Origin

Waxman was a scientist who contracted a skin disease that would eventually kill him. He tested a radical new theory regarding cellular regeneration on himself. His flesh mutated. Each cell became a living single-celled organism. They were capable of mimicking flesh they touched, allowing Waxman to take different forms. He took so many forms over the years that he forgot his own name. Unfortunately, each cell was capable of moving on its own, sometimes taking on the form of living clay. They also required warmth, and against Waxman’s will, his flesh would occasionally smother a person to death trying to warm itself with body heat.

Creation

Waxman first appeared in Spider-Woman (1978) #17 by Mark Gruenwald and Carmine Infantino

Major Story Arcs

Sins of the Flesh

Going by the name Eric, Waxman targeted a beautiful woman in a club. This woman turned out to be Spider-Woman. She managed to run from Waxman’s initial attempt to smother her, but this gave Waxman the chance to smother another. Spider-Woman tracked him down, feeling responsible. She found Waxman in bed having taken her own form. Extra flesh goop stuck to the ceiling released covering Spider-Woman. She used her bioelectricity to burn the flesh from her body, but the superheated flesh hit Waxman, causing him to melt into a puddle. Disgusted, Spider-Woman leaves him there, but Waxman is actually able to reconstitute himself.

Night Shift

Waxman joined Night Shift, a spooky themed team of supervillains, and helped them terrorize the streets of San Francisco. They are targeted by Dr. Otto Octavius, who was active as the heroic Superior Octopus. Rather than lock them up, Otto decided to offer them a job. Due to his interests in business and science, he was not always able to patrol the streets and offered the Night Shift the chance to turn over a new leaf. They agreed and started working for Otto, who had eventually returned to his Spider-Man identity.

They would go on to back Otto up when former Galactus herald, Terrax, showed up to take over the world, and they helped him clean up collateral damage and look for survivors in the wake of his destruction. Unfortunately, they lost their jobs when Otto made a deal with Mephisto to return to his original body without the memories he shared with Spider-Man affecting his moral compass.

Zodiac

Waxman would be hired by masked crimelord, Zodiac, to replace Dr. Andrea Sterman, the therapist of Moon Knight. Although Moon Knight was too distracted by his work to notice, Rutherford Winner, another patient of hers, clocked her right away. He went to the Midnight Mission to make Moon Knight aware.

Moon Knight would fake a meeting for a short term but eventually call Waxman out. He used liquid nitrogen grenades to freeze Waxman. While frozen, Waxman was sealed inside an airtight steel ball. The steel ball was laid in the unfinished foundation of a new construction. With a two-way radio inside with him, Moon Knight was able to interrogate him regarding Sterman’s location. He threatened to pour concrete, locking Waxman inside forever. Waxman gave him the location, but Moon Knight poured the concrete anyway.

He was rescued by the new Black Spectre to be part of a gauntlet of villains Moon Knight is forced through.

Powers & Abilities

Living Clay: Waxman is capable of shapeshifting for specific periods. He can copy anyone he has touched. His default appearance is that of melting flesh-colored muck. He no longer needs to eat, breathe, or sleep.