Earth-616 character
Kevin Sydney, [3] known as "Changeling", originally works for the villainous organization Factor Three. He acts as the Mutant Master's second-in-command in an effort to trigger World War III. After successfully capturing the heroic X-Men, the Mutant Master is exposed as an extraterrestrial and goes out of control. The mutants of Factor Three ultimately join with the X-Men to defeat the Mutant Master. [4]
Following that group's defeat, Changeling seeks to reform. [5] He divulges to Professor X that he has an unspecified terminal illness with only a few months left to live and wishes to atone for his misdeeds. Professor X recruits Changeling to act as a stand-in, unbeknownst to the X-Men, while he isolates himself to prepare a defense against the alien Z'Nox's invasion. [6] Changeling, masquerading as Professor X, [7] leads the X-Men's efforts to defeat the Subterranean Grotesk, who kills him in battle. [8] The X-Men mourn the loss of Professor X until they learn that he was an impostor. [6]
When the mystical Darkhold is recreated, Changeling's spirit uses the opportunity to possess Meggan. Angry that he used his remaining time helping the X-Men instead of seeking a cure for himself, Changeling sought revenge against Professor X. [9] However, Merlyn later admits that the encounter was merely fantasy, having orchestrated the event to prepare Excalibur. [10]
Changeling is later raised from the dead as a zombie by Black Talon to form part of the team X-Humed alongside Harry Leland, Living Diamond, and Scaleface. He attacks She-Hulk, but breaks from Black Talon's control of him long enough to allow She-Hulk to win and lay the zombies back to rest. [11]
In the series Astonishing X-Men , Changeling is revealed to have been resurrected on Krakoa and is reimagined as possessing the appearance and name of his alternate universe counterpart Morph. He acts as both a superhero and supervillain, being unaware of his dual identity. [12] [13]
Earth-1081 character
Morph is a hero from Earth-1081 who is a member of the New Mutants, X-Men, and Avengers. Early on in life, he managed to use his powers, and was able to give everyone what they wanted from him. Morph always used his power to joke around and keep everyone at ease with him, only comfortable to be himself around his parents. Following his mother's death from lung cancer, Morph is enrolled in the Xavier Institute. Promoted to the X-Men, Morph's sense of humor initially grated upon the much more serious team but eventually his humor and humility won them over. He was instrumental in many of the team's victories and was chosen to be part of a pilot program with the Avengers, along with Beast, as a public representative of mutants.
While battling a threat known only as Stonehenge, Morph becomes unhinged from time. The mysterious Timebroker appears to him, explaining that his unhinging is the result of a chain of events that caused his reality to change. In this new reality, Morph is unable to maintain his body and is rendered comatose. Hoping to save his own future, Morph joins the Exiles, a group of universe-hopping heroes trying to save realities from ripples and alteration. [14] Morph is later possessed by Proteus, [15] but manages to convince Proteus to work together with him and share his body. [16] When the Exiles are trapped in the Crystal Palace, Proteus is absorbed in Morph's place, freeing Morph from him. [17] Morph is later killed by Maniac Xavier, an alternate universe variant of Charles Xavier from Earth-18136. [18]
