Multiple ManTime for some love for one of the most underrated and complex characters yet to grace the silver screen, "The Multiple Man" Jamie Madrox.

WHO IS MULTIPLE MAN?

Jamie Madrox, aka Multiple Man, can clone himself with an impact to his head. It also means he sometimes inadvertently creates facsimiles of himself.

Multiple ManInitially, Multiple Man followed the Rogue route. He began as a forgettable Fantastic Four villain, sending his duplicates to help him rob banks and whatnot. In this role, he was just another cookie-cutter super-villain with no overarching appeal.

He came into his own when he joined X-Factor in Peter David's reboot of the series, which I highly recommend along with the limited solo series, Madrox.

WHAT MAKES MADROX SPECIAL?

It's not like we haven't seen characters make clones of themselves. We've seen Agent Smith do it in the Matrix movies, and the Grey Man accomplished the feat in DC's Justice League International. Batman himself, Michael Keaton, did it in the forgotten Multiplicity. Even Rick and Morty had a version with Mr. Meeseeks. It is safe to say that mainstream audiences have seen it numerous times. But Jamie Madrox's power takes the game to a new level.

Multiple ManNot only can he make infinite duplicates of himself, which he calls "dupes," but they have their own personalities which Madrox cannot control. He will send them out into the world, and they can live entire lives separate from Madrox. One of the most interesting stories comes from X-Factor #16. One of the dupes actually falls in love, gets married, and has a child. It adds a layer of complexity to the clone idea, making Madrox's ability less of a superpower or more a phenomenon.

 

Multiple ManIt doesn't end there. After Madrox creates his dupes, he can later absorb them, taking all their knowledge and experiences with them. As we see in Madrox #1, he sends dupes around the world to broaden his horizons. One travels to Tibet to become a Shaolin monk. But there's a catch. When he takes in their knowledge, he also gets their pain. In a great move by writer Peter David, a dupe is murdered and Madrox is terrified to absorb him because he will also absorb essentially his own death.

That, my friends, is what makes Madrox such an interesting character. Personally, I think a live-action X-Factor Investigations would make a great Disney+ series or even a feature film.

COLLECTING THE FIRST APPEARANCE

Madrox has been gaining popularity over the years, but he is far from a household name. I think of him as the X-Men's answer to Beta Ray Bill - a solid character in need of a bigger spotlight.

The plus with characters like Multiple Man is that their keys aren't typically expensive, relatively speaking.

Multiple ManGIANT-SIZE FANTASTIC FOUR #4

If Multiple Man gets his day on the big screen, this key will inflate overnight. At the moment, it's not overly popular, which means you can find a grade to fit practically any budget.

Are you looking for a 9.8? There hasn't been a recorded sale since 2012, and it went for $513. In fact, not too many of these trade hands because it isn't in demand. Over the past 90 days, only 10 graded copies have been purchased online. One of those was a 9.0, which sold last month for $240.

Looking to save by lowering the grade? Anything from an 8.0 and below averages less than $100.

FINAL THOUGHTS OF MULTIPLE MAN

This is one of my favorite X-Men, and I am crossing my fingers that he makes it into the MCU. The odds are in his favor because he fits the Scott Lang/Peter Quill action-comedy hero mold perfectly. There's also enough drama and personality to make him stand out from the crowd. Sooner or later, Marvel Studios will add him to a script.

 

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