After another attempt to sabotage the company Stark International in Iron Man #166 (Jan. 1983), the character reappears in Marvel Two-in-One #96 (Feb. 1983) before being assassinated during the Scourge of the Underworld storyline in The Avengers #263 (Jan. 1986).

"[2] Long-time Marvel writer Roger Stern recalled: ...Mark Gruenwald had compiled a list of villains who were either less than inspired or had outlived their welcome.

Bruno Horgan is driven into bankruptcy when a government safety inspection team proves that he is using inferior materials, with the defense contracts awarded to his competitor Tony Stark (the alter ego of hero Iron Man).

[7] The Radioactive Man was deported back to China, while the Black Knight and Melter are placed in a cell with bars chemically treated so they cannot be melted.

The Masters of Evil are eventually defeated after Thor transported them and the Avengers to another dimension, with different scientific laws which meant their weapons rebounded.

[8] The character upgrades his weaponry and battles Iron Man once again,[9] before reappearing as part of the next version of the Masters of Evil, although the villains are defeated when betrayed by the Black Knight.

[10] The Masters of Evil - with the Melter - also accidentally encounter the Avengers during a parade and during the battle are defeated when surprised by the superheroines the Lady Liberators.

At Hammer's direction the Melter and fellow villains have a series of encounters with Iron Man in an unsuccessful attempt to neutralize the hero.

[16] Eventually, the Melter manages to augment his melting ray's power to its peak, but before he can employ it, he is surprised and murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld, who is disguised as the villain's laboratory assistant.

[17] The second Melter, Christopher Colchiss, first appeared in Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 (July 2009) and was created by Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks.

[32] Melter was among the villains who appeared as a member of Swarm's Sinister Six when they attacked Spider-Man and the students of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

[34] When Iron Man returns to his brownstone in his beaten-up armor, he finds that Melter has melted his Dodge Aspen and starts to taunt him.

After modifying the design, he attacks Tony Stark and War Machine in the hopes of using the publicity to sell his armor to the highest bidder.