Psycho Mantis may be the most psychically powerful individual on Earth. From his childhood, his prodigious--and dark--gifts were obvious. He first discovered his abilities in his Russian hometown, unfortunately by delving into the mind of his father and finding out that he was hated. This unleashed a wave of anger and despair in Mantis that was manifested as a huge pulse of mental energy--a pulse

that killed everyone in his hometown, his father included. This action left Mantis's face scarred and burned, forcing him to constantly wear a gas mask to hide the damage.

Quickly taken in by the KGB, Psycho Mantis was trained to focus and channel his abilities. As his power grew, his body withered. To counteract this, he took to wearing tight, restrictive clothing.

No matter how Mantis sought to control his body, his mind was a different matter. Although much more in control of his abilities to read minds, conjure illusory worlds, and manipulate solid objects, he could never entirely silence the voices that whispered inside his head. The factor of instability that this side of his personality introduced made Psycho Mantis an extremely unpredictable and deadly enemy.