Born a Russian citizen named Dmitri Smerdyakov (Russian: Дмитрий Смердяков), Chameleon was the half-brother of Sergei Kravinoff.

His parents were Sergei's father and Sonya Smerdyakov, a servant girl. He was taught to hate himself from his arrival in the Kravinoff family. His father hated the sight of his face and his mother considered him a humiliation. The only member in his family who barely tolerated him was the legitimate son Sergei, who was also abusive towards him. In order to impress Sergei, he entertained him by using his impersonation skills on his neighbors and friends. Dmitri was so deeply scarred that he repressed his very identity and came to believe he had been friends with Sergei. However, his own family never knew his true face, which was told by theBlack Widow.