Origin
Psycho Man was chief scientist and ruler of a government controlling five planets within the Sub-Atomica system of the Microverse, able to be accessed via the energies of shrinking. Worshiping the Earth Goddess Nox, Psycho Man learned the true nature of the secrets of fear. His planet overcrowded, he chose Earth, believing them to have no defense against his technological might. Controlling criminals with his Control Box, he successfully gathered enough pieces to build his ultimate weapon, only to have his efforts defeated by the Fantastic Four, Black Panther and the Inhumans.
Escaping to Sub Atomica once more, Psycho Man clashed again with the Four, as they sought the Silver Surfer. Psycho Man himself once captured the Surfer, to power weaponry designed to tackle the hordes of Annihilus. After he escaped, the Psycho Man was exiled following the defeat of Annihilus.
Clashing with the Micronauts and the Four on several occasions, Psycho Man then attempted to steal metal invulnerable to his powers, before attacking New York as the Hate Monger, eventually transforming Sue Richards into Malice. After the Invisible Girl was freed of the Malice persona, she still had to survive Psycho-Man’s torture in the legendary FF#283, “Torment”. This story had Psycho-Man put Sue through one horrendous nightmare after another. Her parents even appeared to her as skeletons. She also had to witness the deaths of her teammates. Fortunately for the gorgeous blonde, just when she was on the brink of a total emotional collapse, Mr. Fantastic was able to escape from his prison-like tube and defeat Psycho-Man. Her suffering at the hands of Psycho-Man is what caused Susan Storm Richards to change her SuperHero Name from the Invisible Girl to the Invisible Woman. Once he was defeated again, in FF #284, Psycho Man was left in the hands of Sue, who usurped his Control Box, and subjected him to all three emotions – Fear, Doubt, and Hate, all at once, leaving him withered and crippled.
Nonetheless, he continued to attack the Four, sending robots to destroy them, before shrinking the entirity of the already miniscule Sub Atomica system, holding them hostage to declare himself their leader once more.
He plotted revenge against Sue Richards, only to be exposed and apparently kill himself rather than suffered defeat. Suffering yet more defeats upon his return, he eventually sought out a man who had usurped his power suit and control box, and the two of them were sent into Sub Atomica, confronting his doppelganger and the Surfer, only to escape when the tables were turned.
Eventually succumbing to the assault from Sue Richards, his nervous system degenerating, Psycho Man returned to earth, his powers enhanced, where he took control of the Baxter Building by force, and sending New York City into a state of chaos. Again, Psycho Man felt defeat by the hands of Sue Richards.
Psycho man was able to trap a being named Tenebrae in the Microverse. She was part of the Mergence, a group mind that goes from planet to planet absorbing every one into their consciousness. The Silver Surfer followed Tenebrae and Psycho-Man captured him as well. But the Silver Surfer had faced his inner demons many times and Psycho-Man’s emotion controls failed to keep him in submission. He released Tenebrae only to have her turn on him.
Because of Psycho-Man’s torture, Tenebrae had to feel singular emotions and was thus cast out of the Mergence. Alone for the first time, she formed an alliance with Psycho-Man to stop the Mergence from taking Earth. They siphoned the Silver Surfer’s power and had nearly won their battle with the Mergence, but the Surfer jumped into Psycho-Man’s ships energy reserves, causing a massive explosion that seemingly killed Tenebrae and Psycho Man.
Powers & Abilities
Psycho Man has developed an emotion control device that uses rays that affect his enemies brains. The emotions Psycho Man controls are hate, fear and doubt – the strongest negative emotions.
Alternate Realities
Earth-1610
In the Ultimate Universe, the Psycho Man was Revka Temerlune Edifex Scyros III (translated to “The king with no enemies”). He was the ruler of a distant planet known as Zen-La. Using machines located throughout Zen-La to augment his telepathy, the Psycho Man kept the planet’s population docile and happy through ignorance. He trained Norin Radd (the Silver Surfer) to be his successor. Norin would rise up against the Revka, and free Zen-La’s population from his control. The planet ended up destroying itself, and the Surfer was banished from Zen-La for his betrayal.
A long time would pass until Reed Richards was attempting to create a Cosmic Cube. In an attempt to locate an energy source powerful enough to power the Cosmic Cube, Reed locked onto the power of what he thought was a star and instead summoned the Silver Surfer to Earth. The Surfer saw the people of Earth as suffering and unhappy, and summoned Revka to Earth. Revka was first dubbed the “Psycho-Man” by Johnny Storm. Also believing the citizens of Earth to be suffering due to their own thoughts, the Psycho-Man took telepathic control over the people of Earth. He teleported the population of Earth, now placated and under his control, back to Zen-La. Here he would again use his telepathy augmented by his machines of control to control the population, giving them the identities and personalities of the original residents of Zen-La. It was the Surfer who first came out of the Psycho-Man’s control once again. He freed Reed from the Psycho-Man’s control by flying him out of range of the Psycho-Man’s machines. When the Psycho-Man realized what was happening he sent others, similar in appearance and powers to the Silver Surfer, to regain control of the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four, with the help of the Silver Surfer, were able to defeat the Psycho-Man’s minions and also the Psycho-Man himself. Using the Psycho-Man’s own machines against him they were able to reprogram his mind so that he would believe that he was a young child. The Psycho-Man would be doomed to live out a life of blissful ignorance similar to that which he once forced upon the population of Zen-La and then the people of Earth.
In Other Media
Television
- Psycho-Man appears in the Fantastic Four: The Animated Series episode “Worlds Within Worlds,” voiced by Jamie Horton. At the start of the episode, he infiltrates the Baxter Building to steal a new element discovered by Mr. Fantastic, but is thwarted by the Thing. Realizing he needs to try a new tactic, Psycho-Man kidnaps Susan Storm and transforms her into Malice. After Malice defeats the Thing ands teals the element, she and Psycho-Man retreat to Sub-Atomica, where they are pursued by the rest of the Fantastic Four. He is ultimately defeated after Sue breaks free of his control and turns his own emotion manipulation weapon on him, which causes him to become consumed with self-hatred.
Video Games
- Psycho-Man appears as a playable character in the mobile app fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions.
Merchandise
- Psycho-Man was featured in ToyBiz’s action figure line for Fantastic Four: The Animated Series.
- Bowen Designs produced a bust of Psycho-Man.
- Psycho-Man was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Psycho-Man was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Retro Fantastic Four wave.