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Changeling (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Sydney is a fictional character
that has been a member of the X-Men
in comic book
stories published by Marvel Comics
. Created by writer Roy Thomas
and artist Werner Roth
, the character first appeared in X-Men
#35 (August 1967
).
Kevin Sydney first appeared as Changeling, a mutant
shapeshifter
. He was a short-lived adversary for the X-Men
who subsequently joined Professor X
and died shortly after, making him the first member of the X-Men to die in action. The character was reintroduced as Morph in the 1990s for the X-Men Animated Series and later as part of The Exiles in 2001. Despite sharing the same alter ego, Changeling and Morph are distinctly separate characters and exist in different realities in the Marvel Multiverse.
: The Possession (1991) and returned as a zombie in Sensational She-Hulk #34-35 (1991–1992).
The character was later recreated as an easygoing comic-relief character for the X-Men Animated Series. Sydney's codename was changed to Morph as DC Comics owned the trademark to "Changeling" when the series debuted.
Inspired by the character in the animated series, a new Morph character was created on Earth-1081. The character underwent a drastic change in appearance for the comic. He first appeared in Exiles
#1 in August 2001 and is currently still with that series.
. He acted as the Mutant Master
's second-in-command in an effort to trigger World War III. After successfully capturing the heroic X-Men
, the Mutant Master is exposed as an extraterrestrial and goes out of control. The mutants of Factor Three ultimately joined with the X-Men to defeat the Mutant Master.
Following that group's defeat, Changeling sought to reform. He divulged to Professor X
that he was suffering from an unspecified terminal illness with only a few months left to live and wished to atone for his misdeeds. Professor X
recruited Changeling to act as a stand-in, unbeknownst to the X-Men, while the Professor isolated himself to prepare a defense against the alien Z'Nox's invasion. Changeling, masquerading as Professor X, led the X-Men's efforts to defeat the Subterranean
Grotesk
. He was mortally wounded in battle with Grotesk by the explosion of an oscillotron machine and, consequently, died preventing the destruction of Earth. The X-Men mourned the loss of Professor X until it was later revealed that it was, in fact, Changeling.
When the mystical Darkhold was recreated, Changeling's spirit used the opportunity to possess Meggan
. Angry that he used his remaining time helping the X-Men instead of seeking a cure for himself, Changeling sought revenge against Professor X. However, Merlyn later admits that the encounter was merely fantasy, having orchestrated the event to prepare Excalibur. Changeling again returned and battled She-Hulk
when he was raised from the dead as a zombie by Black Talon to form part of the team X-Humed. It is Changeling who is able to break Talon's control of him long enough to allow She-Hulk to win and lay the zombies back to rest.
who was a member of the New Mutants
, X-Men
, and Avengers
. He was a unique son of loving parents. Early on in life he managed to use his powers, and was able to give everyone what they wanted from him. Morph always used his power to joke around and keep everyone at ease with him, only comfortable to be himself around his parents.
His mother died of lung cancer and Morph tried in every way to cheer up his emotionally distraught father (often acting in a childish way whenever his father wanted him to act serious), who, unable to let his suffering go, chose to enroll his son in a boarding school; luckily, that school happened to be the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
.
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 mutant-kind.
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.
After becoming unhinged from time, the mysterious Timebroker
appeared to him, explaining that his unhinging was the result of a chain of events that caused his reality to change. In that new reality a wounded Morph is unable to maintain his form, and is in a coma, being only a white muddy substance in Beast
's lab. Hoping to save his own future, he becomes a member, and comic relief
, of the Exiles
, a group of universe-hopping heroes trying to save realities from ripples and alteration. Morph is a founding member of the Exiles and after Blink
was removed from the group between issue #22 and #42 and Mimic was killed in issue #73, Morph is the only original member remaining throughout the series.
He soon befriended the mutant Sunfire, although in a loving platonic
relationship, accepting the lesbian
nature of his friend. He always took care of her, and her death left him emotionally wrecked.
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 since he realized that Sunfire's death was not Mimic's fault and that the Brood was controlling him. The team moved on.
Morph helped the team take down Proteus
by impersonating the Maestro and weakening Proteus with a steel strip in his head. Morph went to take down Proteus but Proteus knocked the steel plate out of his head and took over Morph's body in issue #80. When the Exiles tracked him to the "Heroes Reborn" world, cosmic entities "O" and "K" kidnapped him, saying his presence has tipped the balance of power. Using a tiara hooked to a brainwasher device, his teammate Blink managed if not to restore his consciousness, to brainwash Proteus, forcing him to act like Morph, and access to only Morph's memories, functionally "bringing him again to life." With Proteus trapped and believing he is Morph, he remained an Exile to continue fixing damaged realities. Considering Morph's body does not burn out like other hosts, Morph's consciousness is still active beneath Proteus. Also, Proteus is immune to metal while in Morph's body, since wearing a metal tiara during the "Heroes Reborn" world did not kill him. However, concerns about some discrepancies in "Morph's" behavior forced his teammates to plan regular brainwashings with the same device, and, eventually, put him in stasis whenever his behavior would change again. However, that device was destroyed when Psylocke and Sabretooth fought so intensely that they shook the Crystal Palace, causing a bookcase to fall on Morph's head, shattering the device. With the device shattered, it was only a matter of time before Proteus would re-emerge.
Recently, during a confrontation where Proteus reawakened, he found himself lacking in power to defeat the adversary. About to be crushed, Proteus shouted aloud his desire to stay alive. In a vision, he saw a figure, almost identical to his own true, energy form, telling him to take its hand, and he would survive. Upon doing so, Proteus found himself full of even greater power, using it to defeat his god-like enemy. Afterward, it was revealed that this being was the personality and soul of the true Morph, having been in limbo, gaining strength within Proteus and his own body, who had before only been able to speak a few sentences through Proteus' control. Revealing to Proteus that he had the ability to eject him from his body, Morph gave Proteus the chance to work together and share his body and their powers, in order to do more good, something which Morph had discovered Proteus desired deep within him. Proteus accepted, and the two now work together harmoniously, better than either could be alone. However, soon after, when the New Exiles became immersed within the Crystal Palace, Proteus was absorbed in Morph's place, freeing Morph once and for all.
-like substance and he can reattach limbs after they have been severed. He has limited telepathic abilities, which (in the original timeline) were enhanced by Professor X. As a side effect, he also gained limited telekinetic abilities. Upon choosing to work together and share his body with the energy mutant Proteus, Morph's powers appear to be amplified, at least enough to defeat a self-proclaimed god. Whether the two have access to Proteus' reality changing abilities has yet to be determined.
He has also stated that his mutation gives him a high metabolism and makes him very hormonal. In Exiles #33 Sasquatch
said she was never able to detect a scent on Morph and Sabretooth stated that while hunting Proteus in Morph's body, Morph stands out like a sore thumb in a crowd of "normal" people to Sabretooth's regardless of his form. It also appears he has the ability to fly as demonstrated in Exiles #27. Due to his shapeshifting ability he does not wear any actual clothing, and he takes joy in pointing this out.
Kevin Sydney is a skilled actor, and a highly trained and efficient organizer of subversive activities. He carried various advanced weaponry of alien Siri design belonging to Factor Three
, including a ray gun carried in a holster at his side. Though Morph is a prankster who downplays his intelligence, he is deceptively smart. He has a Master's degree
in computer engineering
, which he earned at Xavier's Institute.
, Earth-616
. However, the character's reinvention as Morph in the X-Men animated series raised his profile such that alternate versions of the character, now also named Morph, began to appear in stories set in other universes.
(AoA), Morph was, like his "regular Marvel Universe" counterpart Changeling, an early recruit of the X-Men. Unlike Changeling, Kevin Sydney of AoA never died while impersonating Professor X
, because in the Age of Apocalypse Xavier died before the X-Men were ever founded. The AoA Morph's personality and costume are largely the same as that of the Exiles version, since the Exiles version is based upon the AoA version of Morph. This is probably why Blink mistakes the Exiles Morph for the AoA Morph on their first meeting.
In the AoA timeline, Morph often agitated his teammates with his off-the-wall sense of humor and inappropriate timing; he describes himself as wanting to die with a smile on his face when his time comes. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Morph has displayed signs of a softer, more empathetic side several times. For example, he morphed into Sabretooth in an effort to comfort Blink while she doubted her abilities, and he later gave Rogue the strength to endure against the horseman Holocaust by acting as her son.
Shortly after the defeat of Apocalypse, he accompanied fellow X-Men Iceman, Wildchild and Exodus on an unspecified mission, during which they disappeared. Their fate has yet to be revealed, except for Wildchild, who has since joined a new team of Exiles.
, set in Earth-616 but in the period after World War II
.
Morph (voiced by Ron Rubin
in English and Mitsuru Ogata
in the Japanese dub) was cast for the X-Men animated series
as a "throwaway" character for the writers to kill in the opening story arc to sell the stark nature of the series. Changeling (Morph) was chosen because of his past ties to the X-Men, as well as his long absence from Marvel comics. Being a deceased minor character in Marvel canon, he was a "blank slate" and the writers were free to do with him as they wanted without fear of reprisal from fans of the character. Morph's death was intended to be permanent, but he gained unexpected popularity, and was brought back.
Sydney's codename had to be changed from Changeling to Morph as DC comics
had trademarked the Changeling name for the character who later became Beast Boy
of Teen Titans fame.
Morph was a member of the X-Men and a close friend of Wolverine who claimed only Morph could make him laugh. In the series' second episode, Morph was assumed to be slain by Sentinels leaving Wolverine distraught. Wolverine blamed Cyclops
for leaving Morph behind, but later overcame it, having been desensitized to seeing friends die.
Morph reappeared in the second season as a recurring villain who was driven progressively mad by memories of his death. Morph's psyche had been divided into two personalities
: One who loved his X-teammates and one who hated them for leaving him behind. He embarked on a guerrilla campaign in the X-Mansion posing as several members of the X-Men to trap, injure, or otherwise incapacitate his former teammates. Wolverine, shocked at seeing his friend alive, tried to reason with Morph, assuring him that he was still a friend and ally and that Cyclops acted in the best interest of the team as a whole. Morph refused to accept the explanation and escaped in the Blackbird. Upon arriving on Muir Island, it is revealed that Mister Sinister
had revived him, but with control implants that effectively brainwashed him. The ensuing battle would see Morph betray Sinister, ineffectively shooting him in the back, after Cyclops assured Morph he was still an X-Man. After the battle, Morph fled Muir Island, still unable to accept the camaraderie of his former team. Wolverine embarked on a personal quest to find Morph and help him, but after Morph forcibly resisted, Wolverine abandoned his quest and decided Morph was best left to sort things out on his own.
In the season two finale "Reunion (Part 2)," Morph provided a tip that led the X-Men to a then-final confrontation with Mister Sinister. Sinister reactivated Morph's implant during the battle and once again forced him to betray the X-Men. Morph was poised to fire a laser weapon at Professor X
and Cyclops until Professor X slips into Morph's mind and reminds him he's an X-Man. Morph, again, breaks free of Sinister's control and blasts him instead, shattering the arch-villain. Professor X then took Morph back to the X-Mansion and finally removed his implants, but determined that the psychological damage needed much more rehabilitation.
Morph made cameos in two episodes during season three as a patient on Muir Island: once in a hospital bed and once in a wheelchair as Cyclops and Wolverine were leaving the island.
In season four, Morph was the focal character in the episode "Courage". With the help of Moira MacTaggert, Morph showed significant improvement in overcoming his mental instability. Morph eventually returned to the X-Men when a terrorist strike interrupted his homecoming. He engaged in a scout mission with his friend Wolverine where they discovered Sentinels
had once again been constructed. Morph fell victim to a flashback memory
of his death at the hands of a Sentinel and was paralyzed by fear. Later, his fear also prevented him from acting when Master Mold
abducted Professor X. Overcoming his guilt and fighting his fear, Morph left to challenge the Sentinels against the wishes of his teammates. However, he single-handedly dispatched many of the Sentinels and destroyed Master Mold himself by shape-shifting into Omega Red
, Sasquatch
, Angel
, and Longshot and mimicking their powers. Though the team congratulated him and welcomed him back to the team full-time, Morph still felt insecure about his mental state and declined. He decided to return to Dr. MacTaggert, promising he would return to the team in peak mental condition.
Morph returned for a cameo in the season four episode "Beyond Good and Evil (Part 1)" during Scott and Jean's wedding, sitting next to Jubilee
.
Morph's final appearance was in the series finale
"Graduation Day
," where he briefly appeared mimicking Professor X while the professor was dying due to an illness. He then morphed into Magneto to conclude the scene. Morph appeared to have regained some of his sarcastic sense of humor, indicating an improved mental state and a possible permanent return to the X-Men.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that has been a member of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
stories published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Created by writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and artist Werner Roth
Werner Roth (comics)
Werner Roth was an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for immediately succeeding Jack Kirby on Marvel Comics' X-Men....
, the character first appeared in X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#35 (August 1967
1967 in comics
-Year overall:* Kinney National Company acquires National Periodical Publications .* A tumultuous year for Charlton Comics, as they debut titles like Blue Beetle -Year overall:* Kinney National Company acquires National Periodical Publications (a.k.a. DC Comics).* A tumultuous year for Charlton...
).
Kevin Sydney first appeared as Changeling, a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
shapeshifter
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
. He was a short-lived adversary for the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
who subsequently joined Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
and died shortly after, making him the first member of the X-Men to die in action. The character was reintroduced as Morph in the 1990s for the X-Men Animated Series and later as part of The Exiles in 2001. Despite sharing the same alter ego, Changeling and Morph are distinctly separate characters and exist in different realities in the Marvel Multiverse.
Publication history
The first run of appearances occurred in 1967–1968 when he appeared in X-Men #37-42 as Changeling. Although dying at the end of this run he was thought to have been seen as a ghost in ExcaliburExcalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
: The Possession (1991) and returned as a zombie in Sensational She-Hulk #34-35 (1991–1992).
The character was later recreated as an easygoing comic-relief character for the X-Men Animated Series. Sydney's codename was changed to Morph as DC Comics owned the trademark to "Changeling" when the series debuted.
Inspired by the character in the animated series, a new Morph character was created on Earth-1081. The character underwent a drastic change in appearance for the comic. He first appeared in Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
#1 in August 2001 and is currently still with that series.
Earth-616 character
Kevin Sydney, known as "Changeling", originally worked for the villainous organization Factor ThreeFactor Three
Factor Three was a short-lived supervillain subversive organization within the pages of The X-Men, and was a part of the Marvel Comics Universe. It was led by the Mutant Master, who was secretly an alien from a race of beings from Sirius that resemble octopuses. It used various mind control...
. He acted as the Mutant Master
Mutant Master
Mutant Master is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in X-Men vol. 1 #28.-Publication history:The Mutant Master was created by Roy Thomas and Ross Andru. The character was first mentioned in X-Men vol...
's second-in-command in an effort to trigger World War III. After successfully capturing the heroic X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, the Mutant Master is exposed as an extraterrestrial and goes out of control. The mutants of Factor Three ultimately joined with the X-Men to defeat the Mutant Master.
Following that group's defeat, Changeling sought to reform. He divulged to Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
that he was suffering from an unspecified terminal illness with only a few months left to live and wished to atone for his misdeeds. Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
recruited Changeling to act as a stand-in, unbeknownst to the X-Men, while the Professor isolated himself to prepare a defense against the alien Z'Nox's invasion. Changeling, masquerading as Professor X, led the X-Men's efforts to defeat the Subterranean
Subterranea (comics)
Subterranea is a fictional realm far beneath the Earth's surface in the Marvel Comics universe. Subterranea is a network of massive caves, passages, and tunnels, some large enough to hold cities, that are inhabited by the various races of Subterraneans. The first recorded entrance to Subterranea...
Grotesk
Grotesk (comics)
Grotesk is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Grotesk first appeared in X-Men #41-42 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Don Heck.The character subsequently appears in Ms...
. He was mortally wounded in battle with Grotesk by the explosion of an oscillotron machine and, consequently, died preventing the destruction of Earth. The X-Men mourned the loss of Professor X until it was later revealed that it was, in fact, Changeling.
When the mystical Darkhold was recreated, Changeling's spirit used the opportunity to possess Meggan
Meggan
Meggan Puceanu is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the . She first appeared in Mighty World of Marvel #7, , and was created by Alan Moore and Alan Davis....
. Angry that he used his remaining time helping the X-Men instead of seeking a cure for himself, Changeling sought revenge against Professor X. However, Merlyn later admits that the encounter was merely fantasy, having orchestrated the event to prepare Excalibur. Changeling again returned and battled She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
when he was raised from the dead as a zombie by Black Talon to form part of the team X-Humed. It is Changeling who is able to break Talon's control of him long enough to allow She-Hulk to win and lay the zombies back to rest.
Earth-1081 character
Morph is a hero from Earth-1081Multiverse (Marvel Comics)
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...
who was a member of the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
, X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, and Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. He was a unique son of loving parents. Early on in life he managed to use his powers, and was able to give everyone what they wanted from him. Morph always used his power to joke around and keep everyone at ease with him, only comfortable to be himself around his parents.
His mother died of lung cancer and Morph tried in every way to cheer up his emotionally distraught father (often acting in a childish way whenever his father wanted him to act serious), who, unable to let his suffering go, chose to enroll his son in a boarding school; luckily, that school happened to be the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
.
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 mutant-kind.
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 Exiles
After becoming unhinged from time, the mysterious Timebroker
Timebroker
The Timebroker is a fictional character created by Judd Winick for the comic book Exiles; a psychic construct created by the Timebreakers, a race of alien bug-people who accidentally damaged a large number of alternate universes....
appeared to him, explaining that his unhinging was the result of a chain of events that caused his reality to change. In that new reality a wounded Morph is unable to maintain his form, and is in a coma, being only a white muddy substance in Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
's lab. Hoping to save his own future, he becomes a member, and comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
, of the Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
, a group of universe-hopping heroes trying to save realities from ripples and alteration. Morph is a founding member of the Exiles and after Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...
was removed from the group between issue #22 and #42 and Mimic was killed in issue #73, Morph is the only original member remaining throughout the series.
He soon befriended the mutant Sunfire, although in a loving platonic
Platonic love
Platonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
relationship, accepting the lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
nature of his friend. He always took care of her, and her death left him emotionally wrecked.
Mojo's World
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
Mojo (comics)
Mojo is a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an enemy of the X-Men and one of its members, Longshot. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his...
, 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
Nocturne (comics)
Nocturne is a code name used by four separate fictional characters in the Marvel Comics Universe. This article deals with Talia Josephine "T.J." Wagner, formerly associated with the reality-hopping Exiles and New Excalibur....
. 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.
Weapon X
Morph continued to be the heart of the team until a mission in which Mimic
Mimic (comics)
Mimic is a Marvel Comics fictional character who was briefly a member of the X-Men in the 1960s. He was then the first character to be added to the team after the original line-up and the first X-Man who was not a mutant....
was taken over by a Brood
Brood (comics)
The Brood are a race of insectoid, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, especially Uncanny X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 .The Brood possess wings, fanged teeth and...
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
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
, 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 since he realized that Sunfire's death was not Mimic's fault and that the Brood was controlling him. The team moved on.
Proteus
Morph helped the team take down Proteus
Proteus (comics)
Kevin MacTaggert, best known as Proteus and also called Mutant X, is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men.Kevin was the mutant son of Scottish genetic researcher Moira MacTaggert and politician Joseph MacTaggert...
by impersonating the Maestro and weakening Proteus with a steel strip in his head. Morph went to take down Proteus but Proteus knocked the steel plate out of his head and took over Morph's body in issue #80. When the Exiles tracked him to the "Heroes Reborn" world, cosmic entities "O" and "K" kidnapped him, saying his presence has tipped the balance of power. Using a tiara hooked to a brainwasher device, his teammate Blink managed if not to restore his consciousness, to brainwash Proteus, forcing him to act like Morph, and access to only Morph's memories, functionally "bringing him again to life." With Proteus trapped and believing he is Morph, he remained an Exile to continue fixing damaged realities. Considering Morph's body does not burn out like other hosts, Morph's consciousness is still active beneath Proteus. Also, Proteus is immune to metal while in Morph's body, since wearing a metal tiara during the "Heroes Reborn" world did not kill him. However, concerns about some discrepancies in "Morph's" behavior forced his teammates to plan regular brainwashings with the same device, and, eventually, put him in stasis whenever his behavior would change again. However, that device was destroyed when Psylocke and Sabretooth fought so intensely that they shook the Crystal Palace, causing a bookcase to fall on Morph's head, shattering the device. With the device shattered, it was only a matter of time before Proteus would re-emerge.
Recently, during a confrontation where Proteus reawakened, he found himself lacking in power to defeat the adversary. About to be crushed, Proteus shouted aloud his desire to stay alive. In a vision, he saw a figure, almost identical to his own true, energy form, telling him to take its hand, and he would survive. Upon doing so, Proteus found himself full of even greater power, using it to defeat his god-like enemy. Afterward, it was revealed that this being was the personality and soul of the true Morph, having been in limbo, gaining strength within Proteus and his own body, who had before only been able to speak a few sentences through Proteus' control. Revealing to Proteus that he had the ability to eject him from his body, Morph gave Proteus the chance to work together and share his body and their powers, in order to do more good, something which Morph had discovered Proteus desired deep within him. Proteus accepted, and the two now work together harmoniously, better than either could be alone. However, soon after, when the New Exiles became immersed within the Crystal Palace, Proteus was absorbed in Morph's place, freeing Morph once and for all.
Powers and abilities
Kevin Sydney is a mutant metamorph with the ability to alter his physical appearance and voice at will to resemble that of any person he chooses. His power could also transform the appearance of his costume as well, which was made of unstable molecules. Morph's mutation to shape-shift has also made it so that his body is a Play-dohPlay-Doh
Play-Doh is a modeling compound used by young children for art and craft projects at home and in school. Composed of flour, water, salt, boric acid, and mineral oil, the product was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s...
-like substance and he can reattach limbs after they have been severed. He has limited telepathic abilities, which (in the original timeline) were enhanced by Professor X. As a side effect, he also gained limited telekinetic abilities. Upon choosing to work together and share his body with the energy mutant Proteus, Morph's powers appear to be amplified, at least enough to defeat a self-proclaimed god. Whether the two have access to Proteus' reality changing abilities has yet to be determined.
He has also stated that his mutation gives him a high metabolism and makes him very hormonal. In Exiles #33 Sasquatch
Heather Hudson (Exiles)
Heather Hudson is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics for their series called Exiles.-Fictional character biography:A counterpart of sorts both to Vindicator and to Walter Langkowski, the Exiles member Heather Hudson was a Sasquatch from an alternate universe. This Sasquatch was a black...
said she was never able to detect a scent on Morph and Sabretooth stated that while hunting Proteus in Morph's body, Morph stands out like a sore thumb in a crowd of "normal" people to Sabretooth's regardless of his form. It also appears he has the ability to fly as demonstrated in Exiles #27. Due to his shapeshifting ability he does not wear any actual clothing, and he takes joy in pointing this out.
Kevin Sydney is a skilled actor, and a highly trained and efficient organizer of subversive activities. He carried various advanced weaponry of alien Siri design belonging to Factor Three
Factor Three
Factor Three was a short-lived supervillain subversive organization within the pages of The X-Men, and was a part of the Marvel Comics Universe. It was led by the Mutant Master, who was secretly an alien from a race of beings from Sirius that resemble octopuses. It used various mind control...
, including a ray gun carried in a holster at his side. Though Morph is a prankster who downplays his intelligence, he is deceptively smart. He has a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
, which he earned at Xavier's Institute.
Other versions
Changeling is the character's codename in the contiguous Marvel UniverseMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
. However, the character's reinvention as Morph in the X-Men animated series raised his profile such that alternate versions of the character, now also named Morph, began to appear in stories set in other universes.
Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
(AoA), Morph was, like his "regular Marvel Universe" counterpart Changeling, an early recruit of the X-Men. Unlike Changeling, Kevin Sydney of AoA never died while impersonating Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, because in the Age of Apocalypse Xavier died before the X-Men were ever founded. The AoA Morph's personality and costume are largely the same as that of the Exiles version, since the Exiles version is based upon the AoA version of Morph. This is probably why Blink mistakes the Exiles Morph for the AoA Morph on their first meeting.
In the AoA timeline, Morph often agitated his teammates with his off-the-wall sense of humor and inappropriate timing; he describes himself as wanting to die with a smile on his face when his time comes. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Morph has displayed signs of a softer, more empathetic side several times. For example, he morphed into Sabretooth in an effort to comfort Blink while she doubted her abilities, and he later gave Rogue the strength to endure against the horseman Holocaust by acting as her son.
Shortly after the defeat of Apocalypse, he accompanied fellow X-Men Iceman, Wildchild and Exodus on an unspecified mission, during which they disappeared. Their fate has yet to be revealed, except for Wildchild, who has since joined a new team of Exiles.
The Lost Generation
A Morph is also seen as a member of First LineFirst Line (comics)
The First Line was a fictional team of superheroes and adventurers from the Marvel Comics series Marvel: The Lost Generation. Essentially a retcon to fill the gaps caused by Marvel's "sliding timescale", in which the emergence of major superheroes and events was only supposed to have occurred...
, set in Earth-616 but in the period after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
X-Men Animated Series
Ron Rubin
Ron Rubin is the name of:*Ron Rubin , Canadian voice actor known for Artemis in Sailor Moon*Ron Rubin , American bridge player...
in English and Mitsuru Ogata
Mitsuru Ogata
is a Japanese voice actor from Aomori Prefecture affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple *Astro Boy *Azuki-chan...
in the Japanese dub) was cast for the X-Men animated series
X-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
as a "throwaway" character for the writers to kill in the opening story arc to sell the stark nature of the series. Changeling (Morph) was chosen because of his past ties to the X-Men, as well as his long absence from Marvel comics. Being a deceased minor character in Marvel canon, he was a "blank slate" and the writers were free to do with him as they wanted without fear of reprisal from fans of the character. Morph's death was intended to be permanent, but he gained unexpected popularity, and was brought back.
Sydney's codename had to be changed from Changeling to Morph as DC comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
had trademarked the Changeling name for the character who later became Beast Boy
Beast Boy
Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
of Teen Titans fame.
Season 1
Morph was a member of the X-Men and a close friend of Wolverine who claimed only Morph could make him laugh. In the series' second episode, Morph was assumed to be slain by Sentinels leaving Wolverine distraught. Wolverine blamed Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
for leaving Morph behind, but later overcame it, having been desensitized to seeing friends die.
Season 2
Morph reappeared in the second season as a recurring villain who was driven progressively mad by memories of his death. Morph's psyche had been divided into two personalities
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
: One who loved his X-teammates and one who hated them for leaving him behind. He embarked on a guerrilla campaign in the X-Mansion posing as several members of the X-Men to trap, injure, or otherwise incapacitate his former teammates. Wolverine, shocked at seeing his friend alive, tried to reason with Morph, assuring him that he was still a friend and ally and that Cyclops acted in the best interest of the team as a whole. Morph refused to accept the explanation and escaped in the Blackbird. Upon arriving on Muir Island, it is revealed that Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
had revived him, but with control implants that effectively brainwashed him. The ensuing battle would see Morph betray Sinister, ineffectively shooting him in the back, after Cyclops assured Morph he was still an X-Man. After the battle, Morph fled Muir Island, still unable to accept the camaraderie of his former team. Wolverine embarked on a personal quest to find Morph and help him, but after Morph forcibly resisted, Wolverine abandoned his quest and decided Morph was best left to sort things out on his own.
In the season two finale "Reunion (Part 2)," Morph provided a tip that led the X-Men to a then-final confrontation with Mister Sinister. Sinister reactivated Morph's implant during the battle and once again forced him to betray the X-Men. Morph was poised to fire a laser weapon at Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
and Cyclops until Professor X slips into Morph's mind and reminds him he's an X-Man. Morph, again, breaks free of Sinister's control and blasts him instead, shattering the arch-villain. Professor X then took Morph back to the X-Mansion and finally removed his implants, but determined that the psychological damage needed much more rehabilitation.
Season 3
Morph made cameos in two episodes during season three as a patient on Muir Island: once in a hospital bed and once in a wheelchair as Cyclops and Wolverine were leaving the island.
Season 4
In season four, Morph was the focal character in the episode "Courage". With the help of Moira MacTaggert, Morph showed significant improvement in overcoming his mental instability. Morph eventually returned to the X-Men when a terrorist strike interrupted his homecoming. He engaged in a scout mission with his friend Wolverine where they discovered Sentinels
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
had once again been constructed. Morph fell victim to a flashback memory
Flashback (psychological phenomenon)
A flashback, or involuntary recurrent memory, is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden, usually powerful, re-experiencing of a past experience or elements of a past experience. These experiences can be happy, sad, exciting, or any other emotion one can consider...
of his death at the hands of a Sentinel and was paralyzed by fear. Later, his fear also prevented him from acting when Master Mold
Master Mold
Master Mold is a fictional character, a robot supervillain in the Marvel Universe. Since his primary purpose was to act as a portable Sentinel-creating factory, and the Sentinel robots were primarily used to hunt mutants, Master Mold has almost exclusively appeared in the X-Men and related,...
abducted Professor X. Overcoming his guilt and fighting his fear, Morph left to challenge the Sentinels against the wishes of his teammates. However, he single-handedly dispatched many of the Sentinels and destroyed Master Mold himself by shape-shifting into Omega Red
Omega Red
Omega Red is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 , and was created by Jim Lee...
, Sasquatch
Sasquatch (comics)
Sasquatch is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:Dr...
, Angel
Angel (comics)
Angel, in comics, may refer to:* Angel comics, comics featuring the Buffyverse character Angel* Warren Worthington III, a Marvel Comics character and member of the X-Men who has used the names Angel and Archangel...
, and Longshot and mimicking their powers. Though the team congratulated him and welcomed him back to the team full-time, Morph still felt insecure about his mental state and declined. He decided to return to Dr. MacTaggert, promising he would return to the team in peak mental condition.
Morph returned for a cameo in the season four episode "Beyond Good and Evil (Part 1)" during Scott and Jean's wedding, sitting next to Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
.
Season 5
Morph's final appearance was in the series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
"Graduation Day
Graduation Day (X-Men episode)
Graduation Day is the last episode of X-Men: The Animated Series. It originally aired on September 20, 1997.-Plot:At a Mutant/Human Relations Summit, Henry Peter Gyrich attacks and cripples Professor Xavier with a psychic energy disrupter, then he got arrested. The X-Men and Moira MacTaggert try to...
," where he briefly appeared mimicking Professor X while the professor was dying due to an illness. He then morphed into Magneto to conclude the scene. Morph appeared to have regained some of his sarcastic sense of humor, indicating an improved mental state and a possible permanent return to the X-Men.
External links
- Changeling at the Marvel Universe
- Kevin Sydney entry in the Marvel database
- UncannyXmen.net Character Profile on Changeling