Shape (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shape is a Marvel comics comic book character created by Mark Gruenwald.
[edit] Various incarnations of Shape
| Shape | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
[edit] Squadron Supreme (I)
This Shape of Earth-712 possesses a malleable, putty-like body. He can stretch his arms, legs, and neck out to a distance of several yards, and can sculpt his mass into simple geometric forms, such as turning his hands into mallets or taking the shape of a hang-glider. Little has been disclosed about Shape's origins. Although he appears to be an adult male, his emotional and intellectual development is comparable to that of a child (it's likely that he has some kind of mental disability). Originally, he was a member of the Institute of Evil, the Squadron's arch-foes, but eventually chose to side with the heroes.
The original members of the Squadron Supreme are transparently obvious imitations of Justice League heroes. As a result, many casual readers of the Squadron's exploits in recent years have noted Shape's ductile powers and playful nature and erroneously extrapolated that he was created expressly to serve as a counterpart for the JLA comic-relief character, Plastic Man. In actuality, the addition of Shape to the Squadron predates Plastic Man's inclusion in the League by a decade. Mark Gruenwald added Shape and a number of heroes to the team during the course of the Squadron Supreme limited series that ran from 1985–1986, none of which were intended to be derivative of any particular JLA character. His ambition was to elevate the team above its roots as a mere "JLA rip-off" and provide it with a more distinct identity.[citation needed]
[edit] Supreme Power (II)
In Part III: High Command, Shape is introduced as Raleigh Lund, a dim-witted, morbidly obese former janitor abandoned as a child by his parents. He survived from a very early age by eating discarded food and sleeping in dumpsters. He possesses superhuman strength and apparent invulnerability. He is described as the perfect soldier -- loyal, invulnerable, and strong -- though he is quite lacking in the area of independent thought and strategy. In Supreme Power, Shape is very similar in powers to Blob.
 |
This Marvel Comics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia and WikiProject Comics by expanding it. |
