A Living Planet, a 2D Man: 10 of Marvel's Most Bizarre Characters

Marvel is often remembered for their spectacular and original heroes, but buried beneath grandiose films and their lengthy lineage of past comics, Marvel has some strange and eccentric heroes that will probably never see the red carpet rolled out for a movie. Let's take a trip to the land of the peculiar and find the myths and legends of some of Marvel's most bizarre characters ever created.

1. Flatman

Often mistaken for Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic, Dr. Val Ventura is a mutant and founding member of the Milwaukee-based would-be super-team, the Great Lakes Avengers. With an extremely thin and malleable 2-dimensional body that he can stretch, compress, expand, and reshape, his primary role includes long-ranged rescues and helping the team solve crimes with his extensive knowledge of fashion...no joke. Despite referring to himself as a doctor, his doctoral background is highly questionable as he is always unable to present a degree to prove his education and refers to himself as a doctor of "stuff."

Fun Fact: Flatman invented the new fighting style of Origami-Fu, which is transforming into various origami styles, such as a crane, a monkey, a tiger, and a frog. Deadpool once convinced him to turn into a boat and defeated him by stapling him together.

2. Squirrel Girl

Doreen Green is another mutant with enhanced strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, small claws and enlarged incisors, semi-prehensile tail, and an empathetic bond with squirrels. While Squirrel Girl's abilities seem silly, her winning record is nearly unparalleled among the Marvel heroes, having defeated (with the help of her squirrel army) Doctor Doom, The Mandarin, Giganto, M.O.D.O.K., Thanos, Terrax, Bug-Eyed Voice, Bi-Beast, Deadpool, Pluto, Wolverine, Fin Fang Foom, Baron Mordo, Korvac, Ego the Living Planet, Kraven the Hunter, and Whiplash.

Fun Fact: A series of 4,522 educational trading cards written by Deadpool, called Deadpool's Guide to Super Villains, is a tool Doreen relies on as a primary source of information for whatever villain she is facing.

3. Big Bertha

Ashley Crawford is a famous supermodel who discovered that she is a Mutant with the power to transform her body into an overweight, but super strong form. Her modeling career provides the funding for the Great Lakes team.

Fun Fact: She is a skilled pilot of conventional jet aircrafts.

4. Lockjaw

Often mistaken for a dog, though he is not, Lockjaw is a member of the Inhumans royal family. Mutated by the Terrigen Mists into his canine form, he is able to teleport himself and a group of people long distance, such as from the Earth to the moon.

Fun Fact: Lockjaw possesses enough strength to support 3,600 pounds on his back while still maintaining his able to walk.

5. Swarm

Once a Nazi scientist, Fritz von Meyer fled Germany at the end of World War II to settle in South America where he became a world expert on toxic poisons and bee keeping. After an error causes a group of bees to kill him, von Meyer inadvertently became a composite being of hundreds of thousands of bees driven by a human intelligence. Taking on the name Swarm, he is now technically intangible and can fly through the air or assume any shape and size he desires. Swarm can also mentally influence the actions of other bees and insects, the full range of which may extend over hundreds of yards in radius.

Fun Fact: Insecticide is apparently his biggest weakness. Go figure.

6. Ego

Ego is a planet-sized entity that has immeasurable intelligence, and incalculable strength. It originated like any other planet, coalescing over millions of years from cosmic gasses and dust, but unlike any other known planets, Ego developed consciousness and intelligence. Its stamina and durability are godlike, and it can fly through space at warp speed. Since Ego is essentially a "living planet," it has total control over its entire mass down to the molecular level, meaning it can shift its surface to appear as if it had a giant face or grow enormous tentacles.

Fun Fact: Ego can create humanoid beings from its own substance who share in its consciousness and who can possess incredible strength, being able to lift over 100 tons.

7. Orb

Drake Shannon, who was horribly maimed after a motorcycle accident, was contacted by They Who Wield Power who supplied him with a technologically advanced eyeball-shaped helmet and a laser gun. As the Orb, Shannon started a motorcycle gang and wreaked havoc.

Fun Fact: He became a professional criminal in order to fight the Ghost Rider.

8. Skein

Romanian-born, Gypsy-raised Sybil Dvorak began to use her genetic mutation to prey on the Hollywood society she envied and eventually became leader of a hedonistic cult. As the Gypsy Moth, Dvorak joined criminal superhuman groups such as the Night Shift and the Masters of Evil. Once Dvorak learned that the Masters of Evil's leader, the Crimson Cowl, intended to betray her, Dvorak turned against them and joined the Thunderbolts instead, renaming herself Skein. Skein possesses the mutant ability to mentally manipulate materials and objects with her mind. Though reluctant to engage in physical combat, she is skilled at seduction and shameless about using these skills.

Fun Fact: Skein's costume has an arsenal of tendrils which she can animate and use to entwine her opponents.

9. Needle

After being mugged one night while leaving work, an elderly tailor loses an eye and his ability to speak. However, he also discovers that he has the power to paralyze with his gaze. Seeking revenge, the unnamed tailor assumes the guise of the professional criminal the Needle. Armed with a yard-long needle, the mute villain attacks young men on the streets at night, sewing their mouths shut.

Fun Fact: The Needle is remarkably spry, considering his age; he once dodged one of Spider-Woman's venom blasts.

10. Orrgo

Two billion miles from Earth a race called the Mentelleronites once discussed their plan to conquer Earth. Orrgo volunteered to be the planet's invader, because he believed his race to be so superior to the humans that he could accomplish it single-handedly. After hypnotizing the world's population, Orrgo fell asleep near a circus where he had originally materialized. Jo-Jo the circus gorilla became angry that his master had not come to feed him, so breaking out of his cage the gorilla found the sleeping Orrgo and struck him down, supposedly killing him and saving the world. The others on Orrgo's world sensed that their brother had been defeated, forcing them to reconsider invading Earth again, thinking earthlings must be more powerful than they had originally thought.

Fun Fact: The Mentelleronite race has the power to seemingly alter reality through the power of their minds. Unfortunately, they are still vulnerable to physical attacks while asleep.

Sources: marvel.wikia.com, Marvel.com