Wave 1 - Rex Mason, The Element Man (aka - Metamorpho)
Metamorpho, The Element Man, was conceived in the mid 60s as a parody of the over-the-top fantastic characters that dominated comic books at that time (IE – Marvel’s Fantastic Four). Over the years, however, Metamorpho has evolved into one of the most powerful and interesting characters in the DC Universe, with a rich history and compelling backstory.
Rex Mason was a handsome young adventurer who had fallen madly in love with the gorgeous Sapphire Stagg – daughter of billionaire industrialist Simon Stagg. So, when Stagg offered to hire Mason to travel to Egypt to retrieve a rare artifact, Rex was eager to endear himself to his lover’s father. Unfortunately for Rex, the job was a set-up and Simon Stagg arranged to have Mason trapped inside a pyramid and left for dead. Lucky for Rex, trapped with him in the pyramid was the Orb of Ra – an ancient and powerful artifact. Mason’s long-term exposure to the radiation given off by the Orb transformed him into The Element Man – granting him the shape-shifting powers needed to escape his desert tomb.
Although he was grotesquely deformed by his transformation, Sapphire was able to look past Rex’s exterior and see the man she loved underneath. Metamorpho rekindled his love with Sapphire and was further bound to the Stagg family as he was now dependent on Simon Stagg – the man who tried to kill him – to fund his attempts to find a cure for his condition. Working for the villain who wanted him dead, Metamorpho became an off-beat superhero, using his powers to help those in need while he continued to try to find a way to reverse his transformation. A reluctant hero at best, Metamorpho was the first person to decline an invitation to join the Justice League of America.
As an elemental shape-shifter, Metamorpho possesses a variety of different abilities. Essentially, he can alter his physiology such that he can become the living embodiment of any elemental compound in any form, be it iron, clay, gas, water, brick, etc. This makes him tremendously resistant to damage and very difficult to match up against in battle because he can attack in so many different ways.
Apparently there was some issue with the licensing of the name 'Metamorpho', so, officially, Mattel's figure is Rex Mason, The Element Man. Rex is a rather interesting and unexpected first build-a-figure for the new DC Universe Classics Wave. But that's not to say he's not welcome! The character choice seems to be Mattel's way of saying they really do have the adult collector in mind with this line and they intend to hook us up with all of our demanded characters - no matter how off-beat or obscure.
In this regard, Metamorpho is the perfect build-a-figure! His unconventional design and shape-shifting powers really let the 4 Horsemen get creative, crafting snap-on accessories to complement and augment his limbs. The construction of the figure is solid, he snaps together well and feels just as durable as the other figures in this line. My Metamorpho has some 'looseness' in one of his legs, but it's nothing that really hampers the figure. Like the rest of the figures in this line, Metamorpho has tremendous detail in his sculpt and really nice paint applications. And, of course, he gets hooked up with standard DCUC articulation and demonstrates a really nice range of motion in his joints. He's the perfect way to cap off a really fantastic first Wave from this awesome action figure line!
