Hydro-Man

*Looking for another version of Hydro-Man? Check out the Hydro-Man disambiguation page.*
**Hydro-Man** is a criminal whose body is made out of water and has the power to control water. Hydro-Man use to date Mary Jane Watson and began to obsess over her after she broke up with him.

## History

### Early life

While in high school, Morris Bench and Mary Jane Watson dated. At first, Bench seemed like a nice guy, but eventually he became jealous, overbearing, and made Mary Jane's life miserable. Because of this, Mary Jane broke up with him.

Bench was eventually expelled from school and his parents forced him to join the Navy to keep him out of trouble. When Bench was assigned to the special research department of the Navy, he was on a naval ship helping to lower a mini-submarine into the ocean. However, the mini-submarine quickly fell into the ocean and a cable on the sub wrapped around Bench's arm and dragged to the bottom of the ocean. When the submarine hit the ocean floor, it cracked the ground and released an unknown gas. Bench was exposed to this gas while still under water and it transformed him into a being made of water himself. Bench soon discovered that he could control the water around him and could gain power by being near large bodies of water.

### Later life

#### Frightful Four

Bench eventually took the name Hydro-Man and turned to a life of crime. Hydro-Man was then approached by a criminal inventor called the Wizard and invited Hydro-Man to join a group of criminals he called the Frightful Four alongside himself, Trapster, and Medusa. As soon as the Frightful Four was formed, Wizard began to plot his revenge against Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four.

Hydro-Man and Medusa lured Thing into a trap. As Thing attempted to fight Hydro-Man, he learned that his punches went straight through him because his body was made of water. Thing was eventually subdued and Wizard brainwashed Thing into working for him.

Wizard then had Thing call the Fantastic Four and told them to come to a warehouse. The Fantastic Four did this, unaware that they were stepping into a trap set by the Frightful Four. As the Fantastic Four arrived, Hydro-Man attempted to jump on top of Human Torch and turn in to water to extinguish his flames. However, before he could hit Human Torch, Invisible Woman trapped Hydro-Man in a force shield bubble. However, Invisible Woman lost her concentration when the mind controlled Thing attacked Mister Fantastic. The force field vanished and Hydro-Man was freed. Trapster then trapped Invisible Woman in a special paste he created and Hydro-Man turned into water and surrounded Human Torch so that he couldn't use his powers.

As the Fantastic Four and Thing fought the Frightful Four, Hydro-Man managed to trap Invisible Woman in water and hold her captive. However, Alicia Masters arrived and was able to snap Thing out of his hynoptic trance and defeated Hydro-Man and the other members of the Frightful Four. Medusa managed to escape but Wizard, Trapster, and Hydro-Man were taken to prison.

#### Stalking Mary Jane

Hydro-Man later escaped prison and returned to New York City. Hydro-Man used his powers to steal jewelry from around the city to give it to Mary Jane to win her back. During one heist, Spider-Man confronted Hydro-Man, but he was able to escape. Hydro-Man later contacted Mary Jane while she was at the Coffee Bean and told her to meet him at the Seville Hotel. As Mary Jane arrived at the hotel, she told Bench that she only came to tell him that their realtionship is over. Worried for her safety, Spider-Man followed Mary Jane to Washington Square Park where she met Bench. Bench explained to Mary Jane that back in high school, he was a loser but now had to power to give her whatever she wanted. Bench then used his powers to turn a fountain in the park into a geyser that shot into the air several stories. Spider-Man then arrived and fought Bench, but learned that his body was made of water so his punched passed straight through him. Hydro-Man then used his powers to create a giant tidal wave to try and drown Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man was able to web swing over to Mary Jane and get her to safety.

Hydro-Man later discovered that Mary Jane was hiding at Liz Allen's apartment and kidnapped her. At that time, Peter Parker was present and witnessed Hydro-Man taking her. Peter realized that Hydro-Man could use the pipes at a local pumping station to go anywhere in the city by turning into liquid and traveling through the pipes. As Spider-Man arrived, he sprayed Hydro-Man with a special web fluid that acted like concrete. As the webbing hit Hydro-Man, it reacted to his water based body and covered him in a hard shell made out of webbing. However, Hydro-Man was able to break free. However, while fighting Spider-Man, Mary Jane was able to escape and Hydro-Man followed after her. As Hydro-Man caught up with Mary Jane on a rooftop, he became weaker. As Spider-Man arrived, he told Hydro-Man that Mary Jane had already defeated him because she was able to lead him away from the river which fed his power and gave him strength. Hydro-Man then leaped at Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man jumped out of the way and as Hydro-Man hit the ground his body fell apart and the water he was made of evaporated. Spider-Man believed that even though Hydro-Man apparently died he could return the next time it rained. However, Hydro-Man never returned.

## Powers

Hydro-Man's body is made totally out of water.

He can propel his liquid body as if it were shooting through a fire hose.

Hydro-Man is able to control bodies of water that surround him.

Since Hydro-Man is made totally out of water, he is able to travel through pipes leading to sinks and sprinklers.

Hydro-Man's powers are strongest when he is near large bodies of water. The further away from water he gets the weaker he becomes.

## In the comics

Hydro-Man's origin in the comics is slightly different from his origin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

While working as a crewman on the U.S.S. Bulldog, Spider-Man accidentally knocked Morris Bench overboard during a fight with Namor, the Sub-Mariner. At that time, a powerful experimental generator was being tested in the ocean. The combination of unknown radiation coming from the generator and Bench's immersion in a deep ocean dwelling bacteria turns Bench's body into water and gives him the power to control water. Bench blamed Spider-Man for his accident and started to hunt him. Now calling himself Hydro-Man, Bench fought Spider-Man, but was defeated.

## Appearances

### **Fantastic Four: The Animated Series**

* Inhumans Saga, Part I: And the Wind Cries Medusa

### **Spider-Man: The Animated Series**

* Hydro-Man
* Goblin War!

## Trivia

* Hydro-Man was voiced by Brad Garrett on Fantastic Four: The Animated Series.
* Hydro-Man's appearance on Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (September 30, 1995) aired exactly one week after his appearance on Spider-Man: The Animated Series (September 23, 1995).
* Hydro-Man was a stand in for Sandman, since Sandman could not appear on Spider-Man: TAS because of James Cameron’s unproduced Spider-Man movie. John Semper Jr. said *“There really isn’t much difference between Sandman and Hydro-Man when you get right down to it. So look at it that way. I used Hydro-Man and you’ll get a good idea of what I probably would have done with Sandman. But since I used Hydro-Man, I didn’t need to use Sandman.”*