Molecule Man
Real Name: Owen Reece
First Appearance: Fantastic Four 20
What's His Problem? Originally a geeky scientist with a serious self-esteem problem, Owen Reece was caught up in a cosmic rift that granted him control over all molecules. Ironically, his psychological hang-ups made it easy for him to be defeated, but those hang-ups are gone, and he's in a cranky mood over recent romantic trouble...
Favorite Quote: "Hmm, no more of my favorite TV shows either. Marsha and I sure would miss those reruns of Hee-Haw." (Avengers 266, as the Avengers try to come up with compelling reasons for Reece to save the world and not abandon it.)
Powers: At first the Molecule Man focused his power through a "magic wand" that could only affect inorganic molecules, and at times actually resided in the wand before learning to ... er, pull himself together. As time went on, he expanded his powers, becoming able to destroy and recreate Captain America's shield, the Silver Surfer's board, and Thor's hammer! After he lost the final "psychological blocks" on his powers, Reece discovered he could control all the elements in the periodic table, giving him near-infinite power. Surprisingly, discovering he was near-omnipotent caused Reece to retire from the super-villain biz for a while.
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: The Molecule Man has battled the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Reece also fought the Beyonder, eventually killing him when he realized he posed a threat to all reality. Most recently, the Molecule Man kidnapped Doc Samson and the She-Hulk for a private psychiatric session Samson called "The most bizarre consult I've ever had."
(And this from a guy who has been the Hulk's shrink for years!)
People Who Don't Think He's So Bad: Most heroes who fought the Molecule Man realized he needed love and attention more than a boot to the head. He got that for a while from Marsha Rosenberg, a.k.a. Volcana, but they recently broke up. In an attempt to win her back, Reece fixed all the damage caused by the Leader's terrorist group, "The Alliance," and carved Marsha's face into Mt. Rushmore. Most guys just carve girl's initials into trees...
Most Despicable Act: While working for Dr. Doom's team of super-villains during the Secret Wars, the Molecule Man dropped a huge mountain range on the heads of the retreating super-hero team. It scored him huge points with tough guys like the Absorbing Man and the Wrecking Crew, and really impressed Volcana!
by Bobby Coakley
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