his enthusiasm for Metamorpho after researching the character during the audition process, saying, "I was able to find things that I just love about the character — he's so low-key incredible, I'm surprised that more people haven't heard of him. I think he's one of the coolest characters out there, so to get to bring him to light is something really special and it's also really, really unique."
Metamorpho hates being a hero and turned down Justice League membership
Metamorpho is arguably one of the most tragic heroes in DC Comics. The character never wanted the powers bestowed upon him by the Orb of Ra and the mystical meteorite in Egypt. Even worse, his transmutational properties ensure that he can never look like a human — something that has haunted him since he was transformed and has led to him becoming something of a loner throughout much of his superhero career.
Many stories featuring Metamorpho focus on his attempts to cure his condition. The hero simply wants to give up all of his powers and return to being Rex Mason, with his ultimate goal being to regain the human form he once had. In fact, Metamorpho has gone to extreme lengths to try and achieve this, bathing in a painful concoction of chemicals for a long time in an attempt to rid himself of his shapeshifting properties.
This self-hatred eventually saw Metamorpho turn down the chance to join the Justice League. Despite impressing the various members of the group enough for them to extend him an invitation to join, the hero turned them down, instead wanting nothing more than to return to his normal life.
The DC character has his own extensive rogues gallery
As a member of the Terrifics, the Outsiders, and the Justice League of Europe, Metamorpho has had to fight a number of high-profile villains. This has included battles with the likes of Talia al Ghul and the Joker as well as many lesser known bad guys. However, Metamorpho has his own extensive rogues gallery that has proved a frequent cause of trouble for him, regardless of whether he is working solo or as part of a team.
The most notable among them are Simon Stragg and Java. The Stragg Enterprises boss has a deep hatred of Metamorpho due to the fact the hero was in a relationship with Stragg's daughter Sapphire. He ordered Java, his Neanderthal bodyguard, to kill Metamorpho, and the two continued to battle with him for many years. The superhero can also count on Ahk-Ton, Franz Zorb, the Phantom of Washington, and Jezeba to oppose him whenever they are given the opportunity.