Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger is Marvel's comics adaptation of Troma Entertainment's cult film hero — a nerdy outcast transformed by a plunge into toxic waste into a hideously deformed but good-hearted mutant superhero, fighting crime and pollution with monstrous strength.

Half superhero, half hazmat nightmare, the Toxic Avenger made their Marvel Comics debut in Marvel Age #98 in 1991, arriving right at the cusp of the Copper and Modern Ages when publishers were pushing bold, unconventional concepts to the edges of the medium. With a brief but memorable run across 1991–1992, this character shares their pages with the likes of Melvin Junko and Claire, a cast that hints at the darkly comedic world the series inhabits. Eight appearances may be a compact legacy, but for collectors who love offbeat Marvel curios from that era, this is exactly the kind of find that makes digging through back-issue bins so rewarding.