Blob
Real name: Fred j. Dukes Height: 8' Weight: 976 lbs. Eye color: brown Hair color: brown Group affiliation: Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, formerly freedom force Base of operations: Mobile Powers: Besides superhuman mass, durability and strength, the Blob can create a mono-directional gravity field that renders him virtually immovable as long as he remains in contact with the ground
History: Fred J. Dukes is a mutant whose latent superhuman abilities manifested when he reached puberty. Already obese, he saw himself as an exceptionally strong freak -- no more, no less. Earning the nickname "Blob," he put his powers to the test as a carnival performer. It was at this time that the original X-Men -- masked, mutant adventurers gifted with strange abilities -- attempted to recruit Dukes. Attracted to the beautiful young telepath Jean Grey, the Blob at first accepted their invitation. But upon arriving at the Westchester mansion of the X-Men's mentor -- telepathic, telekinetic Charles Xavier -- Dukes arrogantly refused to join the team. Professor Xavier was prepared to erase the Blob's knowledge of the X-Men's true identities, but Dukes fought his way through the troubled teens and escaped. From Xavier, the Blob had learned he was a superhumanly powerful mutant. Believing himself superior to ordinary humans, Dukes returned to the carnival intent on a hostile takeover. Knowing the X-Men considered him a threat because he had breached their inner circle, Dukes led his fellow performers on an attack of Xavier's mansion. The Blob hoped to turn the X-Men's advanced technology and sophisticated weaponry on an unsuspecting populace. But the young mutants defeated Dukes and his allies, and Xavier wiped their memories of the incident. Magneto, the mutant Master of Magnetism, restored Dukes' knowledge of the X-Men. Alongside the genetic terrorist's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Blob clashed with Xavier's students once again. In the midst of a pitched battle, Magneto launched a powerful torpedo at the X-Men. That the slow-moving Blob stood in the projectile's path in no way concerned him. The shell struck Dukes, though it inflicted no serious damage. The Brotherhood escaped, but the Blob had begun to question Magneto's leadership. Feeling betrayed, Dukes returned to the carnival. Later, the sinister shapeshifter known as Mystique recruited Dukes for another incarnation of the Brotherhood. Capitalizing on Washington's increasing anti-mutant bent, Mystique offered the squad's services to the government. Rechristened "Freedom Force," the team's first official mission was to capture Magneto. Future ops brought the Blob and his teammates into conflict with the planet's foremost superhuman protectors -- most notably the X-Men, X-Factor and the Avengers. For the duration of the team's existence, the Blob was bemused by the fact that he could indulge his violent tendencies and fight old foes while drawing a government paycheck. In the wake of a disastrous mission to the Middle East, the government disbanded Freedom Force. The Blob once again found himself a free agent. For a time, Dukes allied himself with the power-emulating mutant known as Mimic. The pair battled X-Force, a splinter group with ties to the X-Men, under the orders of the sentient psionic being called Onslaught. Actually an amalgamation of the psyches of Magneto and Xavier, Onslaught used his vast psionic powers to augment the Blob's mutation, greatly increasing his strength and size. During a subsequent attack on anti-mutant presidential candidate Robert Kelly, Dukes appeared to have slimmed down. However, he remains far larger and stronger than before he encountered Onslaught.