Man-Thing

Man-Thing and Rory encountered people developing a biosphere and the Cult of Entropy, who revive the Glob (Joe Timms), only for Man-Thing to defeat him,[44] and a gorgon hillbilly named Maybelle Torke who destroys her husband Zeke's harmless dog, Dawg, while he is trying to protect his master, which got an outraged response in letters pages.[45] The two lived through trials of the psychologically disturbed, including a suicidal clown, Darrel Daniel, from Garvey's Carnival[46], Vietnam veterans damaged by mutagenic chemicals[47], and an institutionalized writer named Brian Lazarus in the acclaimed "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man."[48] Initially accompanied by Ruth Hart, Ayla Prentiss of Garvey's Carnival accompanied Rory after Hart returned to New York.

Soon, Gerber was delving into Ted Sallis's past. In a text story in Monsters Unleashed #8 and #9, it was revealed that Sallis had slept with an underage girl, whose father sought to kill the current occupant of his shack, believing him to be Sallis. In Daredevil #108, Gerber introduced Foggy Nelson's sister Candace, who was being harassed over research she was doing at Empire State University.[49] In issue #113, this was revealed to be about the Sallis Papers, research that could have turned the human race into smog-breathing monsters and allow industry to proceed unchecked. In Man-Thing #15, we are introduced to Sainte-Cloud, a young woman who helped Sallis decide to abandon the project. Sometimes this has been erroneously cited as the project that created Man-Thing, though it is made clear in the stories that this is an earlier project. Daredevil encountered Man-Thing and Richard Rory, and battled Death-Stalker over the Sallis Papers, eventually disposing of them in a vat of chemicals.[50] Sainte-Cloud, who lives in Greenwich Village, relives her experience with Sallis via a hallucinogenic candle that was made by a mysterious candlemaker who had seen Man-Thing in New York City, when F.A. Schist's widow and daughter brought Man-Thing to a theatre in Times Square and displayed him like King Kong, from which he inevitably escaped.[51]

At one point, an astral pirate ship headed by Captain Fate, ended up in the Nexus. A scientist, Dr. Maura Spinner, was the reincarnation of a pirate queen and both were linked with a satyr named Khordes. In a controversial ending about which Gerber expressed regrets with having written, Spinner stayed with Khordes.[52]

Dakimh sought his and Jennifer Kale's assistance to help Korrek deal with three villains in Katharta, but the battle is brought to Citrusville, where Man-Thing uses street signs as weapons and Dakimh dies of heart failure. Jennifer places the three villains in cocoons and sends them to outer space. Joshua, Jennifer, and Andy Kale bury Dakimh near the swamp. Man-Thing accompanied them, possibly only intrigued by their sadness.[53]

Not long after, Man-Thing first encountered Spider-Man, and assisted him in battle against the Lizard.[54]

The final arc of the Gerber series[55] dealt with a hypermasculine laborer named Josefsen forced into retirement at age 65. He went on a rampage as a Mad Viking, killed his daughter Astrid's artist boyfriend, as well as the lead singer of the rock band Red Feather, who had taken over Sallis's partially-burned shack after the deaths of Sallis's underage flame, her father, and the writer he mistook for Sallis, and allied himself with Olivia Selby, who led a book burning riot at Citrusville High School, leading to the slaughter of several teachers. Man-Thing's involvement led to him being dumped in the local sewage treatment plant, which only increased his ability to leave the swamp, while Richard Rory got fired by the local radio station for speaking out against the book burning on the air. Rory attempted to leave for Atlanta, and Man-Thing and Carol Selby, Olivia's daughter, demanded to go with him. In Atlanta, Man-Thing wanders away from the hotel where they are staying the night and encounters a satanic sect about to sacrifice a child and rescues him[56]. The group then meets Robert Nicolle, a man with neither feeling nor physical sensation, who appeared as the costumed criminal the Scavenger, and whose sister, Dani Nicolle, had her sensations on overload and must project them into objects called Nightmare Boxes.[57] The Nightmare Boxes are to build a pyramid for the benefit of Thog, but the use of a Nightmare Box containing both Man-Thing and Steve Gerber, working at the behest of Dakimh's spirit, as the top of the pyramid defeats Thog and saves the world. Gerber tells the final issue in first-person, recapping the entire series and saying that he has to stop writing the series because it has become too personal, since he does not want to have to save the world again.[58] Gerber's involvement is foreshadowed when he twice encounters Richard Rory, who believes he has had a brush with destiny.[59]

Man-Thing later first encountered Jude the Entropic Man (who had been the Entropist Yagzan before he was killed by the Glob).[60] Man-Thing then first encountered the supernatural villain D'Spayre and Spider-Man. D'Spayre causes him to feel fear and partially self-immolate for the first time.[61] Man-Thing also encountered Doctor Strange, and aided Strange against Baron Mordo.[62]

A scientist, Dr. Oheimer, attempted to restore Ted Sallis's mind, now scattered about in ganglia throughout Man-Thing's body, but was slain by government agents.[63] A love triangle then took Man-Thing to the Himalayas.[64] Chris Claremont, the writer by this point, introduced himself as a character in the final issue of Volume 2, as Steve Gerber had in the finale of Volume 1. Additionally, Claremont temporarily became the Man-Thing after being stabbed to death with Captain Fate's sword by possessed-Sheriff John Daltry. His and other characters' deaths were later resolved with the intervention of the War is Hell series lead, John Kowalski, now an aspect of Marvel Comics' manifestation of Death.[65] Man-Thing later appeared briefly alongside the superhero Cyclops, aiding him in a battle against D'Spayre.[66]

Man-Thing became embroiled in Project: Glamor,[67] a U.S. government conspiracy involving Ted Sallis's "super-soldier" serum related to the Iran-Contra Scandal. Numerous soldiers are being transformed into monsters in attempt to recreate the serum, while the executives financing the scheme are forced to testify before Congress.[68] Later, the extra-dimensional Quagmire came into this reality through the Man-Thing's body. It appeared like a pregnancy, with Jennifer Kale and Quasar serving as midwives for the delivery of an adult criminal.[69] Later, Jennifer and Quasar have to reassemble their friend's body when it is blasted apart by a war amongst the Nexus guardians of each reality. Quasar ends the war with the Star Brand that he obtained to escape from the New Universe (when he returned, he arrived in Man-Thing's swamp and kissed him on the forehead).