Phosfoe

Frederick Tiafoe

Frederick "Phosfoe" Tiafoe was an esteemed martial artist who gained phosphorus-based abilities after being exposed to the bombing of Hiroshima whilst relieving himself at a urinal. He would later become a founding member of the Pnictogens.

Appearance

Phosfoe is a tall (6'3") man of Japanese descent. After the bombing of Hiroshima, Phosfoe gained burns across his entire body which resulted in serious scarring.
Phosfoe covers his entire body in green and black Imperial Japanese military gear to protect innocent people, but also to hide his scarred face and body. He also wears a utility belt for the gadgets he carries with him.

Personality and Motives

Phosfoe is cynical and dark. He does not believe his powers are a blessing, rather a curse. He became very depressed as he was used as a weapon by the Imperial Japanese Army and came to hate himself and those who use chemical weapons. He especially hates Nazis due to their use of chemicals during the Holocaust. Phosfoe doesn’t really want to live, but he literally can’t die.

Abilities

Phosfoe gained his abilities through a combination of radiation from the Hiroshima bombing and urine evaporating into phosphorus inside of his body. Phosfoe's phosphorus-based abilities become more powerful when there is more oxygen available to him and less powerful when he is lacking oxygen. His abilities revolve around his use of phosphorus, gadgets he keeps on him, and his martial arts training.
The list of Phosfoe's abilities goes as follows:

Karate

Before gaining his phosphorus-based abilities, Phosfoe was an esteemed martial artist within Hiroshima. Even without his phosphorus-based abilities, he has a major advantage over untrained or poorly trained enemies.

Match Hands

Using sandpaper gadgets he keeps on him, Phosfoe can strike and ignite any part of his body, mainly his hands, like a match. This is useful when combined with his martial arts training.

Glowing Skin

Due to the phosphorus inside of Phosfoe's body, he can glow green in the dark. This is useful for visibility in dark areas.

Toxic Fumes

Phosfoe releases toxic phosphorus fumes from his skin. In order to keep fumes from constantly releasing and endangering innocent people, Phosfoe covers himself with a special suit that does not allow these fumes to escape, but allows oxygen to enter. If Phosfoe chooses, he can remove part of his suit to release toxic fumes for his enemies to breathe in.

Fertilizer

Phosphorus acts as a great fertilizer for plant life, so plants grow faster near Phosfoe.

Cellular Rejuvenation

The phosphorus within Phosfoe's body rejuvenates and repairs his cells when in contact with oxygen, meaning Phosfoe is nearly invincible and immortal when in contact with atmospheres that contain oxygen.

Pnictogen Zap

As a member of the Pnictogens, Phosfoe is able to perform a powerful electric zap when close to the other members of the Pnictogens.

History

Frederick Tiafoe was born on September 23rd, 1908 in Japan.
During the early years of Tiafoe's adult life, he became very involved in the art of karate, eventually becoming an esteemed martial artist within the city of Hiroshima, Japan. On August 6th, 1945, Tiafoe was reliving himself at a urinal after sparring. Little did he know, the US had just bombed the city of Hiroshima. The blast from the atomic bomb knocked down the wall in front of Tiafoe and gave him a heavy dose of radiation. The heat from the blast boiled Tiafoe's urine so fast, it became phosphorus inside of him. He would have died if it weren’t for the radiation. The radiation not only kept him alive, but it allowed him to gain the powers of phosphorus.
After the event, he was taken in by the Imperial Japanese Army. The Imperial Japanese Army gave him the code name, "Phosfoe." They experimented on him and used him as a weapon up until their surrender at the end of WWII. During this time, he came to hate himself and those who used chemical weapons. Through multiple suicide attempts, he discovered that he could not die, as the phosphorus within his body rejuvenates and repairs his cells whenever he is in contact with oxygen.
During his time as a weapon for the Imperial Japanese Army, he gathered as much intel on those who who used chemical weapons as he could. He eventually learned about secret Nazi experiments conducted with the goal of creating a weapon that could serve as a second chance for the Nazis after their surrender in WWII. The result of these experiments was the Carbon Copier, a being who possessed the abilities of all carbon-based life forms and more. Predicting mass destruction if the Carbon Copier is unleashed on the world, Phosfoe came up with a plan to gather individuals with similar powers to himself that could stop the Carbon Copier before being unleashed on the world. This group of individuals would become the Pnictogens.
His first target was Solid Nitrogen, a nitrogen-based being who had prevented the theft of the Earth's gold by a villain named Goldmember years previously. After approaching and explaining the situation to Solid Nitrogen in New York, he agreed to join Phosfoe in his mission to stop the Carbon Copier.
They then set off to the ruined lab of Prof. Mark Bisman and Dr. Rudol Urnam to awaken and recruit the slumbering Prof. Bisman into the Pnictogens. Upon arriving, they discovered that the Nazis had already woken the professor and he was currently facing off against Arsenia, another being created by the Nazis. Together, Phosfoe and Solid Nitrogen used their combined ability to produce a powerful electric zap to electrocute and kill Arsenia. After explaining the situation to Prof. Bisman, he agreed to join the Pnictogens on their mission.
After discovering the location of the Carbon Copier, Phosfoe and the Pnictogens fought him. Realizing that he is nearly invincible, they combined all of their energy into one final zap, sending him into orbit where Solid Nitrogen was able to teleport and knock him into the Eternal Cold, where he was forever frozen.
After this event, the Pnictogens separated. The whereabouts of Phosfoe after the separation is unknown.

Frederick Tiafoe

Phosfoe by Frank Fang

Species

Man

Conditions

• Acute radiation syndrome

Ethnicity

Human

Date of Birth

September 23rd, 1908

Birthplace

Japan

Gender

Male

Height

6'3"

Weight

188 lbs

Aligned Organization

Pnictogens

Other Affiliations

• Imperial Japanese Army