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Samuel Smithers

Samuel Smithers

55 appearances · Silver Age · 1965–2025 · 3 key issues
Who is Samuel Smithers?

Samuel Smithers is a self-taught botanist and biochemist who developed a remarkable genius for plant science despite lacking formal education. Obsessed with botanical research, he turned his intellect toward crime, becoming the plant-controlling villain known as the Plant Man.

Born from the fertile imagination of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the landmark Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), Samuel Smithers is a Silver Age Marvel creation whose roots run surprisingly deep across six decades of storytelling. An Avenger with a catalog trail weaving through Thunderbolts, The X-Men, and Avengers / Thunderbolts, he's the kind of character who keeps genuinely fascinating company — sharing pages with Spider-Man, Captain America, Plantman, and Hank McCoy, among others. With three key-issue appearances to his name and a publishing history stretching all the way to 2025, Smithers is far more than a footnote; he's a persistent, quietly compelling presence in the Marvel tapestry. For collectors who love digging into the connective tissue of the Marvel Universe, Samuel Smithers rewards the search.

Identity

Real name. Samuel "Sam" Smithers

Powers. Genius-Level Intellect: Despite his lack of formal education, Smithers is a brilliant botanist, biochemist, and inventor.

Teams & affiliations
X-MenAvengersDefenders
★ First appearance
Strange Tales #113
Oct 1963

Top series

Covers through the years — 1965–2021

Fantastic Four Annual #3 1965
Fantastic Four Annual #3
X-Men Annual #2 1971
X-Men Annual #2
The X-Men #94 1975
The X-Men #94
The Defenders #64 1978
The Defenders #64
The Avengers #227 1983
The Avengers #227
Fantastic Four #335 1989
Fantastic Four #335
Namor, the Sub-Mariner Annual #2 1992
Namor, the Sub-Mariner Annual #2
The Amazing Spider-Man #437 1998
The Amazing Spider-Man #437
Earth X #[nn] 2000
Earth X #[nn]
Avengers / Thunderbolts #1 2004
Avengers / Thunderbolts #1
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men #7 2008
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men #7
Doctor Strange Omnibus #1 2016
Doctor Strange Omnibus #1
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #7 2020
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #7
Avengers Epic Collection #20 2021
Avengers Epic Collection #20

Appearances

Fantastic Four Annual (1963)
#3
The X-Men (1963)
Sub-Mariner (1968)
X-Men Annual (1970)
#2
Strange (1970)
#23
Spécial Strange (1975)
The Defenders (1972)
Marvel Team-Up (1972)
#71
Tales to Astonish (1979)
#3
Spécial Rodéo (1962)
#76
The Avengers (1963)
Superaventuras Marvel (1982)
#34
Captain America (1968)
Ombrax-Saga (1986)
Classic X-Men (1986)
#2
Fantastic Four (1961)
X-Men, Les étranges (1989)
#17
The Avengers Annual (1967)
#19
Marvel Holiday Special (1991)
#1
Namor, the Sub-Mariner Annual (1991)
#2
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963)
Earth X (2000)
Thunderbolts (1997)
Wizard Ace Edition: Uncanny X-Men #94 (2002)
Marvel Heroes (2001)
#29
Avengers / Thunderbolts (2004)
Marvel Masterworks: The Human Torch (2006)
#1
Iron Man - Les aventures (2008)
#1
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men (2003)
#7
Doctor Strange Omnibus (2016)
#1
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (2008)
#7
Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange (2021)
#1
Avengers Epic Collection (2013)
Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute (2022)
#1
Marvel-Verse: Rocket & Groot (2023)
Captain Marvel: The Saga of Monica Rambeau (2023)
Defenders Epic Collection (2016)
#3
Marvel Origins (2023)
#63