Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.
His name isn’t Mud, it’s: Primus
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Appearances in Heroclix: Smash and Destroy
First Appearance: Captain America #209 (May 1977)
Team Affiliations: Thunderbolts
Powers/Abilities: Shapeshifting; Superhuman Strength; Superhuman Durability; Regenerative Healing Factor
Created by: Jack Kirby
Primus is perhaps Arnim Zola’s masterpiece. Primus, alongside Doughboy, are bioforms derived from the amassed knowledge of the Deviants. Primus is the first of Zola’s creations to have its own wills and desires, which manifest when it captures Captain America and Donna Maria Puentes. Primus desires Donna and attacks Zola when the scientist refuses to give her to him. Zola forcibly merges Primus with Doughboy and essentially traps Primus’ consciousness in the merged form.
Primus eventually takes over the body and escapes Zola’s burning castle. Shape-shifting into Zola, Primus joins Baron Zemo who is seeking the scientist’s help. Zola plans for Primus to assume Captain America’s identity and ruin his reputation. The plan goes well until Primus meets Capt’s girlfriend, Bernadette Rosenthal. Primus again feels desire and decides to just go on being Steve Rogers to feel love. The real Capt escapes and reveals Primus as an impostor. In response, Primus kidnaps Bernadette and plans to give her a mutated body like his before merging natural man with his synthetic form. When Capt confronts Primus, he is ultimately able to defeat the creature when Bernadette rejects him and professes her love for Captain America.
Primus works with the Mad Thinker for a time, against the New Warriors. Primus is later under Zola’s control again, working for Absolution Solutions, experimenting on superhuman prisoners. Zola tries and fails to kidnap and brainwash D-Cel, leading Juggernaut to attacking the bunker he is working out of. Primus is able to temporarily restrain Juggernaut, allowing Zola to capture D-Cel. However, Juggernaut ultimately breaks free and unleashes a thunderclap that disperses Primus into tiny pieces.