Impossible Man
Encyclopedia
The Impossible Man is a fictional character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 that appears in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

s published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...

#11 (Feb. 1963), and was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....

 and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

.

The Impossible Man has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...

s, arcade and video games, animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 television series, and merchandise such as trading card
Trading card
A trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...

s.

1960s

When the Impossible Man first appeared, the character differed from previous guest stars in that he was not a villain. The team first meet him at the Flamingo restaurant when they are summoned there to investigate a disturbance. Written by Lee to be a prankster and hedonist, the Impossible Man claimed to belong to the alien race of Poppupians from planet Poppup in the 'Tenth Galaxy', who all share a collective consciousness
Collective consciousness
Collective consciousness was a term coined by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim to refer to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society...

 and the ability to shapeshift
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...

, as their planet is so dangerous they have the ability to evolve very quickly. Seeking amusement, the character visits Earth for a vacation by turning himself into a spaceship, talking of a Poppup Tourist Bureau. After finding the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 team the Fantastic Four and realizing nobody else on Earth has his power (therefore concluding he is the most powerful being on Earth), he constantly harasses them until they decide to ignore him and tell other people to do the same, forcing the Impossible Man to leave as he finds Earth so boring, and saying Earth will never get their tourist business. He gets his name after the Thing claims he is "impossible".

1970s

The character does not appear again until 1976. Acting as a deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...

in a storyline involving the cosmic entity and world-devourer Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...

, the Impossible Man convinces the character to consume his homeworld Poppup instead of Earth. The Impossible Man then makes a humorous appearance at the offices of Marvel Comics, where he causes havoc until Stan Lee promises to give him his own title.

He offers peripheral assistance to the Fantastic Four when they are trapped in the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...

 by the Frightful Four
Frightful Four
The Frightful Four are a group of fictional characters in Marvel Comics who serve as the antithesis to the Fantastic Four.-Publication history:...

, a team of their enemies. The Impossible Man impersonates Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, on the day when he is to be inaugurated as President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, and briefly takes his place to foil an attempt to enslave him during an adventure with the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...

 and the cyborg Deathlok
Deathlok
Deathlok is a fictional cyborg published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 , and was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench...

. He later saves the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...

 from a fall and becomes fascinated with Earth movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

. When returning to the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...

, headquarters of the Fantastic Four, the Impossible Man is surprised and defeated by the villain Klaw, who, in an alliance with the Molecule Man
Molecule Man
Molecule Man is a fictional character, a supervillain or reluctant hero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #20.-1960s:...

, attempts to kill the Fantastic Four. During the course of the storyline, the character recovers and, courtesy of his abilities, mimics and defeats Klaw in turn and assists the Fantastic Four in stopping the Molecule Man. The character continued his trend of general disruption during a visit to Hollywood with the Invisible Girl.

1980s

After helping the Thing defeat several villains at a party, the Impossible Man observes the Thing with his partner Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters
Alicia Reiss Masters is a supporting character to the Marvel Comics superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8 ....

 and becomes lonely. The character then decides to reproduce - here an asexual
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...

 process - by splitting in two. This creates fellow Poppupian the Impossible Woman. The pair later attempt to recreate their race and create the Impossible Kids, with the entire "family" visiting the Thing. When the Impossible Woman is missing, the character hires private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...

 Jessica Drew
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...

 to locate her, and has an encounter with the mutant X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...

 after stealing artifacts from Earth to settle a supposed family dispute with the other members of his race.

More comedic adventures followed, with the Impossible Man engaging in a shapeshifting competition with Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...

, causing havoc on an alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

 version of Earth, and trying to obtain the movie rights to the autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

 of companion-to-heroes Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...

.

1990s

The Impossible Man finds and teases the cosmic being the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....

 on two occasions, pleading for him to develop a sense of humor before battling the titan Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....

. The character returns to Earth and causes more mischief, encounters the hero Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...

 whilst looking for a lost child, starts a bar fight, watches the Eternal
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...

 Makkari
Makkari (comics)
Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe...

 win a galactic marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

, and invited various supervillains to the wedding of Rick Jones.

After a brief encounter with the young superhero team the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...

, the character enlists the aid of mutant team X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...

 to instill some pride in his children, and enters into a wager with the alternate universe imp
Imp
An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.-Folklore:...

 Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk , sometimes called Mxy, is a fictional impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and first appeared in Superman #30 . He is usually presented as a trickster, in the classical mythological sense, in that he enjoys...

.

2000s

The Impossible Man returns to Earth disguised as the Silver Surfer, and after teasing the hero Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

 warns of an alien invasion. The Impossible Man's race are also revealed to have survived, with their consciousness stored inside the character. With the aid of the Fantastic Four, the aliens and the newly-reborn Poppupians are transported off world, merging into one race on Spider-Man's suggestion.

The Impossible Man and the Poppupians make a cameo appearance in Noh-Varr
Noh-Varr
Noh-Varr is a fictional character created by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones and appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in Marvel Boy #1 . He appeared in the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and the New Avengers: Illuminati limited series...

's origin story.

Later during the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...

, the Impossible Man confronts Mikaboshi, trying to humor and reason with him while shapeshifting in various forms to divert him, but the Chaos King tires of him and brutally dispatches him. Impossible Man's last words were "I thought we were just playing around..."

Impossible Man returns to Earth where he witnesses a battle between Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

, Red Hulk
Thunderbolt Ross
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...

, and Xemnu
Xemnu
Xemnu the Titan, also known as Xemnu the Hulk, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Xemnu is an alien who has attempted to conquer the Earth several times.-Publication history:...

. Impossible Man uses his magic to combine Hulk and Red Hulk into the Compound Hulk. Impossible Man watches as the Compound Hulk fights Xemnu's minion Kluh (a smart version of the Gray Hulk).

Powers and abilities

The Impossible Man's alien physiology gives the character the ability to take on virtually any form via molecular rearrangement. Almost every appearance has featured the Impossible Man mimicking another Marvel character's appearance and their abilities, such as Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

, Klaw, and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

. He also has the ability to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

 across vast interstellar distances and even dimensions, an effect commonly accompanied by a "Pop!" sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...

.

The Impossible Man once battled the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....

' Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...

 to determine whose shape-shifting ability was superior, a contest Warlock won when he showed he was able to change his colors to match those the forms he mimics, while the Impossible Man could not. This was not the case when he first appeared, however; for instance, when impersonating the Invisible Girl in order to trick Galactus into consuming Poppup, he was fully capable of changing color to make his disguise perfect.

The Impossible Man has an encyclopedic knowledge of Earth's popular culture.

Age of Apocalypse

In this dark reality, the most well known Poppupian is the Ambassador from the Planet Poppup who arrived on Earth and made the mistake a lot of aliens do. He asked to be taken to their leader instead of getting back on his ship and turning around. Things didn't go too well for him as he became a favored pet project of the Beast
Dark Beast
Dark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...

 after he discovered that every DNA strand of this race was identical to every other. He belonged to a species where the genetic potential of the entire race was linked to every member. Like an amoeba, he planned to split the Poppupian tens of thousands of times to reproduce an army of these Impossible Men over and over again. The poor, tortured soul was discovered by Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...

 who took pity on the Poppupian who begged to have his life ended. She teleported him blindly into nothingness assured that no matter where he went, it was some place better than where he was.

Wha...Huh?

Impossible Man appears in the spoof comic "Wha...Huh? #1"(2005) in the segment titled "What If Identity Crisis Happened in the Marvel Universe". He appears as a villain that few of the heroes remember.

Television

  • The character appears in the 1978 Fantastic Four
    Fantastic Four (1978 TV series)
    Fantastic Four is an animated series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation in the late 1970s.-Premise:It is the second animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The 1978 series replaced the character of the Human Torch with a robot named...

    episode "The Impossible Man", voiced by Frank Welker
    Frank Welker
    Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

    .
  • Impossible Man appears in the 1994 Fantastic Four
    Fantastic Four (1994 TV series)
    Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...

    episode "Hopelessly Impossible", voiced by Jess Harnell
    Jess Harnell
    Jess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...

    .
  • Impossible Man appears in the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "Impossible", voiced by Terry Klassen
    Terry Klassen
    Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor and voice director in Vancouver, British Columbia. He co-created Yvon of the Yukon. He is the voice director for shows including Martha Speaks, "Johnny Test", "George of the Jungle", "Ed, Edd n Eddy", several "Barbie" movies, "Transformers", "CardCaptors",...

    .
  • Impossible Man appears in The Super Hero Squad Show
    The Super Hero Squad Show
    The Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...

    , voiced by Jess Harnell
    Jess Harnell
    Jess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...

    . In the episode "Tremble at the Might of...MODOK!", Impossible Man appears at the Supervillain Big Heads Convention held by MODOK. In the episode "Missing: Impossible!", Impossible Man comes to the Super Hero Squad when his wife kicks him out of their house.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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