When an elderly psychologist couldn't afford the plumber Griffin Gogol, he offered to cure Gogol's smoking habit through hypnosis. However, as Gogol later learned, the psychologist was an alien and hypnosis unlocks Gogol's innate superhuman potential. Dressed in a colorful and shocking costume, Gogol became the superhero Captain Ultra. However, it is revealed that he suffers from severe pyrophobia (fear of fire) as a side effect.