Dragon Man

The nearly 16-foot tall, fire-breathing, purple dragon known as Dragon Man is neither dragon nor man—he is an android created from science and alchemy. Though he is often used for the gain of career criminals, he eventually gets a pacifist upgrade and joins the Future Foundation as a guardian of super-genius students.

Android Assembled

A biologist specializing in superhuman research, Professor Gregson Gilbert uses other scientists’ inventions—such as flexible polymers for skin, computers for a mind, and anti-gravity machines for flight—to create a superhuman specimen he could analyze more closely. Constructing a dragon first, he lays plans to create more mythological beasts as well. Hearing of this project, the villainous alchemist Esteban Diablo, AKA Diablo, convinces Professor Gilbert to let him use his potions to bring the android to simulated life. Professor Gilbert agrees, having convinced himself Dragon Man would be the companionship he was missing in his life, and realizing that, up to this point, his creation was little more than a toy. Successfully animating the creature, Diablo then subjects Dragon Man to his will, and has it attack the Fantastic Four. The FF subdue Dragon Man, but Diablo attacks them, and with his attention on the heroes, loses his mental hold over the android. Perhaps because of a growing affection for Susan Storm, AKA Invisible Girl, Dragon Man attacks Diablo, who drops a potion he attempts to use on the FF, freezing the nearby “Dead Man’s Lake.” While chasing Diablo across the lake, Dragon Man’s weight causes them both to crash through the ice. Caught in undercurrents caused by subterranean caves, Dragon Man and Diablo were lost despite the rescue efforts of FF member Ben Grimm, AKA The Thing.

Operating System

Dragon Man’s body is nearly indestructible, composed of high-density long-chain organic polymers, resistant to impact and extremes of temperature and pressure. He does not need to breathe, and can draw sustenance from the consumption of a wide range of matter. Dragon Man also has tremendous strength, able to lift over 100 tons. He also possesses a 7-foot-long, prehensile, super-strong tail, which can move at speeds of up to 130 feet per second (90 mph) generating tremendous force, able to smash a 3-foot-thick stone wall. 

An internal anti-gravity generator enables flight at up to 30 mph and his bat-like wings stretch 35 feet from tip to tip, controlling stability and direction of his flight. Dragon Man is virtually tireless and can fly indefinitely, limited only by his fuel supply. 

Dragon Man exhales fire through his mouth by releasing a high pressure stream of methane gas, which then mixes with air from his lungs and ignites via sparks generated by his specialized teeth striking together. This fire reaches temperatures of 8,000 degrees F, and can be used for up to 7 minutes before needing to be refueled. Dragon Man has the intelligence of an average domestic dog. His artificial brain is very sensitive to high-pitched noises, and certain ultrasonic frequencies can aggravate, soothe or even shut down Dragon Man.

Technical Difficulties

Created to best the Fantastic Four, Dragon Man is often pitted against them by the ones controlling his inner android workings. However, many of Dragon Man’s foes are those same criminals who want to control him, such as but not limited to the Super Villain Diablo, the multi-billionaire Gregory Gideon, robotic genius Samuel Saxon, AKA Machinesmith, and corrupt corporations like Roxxon. But with the aid of heroic allies, Dragon Man overcomes their control.

Firewall Friends

When Dragon Man has full control of his android faculties, he allies with Earth’s First Family, the Fantastic Four. He has an affection for Invisible Girl that helps shake loose the control that enemies have over him.

Dragon Man eventually joins the Fantastic Four’s Future Foundation as one of its guardians of the Special Class—a think tank of super-genius children—including Reed and Sue’s children Franklin and Valeria Richards. When the Fantastic Four have to rush off into danger, Dragon Man oversees the children in the Baxter Building and on field trips. While in charge of all the Foundation’s children, he is willing to die for them and becomes particularly protective of the young Bentley-23, often referred to as simply Bentley, is a clone of the Wizard (formerly known as Bentley Wittman). Bentley in turn cares deeply for the android.

An Android’s Archive

Rendered inert by the icy waters he fell into, Dragon Man came to rest in a cave. Accidentally revived by the X-Men, he was pacified by Jean Grey, AKA Marvel Girl, and spent a few weeks as their mascot, but though he helped them against various foes, he proved dangerously unpredictable. They took him to Monster Island, hoping he would make a safe home there, but left to his own devices he instinctively returned to the cave and was refrozen. Later, when the amnesiac Inhuman Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon, AKA Medusa, battled Johnny Storm, AKA Human Torch, near the lake, the latter’s powers caused a sudden temperature change, awakening Dragon Man. Regarding humanoids as enemies, he attacked, but Medusa’s flowing hair stirred memories of the Invisible Girl, so Dragon Man stopped his assault. At that moment, Medusa’s cousin Gorgon came to retrieve her, smashing a boulder to announce his arrival. Trying to protect Medusa, Dragon Man fought Gorgon, then snatched up Medusa and flew away. The Human Torch and the rest of the FF caught up with Medusa and Dragon Man at the same time as Gorgon did. While Gorgon and the FF fought, Dragon Man grabbed the Invisible Girl and flew off with her. Realizing Dragon Man was almost childlike, the Invisible Girl convinced him to return to the Fantastic Four’s headquarters, persuading her teammates to create a sanctuary in one of their largest rooms. 

While the Fantastic Four were elsewhere, the Inhuman Seeker captured Dragon Man, assuming the android was a wayward Inhuman, and sought to take him home. Awakening in shackles, the enraged Dragon Man broke free and escaped into New York. He was found by the Thing and the Human Torch, and the latter bombarded Dragon Man with ultraviolet rays, temporarily shutting him down. The FF handed the inert Dragon Man over to the authorities, who in turn passed him on to brilliant scientist and Avengers member Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym, AKA Goliath. Seeking to reclaim the android, Diablo infiltrated Hank’s lab and reactivated Dragon Man, placing him under his control again. Together they defeated the Avengers and kidnapped Hank and Janet Van Dyne, AKA the Wasp. Diablo intended to force Hank to help re-create the potion that brought Dragon Man to life, then use the new potion on a newly created android army of Dragon Men; however, the Avengers found Diablo’s lair and Dragon Man fell into a pit of lava after a fierce battle with Heracles, AKA Hercules, seemingly lost again. The Avengers destroyed Diablo’s lifeless Dragon Men copies. 

Recovered by Dr. Dorcas, Dragon Man was sent to kidnap Dorma, Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor the Sub-Mariner’s lover. Knowing of Dragon Man’s previous defeats, Namor threw the android into a refrigerated truck, added a water tower’s contents and froze Dragon Man once again. Gregory Gideon next revived Dragon Man, implanting a sonic device to make him easily controlled. Gideon sent the android to kidnap the Invisible Girl, then on leave from the Fantastic Four, and bring her back to his research plant, but didn’t anticipate Dragon Man’s affection for the woman. Dragon Man attacked his controllers upon realizing they meant her harm. When Gideon captured the rest of the Fantastic Four, new FF recruit Medusa used her hair to remove Dragon Man’s sonic implant. Free of Gideon’s control, Dragon Man attacked him, plunging into machinery and seemingly destroying them both. 

Years later, the criminal robotic genius Machinesmith took possession of Dragon Man’s remains, intending to use the android against Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America. Revived via millions of volts of energy, Dragon Man attacked Machinesmith, but the android was calmed with sonic frequency pulses from “Gadget 12,” a small flying orb of Machinesmith’s creation. Machinesmith then had Gadget 12 lead Dragon Man to Captain America, whereupon Gadget 12 changed its frequencies to cause Dragon Man pain, and he attacked the hero. Deducing the cause of the android’s agitation, the Captain destroyed Gadget 12; with the painful noises stopped, Dragon Man took off after Machinesmith, with Captain America following. The android smashed into Machinesmith’s base, but Machinesmith electrocuted him into inactivity using Gadgets 8, 9 and 10; Captain America soon after defeated Machinesmith. 

After Dragon Man recovered, he slipped away and made his home in a Pennsylvania cavern, where extradimensional fugitive Ral Dorn found him and sought to claim the android as his steed. Forming a symbiosis with Ral, Dragon Man accepted him as his rider, accompanying Ral back to his home Rammatpolen and helping him claim the title Dragon Lord from his rival Skagerackrakor. Afterward Dragon Man stayed in Rammatpolen, seemingly happy with his new life.

Expelled from his home for unrevealed reasons, Dragon Man returned to Earth. Lost and alone, he was found by the villainous Maynard Tiboldt, AKA Ringmaster, who used his hypnotic powers to recruit Dragon Man into the Circus of Crime. When Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, visited the circus, Ringmaster hypnotized Banner but lost control of Dragon Man, who turned on his captor; Ringmaster ordered the Hulk to defend him, but Dragon Man destroyed the Ringmaster’s hypnodisk, releasing the Hulk. Free, Dragon Man flew into the night, wishing he could leave Earth again, as it was no place for monsters such as him. Shortly after, the mobster Chic DiAngelo captured Dragon Man using an ultrasonic controller; wanting a robot army, DiAngelo had Dragon Man kidnap his creator, Professor Gilbert. Flying back to the gang’s headquarters, they were seen by Julie Power, AKA Lightspeed, and Katie Power, AKA Energizer, of Power Pack; though unable to free Gilbert from the android’s grasp, the youthful heroes talked to him as Dragon Man transported him, and covertly witnessed DiAngelo mistreating Dragon Man. Feeling sorry for the android, whom they nicknamed “Baby,” the girls broke into the hideout, destroyed the controller and rescued Dragon Man, though they had to flee without saving Gilbert. The next day, Power Pack and Dragon Man set out to rescue Professor Gilbert, but DiAngelo regained control of Dragon Man using a new control device he had forced Gilbert to build. Power Pack and their allies Tyrone Johnson, AKA Cloak, and Tandy Bowen, AKA Dagger, were captured, but Gilbert constructed an ultrasonic blocker for Dragon Man; freed of external control, Dragon Man helped them escape and overpower DiAngelo’s mob and the new robots (Cockatrice, Troglodyte, Basilisk and Griffin) Gilbert had made for them. Left in Gilbert’s care, Dragon Man was taken by Phillip Masters, AKA Puppet Master, who wanted the android to ruin his daughter Alicia’s wedding to the Human Torch; however, Masters changed his mind when he saw how happy Alicia (actually undercover Skrull agent Lyja the Lazerfist, AKA Lyja) truly was. The rogue Watcher Aron subsequently took control of Dragon Man. For several months, Aron kept Dragon Man at his side, sending him to attack the Fantastic Four’s newest member, Sharon Ventura, AKA Ms. Marvel, and often using him as a sounding board to talk about his plans. After finishing the first stages of his plans, Aron released Dragon Man. 

The Wizard later sent Dragon Man to hunt Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, as part of the villainous “Acts of Vengeance” conspiracy, but the android swiftly was defeated by the temporarily cosmically empowered hero. Next pitted against Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk, by the Grey Gargoyle, Dragon Man was later forced to join the New Enforcers team, but a now normal-powered Spider-Man bested them and turned them over to the police. 

Dragon Man resurfaced under the Roxxon Corporation’s control, being studied by Dr. Jonas Harrow so Roxxon could create an army of androids. The clone of Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, AKA Spider-Man, helped him escape, but Roxxon recaptured him until a tribe of vampires inadvertently foiled their plans. 

Dragon Man later attacked a Skrull imposter, who had been posing as Professor Gregson, and was briefly shrunken and incarcerated in “the Big House” before escaping. Again controlled by the Puppet Master against the Fantastic Four, Dragon Man was then imprisoned in the Negative Zone. After brief battles with Hercules and the Avengers, Dragon Man ended up in Wakanda under Dr. Erich Paine’s control, fighting Logan/James Howlett, AKA Wolverine, and T’Challa, AKA Black Panther. He was then among the super-beings abducted to the artificial planet Battleworld by the alien Stranger, who pitted them against each other as research. Defeated by Michael Collins, AKA Deathlok, and Bonita Juarez, AKA Firebird, Dragon Man somehow escaped Battleworld’s abrupt destruction shortly afterwards. 

Alongside Edward Lavell, AKA Eel, Dragon Man later attended the funeral of Wilbur Day, AKA Stilt-Man, which was assaulted by the vigilante Frank Castle, AKA Punisher. After brief captivity in Al Kraven’s private zoo, Dragon Man escaped, but was weakened battling Cloak and Dagger, allowing Frank Johnson, AKA Monstro, to defeat him; escaping S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, he was recaptured by Triathlon’s Initiative trainee squad, allowing them to restrain him as he was smitten with the female heroine Melati Kusuma, AKA Komodo. Shipped to Camp Hammond to be transported to the Negative Zone prison, he broke free enraged upon seeing Komodo hold hands with fellow trainee Roger Brokeridge, AKA Hardball, but was swiftly subdued by James Rhodes, AKA War Machine.

Life-Altering Upgrade

Receiving an upgrade from the Fantastic Four’s own Valeria Richards, Dragon Man became smarter and more useful. Though Valeria ran into trouble while conducting the upgrade as Dragon Man fired flames from his mouth, but the visual telepath Artie Maddicks helped her see the inner workings of Dragon Man’s android framework. Now a pacifist with increased intelligence, Dragon Man joined the Fantastic Four’s Future Foundation, a think tank of super-genius kids, as their protector and often their chef.

Dragon Man first helped the students devise a way to restore the Thing to his human form for one week per year, though it was unclear when it would occur. Dragon Man fought alongside the Human Torch against Negative Zone invaders at the time of his seeming death. When the Fantastic Four took on the name of the Future Foundation, and Spider-Man (Parker) joined the team, Dragon Man remained a steadfast assistant. Dragon Man cared for the children while the Fantastic Four investigated one of three rifts in the space-time continuum. While Dragon Man attempted to put the children to bed, Valeria triangulated the different dimensional anomalies the FF were tracking, and discovered the location was in the Caribbean, precisely where the FF had their first trip through time. Valeria and the others figured out how to stabilize the rifts and with Dragon Man traveled to help the FF, but went headfirst into the trap laid by Otto Octavius, AKA Doctor Octopus, and the Sinister Six, whose criminal plot turned Dragon Man into a mindless dragon. Meanwhile the Sinister Six infiltrated the Baxter Building. Dragon Man was soon restored and sent with the children to New Atlantis for safety until the Baxter Building could be cleared of any booby-traps left behind by the Sinister Six. 

When Valeria inadvertently released four of the Interdimensional Council of Reeds’ members into their universe, Reed Richards recruited several of Fantastic Four’s foes, including Doom, Mad Thinker, and Diablo to stop the Reeds from starting a prophesied world-altering War of the Four Cities. Reed sent Dragon Man to recruit Diablo, one of Dragon Man’s creators, who did not believe the invitation was real at first. While the meeting was held with the FF’s foes, Dragon Man helped Alex fix a cooling coil in Vil and Wu’s underwater habitat. When Sue received an urgent message from Old Atlantis, which was under attack by on of the interdimensional Reeds and Harvey Elder, AKA Mole Man, she left Dragon Man in charge.

Dragon Man tried to help the Thing when he was transformed into an agent of destruction by the Hammer of Angrir, one of seven hammers sent to Earth by the Asgardian god Serpent. However, Dragon Man was overcome by his possessed ally.

When the Kree invaded Earth and insectoids from the Negative Zone invaded the Baxter Building, Dragon Man helped the Future Foundation students craft a teleportation device that would transport the topmost three floors of the building. When Dragon Man and the kids were cornered, they used the teleporter to get to safety, landing in Latveria at Doom’s castle. Meanwhile, the FF held back the invasions and Johnny Storm returned from his seeming death (in actuality he had been stuck in the Negative Zone). With Storm back, the Fantastic Four team reformed. Storm became the NZ’s de facto ruler and took Dragon Man and the students on a field trip there, where elections were held to decide who would be the leader. Dragon Man assisted in the election process, helping make the rules. The NZ voted for their former leader, Annihilus, who won by a landslide.

Dragon Man then joined the Future Foundation students on a trip to Wakanda in Africa, where child prodigy Onome gave him and the students a tour of the Wakandan Reservoir. Though they soon came upon a booby-trapped body, laid by the Hyena Clan. Onome warned them all to hide from sight as the clan arrived via teleportation. However, Dragon Man’s large size drew their attention and while they attacked the android, one of the students, Alex Power, stepped in to stop them as the other kids used the clan’s own teleportation devices against them, sending them to Shuri, AKA Black Panther, for her to deal with.

When the Fantastic Four needed to take a 4-minute trip through time, they tapped Scott Lang, AKA Ant-Man, Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon, AKA Medusa, She-Hulk, and Darla Deering as stand-ins. Darla was equipped with an old Ben Grim super-suit to mimic the Thing’s powers, and Dragon Man adapted an invisible helmet to protect her head and allow her signature pink hair to remain visible. He continued helping modify her costume and she became known as Ms. Thing.

Also during this time, Dragon Man defended the children when the Time Variance Authority sent Death’s Head to wipe the children from the timeline due to Bentley-23's secret work on a destructive space-time weapon. Therefore, Dragon Man began monitoring Bentley-23, who was a clone of the Super Villain Wizard and exhibited villain-like traits. When Bentley and Medusa went missing, Dragon Man became concerned and brought it to the attention of Scott, Darla and the Foundation’s students who planned a rescue mission. It turned out the Wizard hypnotized Medusa into kidnapping Bentley and soon transported the Future Foundation into the Negative Zone. Dragon Man realized Medusa was not in her right mind, and used fire breath to stop her and the Wizard’s partner Blastaar of Baluur from harming the children. Medusa returned to herself and the threat of Wizard came to an end.

Dragon Man continued watching over the children and preparing meals for them. When Doctor Doom with allies Annihilus, Kid Immortus and Ravonna plotted an attack on the Future Foundation, Dragon Man went into hiding with the kids, first into the body of Impossible Man and next onto the Blue Area of the Moon within Uatu the Watcher’s Citadel. Dragon Man worked on duplicates of Ms. Thing’s super-suit, which helped them against Doom and his cronies, until Ant-Man defeated Doom. The original Fantastic Four soon returned home to which everyone celebrated their return.

When the Baxter Building became ground zero after an attack by an interdimensional eruption of an invading alien horde, Dragon Man protected the Future Foundation students. Reed thanked him profusely, but Dragon Man required no thanks and said he would die for them. 

Later, when the Fantastic Four began falling apart, with Johnny losing his powers, and the Thing framed for the murder of the Puppet Master, Dragon Man was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and scheduled for deactivation. Though the Future Foundation students and their temporary teacher Jim Hammond, AKA Human Torch, led an operation to free their beloved guardian. After battling S.H.I.E.L.D.’s guards, their mission was a success and they kids were reunited with Dragon Man. Little did they all know that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill ordered Hammond to keep Dragon Man out of the public eye to make it seem like the deactivation went as planned.

Dragon Man then traveled the Multiverse with the Future Foundation students under the helm of former student-turned-professor Alex Power. Their group’s goal became a rescue mission: to gather the pieces of their friend Owen Reece, AKA Molecule Man, whose molecules had been spread across the Multiverse following the Final Incursion of Earth-616 and Earth-1610 and restoration of the Multiverse. While on their search, they used Dragon Man’s android technology to teleport to the person most likely to help them, and it led straight to Alex’s sister Julie Power, who joined their intrepid crew. Dragon Man’s technology was further used to track down a visiting professor, the space pirate Yondu Udonta, AKA Yondu, however, Yonda was revealed to be the Skrull warrior Lyja the Lazerfist, and former wife to Johnny Storm. Though she was exactly who they needed to save themselves from an attack by Earth-1610’s evil Reed Richards, AKA the Maker.

After the Fantastic Four became the guardians of the Forever Gate—a portal to every point in space and time—the Griever at the End of All Things arrived and battled them until they sacrificed their headquarters, the Baxter Building on 4 Yancy Street. Desiring to end all things by using the gate, she placed Sue, Ben, Reed and Dragon Man inside necro-spheres, where they would face their most likely deaths until they gave her what she wanted. Dragon Man was tied up by Diablo and while his co-creator taunted him, he called him Draconus. Diablo attempted to take away Dragon Man’s unique life force but Johnny freed him from the necro-sphere. Dragon Man emerged weakened and as his life force faded, Bentley begged Valeria to help fix the android. Reed offered the Griever the gate, but only to skip ahead in time to see the end of the universe, which she agreed to, and the threat concluded. Restored by Valeria, Dragon Man started to feel better.

When the Wizard sued for custody of his young clone, Bentley-23, Dragon Man who had acted as the boy’s guardian, along with the Fantastic Four and their lawyer She-Hulk, faced off in superhuman court. Tempers flared and a skirmish in the courtroom with Diablo almost led to the entire team losing parental rights. Diablo threatened to take away Dragon Man’s soul, and Dragon Man begged She-Hulk to make him go away. Therefore, she did not cross-examine the witness and Diablo disappeared. It wasn’t until the original Bentley Wittman appeared after spending decades in seclusion that the court case moved forward. Mr. Wittman had to come out of hiding when he heard his oldest clone, Bentley-2, AKA the Wizard, was attempting to claim another clone and felt the need to end the hypocrisy. Learning this shocking revelation, the Wizard absconded, vowing revenge. Mr. Wittman commended Dragon Man for raising the young Bentley and left him in his charge. Afterward, Dragon Man and Bentley decided to leave the Fantastic Four to make their own way with the FF’s blessing.