Professor Gangrene

The following article is a list of characters who have appeared in various media across the Action Man franchise, including the original Palitoy toyline, the subsequent Hasbro toy line, the Panini Comics series, various video games, and the two Action Man TV shows, from USA in 1995 and from Canada in 2000.

The eponymous protagonist of the franchise, first introduced as an action figure in 1966 as a British equivalent to G.I. Joe. The character soon developed his own identity as an action hero, rather than being specifically a military figure. Although the appearance and backstory of Action Man has varied over time and across different media, the scar on the character's right cheek has remained consistent. In the Hasbro toy line and the Panini Comics canon, he is depicted as the leader of the heroic 'Action Force' team. He is advanced in many forms of martial arts and has a large arsenal of weapons and vehicles.

In the 1995 TV series, the character is depicted as a man suffering from amnesia who leads the Action Force in their fight against the evil Dr. X and his terrorist organisation. He often has brief flashbacks of his past which are triggered by certain events. He later learns that his real name is Matthew Exler, and that he's actually the brother of Dr. X (Dorian Exler).

In the 2000 TV series, Action Man was reimagined as extreme sports athlete Alex Mann of 'Team Xtreme'. He has a special ability called an AMP (Advanced Macro Probability) Factor, a result of secret experiments by his former coach Simon Grey. The AMP Factor allows Alex to see every possibility in a situation but in order to use it he has to feel a triggering adrenaline rush.