Nearly 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, while the human body itself is made up of 60% water. Certainly the idea of battling a baddie who has control over this over abundant element is terrifying to say the least. Which is perhaps the exact reason that Marvel introduced such a villain in 1981. Do you know who this is?
Morris “Morrie” Bench, a/k/a Hydro-Man, made his debut appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #212 and was created by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist John Romita, Jr. While serving as a crewman aboard the cargo ship the U.S.S. Bulldog, Bench was accidentally caught in the crosshairs in a fight between Spider-Man and Namor. Knocked under water, Bench reacted to the heavy radiation emitting from a powerful experimental generator being tested in the ocean. When he emerged from the water, Bench realized he had been transformed into a man-of-water.
Blaming the web-slinging hero for his transformation, the newly-dubbed Hydro-Man seeks revenge. Despite being an expert street fighter with superhuman strength, durability, and manipulation over water, the liquid rouge frequently found himself defeated in combat. During a later storyline, the character briefly merges with fellow villain the Sandman to become a mud monster known as Mud-Thing. This dual creature was eventually defeated with a special gas that caused it to crumble into pieces. Following this defeat, Sandman and Hydro-Man separated from this form and returned to their separate criminal careers.
Over the years, Hydro-Man has joined such supervillain teams as the Sinister Syndicate, Frightful Four, and Sinister Twelve. A later version of the character, introduced in Spider-Man: Reign, served as a member of the Sinner Six. Outside of comics, Hydro-Man has appeared on animated series including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Ultimate Spider-Man.
But is the villain preparing to make his live-action debut? A recent video from Spider-Man star Tom Holland on the set of Spider-Man: Far From Home has raised suspicion of the addition of Hydro-Man to the highly anticipated sequel. It remains to be seen whether or not the watery villain is actually joining the feature, but maybe Spidey should get those water wings ready…just in case.
