Morph

Morph's History

Morph has been succesful since his mutant abilities manifested in his early teens. Immediately able to control his powers, he hid his abilities from others. It was not until Professor Charles Xavier asked him to enter his mutant academy that Morph realized his own potential. Xavier made him a part of his young team of New Mutants. Morph quickly became a best friend to all of his teammates and, although he was not the group's official leader, he was looked upon as a trusted confidant. He even completed a degree in computer engineering during his time on the team.

Promoted to the X-Men, Morph's sense of humor initially grated upon the much more serious team but eventually his humor and humility won them over. He was instrumental in many of the team's victories and was chosen to be part of a pilot program with the Avengers, along with the Beast, as a public representative of mutantkind.

Morph would return to the X-Men because, in his own words, "he missed his freaky mutant brothers and sisters." On a subsequent mission, Morph and the rest of the X-Men were facing off against a threat known only as Stonehenge when Morph became unhinged from time. The Timebroker informed Morph and the rest of the Exiles that the chains of reality had been corrupted and the lives they remembered would be changed if they didn't do as he asked. Morph discovered that in his reality he would be injured and put into a coma during a battle with the Morlocks. This coma would cause his physical composition to break down, leaving him in a liquid state.

Morph adjusted to the stressful situation as he always did -- he joked about it. The team looked to him for comic relief from time to time, although he did grate on people's nerves in more stressful situations. Eventually, he would display his intellect on missions, including a battle with Galactus and saving a planet from a techno version of the Legacy Virus.

The most important thing to happen to Morph occurred before their second mission. Mariko Yashida, her reality's Sunfire, replaced the dead Magnus, and Morph took it upon himself to help her adjust to the situation. The two became close and Morph began having strong feelings for her. During a brief rest from their hectic missions, the team asked Sunfire to go on a shopping spree with Morph so the rest of them could sunbathe without worrying about Morph's juvenile behavior. During their time together Morph revealed that his feelings for her were more than those just friendly. Sunfire told him that she was actually a lesbian. Morph took the news surprisingly well and hid his emotions in his usual manner - he joked about them. Morph still harbored deep feelings for Sunfire but kept it hidden.

The Exiles battled on, fixing reality after reality and struggling to keep it together. Following one of these missions the team was kidnapped by Mojo, the insane evil dictator of the Mojoverse. Mojo considered Morph the best entertainer he had ever seen and brought him back to entertain the masses. If he didn't, Mojo would kill his fellow Exile, Nocturne. Eventually, Nocturne was able to escape and set Morph free. Mojo went crazy and threatened to kill Morph's friends. An enraged Morph was on the verge of killing Mojo when the Timebroker stopped them. The Timebroker revealed Mojo had disrupted time but he was a necessary evil and could not be killed.

Morph continued to be the heart of the team until a mission in which Mimic was taken over by a Brood egg. During the battle, he killed Sunfire. Mimic was eventually cured but Morph was enraged. He was devastated by Sunfire's death and told Mimic he should have killed himself rather than let something like this happen. Morph stormed off and threatened to leave the team. Magik, an unlikely ally, followed and tried to calm him. The two connected and despite her past attitude during missions, Morph realized Illyana was just a scared girl trying to get home. He remained angry with Mimic but helped his team fight against the rogue reality-hopping team, Weapon X.

Before the battle began, Magik attempted to switch sides, believing her team was weaker. Hyperion, the self-appointed leader of Weapon X, snapped her neck and Morph was driven into a rage. He attacked Hyperion, who attempted to blast Morph with his eyebeams, but Mimic saved him. During the brawl with Weapon X, Morph fought against an evil Ms. Marvel. Their battle caused a building to fall in on them, killing Ms. Marvel but Morph was able to survive.

The Exiles were triumphant and the Timebroker told Morph he could finally go home. His mission was fulfilled. Morph considered the offer but asked if he could stay with his team. He realized they needed him and he couldn't leave them behind. The Timebroker agreed; Morph asked him not to tell the rest of the Exiles of his decision. Morph and Mimic reconciled. Morph realized that Sunfire's death was not Mimic's fault and that the Brood was controlling him. The team moved on.

Morph was the first Exile to think of turning down an offer made by the Timebroker. Whether or not this is possible for all of them is unknown. Morph may someday regret staying with the team, but for now he seems content standing by his new family.