AMAZING-MAN I (Will Everett)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Roy Thomas, Rick Hoberg and Jerry Ordway

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Will Everett
Identity: Secret, later public
Occupation: Amateur athlete, later janitor
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Married (after 1942)
Known Relatives: Jake Everett (father, presumed deceased); Lula May Everett (mother, presumed deceased); Rachel Lindsey Everett (wife); Will Everett, Jr. (son, deceased); Will Everett III (grandson, presumed deceased); unnamed daughter; Markus Clay (grandson)
Base of Operation: Detroit, MI
Group Affiliation(s): All-Star Squadron
Gender: Male
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black, later Grey
First Appearance: All-Star Squadron #23 (July 1983): "When Fate Takes Thy Measure"
Creators: Roy Thomas, Rick Hoberg and Jerry Ordway

OVERVIEW

A star of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, largely due to his color - it was a coup to have two black athletes proving Hitler wrong about white superiority - Everett had little luck on his return to the USA, ending up as a pawn of the Ultra-Humanite. However, he inevitably came into contact with the heroes of the All-Star Squadron, whom he joined, using his ability to absorb the properties of any material he came in contact with to become a trusted and popular member of the group. His abilities were later altered by exposure to an electromagnet, but his grandsons would inherit his original powers and become a hero for a short time in his own right.

HISTORY

Will Everett was a man trapped by the racist attitudes of the early 20th Century. A gifted athlete, he beat the odds and won gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany, striking a blow for African-Americans. However, he could not find work as a professional athlete and took to menial jobs to help support his family.

One such job was as a janitor for a scientist, Terry Curtis, who became involved with a plot by the Ultra-Humanite, and Will was taken captive and experimented on, becoming a super-powered being. Aiding the Ultra-Humanite, he was confronted by the All-Star Squadron, and seeing that the Ultra-Humanite was ready to let him die and his family also, turned his back on his evil boss and aided the heroes.

Not really ready for the life of a 'mystery-man', Will returned to his family in Detroit, only to find himself in the middle of race riots spurred by The Phantom Empire, a white supremacist organisation. While helping the All-Star Squadron again, Will decided to use his powers to help the War Effort on the home front by championing the causes of racial equality.

In May, 1942, Amazing-Man (as he was called), was accidentally exposed to the powerful electro-magnetic radiation from an experimental generator in Project M, which transformed his abilities into those of magnetic repulsion and attraction, similar to those of Magno. It is not known how long he kept these abilities, since his original powers were passed down to his son and grandsons.

As time went on, Everett became more comfortable with his role in the super-hero community and after the Second World War, sought to use his standing as a hero to fight for increased civil rights among the African-American community, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and others.

When last seen, Will Everett was suffering from cancer and did not have long to live, but passed the mantle of Amazing-Man down to his grandson, Will Everett III.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

When originally given his powers by the Ultra-Humanite, through unknown sources, Amazing-Man could take on the physical properties of anything he touched. If he touched a rubber band, he could stretch his limbs, touching steel gave his skin metallic toughness and increased his strength.

However, his abilities changed when exposed to severe electro-magnetic radiation from an experimental generator at Project M. He acquired the abilities of magnetic repulsion and attraction. It is not known if the same generator gave similar abilities to Magno, or even how long Amazing-Man kept these abilities, since his original powers were passed down to his offspring.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Amazing-Man in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1 (March 1985)