Plantman

{{Short description|Marvel Comics fictional characters}} {{About|the Marvel Comics character|other uses|Plant man (disambiguation){{!}}Plant man|the American convicted murderer with the same name|Samuel Lee Smithers}} {{Infobox comics character | character_name = Plantman | image = 200px | caption = Samuel Smithers as the first Plantman. Art by Stan Woch. | real_name = Samuel Smithers Paul | species = Human mutate | publisher = Marvel Comics | debut = {{ubl|'''Samuel Smithers:'''|''Strange Tales'' #113 (October 1963)|'''Paul:'''|''The Astonishing Ant-Man'' #7 (April 2016)}} | creators = {{ubl|'''Samuel Smithers:'''|Stan Lee & Joe Carter (co-writers)|Dick Ayers (artist)|'''Paul:'''|Nick Spencer (writer)|Ramon Rosanas (artist)}} | alliances = Thunderbolts Maggia New Enforcers Lethal Legion | aliases = Blackheath | powers = * Plant manipulation * Device usage }} '''Plantman''' is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics: '''Samuel Smithers''' (created by Stan Lee, Joe Carter, and Dick Ayers) and '''Paul''' (created by Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas), both with the ability to control plants, Samuel via technology and Paul via biology. Samuel also goes by the name '''Blackheath''' as a member of the Thunderbolts.

==Publication history== {{refimprove section|date=April 2025}}{{expand section|date=September 2015}} The Samuel Smithers iteration of Plantman first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #113 and was created by Stan Lee, Jerry Siegel (under the alias of Joe Carter), and Dick Ayers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=271}}</ref>

The Paul incarnation of Plantman first appeared in ''The Astonishing Ant-Man'' #7 and was created by Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas.

==Fictional character biography== ===Samuel Smithers=== Samuel Smithers is an assistant botanist 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.<ref>''Strange Tales'' #113 (October 1963)</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rovin |first=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains |date=1987 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=0-8160-1356-X |location=New York |pages=267–268 |authorlink=Jeff Rovin}}[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofsu0000rovi_h5r9/page/266/mode/2up]</ref>

Plantman has often used plant "simuloids" to create duplicates of himself for mercenary endeavors, raising quick cash to continue his research.<ref>''Captain America'' #159 (March 1973)</ref><ref>''The Defenders'' #36–37 (June - July 1976)</ref><ref>''Marvel Team-Up'' #71 (July 1978)</ref><ref>''Micronauts'' #21 (September 1980)</ref> Utilizing with an army of 1,000 plant simulacra, Plantman captures the President of the United States by taking over an American military base. The Avengers overcome Plantman's army and rescue the President, though Plantman escapes.<ref>''The Avengers'' #231 (May 1983)</ref>

While serving time in Seagate Prison, Plantman is telepathically contacted by Mentallo, 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 hero Hawkeye (who was serving time for crimes he performed while a member of the Thunderbolts) and Headlok. 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 of Justin Hammer.

Unknown to his associates, Hawkeye is actually working undercover on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ultimately, the Chain Gang is tracked down by Hawkeye's former teammate Songbird, 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 the Crimson Cowl, leader of the Masters 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 needed|c=y|date=August 2009}}

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.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #69 (October 2002)</ref>

Blackheath revives himself by sucking moisture from Hydro-Man, leaving Hydro-Man's body desiccated.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=September 2010}} The Thunderbolts are aided against S.H.I.E.L.D. by the arrival of Citizen 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 a white hole. In doing so, the Thunderbolts encounter the original Thunderbolts, who had been trapped on Counter-Earth. The two teams of Thunderbolts combine forces to plug the void and shunt the alien ship from Earth.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #73–75 (December 2002 - February 2003)</ref>

Blackheath joins Helmut 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.<ref>''Avengers/Thunderbolts'' #1–6 (May - September 2004)</ref>

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 of Red Onslaught, a clone of Red Skull with parts of Professor X's brain placed in him. Plantman is defeated by Iron Man.<ref>''Avengers & X-Men: AXIS'' #1 (December 2014)</ref>

===Paul=== 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.<ref>''The Astonishing Ant-Man'' #7 (June 2016)</ref> Plantman later joins Helmut Zemo's "New Masters" alongside Firebrand and Flying Tiger.<ref>''Captain America: Steve Rogers'' #1 (July 2016)</ref>

==Powers and abilities== 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 became Terraformer.<ref>''The New Warriors'' #7 (January 1991)</ref>

==Other versions== * An alternate universe version of Samuel Smithers / Plantman from Earth-20051 appears in ''Marvel Adventures''. This version is a scientist who values plants over people.<ref>''Marvel Adventures: Iron Man'' #3 (September 2007)</ref><ref>''Iron Man: Golden Avenger'' #1 (November 2008)</ref> * An alternate universe version of Samuel Smithers from Earth-1610 appears in ''Ultimate Comics: X-Men'' #18. This version is a plant-based mutant.<ref>''Ultimate Comics: X-Men'' #18 (December 2012)</ref>

==In other media== The Samuel Smithers incarnation of Plantman appears in ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' episode "O Captain, My Captain!", voiced by Charlie Adler.<ref>[http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0907/28/voices.htm Comics Continuum]</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061210185428/http://www.marvel.com/universe/Plantman Plantman] at Marvel.com

Category:Characters created by Dick Ayers Category:Characters created by Jerry Siegel Category:Characters created by Stan Lee Category:Comics characters introduced in 1963 Category:Comics characters introduced in 2016 Category:Fictional botanists Category:Fictional characters with plant abilities Category:Fictional English people Category:Fictional inventors in comics Category:Fictional orphans Category:Marvel Comics male supervillains Category:Marvel Comics mutates Category:Marvel Comics orphans Category:Marvel Comics plant characters Category:Marvel Comics scientists