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This article is about the Marvel comics character. For other uses, see Molecule Man (disambiguation).

The Molecule Man (Owen Reece) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #20 in November 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. An enormously powerful entity, he is often portrayed as a supervillain, but sometimes takes the role of a reformed outlaw or reluctant hero.

Publication history

The Molecule Man was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Fantastic Four #20.[3]

Fictional character biography

Owen Reece was a timid child from Brooklyn, New York who obsessively clung to his mother. He grew into a weak-willed adult, made bitter and lonely by his mother’s death, and full of fear and hatred of what he regarded as an unfriendly world. Reece became a lowly laboratory technician working at a nuclear plant owned by the Acme Atomics Corporation. He was disgruntled by his job’s long hours and low pay. One day, Reece accidentally activated an experimental particle generator, which bombarded him with an unknown form of radiation, later revealed to be energy from a dimension containing the Beyonder.[4][5] The radiation had a mutagenic effect on Reece, releasing his potential for psionic powers on a cosmic scale. Reece could now control all matter, even down to the molecular level, and all energy. The radiation also left markings resembling lightning bolts across Reece’s face. Reece named himself Molecule Man after his power to control molecules.[6]

The day after the accident, the president of Acme Atomics fires Reece for his carelessness. Angered, Molecule Man covered the president and his desk with ice. Reece became a criminal and set out to use his powers to take revenge on a world he believed had belittled and persecuted him. However, Reece’s self-doubt, fear, and self-hatred subconsciously restricted his powers. He believed he was unable to affect organic molecules, and that his power resided in a metal wand. The Fantastic Four pretend to be statues by covering themselves with plaster. Molecule Man, due to his self-imposed limitation, is unable to affect the Fantastic Four and drops his wand in shock, allowing Mister Fantastic to grab it. Uatu transports Molecule Man to confinement in an other-dimensional world where time passed at an accelerated rate.[7][8]

Molecule Man manages to recreate his body and transfer his consciousness into it, freeing himself from the other world. He threatens to destroy Earth, but Tigra persuades him to give himself up and seek psychiatric help.[9] During the events of Secret Wars, Molecule Man is transported to Battleworld, where he falls in love with Volcana. Doctor Doom helps Molecule Man break through his mental blocks and realize that his power was greater than he had believed. After returning to Earth, Molecule Man and Volcana move to Denver, where Molecule Man begins working at a nuclear power atomic plant.

Molecule Man confronts the Beyonder when he arrives on Earth seeking emotional fulfillment. After failing to do so, the Beyonder decides to destroy the multiverse. Molecule Man exhausts himself fighting the Beyonder, who rips open part of Earth’s crust.[4] Molecule Man and Silver Surfer combine their powers to repair the Beyonder’s damage done to Earth, with Molecule Man pretending to have burned out his powers in the process. Only Volcana and Silver Surfer know that Molecule Man still has his powers.[10]

Doc Samson encounters Molecule Man while searching for the missing Bruce Banner. Owen mistakenly thinks that he is being stalked, and captures Samson to explain himself. After She-Hulk gets involved, they clear up the misunderstanding. He reveals that his relationship with Volcana has hit a road bump, leading to temporary separation that makes him depressed. Samson convinces Molecule Man to display his affection more openly. Molecule Man decides to repair areas destroyed by recent terrorist activity in Volcana’s honor, including rebuilding Mount Rushmore with the addition of her own likeness.[11]

A series of disappearances in Dinosaur, Colorado, causes Norman Osborn‘s Dark Avengers to visit the area. Sentry arrives first and is instantly disintegrated. Owen, isolated from everyone, has lost the ability to differentiate between hallucinations and reality and secluded himself near the area he was born. After the other Avengers are defeated, Victoria Hand convinces Molecule Man to restore everything he destroyed and to stop being a threat, in return for being left alone in the future. Sentry returns and disintegrates Reece’s body.[12]

Doctor Doom resurrects and imprisons Molecule Man, intending to use him to stop the Incursions that are destroying universes.[13] The two travel back in time, which restores Molecule Man’s mind and causes him to remember that the Beyonders created him and his multiversal counterparts as weapons to destroy the multiverse.[14]

Doom harnesses Molecule Man’s powers to kill the Beyonders, absorb their power, and form a new incarnation of Battleworld.[15][16] After Peter Parker and Miles Morales free Molecule Man, he defeats Doom and gives the power of the Beyonders to Mister Fantastic, who recreates the multiverse with his son Franklin Richards. In the process, Molecule Man regains his sanity and transfers Miles and his family and friends to Earth-616.[17]

Powers and abilities

Owen Reece originally had the ability to psionically manipulate molecules for a variety of effects, such as force field generation, energy blasts, and hyperspace travel.[18] However, he later gained reality-bending capabilities on a multiversal scale.[19] Reece subconsciously imposed mental blocks on himself that prevented him from affecting organic molecules, though he later overcame the blocks.[20] As his power originates from the Beyonders,[5] Molecule Man is connected to them and can harness their energy.[15]

In other media

Television

Video games

Molecule Man appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.[23]

References

  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Conroy, Mike (2004). 500 Comicbook Villains. Collins & Brown. ISBN 1-84340-205-X.
  3. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 246. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  4. ^ a b Secret Wars II #8 (February 1986)
  5. ^ a b Fantastic Four #319 (October 1988)
  6. ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  7. ^ Fantastic Four #20 (November 1963)
  8. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 230. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  9. ^ The Avengers #215-216 (January – February 1982)
  10. ^ The Avengers #266 (April 1986)
  11. ^ The Incredible Hulk #442 (June 1996)
  12. ^ Dark Avengers #10-12 (December 2009 – February 2010)
  13. ^ New Avengers (vol. 3) #24 (November 2014)
  14. ^ New Avengers (vol. 3) #33 (June 2015)
  15. ^ a b Secret Wars #5 (October 2015)
  16. ^ Secret Wars #7 (January 2016)
  17. ^ Secret Wars #9 (March 2016)
  18. ^ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #7 (March 2009)
  19. ^ Ultimates (vol. 2) #6 (April 2016)
  20. ^ Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11 (March 1985)
  21. ^ a b c “Molecule Man Voices (Fantastic Four)”. Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 4, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title’s list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  22. ^ “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Edward James Olmos Guest Stars as Molecule Man in Season 2”. Marvel.com. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  23. ^ “MARVEL Future Fight”. forum.netmarble.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.