Hobgoblin (Imperial Guard)

Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin from Uncanny X-Men #107. Art by Dave Cockrum.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	X-Men #107 (Oct 1977)
Created by	Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum
In-story information
Team affiliations	Imperial Guard
Notable aliases	Shapeshifter, Shifter, Shift
Abilities	Shapeshifting

Hobgoblin is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Hobgoblin is a warrior, a long-time member of the Royal Elite of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. He joined in the Imperial Guard's battle on behalf of Emperor D'Ken on a nameless Shi'ar Empire planet, and attacked the X-Men. On Deathbird's behalf, he later joined the Imperial Guard members in battle against Excalibur and the Starjammers.

As Shapeshifter, he later impersonated a Shi'ar Commander during the Kree-Shi'ar War, and persuarded the Shi'ar praetor to attack the Avengers. He then impersonated Doctor Minerva in order to capture Captain Atlas.

He was killed by Vulcan along with many other Imperial Guard members.

Hobgoblin's powers are the natural ability of his race, as a shapeshifter of the Chameleoid race. He has the ability to change his shape, size, and physical appearance at will. He can even change his mass by drawing additional mass from another dimension or dispatching unnecessary mass into the same dimension. Apparently he can take on the physical abilities of any living creature whose physical appearance he imitates. His ability to duplicate the physical abilities of creatures may involve psionic scanning of the beings he imitates. He can also alter the appearance of his costume at will, possibly through psionic means. The exact limitations of his shapeshifting ability are unknown, although he has been seen to transform into large, non-humanoid creatures. He is an excellent actor.

Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC Comics team Legion of Super-Heroes. (Dave Cockrum, co-creator of the Guard, also had a long run as artist on the Legion). Hobgoblin is based on LSH member Chameleon Boy.