Martian

The Martians are an alien people native to Mars, Earth's planetary neighbor, and every one of them can reshape its body into virtually any form. They dwell in cities carved beneath the planet's surface and answer to a single ruler, the Martian Emperor.

Long ago the parasitic, mind-hijacking Sequids overran Mars, but the shapeshifting Martians proved immune to their control. With no bodies left to seize, the Sequids ended up enslaved by the very race they meant to dominate. That balance held until human astronauts, trailed by Invincible, arrived on the planet. The Martians seized the visitors and delivered them to the Emperor, who wanted Invincible dead to keep the Sequids from ever unifying. The captives escaped, yet a Martian had secretly taken one astronaut's place, and once the Sequids claimed that impostor they surged back to overrun Mars and set course for Earth. Invincible and the Guardians of the Globe ultimately broke the invasion and freed the Martians.

The Martian Emperor rules the species, whose known faces include the fallen Guardian Martian Man and the later hero Shapesmith along with his parents. Their metamorphic biology is remarkably sturdy: a central core houses the vital organs and lets a Martian survive being bisected or otherwise mutilated, while their pliable anatomy stretches, reshapes, and regenerates over time. They morph limbs into tools or weapons, mimic other appearances precisely, and extend their bodies to ensnare foes or bridge gaps. For the animated series the race was restyled with lighter olive skin, dropping the forest-green tone, red eyes, and antennae of their comic versions.