Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)

Microbe
Name	Zachary Smith, Jr.
Current Alias	Microbe
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	New Warriors
Relatives	Parents: Zachary Smith Sr. (father, deceased); Dwayne Taylor (adoptive father)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′5″ (1.96 m)
Weight	330 lbs (149.69 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Hazel
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Mutant
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Death	Stamford, Connecticut
Cause of Death	Killed by Nitro
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Superhero, former laboratory assistant and reality TV star
Base of Operations	Mobile
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Zeb Wells, Skottie Young
First	New Warriors (Vol. 3) #1 (June, 2005)
First	New Warriors (Vol. 3) #1 (June, 2005)
Death	Civil War #1 (May, 2006)
Death	Civil War #1 (May, 2006)

History

Microbe was a mutant who possessed the ability to communicate with micro-organisms in his vicinity. He anthropomorphized the sensations he received from these microorganisms, and believed the germs were actually talking to him. Microbe's father was a prominent medical researcher who thought he had discovered a way to cure previously incurable diseases. Instead, it turned out that Microbe had unknowingly used his mutant power and "talked" the diseases into acting out the results his father wanted. Disgraced, his father disowned the young Microbe, leaving him heartbroken and alone. Out of compassion, Night Thrasher adopted him and began training him to be a member of the New Warriors. He usually got in the way of the more experienced heroes.

When the New Warriors faced off against Nitro, Coldheart, Speedfreek, and Cobalt Man, Microbe managed to take down Cobalt Man by rusting his armor, and watched as Namorita tried to take down a fleeing Nitro. However as Nitro was slammed against a school bus, he activated his power and caused a massive explosion, killing the New Warriors and almost everyone around that area. Microbe was caught in the blast and was killed.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

Microorganism Manipulation: Microbe was a mutant who possessed the ability to communicate with micro-organisms in his vicinity. He anthropomorphized the sensations he received from these microorganisms, and believed the germs were actually talking to him.

• Microbe could use his power to sense the presence of humans around him by the bacteria they carried with them at all times, and recognize the difference between humans and androids or shape-shifting baboons attempting to pass as humans. His germ empathy was sensitive enough to tell him how long it had been since a person had bathed, brushed their teeth, and so on. He could also tell how long an animal had been dead.
• Microbe could exacerbate the effects of different bacteria on people, causing them to become sick or nauseous to varying degrees, or do the opposite and sterilize wounds by keeping micro-organisms away from open and exposed injuries. With the proper micro-organisms present he could fix a flat tire, cause metals to rust, prevent milk from spoiling, manipulate flesh-eating bacteria so that they only attacked cancer cells, and other specific effects.

Notes

• Due to his death at the Stamford incident Microbe has appeared in various flashbacks referencing the event.

See Also

• 9 appearance(s) of Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)
• 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)
• 9 minor appearance(s) of Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)
• 14 image(s) of Zachary Smith Jr. (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Zachary Smith Jr. on Marvel.com
• New Warriors Continuity Conundrum
• New Warriors Message Board