While it is common knowledge that the DC universe contains darker themes, you should be aware that Marvel is not all rainbows and butterflies. Oh, and just to avoid any possible misunderstanding, they are really decent with the dark aspect, in their own unique manner!
As a result, for every terrifying villain in the DC realm, there are just as many in the Marvel universe. Let us talk about a villain who can be described solely by his or her name. We are talking about Skinless Man, a character created by Rick Remender of Uncanny X-Force and Greg Tocchini of acclaimed illustrator Greg Tocchini.
While the character first appeared as a statue in the 18th issue of Uncanny X-Force, Skinless Man first appeared in the 21st issue. So, get ready for today’s video, in which we will discuss Weapon III, aka Skinless Man, and go over the beginnings of this super-soldier in great depth. We are really excited about this one. You had better be prepared!
Skinless Man – A Product Of The Weapon Plus Program
Going by his real name, meet Harry Pizer, a barrister during the Cold War, and otherwise a mutant boasting elastic and multi-sensory skin. This particular trait of Harry’s not only made him extremely efficacious at work but also led him to become a fantastic spy. So much so that his performance actually caught the attention of Truett Hudson best known as The Professor leading the latter to hold out a position for him in the Weapon Plus Program.
For those of you who are not familiar with Weapon Plus, it is a program that is committed to producing super-soldiers. A lot of you will remember the US Army’s Project: Rebirth, a result of which happens to be our very own Captain America. So, while the purpose of Project: Rebirth, also known as Operation: Rebirth and Project: Super Soldier was to form a new line of super-soldiers for World War II, the success of the program is what led it to grow further and become a larger operation, eventually going by the name Weapon Plus.
Coming back to Harry, the Weapon Plus program boosted his strength, enhancing the durability as well as the elasticity of his skin. Appointed as Weapon III, Harry not only gathered information from the Soviet soldiers but also ended up butchering them. Next, he was assigned to retrieve a relic known as The Orb of Necromancy, for which he had to delve into the Otherworld to recover it.
But while he was in the process of bringing back the relic, it was soon discovered that someone inside the very program did not want him to get back the Orb in the first place. As a result, Fantomex, an outcome of the Weapon Plus Program’s experimentation with technological-human hybrids, was sent to the Otherworld to hold him back there. No points for guessing that Fantomex post finding Weapon III, not only shot him but also left him for dead there.
What followed next is not for the faint of heart so do not tell us that we did not warn you before. Weapon III was discovered by the Captain Britain Corps who ripped off his entire skin as an act of punishment for the number of lives the former had taken in order to lay his hands on the Orb. As for Fantomex, he is reported to have stolen the skin of Weapon III in order to create sentient bullets that can never miss.
Nonetheless, Fantomex was eventually brought in front of the Britain Corps to face his trial for the crimes that he had committed. By then, Weapon III, now known as the Skinless Man had already learned about Fantomex coming back to the Otherworld and stealing his special skin. No wonder, he had vengeance on his mind! Would you be surprised if we told you that Skinless Man literally went to the extent of teaching his muscle to operate in the same manner that his skin used to earlier? We guess not and as retaliation for losing his own skin, he cut off Fantomex’s skin right off his face much to the latter’s horror. It is true; revenge is a dish best served cold.
Moving on, the Skinless Man was enlisted into the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a group bearing personal grudges against the X-Force. Skinless Man went ahead and slew his ex-wife along with her husband while addressing his actions as settling an old score. Next, the Brotherhood began its plan of terminating X-Force by abducting En Sabah Nur so as to raise their own Apocalypse and eventually annihilate the world. With X-Force encountering the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants face to face, Mystique poisons Fantomex, something that leads to the latter losing his powers. As for Psylocke, she was brainwashed by Shadow King that forcibly led Fantomex to intercede.
Of course, the Skinless Man came in and even called out Fantomex for misleading Psylocke into having feelings for him. For a minute, Fantomex was able to get rid of him and that is when he put his mask on Psylocke thereby disconnecting her link with the Shadow King and commanding her to leave. By then, Amahl Farouk had already tampered with almost three brains of Fantomex and as for Skinless Man, he had torn his heart out.
With X-Force going back to Cavern X, Daken makes an appearance on their big screen TV, disclosing himself as the new leader of the Brotherhood. Daken also states that without Fantomex’s control, the artificially evolved Ultimaton has gone back to his natural programming which of course is ‘killing mutants’.
It goes without saying that Cavern X was eventually blown up by Ultimaton. As for the new Brotherhood, which was joined by the Skinless Man and the Omega Clan, they watched on, with Genesis under Daken’s arm and Fantomex lying dead in a chair.
What Makes Skinless Man So Deadly?
Deadly, yes, but the slightest thought of a skinless supervillain makes his character even creepier. Speaking of his powers and abilities, Skinless Man is a mutant to begin with and not just any but one bragging an elastic and multi-sensory skin. To top things further, the Weapon Plus program took his mutant powers notches higher not only enhancing his strength but also boosting his skin’s durability and elasticity.
Now, we all know that his entire skin was ripped off straight from his body but that only made him deadlier. To teach his muscles how to expand and contract on a molecular level or in simpler words, teaching his muscle to function in the same manner that his skin used to earlier is certainly no joke and in no way can be taken lightly.
Not much has been disclosed about his choice of weapons but what’s known is that his character had a knife, which he would always carry around. Smooth, right?