Real name: Mortimer Toynbee Occupation: Terrorist

Physical Description:

Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Reddish-brown
Age: Unknown
 

BACKGROUND: Mortimer Toynbee was a monstrosity at birth, his green tinged skin and particularly unattractive appearance meaning his parents abandoned him to an orphanage. There, the other children tormented him constantly. They regarded him as a freak and the never-ending abuse and perpetual isolation affected Mortimer's education. He is not the sharpest card in the box and has grown up no less ignorant. His desperate need for recognition led him to flee the orphanage at the first opportunity and take to the streets. He repulsed all he met. He has grown up on the street, or at least under the streets, of London isolated and hateful of the society that spurned him.


So desperate for affection that he developed a pathetically subservient personality, Mortimer would unquestioningly obey anyone he thought sincerely cared about him. He was recruited by Magneto, mutant Master of Magnetism, for his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a subversive organization dedicated to subjugating humankind. As a member of the Brotherhood, Mortimer came into conflict with the X-Men with his new alias the Toad. He was pathetically and blindly devoted to Magneto, whom he saw as a surrogate father. Mortimer thought he would merit a place of honor in the new society Magneto sought to create, but his continued bullying bloated the Toad's resentment until it flared into murderous hatred. Pushed too far, Mortimer abandoned Magneto to die in an explosion that followed an encounter with the X-Men and the Avengers.


The Toad became a recluse, developing a fixation with his fellow Brotherhood member, and Magneto’s daughter, the hex-casting Scarlet Witch. He used alien technology to enhance his abilities, acquiring a measure of self-confidence and the ability to exude a sticky secretion from his hands. When Mortimer learned of Wanda's marriage to the synthetic humanoid known as the Vision he attacked the Avengers to break off the match, but was defeated and served a short prison sentence.


After his ignominious defeat Toad subsequently formed and led a failed incarnation of the Brotherhood. When this team collapsed the White Queen, Emma Frost, took pity on the pathetic mutants and he was allowed to set up home in one of her many houses in Canada. Unfortunately, once again, he fell in with a bad crowd. Using the help of the mutant named the Surgeon, he created an army of carnivorous toads and attempted to subjugate Emma and her young mutant charges, Generation X. Mortimer abandoned the effort when the White Queen made him see that he was doing to the Gen Xers what Magneto had done to him years earlier.


Following another short stint with the Brotherhood, the Toad was called upon to play the part of hero. He was part of a disparate group of mutants called upon to help save the human race from a threat that might not manifest itself for millions of years. Forced to revisit his past, the Toad discovered that he and thousands of other mutant infants had been held for study in a secret, non-governmental facility known as the Black Womb. He learned that individuals had begun tracking the evolution of mutation in humans long before Magneto rose up to terrorize the world. In the ensuing battle to save humanity Toad was almost mortally wounded, but was healed by the systems aboard an alien spacecraft resulting in a significantly less repulsive appearance and enhanced abilities. The result: a leaner, meaner Mortimer.


PROFILE: Mortimer has ended up as a bitter and unloved figure. He despises mankind and spurns them as much as they spurn him. In reality all he wants is for someone to see beyond the monster and recognize the real him - rather like a modern day beauty and the beast. Unfortunately the real him is also a beast, his psyche has become warped by his isolation and he is a sickening toady to anyone who gives him the slightest regard, suffocating them with false praise and cloying sentiment. He is none to smart, and is content to follow those that give him attention in terms of monetary reward or some kind of purpose to his life. He is slightly more hardened, and will not follow someone blindly for no financial gain, but is still more easily swayed by false praise or a chance to fit in. He has no depth to he soul at all, he just wants affection or carnal gratification, and the more repulsive his character becomes, the less likely he is to get it. A vicious circle.


POWERS: Mortimer’s powers mimic those of his namesake the common toad. His upper arms and legs are almost entirely muscular and he can pack a punch that would make even a heavyweight boxer pause. Unfortunately the rest of his body is not so well protected, and comparatively open to pain. He can use this strength to propel him in single leaps and has been has been observed reaching an altitude of 24 feet and covering a distance on the ground of 36 feet.


Mort also has enhanced agility his muscular strength and unique physiognomy giving him the ability to execute mid air spins, twins and gymnastics that come naturally to him. His unusually flexible spine enables him to crouch continually without damage and also enhances his agility. His skin has an unhealthy pale green tinge and secretes a slimy sweaty mucous that gives him an extremely unattractive appearance. He also has sensitive eyesight, strong daylight can blind him - he prefers darkened alleys and underground or to operate after dark.


His adaptive metabolism allows him to excrete slime from his pores that can render muscles numb and unresponsive. He can even spit this mucous in a solid form which hardens almost immediately to create a hard sticky shell. His sticky secretions also help when climbing or clinging to walls, naturally adhesive they give him added purchase, allowing him to scale sheer drops like a bargain basement Spiderman. His tongue is also open for comment - coiled in his mouth and at least 5 foot long, it is like silly putty, capable of stretching to a reach of around 25 feet. His control over it is moderate, it is not too prehensile, but he can use it like a whip, giving stinging lashes, or to coil round his victims or items to draw them closer. He can even, to a certain extent, use it to assist his climbing.