Amadeus Cho got his start in Marvel Comics as a child before turning into one of the most powerful teenage heroes in comics. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not brought him into the mix yet, there is a chance he could appear thanks to the upcoming debut of fellow teenage heroes in Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, America Chavez, and more.
How the MCU eventually introduces him is unknown, although there are a lot of ways that he could show up. He was a sidekick for the Hulk and became a gamma-radiated hero himself. He was a sidekick for Hercules and became the Prince of Power. He is also one of Marvel's smartest characters.
Amadeus's Parents Were Killed By A Super Genius
Initially, Amadeus Cho was just a kid who happened to be the seventh-smartest person in the world thanks to a "brain Soap" competition. What Cho learned later was that the competition was set up by the sixth-smartest person in the world as a way to kill anyone who threatened his level.
This man, a former child prodigy named Pythagoras Dupree, tried to kill Cho by bombing his home. Shown in flashbacks in Incredible Hercules #137, Cho was not home but his parents were and both died, leaving Amadeus as an orphan who ran away and lived on his own.
Amadeus Had A Pet Wolf Named Kirby
Amadeus Cho had no one, thinking incorrectly that his sister was also in the house when it exploded. As a result, he believed he was on his own and had nothing to return to and no one to turn to. While he was on the road, he wandered across an orphaned wolf sitting beside its dead mother, who had been hit by a car.
Amadeus saw a kindred spirit and took the wolf as his pet, naming it Kirby. The two went on many adventures together before they ended up separated. When Cho finally found Kirby, the wolf was now older and had chosen a mate and the two officially went their separate ways.
Amadeus' First Alias Was Mastermind Excello
Amadeus Cho made his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy Vol. 2 #15 by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa. This was a Hulk story and its title was "Mastermind Excello." This is the name that Amadeus Cho took on after he won the contest and ended up on the run. At the time, he had a very unique power.
As the seventh-smartest person in the world, he had a mind that worked like a super-computer. He could instantly recognize what was about to happen around him and perform an infinite number of calculations in his head instantly to solve any problem and avoid any danger. In this story, he helped Hulk and the two became friends.
Amadeus Was One Of The First To Discover The Illuminati
For many years, there was a secret society of superheroes who called themselves The Illuminati. This group pulled many strings behind the scenes to try to make the world a better place. However, they also made many mistakes. They helped cause the Skrull invasion in Secret Invasion and they banished Hulk from Earth without trial.
That last action brought them to the attention of Amadeus Cho. While they remained invisible for many years, Cho used his genius to figure out who they were. In the prelude of World War Hulk, Cho informed them that they miscalculated Hulk's destination and left them with the guilt of what they did to their former friend.
Amadeus Became Hercules' Sidekick During World War Hulk
During the World War Hulk story arc, Amadeus Cho was trying to save his friend, but he ended up becoming the sidekick for an even better hero. Hercules teamed with Cho to try to stop Hulk and by the end, Amadeus realized the Olympian was a better friend and more loyal ally than Hulk ever was.
The two set off together on many adventures in the Incredible Hercules series. This eventually led to Amadeus Cho finally becoming a superhero himself for a short time.
Amadeus Became An Enemy Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
There was a point in time where Amadeus Cho almost became the world's smartest supervillain. It was when the teenager had lost all faith in Earth's heroes. When he saw they betrayed Hulk and banished him from Earth, he set out to save his friend who had returned.
This put him in the crosshairs of S.H.I.E.L.D. after Cho hacked into their systems and actually stole on their Helicarriers. The battle almost led to Cho uploading a virus that would destroy all S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech, but Hercules convinced him to stop or he would spend his life regarded as a villain.
Amadeus Became The New Prince Of Power
In Incredible Hercules #119, Athena of the Green Gods came to Amadeus Cho for help. Since Hercules had fallen, Athena needed help bringing down the Olympus Group. One trait of the Greek Gods was becoming bad guys every so often, and here they posed as Earth businesspeople with a corporation.
With Hercules out of action, Athena said she believed that Amadeus Cho should become the new Prince of Power. They battled and beat the new Greek Gods and stopped them from destroying the Earth, but soon Cho realized that Athena's ultimate goal was to betray Hercules and give the mantle to him.
Amadeus Became Hulk To Save The World
Everything changed in Amadeus Cho's life in the 2016 series, Totally Awesome Hulk by Greg Pak and Frank Cho. Hulk was helping save people from a radiation meltdown, but he ended up absorbing the radiation into himself and was in danger of a meltdown himself.
Against the orders of the Avengers, Amadeus Cho raced to save his friend and used his intellect to absorb Hulk's powers into himself. He then became a new Hulk but worked hard to maintain control and keep his intellect intact while serving as a new gamma-radiated hero, eventually joining The Champions as one of their most powerful members.
Amadeus Had His Own World War Hulk
Amadeus Cho was able to maintain control because Hulk's problems came from childhood trauma. However, eventually, Cho began to lose control for different reasons. He always pushed his powers and strengths to levels he was not realistically capable of and when this happened, he couldn't always keep his self-control as a gamma-powered hero.
Cho's Hulk began to rage out of control, even with Amadeus appearing in his own subconscious and fighting the rage monster within. After a trip off-planet where he was forced to battle countless warriors, he finally lost control and returned to Earth, declaring war on the planet. Cho finally fought to beat his inner rage and regained control, but at a tremendous loss of his power levels.
Amadeus Is Now Brawn Of The Champions
When Amadeus Cho beat his rage self, he returned to control. Luckily, he had an attorney in She-Hulk who represented him and helped clear him of all charges. He was now smaller, with less strength, but still possessed the genius-level intellect he always held.
Cho was part of The Champions, a teenage superhero group formed by Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, and Nova. He rejoined them as Brawn, his new codename after losing much of his strength. He also joined the Asian team of Agents of Atlas and has worked as an international superhero since giving up his role as Hulk.