STUFF
Stuff revealed

Real Name: Stuff

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial biosynthetic shapeshifter

Occupation: Superguardian (Advance Scout)

Group Membership: Imperial Superguardian Elite

Affiliations: Arc, Blimp, Cosmo, Gladiator, Lilandra, Manta, Oracle, Schism, Squorm;

(most likely Fader, Monstra, Neosaurus, Plutonia);
formerly Esme (Stepford Cuckoos)

Enemies: Cassandra Nova;

formerly mutants at the Xavier Institute, especially Angel, Beak, Emma Frost, Stepford Cuckoos

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Kato, Cassandra Nova (impersonation)

Base of Operations: Xavier Institute, Salem Center, New York State, U.S.A.;

formerly Shi'ar Superdestroyer above Earth;
formerly Shi'ar Galactic Empire

First Appearance: New X-Men I#123 (April, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Stuff was relatively simple-minded but his body was composed of complex pseudoplasm. Basically, he was a metamorphic large green amoebic lifeform over 4' high, with a large red "eye" and short tendrils on his back. He also seemed to have green X-ray vision. He could mimic the outward appearance of other races, including humans.

Stuff up closeHistory: (New X-Men I#123 - BTS) - The Shi'ar Empress, Lilandra, her mind controlled by the villainous Cassandra Nova, who inhabited Charles Xavier's body, arrived in lower Earth orbit with a team of Superguardians, including Stuff, under the leadership of Gladiator. Cassandra Nova used Lilandra to enforce the power of the Imperial Superguardian Elite to attack the X-Men, using a lie that the mutants were infected and had to be exterminated. The shapeshifter Stuff was sent in as the Advance Scout to gather information about the mutants' strengths and weaknesses before an assault was to take place.

(New X-Men I#123) - Posing as "Kato", a new mutant from Japan at the Xavier Institute with would-be "3-D memory recall" mutant power, he integrated well into the new student arrivals, becoming romantic with Esme of the Stepford Cuckoos. The other four Stepford Cuckoos disapproved of this, suggesting that there was some plot behind it all. Emma Frost dismissed these notions from the four.

Meanwhile, various reporters had arrived at the School and Phoenix (Jean Grey) addressed them. This was watched by Kato some 40 meters away using X-ray vision, who then reported back to the Superdestroyer via a wrist communicator in the Shi'ar language. However, this was seen by the love-struck Esme, who challenged Kato about it. Kato smiled and told her she was about to die.
Recognizing imminent danger, Phoenix and Emma Frost herded the reporters and students into the Mansion. However, the other four Stepford Cuckoos were still outside and confronted Esme and Kato. Emma Frost rushed out to her favorite students, just as Kato morphed into his true form. Emma Frost shielded her students from the fiery trail created with the arrival of the Superguardians, Gladiator, Arc, Cosmo and Squorm.

Hot Stuff: Kato

(New X-Men I#124) - Back in the form of Kato, Stuff watched with Oracle the captured Stepford Cuckoos, Emma Frost and Angel. Cosmo departed after a golden helmet smothered Emma Frost's head that dampened her abilities and partially immobilized her. Stuff criticized the Cuckoos for being "solid-oids", but Oracle cautioned him against morphism. This distraction permitted the Cuckoos to disable Oracle, while Angel punched Kato with a right hook, which caused Stuff to instantly transform back into his true form. Seeing that they could program the shapechanger's mind and body, they concurred that he could indeed be the perfect boyfriend.

(New X-Men I#125) - The Stepford Cuckoos hid with the still bound Emma Frost and the captive Stuff in a rose arbor. Angel returned with Beak, who suggested getting Stuff to remove the golden helmet around Emma Frost's head. One of the Stepford girls called Stuff "bum-face", before they all proceeded to telepathically force Stuff to remove the helmet, going through the metamorph's neuro-drive to achieve this.

Stuff's Cassandra Nova impersonation

(New X-Men I#126) - Standing before the floating Stuff, Emma Frost prodded Stuff's feeble mind, identifying the "morphic record and function". Forgoing the lewd possibilities of a programmable shapeshifter in favor of defeating Cassandra Nova, Emma Frost used a tissue sample of the villain originally taken by Beast to alter Stuff so that he would appear like Cassandra Nova.

Meanwhile, the battle inside the Mansion had reached its climax, with Charles Xavier once more in control of his own body, but Cassandra Nova left bodiless except for her destructive mummudrai form. Emma Frost then appeared in diamond form carrying Stuff (impersonating Cassandra Nova's human body) and offered it to the mummudrai, as it needed a body to continue fighting. Absorbing Stuff, Cassandra Nova was instead locked inside Stuff's synthetic brain, which was programmed to learn.

Comments: Created by Grant Morrison (writer), Ethan van Sciver with Tom Derenick (pencils) & Townsend, Miki, Hanna, Florea (inks).

Stuff could easily have blended into the School grounds earlier than #123.

He or it? Not sure. I'd consider Stuff an "it", but the shapechanging supersize amoeba was almost always referred to as "he".

Profile by Grendel Prime

Clarifications:

Stuff has no known connections to:

images:
New X-Men I#123, p21, panel 4 (main);

p16, panel 3 (as Kato);
New X-Men I#125, p11, panel 3 (close up);
New X-Men I#126, p28, panel 3 (Cassandra Nova impersonation).

New X-Men I#123 (April, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Ethan van Sciver with Tom Derenick (pencils), Townsend, Miki, Hanna, Florea (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
New X-Men I#124 (May, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Mark Powers (editor)
New X-Men I#125 (June, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Mark Powers (editor)
New X-Men I#126 (July, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Frank Quitely (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Mark Powers (editor)

Last updated: 02/05/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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