Origin

Jackson Strode was a journalist with a particular passion for environmentalism. One day, he broke into a secret lab belonging to a paramilitary organization called Blackgrass. He was following a lead that toxic runoff and waste dumping from their facility was causing mutations in the plants and animals in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Blackgrass was run by a former D.O.D. official, Dr. Bloodroot, who raided Ted Sallis' research for a new super soldier program, called Weapon IV (aka Project Sulfur), part of Weapon Plus. Blackgrass was in need of test subjects, so when they found Jackson sneaking around, they took him captive and experimented on him. He became their first successful test, creating a new Man-Thing super soldier.

Creation

Man-Slaughter first appeared in the one-shot Weapon Plus: World War IV by Benjamin Percy and David Baldeon

Major Story Arcs

Final Mission

Jackson was forced to work for the D.O.D. in secret. He believed his final mission was in Russia, and then he would receive a cure for his mutation. On the trip back, he was given another "final" mission, this time to rescue his brother, Phillip. Philip also had a passion for science and went into biology. His expertise was fungal spores. He was studying fungus in the Olympic Peninsula when the whole area experienced a dangerous fungal bloom.

In his plant form, Jackson was immune to any of the effects. After fighting through some zombified soldiers, he found his brother in his lab at the center of the infection. He had been transformed into a mass of fungus. Jackson decided to mercy kill him rather than bring him back as another Weapon IV test subject.

Using his plant biology, he manages to clear the air of all the spores. His DOD contact confronts him over not rescuing his brother. Sick of taking orders, Jackson beheads his contact and wanders into the forest.

Telefloronic Arms Race

Jackson remained in the Olympic Peninsula, protecting the forest and any innocents that wandered in. He would eventually cross paths with X-Force, a CIA-like organization assessing outside threats to Krakoa, the sentient island turned mutant sovereignty. One such threat was a nuclear reactor leak in Jackson's neck of the woods that could sicken Krakoa. X-Force originally thought Jackson was a threat, until it was clear he was helping those being attacked by nuclear mutated fauna.

X-Force would return to ask for Jackson's help. They had collected a genetic sample from Jackson, which let them track a new strain of telefloronic technology (plant-based weaponry) that they had connected to political assassinations of people allied with Krakoa. The Man-Thing strain was a distinct symbiotic strain that affected the automatic nervous system, particularly through fear reactions. Unlike Jackson, these new strains were capable of remote controlling the hosts.

Jackson returned to Krakoa with them where he bonded with the central intelligence of the island. With their combined communication skills, Jackson learned from the plant kingdom that Dr. Bloodroot had used the serum on himself and has been using it to do the bidding of the Man with the Peacock Tattoo, head of XENO. The Peacock Man has been manipulating Bloodroot, including the drug overdose of his wife so he could take advantage of Bloodroot's telefloronic research. Jackson tried to confront Bloodroot with this info, but he didn't take it well. He lashed out and was temporarily defeated by Jackson.

Jackson returned to the Pacific Northwest, but he had informed Wolverine that Bloodroot was most likely not dead, just in hiding.

Powers & Abilities

Plant Control: Jackson is a being similar to a Man-Thing. His whole body can transform into plant matter. He can stretch his body like vines and harden them like wood.

• Plant Communication: Jackson has limited postcognition by reading bark, listening to sap, and tasting pollen in the air.
• Chemical Secretion: Jackson is able to produce a highly adhesive green sap from his mouth.

Super Soldier: In his Man-Thing form, his size increases as does his strength