| Plantman | |
|---|---|
 Samuel Smithers as the first Plantman. Art by Stan Woch. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by |
|
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Samuel Smithers Paul |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Thunderbolts Maggia New Enforcers Lethal Legion |
| Notable aliases | Blackheath |
| Abilities |
|
Plantman is the name of twosupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics:Samuel Smithers (created byStan Lee,Joe Carter, andDick Ayers) andPaul (created byNick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas), both with the ability to control plants, Samuel via technology and Paul via biology. Samuel also goes by the nameBlackheath as a member of theThunderbolts.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(September 2015) |
The Samuel Smithers iteration of Plantman first appeared inStrange Tales #113 and was created byStan Lee,Jerry Siegel (under the alias of Joe Carter), andDick Ayers.[1]
The Paul incarnation of Plantman first appeared inThe Astonishing Ant-Man #7 and was created byNick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas.
Samuel Smithers is an assistantbotanist who invents a device capable of communicating with plants. Mocked for his accomplishments, he becomes a criminal after lightning strikes his device and gives it the additional ability to manipulate and animate plants.[2][3]
Plantman has often used plant "simuloids" to create duplicates of himself for mercenary endeavors, raising quick cash to continue his research.[4][5][6][7] Utilizing with an army of 1,000 plantsimulacra, Plantman captures thePresident of the United States by taking over an American military base. TheAvengers overcome Plantman's army and rescue the President, though Plantman escapes.[8]
While serving time inSeagate Prison, Plantman is telepathically contacted byMentallo, who is being held in a stasis field. Mentallo was still capable of using his powers and he used them to orchestrate a break-out of his fellow prisoners, which includes the heroHawkeye (who was serving time for crimes he performed while a member of theThunderbolts) andHeadlok. The criminals, remotely "chained" to one another, escape and reluctantly agree to work together to search for a way to survive, deactivate their security manacles, and find a weapon of great power left behind following the death ofJustin Hammer.
Unknown to his associates, Hawkeye is actually working undercover on behalf ofS.H.I.E.L.D. Ultimately, the Chain Gang is tracked down by Hawkeye's former teammateSongbird, who helps Hawkeye defeat the villains. They discover that Hammer's weapon was a biological toxin that had been ingested by every villain who had worked for him, with Plantman being a carrier. Hawkeye, Songbird, and Plantman begin searching for the trigger that would release Plantman's toxin so that it would not fall into the wrong hands. The search ended with Hammer's daughter, Justine, who turns out to be theCrimson Cowl, leader of theMasters of Evil. Hawkeye convinces several members of the Masters of Evil to side with him and Songbird against Crimson Cowl and their former allies, pointing out the dangers of the super-weapon, which would either blackmail or kill them. Hoping to throw off suspicion, Hawkeye makes the villains reinvent their costumed identities, thus creating a new team of Thunderbolts, and Plantman joins the group as Blackheath.[volume & issue needed]
When the Thunderbolts finally confront the Crimson Cowl, Blackheath is captured and experimented on to reveal the secrets of the bio-toxin. During this procedure, his spirit connects with the Verdant Green, Earth's energy field. It tells him that he could release the toxin, removing humanity from the biosphere and allowing plants to flourish as in Earth's pre-industrial days. Instead, Blackheath chooses to release an antidote for the toxin into the atmosphere, apparently dying in the process.[9]
Blackheath revives himself by sucking moisture fromHydro-Man, leaving Hydro-Man's body desiccated.[volume & issue needed] The Thunderbolts are aided against S.H.I.E.L.D. by the arrival ofCitizen V, who needed their help in dealing with his agency's ship — the engines of which were made of alien technology that had begun distorting, threatening to suck Earth into awhite hole. In doing so, the Thunderbolts encounter the original Thunderbolts, who had been trapped onCounter-Earth. The two teams of Thunderbolts combine forces to plug the void and shunt the alien ship from Earth.[10]
Blackheath joinsHelmut Zemo's Thunderbolts in many acts of questionable heroism, where the ends justified the means. Zemo's ultimate plan involves the creation of the Liberator, a device that would drain abnormal uses of energy throughout the world and hopefully reduce global threats, eliminate superhuman terrorism, and stabilize the world's status quo. The Thunderbolts succeed in launching the Liberator, only to be confronted by the Avengers. Feeling betrayed,Moonstone absorbs the powers the Liberator had harnessed. The Thunderbolts and the Avengers team up to defeat Moonstone, ultimately removing the alien gem that she derived her powers from. The members of the Thunderbolts agree to go their separate ways, and Blackheath agrees to return to prison, hoping to reconnect with his human nature that he felt he was slowly losing.[11]
During the "AXIS" storyline, Plantman appears as a giant plant monster and attacks Los Angeles to retaliate at humans for polluting the world. When a group of Avengers attack, they turn on each other due to the influence ofRed Onslaught, a clone ofRed Skull with parts ofProfessor X's brain placed in him. Plantman is defeated by Iron Man.[12]
Paul is a comic book store clerk until he is fired for stealing comics to sell to support his gaming hobby. He attends Power Broker Inc.'s presentation of the Hench X App, which transforms him into a humanoid plant.[13] Plantman later joins Helmut Zemo's "New Masters" alongsideFirebrand andFlying Tiger.[14]
Both incarnations of Plantman can manipulate plants. The Samuel Smithers incarnation's abilities are derived from technology, while the Paul incarnation possesses them innately.
The Samuel Smithers incarnation of Plantman is served by humanoid plants called simuloids that are duplicates of himself, one of whom attained sentience and becameTerraformer.[15]
The Samuel Smithers incarnation of Plantman appears inThe Super Hero Squad Show episode "O Captain, My Captain!", voiced byCharlie Adler.[19]
