Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Jamie Madrox is one of the most fascinating characters in the Marvel Universe. For decades, everyone thought that Multiple Man was simply a mutant that could clone himself. As the years progressed, Jamie revealed hidden depths to his powers - exposing him as a Changeling, and not a traditional mutant.
Since then, Jamie Madrox's powers have only grown in complexity. Many of his clones (referred to as 'Dupes' by Multiple Man) have gone on to live full lives apart from Jamie. Others have gone rogue - becoming criminals and even attempting to kill Madrox himself! To shed some light on this mysterious mutant, we're going to discuss ten of Jamie's most perplexing secrets.
10 Hitting Him Makes More Dupes
Much like Wolverine or Deadpool, Jamie Madrox is a hard man to keep down - largely because his cloning powers make him far more durable than the average man. If you were to hit Jamie, there's a high likelihood that he'll create a Dupe right on the spot! By doing this, Madrox can 'spread out' incoming damage.
Jamie Madrox has fought the likes of She-Hulk and Black Bolt throughout his career. The only reason either of those titanic heroes didn't reduce him to a fine red paste was because of this trick. Indeed, you risk raising an army every time you take a swing at the Multiple Man!
9 Madrox's Dupes Can Become Sentient
Jamie Madrox's cloning powers aren't without drawbacks, however. Sure, he can overwhelm most foes through sheer numbers, but the more Dupes Jamie creates, the higher the chances that his clones will take on lives of their own! At first, Jamie's more complex Dupes reflected various aspects of Madrox's personality; he once created a Dupe that was too depressed to even open a locked door for him.
Over the years, though, we've seen increasingly sophisticated Dupes emerge from Jamie Madrox's subconscious. Some of his most famous Dupes became a lawyer, Shaolin monk, preacher, and maniacal tyrant respectively. There's also the case of Sean Madrox, but we don't want to talk about that sad story just yet.
8 One Dupe Became A Pastor
John Maddox is a fascinating example of our previous point. John used to be a normal Dupe until he broke free from Jamie's control after studying religion. The Dupe created the identity of Father John Maddox, started a family, and began preaching to the good people of Vermont. Jamie Madrox was baffled when he discovered the life his Dupe had created for himself!
That bewilderment turned to melancholy, however, when Multiple Man initially thought he'd have to reabsorb John into his person. Reabsorption is typically how Jamie Madrox keeps his Dupes in line and strengthens his powers. However, Multiple Man decided to leave John be, unable to ignore the good he was doing for his community and the love he had for his family.
7 Another Was A Baby That Jamie Accidentally Absorbed
John wasn't the only Dupe that split away from Multiple Man's collective and started a family. One of Jamie's clones secretly fathered a child with a Mutant named Siryn. Named Sean, this baby only lived for a brief time before Multiple Man encountered him. Initially taken aback, Jamie nonetheless warmed up to the idea of being a grandfather to Sean.
Unfortunately, Jamie Madrox began uncontrollably absorbing Sean into his body when the two made contact. To the horror of Jamie and Siryn, young Sean was assimilated into Multiple Man just like one of his Dupes. Before long, Sean fully merged with Jamie - leaving nothing behind but two bewildered and heartbroken parents.
6 The "Emperor Prime" Dupe Tried To Usurp Madrox's Position
Deaths in comic books are almost as common as crossover events these days. It doesn't usually take long for major heroes and villains to return from the dead, so most of us readers don't react much when someone bites the dust. Jamie Madrox seemingly died during the M-Pox event, causing his Dupes to slowly fade from existence too.
One Dupe, however, sought to live at all costs. He locked himself in a bunker and evaded Death's icy grip until meeting Hank McCoy. Beast then helped the Dupe take over as 'Madrox Prime,' inadvertently inflating his ego to an astronomical scale. This Dupe went on to become the "Emperor Prime," attempting to take Jamie's place.
5 Jamie Was An Olympic Gymnast For Two Years
One of the most nuanced ways Multiple Man uses his powers is sending his Dupes out to learn various things and then absorbing them, and their experiences, back into his person. By doing this, Jamie Madrox can learn to practice law and provide emergency medical support without having to personally attend school!
Conversely, Jamie Madrox also brings plenty of skills to the table on his own. Allegedly, Jamie was an Olympic gymnast for two years before he turned to crime-fighting. Multiple Man has a slew of impressive speed and agility feats under his belt; he's dodged bullets, climbed Sentinels, and once slit a man's throat with a card!
4 Professor X Made Him Fight Weapon XII
Most of the time, Jamie Madrox can resist the influence of telepaths by rapidly creatin Dupes. In the face of an Omega Level Telepath such as Charles Xavier, though, Multiple Man couldn't make Dupes fast enough to resist Xavier's control. Once under his thrall, Madrox had to fight a living weapon dubbed Weapon XII.
Even though Professor X was in the driver's seat, we still got a chance to see just how tough Jamie Madrox is! Multiple Man traded blows with Weapon XII without succumbing to the Huntsman's flames. After creating an army of Dupes, Jamie managed to overwhelm the monster through sheer numbers!
3 Jamie Can Create Dupes Inside Of Opponents
Even though this is one of the more gruesome applications of Jamie Madrox's powers, it still shows just how smart Multiple Man is. Jamie usually beats foes by brawling with them or swarming them with Dupes. However, Madrox can also weaponize his cloning process - bursting enemies with low durability scores like birthday balloons!
We've seen Jamie Madrox pull this off twice - once against a dinosaur early in his career and again against a humanoid foe. Seeking information, Jamie threatened to create a Dupe in his captive's mouth! Before he could react, one of MM's Dupes forced Jamie's hand - literally! The Dupe claimed that Jamie's life was in danger, but not all of MM's clones can be trusted.
2 Madrox Is A Fully Trained S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent
Private investigator, athlete, actor - Jamie Madrox has worn many hats in his life. That's why it probably shouldn't come as a surprise to learn that Madrox is a fully sanctioned S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent - but it does anyway! Multiple Man completed the rigorous training regime that Nick Fury and Mariah Hill put all of their troops through.
Thanks to this training, Jamie Madrox can win most battles without the need to create reinforcements. Jamie's also an excellent shot; he's bolted enemies right in between their eyes as well as outgunmed numerous dangerous enemies without breaking a sweat. The less that Jamie has to rely on his Dupes, the better, in our opinion.
1 Jamie Madrox Is Enlightened
Do you remember that Shaolin Dupe that we referenced earlier? Well, that guy played a major role in changing Jamie Madrox's outlook on life. Multiple Man initially sent that Dupe off to learn how to meditate more effectively, but the Dupe became engrossed in Shaolin culture and dedicated himself to finding inner peace.
When the Shaolin Dupe returned, Multiple Man absorbed him and all of his knowledge. Moreover, Jamie Madrox became overwhelmed with a sense of calm. MM gained a better understanding of his place in the universe and made peace with himself. In short, Jamie became enlightened - like Avatar Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender!