Dr. Aldrich Killian was a brilliant scientist working for the FuturePharm Corporation in Austin, Texas alongside Dr. Maya Hansen. Together they developed Extremis, an attempt to create a new super soldier. The Extremis was a techno organic virus that completely rewrites the body's genetic code. It replaced entire organs making them more efficient. The virus also gave the body a sort of healing factor. The original Extremis granted super human strength, speed, endurance, reflexes and the ability to project electricity and breathe fire.
He stole a sample and sold them to a terrorist group. The group (based in a slaughterhouse in Bastrop, Texas) injected a willing test subject named Mallen. A bizarre physical change overtook him; his horrified compatriots flew the room but locked him in it. The injected man's body was covered completely in a bizarre layer of scar tissue.
Days later at Futurepharm Corporation offices, Dr. Aldrich Killian commited suicide at his computer. His suicide note informed co-worker Maya Hansen that he had stolen the Extremis serum for an undisclosed purpose.[1]