The Human Tree
The Human Tree was a superhero from Reality Z-25 31-H, active in New York City and known to Robot Madison.
Description
Physical appearance
The Human Tree appeared as a muscular young man with tan white skin and curly chestnut-brown hair. He had the ability to turn parts of his body into tree-like branches, sometimes complete with foliage, whose size and shape he could control at will; the branches had warm, dark brown bark and deep green leaves. To better facilitate the use of these powers, he usually forewent wearing a shirt. (COMIC: Journey Out Of Misery)
Powers & abilities
The Human Tree's primary power was to turn parts of his body, mostly his arms, into tree-like branches which he could continue to move like real arms, using them to boost his abilities in a fight. He seemed to have some kind of super-strength and increased resilience to go with this. (COMIC: Journey Out Of Misery) He could drive a lorry. (COMIC: Epilogue to Destruction)
Biography
Fighting the Cosmic Solution
The Human Tree was among the heroes who responded to Robot Madison's call when she gathered all the superheroes she could to defend New York City from the alien robot known as the Cosmic Solution. He was part of the initial charge against the robot, though this charge proved counter-productive when the heroes realised the Solution grew in size with every impact it absorbed. After it grew properly gigantic, the Human Tree was seen trying to hold its feet down and trip it by growing his hands and fingers into tangles of roots, without much success. In the end, the robot left Earth of its own accord when it was called off by another agent of the Cosmic Order. (COMIC: Journey Out Of Misery)
In the aftermath, the Human Tree was initially the only superhero to stay to help Professor Madison fix the damage to the city caused by the fight, although they were eventually joined by the other superheroes, back from the well-deserved vacation on which Madison had sent them for their own good. (COMIC: Epilogue to Destruction)
The reign of the New Protectors
When the New Protectors began calling for independent superheroes to join up with them, the Human Tree was seen in footage broadcast on Hero Hour among the various New York City-based heroes who headed to the city hall in good earnest, little expecting that within the day, the Protectors would slide from this voluntary sign-up to declaring independent superheroes to be outlaws overnight. (COMIC: Season of the Witch)
Behind the scenes
In the DeviantArt description of a 2017 sketch of the character, the Human Tree's creator Paul Hoppe revealed that he actually invented the Human Tree as a child, removed from the wider The Cosmic Beholder universe, and only later decided to introduce him into his ongoing series. He also disclosed that the character was inspired by the Spider-Man villains Sandman and Hydroman as they appeared in various 1980s comics.
| Recurring elements of The Cosmic Beholder | ||||||||||
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