Dr. Curt Connors - Portrait of a Father

Transmogrification in Heroes/Villains is painted a little vanilla usually by like weighing too heavy on the Frankenstein (Deathlok or a result of someone else's intentions) or a Jekyl/Hyde misreading (The Hulk or two separate identities sharing the same body) romantic tragedy of the character in question. The third incarnation of this character type is, and probably just my projection, sorta Dumas' Man in the Iron Mask-y. Where the identity is withheld from or changed in the eyes of not just the spectator but to the imprisoned person themselves. The Thing is one because Ben Grimm is effectively trapped in a seemingly permanent and fundamentally altered state of being that changes who he Is and how he relates to himself. He's the total repression of Ben Grimm, the unfuckable rock-dick. Venom is another, as Eddie Brock might eventually meld himself into the choices of the hostile symbiote.. it effectively chooses as to What it's willing to let Brock Be. What aspects of his personality present themselves but it's still Venom, the dominate synthesis and Eddie just gets cancer anyways when it ditches him. He's not a person, in so many words.

But I really want to talk about Curt Connors, The Lizard. Because Dr. Connors is a good man, in family and work and military service (during which he had his arm amputated from shell blast wounds) and he exists in the pursuit of cellular regenerative medicines via Herpetology. But he is also a rashly propelled egoist who will do whatever it takes to heal/renew himself. To fill his own void at a repeated cost.

He knows that his serum might fuck up again but he does it anyway, even after Spider-Man gives him his humanity back in the form of an antidote. This is Dr. Connors' true source of Evil. He's willing to hurt a lot of people, hurt his own genius and family, to get that fucking arm back.

The Lizard manifestation Is Curt's Ego-Ideal, in most ways. He is powerful, dexterous, cunning, and commanding over an entire class of animal. He is Not the handicapped, desperate person whose family unknowingly reminds him of this lack.

Like, I don't think he refrains from slaughtering them as The Lizard because he "loves" them. He refrains because he fears their judgement and needs some form of redemption in their eyes. If it were the case of the former, he'd have learnt to be okay with only having one arm and researched something else.

And as far as it all being to the benefit of mankind, the fact that he intends a global take over via attacking reptiles and shit as The Lizard, nearly every transformation, this can hardly be his motivation.

His later condition of spontaneous change from Curt to Liz, whilst under severe duress, is not some tragic symptom or accident. It's the intended result. To occupy two identies without being held accountable for the negative entity, only the "good" victim. This is the True Jekyll/Hyde type. Not like The Hulk/Banner situation monster/man binary. But the man who creates the condition for himself to be a monster.

Four Issues: First two here as ideas.

So, Martha Connors is with her lawyer, early stages of she and Curt's imminent divorce, recalling as best she can the weeks leading up to Spider-Man's intervention in the Lizard's first appearance. The Florida home. The miracle of Curt's success. The strange behaviors, his disappearance. Messes and smells, sounds and the swamp at night. Protecting Billy from what should not be. "How could he have put me.. through that.. Again and again? Was he punishing Us for His going to war? For helping with work needing to be done around the home? Work that he couldn't do himself? It was difficult to make love after that experience. I almost think he resented me for that very thing.. Attempted that awful serum again out of spite."

Curt Connors, with his assistant and war buddy Ted Sallis, are working towards discovering a serum which will produce rapid cellular regeneration in amputated human beings. Dr. Connors is having a superficial yet entirely hush hush affair with a young Ted Sallis' fiancée Ellen Brandt. He has agreed to allow Ellen to present some of his current research to the board at the Advanced Idea Mechanic Headquarters in Brooklyn, NY. under the promise of a potential grant being pushed his way, though nothing has proven fruitful as of yet.

After Connors' self-experimentation in regeneration succeeds in re growing his arm, he dismisses both Ted and Ellen from his lab and property guest home. His temperament begins to change considerably towards his family.

Ending with the half lizard Connors devouring the family's dog one evening.