Herman began his life as a simple hermit crab, who was for sale in a pet store in New York City, before he and a gecko were stolen by the mutant alley cat Old Hob, and his associate Lindsey Baker injected them with both mutagen and psychotropic compound, to serve him as new recruits in his mutant army in the fight against humanity. Herman's left claw arm was violently amputated in Desperate Measures, part 1. In part 2, he was seen having surgery for a cybernetic replacement, which was finally revealed in part 4.