Asbestos Man

Asbestos Man, born Orson Kasloff, is an American scientist and villain who wears a suit made of asbestos specifically to counter the Human Torch.

Biography

By 1963, Professor Orson Kasloff was a renowned scientist, but had become tired of making relatively little money for his perceived brilliance. Out of pure greed, Kasloff turned to a life of crime, but soon discovered that he had none of the skill necessary to enact such crimes. He sought out criminals in the New York underworld, but was quickly laughed off. A distraught Kasloff soon observed superhero Human Torch fighting off a group of criminals, and saw in Torch his solution: by defeating the hero, he would earn the respect of the city's criminal element and move one step closer to his perception of success. Kasloff took up residence in a castle outside of town, and began concocting a way to defeat the Torch. He came up with a suit of "super-asbestos" alloy, along with an iron shield and nitrogen net, declaring himself to be the Asbestos Man.

The newly christened villain sent a personal letter to the Glenville home of the Human Torch, challenging him in combat. He followed this up with a phone call, telling him to meet him at his castle, and the impulsive teenager was quick to accept. Asbestos Man then contacted the press in order to thoroughly chronicle his impending victory over the hero. The Torch was utterly unprepared for Kasloff's repeated answers to his attacks: he was defeated and sent through a trap door into the moat below, and was forced to retreat in shame. Asbestos Man used his newfound notoriety to team with crime boss Blackie Barker and his gang, using his castle as their new hideout. A reinvigorated Torch soon returned however, using a more tactical attack: the Torch melted the ground under Asbestos Man's feet, sending him into the moat. Torch threatened to use his flame to burn away the oxygen in the confined space, forcing Asbestos Man to surrender himself to custody.