ORIGIN

Mortimer Toynbee was born in York, England, and was quickly abandoned by his parents and spent many years in an orphanage, where he was constantly tormented by other children due to his ugliness and strangely shaped body (as his mutant appearance was present from birth). He was considered to be mentally inferior due to his extreme shyness and mild learning disabilities during his primary school years, though he was actually quite intelligent. He dropped out at an extremely early age and decided to fend for himself. Based on years of abuse and knowing full well he was a freak, Mortimer developed a severe inferiority complex, becoming servile to anyone that showed him the slightest bit of affection.

Later, he was recruited into Magneto's original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, becoming Magneto's sycophantic 'toady'. The Toad believed that Magneto loved him, while the mutant mastermind considered this henchman little more than a human shield. He was also obsessed with his then-teammate, the Scarlet Witch, leading to a continuing enmity with her and her brother, Quicksilver, though the crush was dropped years later after he saw her pregnant belly and became disgusted.

The 198

During the battle with the House of M, the Scarlet Witch changed back reality, genetically altering over ninety percent of the world's mutant population and only leaving a few hundred with their powers as a result, Toad among them. After rescuing Lorelei from anti-mutant thugs in Mutant Town, Toad escorted her to the Xavier Institute, where the X-Men had set up a camp for refugee mutants. Once he arrived at the institute he was paired with Fever Pitch as his tent mate, and made his disgust of the Sentinels "watching" them well known.

Civil War

Toad was among the group of mutants who broke out of the 198 camp, with help from Caliban, Domino, and Shatterstar. The group hid in what they believed was an abandoned nuclear bunker in the Nevada desert. While the X-Men and ONE battled outside the bunker, Johnny Dee was instructed by General Lazer to cause chaos amongst the 198. The group of mutants discovered this as Outlaw, being controlled by Johnny, pointed her gun at Domino. Domino's powers caused a misfire, giving Toad a chance to bring Outlaw down.

It was then revealed that the bunker was actually a blast containment chamber, for experimental weapons. As the auto-destruct sequence was initiated, Toad was trapped inside the chamber with the rest of the 198. The X-Men, teaming up with Bishop, Iron Man, and Ms. Marvel, quickly found a way to rescue the trapped mutants and the 198 walked away unharmed.

POWERS

The Toad's intellect and physical abilities have gone through some changes over the years. In the character's inception, he possessed superhuman strength, agility, and a superhuman ability to leap great distances. However, over the years, the Toad's original powers have increased and he has gained additional powers through further mutation.

The Toad's primary mutant ability is a superhuman leaping ability that allows him to leap many times higher and farther than an ordinary human. In his first appearances, Toad had very little knowledge of hand to hand combat, fighting mainly by kicking wildly and by leaping about and attempting to land on his opponents. Recently, he has demonstrated a better sense of combat and a slimmer physique, using both his leaping ability and his long, prehensile tongue to his advantage.

The Toad's intellect has increased beyond his original levels and he has had access to vast technological and scientific knowledge, which he gained as a lackey to Magneto and while he was held captive by the Stranger. He has demonstrated the ability to apply this advanced technology, but lacks the creativity to make progress beyond his existing knowledge. For example, while he could build a powerful exoskeletal armor, he would be unable to improve on its base design.

The Toad has some degree of low level superhuman strength, particularly in his legs which grants him his superior leaping abilities. Toad also has a very flexible spine, allowing him to remain in a crouching position comfortably for hours, though he can stand if he wishes. He also has gained the ability to extend his tongue great distances and ensnare objects and people. His tongue is superhumanly strong to the extent that he once killed a magistrate of Genosha by ensnaring him with his tongue and squeezing him, causing the magistrate to be crushed to death. He is also able to secrete a sticky resin from his hands which allows him to stick to most surfaces. as well as an ability to secrete odorless pheremonous venom that he is able to use to control minds to a limited extent.

The Toad also possesses the ability to psionically communicate with amphibian life and expel powerful gusts of wind from his lungs capable of knocking someone down.

Appeareances

He was one of the main characters in X-Men: the 198, but appears very rarely in all other X-Men storylines.

Alternate Realities

Earth-295

In the Age of Apocalypse, Toad was a member of Forge's resistance group, the Outcasts. This version of Toad was a highly articulate Shakespearean actor, and a master swordsman. When the Outcasts were attacked by Domino, Toad killed her henchman Caliban but died immediately afterward at the hands of Grizzly.

Earth-311

In 1602, Toad appears in as Magneto's spy in the Vatican. As Magneto's plot was to recruit the "witchbreed" who could conceal their abilities in the unfriendly world, it is wondered why Toad was included, as he is shown with a long tongue constantly coming out of his mouth. He also has the ability to climb around on walls. When his deception is discovered by the Papacy, he betrays Magneto and his allies in exchange for his life. However, when Magneto's group breaks free, they capture Toad. Magneto promises to kill him, but his death is at least delayed, as he is seen alive on the ship later, though he doesn't appear in the climax.

House of M or Earth-58163

In the House of M reality Toad was a elite Red Guard Unit SHIELD agent and wrote a best-selling book about his life.

Ultimate Toad or Earth-1610

In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Toad was a founding member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. In this version, he is not the sycophantic Toad from the mainstream universe, but rather is ruthless and vicious. This Toad is also British like the mainstream version but has four fingers and toes, green skin and can walk on walls and ceilings like Spider-Man. He became good friends with Ultimate Cyclops, when they were in the Brotherhood together. This friendship carried on even after Cyclops returned to the X-Men. It appeared that Toad recently returned in Ultimate X-Men #69, where he crashed a dance alongside the Brotherhood, but was later revealed that the Brotherhood in that issue was an illusion cast by another villain.

After the supposed death of Professor Xavier and the consequent passing of control of the school to Cyclops and Jean Grey, Toad works as an instructor at the school, something that Jean feels mildly uncomfortable with. Cyclops asks Toad to visit the Morlocks and tell them of the new school regime that he is trying to create. Sunder, the Morlock leader had taken in Nightcrawler and believes the two to be working against him. Toad and Nightcrawler are then taken captive and then freed by Cyclops, Jean, Rogue, and Iceman.

Ultimate Toad's personality and appearance is more snarky British punk than subservient yes-man, and he has been shown as a relatively competent fighter in his few appearances.

Movie Toad

Toad appeared as a character in the 2000 movie X-Men, played by Ray Park. He is a member of Magneto's Brotherhood and possesses enhanced leaping capability and acrobatic speed, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance, a sticky prehensile 13-foot tongue, and the ability to spit a sticky mucus that hardens almost instantly. In the battle at the Statue of Liberty, Toad was electrocuted by Storm and it implied he died.

Although some fans thought he appeared in the third film, this was actually Anole, another green, wall-crawling mutant.

Evolution Toad

Name: Todd Tolansky

He is similar to the original Toad version and appears in the cartoon X-Men Evolution and the comic books, except that he is an American teenager instead of a British adult, and does not know Magneto. And is not a sycophantic follower. So, really, not much at all like the original.

In the Evolution storyline Toad is a 17 year old teenager of Bayville Highschool and has his first appearance in the first episode where he plays an important role. He is the first member of Mystiques Brotherhood and later teamed up with Blob, Avalanche, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. This is one of the most popular Versions of Toad.