Real Name: Martin Henry Strong
Aliases: None
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Scientist, Businessman
Citizenship: American Citizen, with no criminal record.
Place of Birth: Unknown, assumed to be somewhere in Colorado (possibly Denver) since that’s where Strong Industries was initially started
Known Relatives: Unnamed Wife (Divorced), Unnamed Daughter, Unnamed Son
Group Affiliation: Strong Industries
First Appearance: X-Force Annual #2
History: Martin Strong was a businessman, who had a much higher than normal intelligence; and for a time, seemed to have everything going for him – until his mutation kicked in. When his mutation became active, the hands and feet of Martin Strong changed to fins, which would have granted him the ability to swim underwater at great speeds. However, for Martin Strong this was not a blessing, but rather a curse. When his wife saw what he had changed into, she immediately took their daughter and son, and fled and filed for a divorce. Martin Strong found that he could no longer walk on his own, because of his mutation, so he used the finances of his business, Strong Industries, to research and develop a way to permanently put an end to the “X” gene which granted Mutant abilities in humans.
Knowing he would need willing test subjects, he placed an ad for “gifted people seeking to be rid of their gifts” – attracting mutants, who felt cursed by their powers; whether it was due to physical defects, similar to what Strong had experienced; or because their powers prevented them from leading a normal life. One of those mutants that would answer the add would be none other than Michelle Balters, who Strong dubbed “Neurotap.”
Using his finances to gather as many genetic scientists as he could, Martin Strong undoubtedly made contact with none other than Nathan Milbury, better known as Mr. Sinister. When another – rather unusual mutant by the name of Adam-X became a part of Martin Strong’s testers, Martin Strong promised to divulge information about Adam’s past, if he helped Strong – information Strong would have never had, if he had not made contact with Nathan Milbury, who had been seen following Adam since his arrival on Earth.
Adam becomes Strong’s enforcer and mutant hound, tracking down mutants and bringing them in for Martin Strong. Despite a romantic relationship that had developed between Adam and Michelle, Michelle fled Martin Strong and Adam was sent to track her down. They encountered X-Force, and eventually teamed up to bring Martin Strong down. They successfully took down Martin Strong, and learned he was wearing a cybernetic body due to his mutation. They also learn that Michelle had double crossed X-Force, in hopes of bringing more mutants in for Martin Strong, because he had been paying the medical bills that kept Michelle’s parents alive. Michelle decides to stay with Martin Strong while the rest of X-Force, and Adam, depart.
Martin Strong’s body is seen later during a mission by Domino and Shatterstar at a company called Hannigan Electronics. Later still, after recovering, Martin Strong severs off his own hands and feet, and uses his empathic ability to unite his body with that of a young, severely autistic boy named Freddy, whose own body has taken on a large, spider-like appearance. Neurotap disapproves of the merging, but Martin Strong assures her that he senses the happiness that Freddy feels with their bodies and minds now linked.
Martin Strong would once again come in contact with several members of X-Force, namely Shatterstar and Rictor. Shatterstar almost kills Martin Strong, had it not been for the arrival of Cannonball, Moonstar and Warpath.
Height: 4’2″ (true form, but 7’5″ cybernetic body, 10’5″ spider-body)
Weight: 80 lbs (true form, but 300lbs cybernetic body, 350lbs in spider-body)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bald (though seen with a black goatee)
Powers: The mutation of Martin Strong changed his hands and feet to fins, and gave him gills that granted him to swim underwater at untested speeds, but also granted him the ability to breathe underwater. Another (later known) power, was the ability to form a symbiotic relationship with creatures of lesser intelligence. (Considering Martin Strong’s high intelligence, that left many – but an example is the merge with his body and that of Freddy, the extremely autistic boy with a spider-like body, due to his mutant power).
Personal Note: I find the whole story where Martin Strong merges his body with Freddy’s spider-like body completely out of character. He was far more “human” looking with the finned hands and feet. And he hated that look so much he severed off his own hands and feet – to merge with the body of a spider? Why wouldn’t he just make another cybernetic body for himself? Or basically do anything other than merge with a spider-like body, which most humans find repulsive? You know, the very thing Martin Strong is trying not to be, since it resulted in the loss of his wife and two children who fled.
