Origin
Brady Briedel was originally a small-time drug dealer turned chemist who produced fear gasses for Mr. Fear, while also developing various designer drugs and special chemical compounds for other super-villains. However, during Fear Itself, when the Thing picked up the Hammer of Angrir that landed in Yancy Street, the explosive energies the hammer released caused Briedel’s lab to cave in on him, crushing him, slicing him with shrapnel, and bathing him in the countless chemicals and compounds that he’d worked with. Briedel was ready to die at this point, but then he suddenly found the strength to rise up, and he emerged from the rubble as a blackened, demonic creature that emanated green flames. He had become Monster.
Creation
Monster was created by Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett, and Kyle Hotz in 2011, and he first appeared in Heroes for Hire #9.
Major Story Arcs
Fear Itself
After the Thing’s rampage after being turned into Angrir, Paladin and Gargoyle of the Heroes for Hire began searching through the rubble for survivors. They found several people who were deathly afraid of something amongst the rubble. The two heroes went to investigate the area, where Gargoyle was suddenly met with a shining vision of his Lord and Savior. As he begged for forgiveness for his sins, he was turned to stone, whereupon Paladin found him. Paladin was then suddenly confronted by a “better” version of himself, who quickly beat him unconscious. Briedel then revealed himself as he stood over the two defeated heroes.
Taking pride in his new abilities, Briedel dubbed himself “Monster” and began attacking both other survivors as well as their rescuers. Misty Knight, leader of the Heroes for Hire, then arrived to look for Paladin and Gargoyle. Briedel confronted her, only to discover that her greatest fear was the child she’d lost. Turning into a frightened little child, Briedel fled the scene.
Villains for Hire
Monster was shown to be one of the members of Purple Man‘s Villains for Hire team.
Power and Abilities
Monster is able to take on the form of a person’s greatest fear, gaining whatever abilities that fear may possess, such as heightened fighting abilities when in the form of Paladin’s fear of not being better, by becoming a better version of him.