marvel character - blob
real name: Frederick Dukesgroup affiliation: formerly x-cell, x-corps, brotherhood of evil mutants, freedom force, factor three
first appearance: x-men #3 (1964)
abilities: blob could create a mono-directional gravity field extending five feet from his center of balance, rendering himself virtually immovable as long as he was in contact with the ground.
narrative profile
Believing himself a freak following the manifestation of his mutant nature, Fred Dukes used his newfound abilities as a carnival performer, earning him the nickname “the Blob.” Detecting Dukes’s mutant status, Charles Xavier sent his X-Men to invite Dukes to meet with him and he accepted, mostly due to an attraction to the beautiful young X-Man Jean Grey. While visiting the X-Men’s mansion home, Dukes was invited to join the team; but he arrogantly refused, believing himself superior to them. Xavier decided to wipe the knowledge of the X-Men from Dukes’ mind, but Dukes escaped back to the carnival, took it over, and led his fellow performers to attack the X-Men. They were defeated, and Xavier wiped their memories of the incident as well as the Blob’s knowledge of the X-Men.
Later, Magneto offered Dukes membership in his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. A blow to the head restored Dukes’s memories of the X-Men and he accepted Magneto’s offer, joining the Brotherhood in attacking the X-Men; however, during the battle, Magneto sent a barrage of torpedoes at the X-Men, not caring that Dukes was in the way. Uninjured but feeling betrayed, Dukes quit the Brotherhood and returned to the carnival. Dukes subsequently met fellow mutant Unus the Untouchable, and under subliminal commands from Xavier’s enemy Lucifer, the pair attempted to frame the X-Men as thieves. The duo became fast friends and went on to join Factor Three, an organization that sought world conquest; but the X-Men soon convinced the Blob and his teammates that their leader, the Mutant Master, was merely using them, and the two groups joined forces to unmask him as an extraterrestrial subversive before the defeated Mutant Master killed himself.
Soon after, the Blob was among those mutants captured by Larry Trask’s giant robotic Sentinels, but was freed after the X-Men defeated them. Reforming the Brotherhood with Unus and Mastermind, they were contacted by the power-dampening mutant Krueger, who had captured some X-Men and was hoping to sell them to the Brotherhood. Dukes had Mastermind create illusory money to fool Krueger, and sought revenge on the X-Men by trapping them in an illusory circus; however, the ruse collapsed after Krueger arrived to confront the Brotherhood over their treachery, and the X-Men defeated the villains. Escaping custody, Blob’s Brotherhood next attempted to fool the Beast into believing he had killed Iron Man, thus manipulating him into joining them. After realizing the truth, the Beast single-handedly defeated them.
Dukes was subsequently approached by the psionic being Onslaught, who augmented his powers in exchange for his servitude. Teaming up with the power-copying Mimic, Dukes battled the female members of X-Force but was defeated by Meltdown, who threatened to explode a plasma ball inside his body. After Onslaught was defeated, both Dukes and the Mimic offered their services to the “favor trader” Sledge, who in turn granted them better control of their abilities.
After a clash with the mutant mercenary Maverick, Dukes formed a new Brotherhood consisting of himself, Mimic, Post, and Toad. On the run from the nanite-mutated computer Cerebro, Blob’s Brotherhood broke Xavier out of a government facility so he could train them to better oppose Cerebro. After helping the X-Men against Cerebro, Blob’s Brotherhood was recruited by Mystique to recover the head of X-51, the Machine Man. After that failed mission, Dukes attempted to hijack an armored car on his own but was defeated by Spider-Man. Mystique then assumed leadership of the Brotherhood, and sent them to attempt another assassination of Kelly, but they again failed due to the intervention of the X-Men and a dying Pyro, who sacrificed himself to save Kelly.
He subsequently joined the army of mutants Magneto was amassing on the island nation of Genosha, but they were defeated by the X-Men. Later, Dukes and his former teammate Avalanche were among those mutants forcibly recruited into the paramilitary X-Corps group, led by former X-Man Banshee, until it disbanded following infiltration by Mystique. After he was overlooked for a new Brotherhood formed by Magneto’s former Acolyte Exodus, an aimless Dukes consulted psychologist Sean Garrison, who convinced him to be true to himself. Believing that “truth” lay in opposing the X-Men, Dukes went to the Xavier Institute only to find the X-Men absent. He attacked nonetheless, but was defeated by the students and taken into custody.
When the world was restored to normal after the Scarlet Witch’s reality warp, Dukes was horrified to discover that he had been stripped of his mutant powers, resulting in tremendous folds of skin hanging loosely off his frame. Distraught, Dukes attempted suicide by cutting his throat with a knife; but due to his excess skin, he was unable to get the blade close enough.
Someone that resembles the Blob was apprehended by the Thunderbolts and was seen in the Folding Castle Detention Quadrant.
Blob later resurfaces as a member of the X-Cell, a group of depowered mutants who attack Mutant Town in defiance of the Decimation. After mistakenly getting into a fight with Rictor and Multiple Man and getting in a cheap shot on Rictor, he stole a car. With fellow X-Cell member, Fatale, he attempted to flee, eventually hitting an open manhole (left open earlier in the day by Strong Guy and Wolfsbane) and causing the car to crash leaving Blob hanging from the car. When both of them ran afoul of Marrow, Blob was thrown from the car.
source: marvel.com
