Some good ideas. But let's narrow this down.

I was thinking he didn't have a PhD, so I'm not sure if the Dr. would fit. It's old time thinking to assume that the most creative and intelligent people all have the time and money for that. Not only is college expensive, but most scientists work for free for years to build up their resumes and get published, which is not something a poor kid could do. To be accepted into a doctorate program, you pretty much have to be published. I was thinking masters degree, because that doesn't require being published to get. Although, he could have a PhD and have been kicked out due to his line of research being too far beyond the pale, but then it wouldn't make sense that he was able to complete the research in secret... he'd be on too many people's radar. It's also possible he could have no degree. Think Good Will Hunting. Will had no degree, and yet was "wicked smaht."

He won't use a syringe to change on the fly. This idea is very comic book, but I'm going for something more realistic. So, we're talking core chromosome changes that take weeks or months to grow in. I realize in comic books people can change or change back right before your eyes, but that's as ludicrous and reality-breaking as what Mr Mxyztplk does.

As for needing to steal stuff or work for a crime boss, he frankly doesn't. First of all, biology is cheap. It grows itself. It's a much cheaper technology than if he were, say, a cybermod, or a bot mastermind. He doesn't need test subjects because he tests on himself. As for equipment, he fabricates it himself using 3d printing and the like.

This idea is based on the real-life phenomenon of biopunks. They're a group of people who do bioresearch out of a garage or basement or attic, and a big part of what they do is finding cheap ways to do the research without funding. They don't genemod people, that's the comic book part of this character, but they do genemod other things. Right now, one group is working on making endemic bacteria fix nutrients to solve malnutrition, for example.

As for if he does need some really rare chemicals that he can't make himself... consider how much a wealthy person would pay to have themselves or their child cured from a degenerative genetic condition. One secret transaction like that would set him up for years. Maybe in this reality Stephen Hawking made a miraculous recovery one day and now plays full-contact rugby....

...and if medicine can do that already in this reality, then he could mod those who pay him. He'd only do harmless things that can't be abused, like the fourth color receptor thing. Want hair that's naturally feathery and purple? Yeah, he could do that, but it'll be expensive. Get a little creative with this tech and you can see how he'd have no problem with money, so long as he doesn't do anything too noisy and get shut down.

And as for helping people, well, he was poor most of his life. So, he's one of those street-level looks-out-for-the-little-guy types. He also rushes to the defense of other freaks even when no one else would. Remember, he CHOSE to be a freak, so he really identifies with them. For example, in the new series "the Gifted" he would definitely help the underground railroad and not the sentinel services. Likewise, he'd prioritize a garbage collector over a stock broker. It's a bit selfish to focus on saving people you identify with, but any well-written character has character flaws. Outside of the marginalized, it's more of a "if I happen to be in the area and am not busy" thing.

I honestly hadn't decided on his ethnic background. I was going to work backwards from the name. He's born in the US because that's where CoT is set, but I hadn't decided on his lineage. Given that he is becoming his own race, race doesn't matter, though I doubt ethnicity really matters either. We're talking about a person who does not care about the past, so much so that he doesn't care about his genetic heritage and is changing it.

Back to business, taking TNT and notears ideas for homage to classic biopunks, and combining it with Project-Hero's idea, and adding comic-book alliteration, we'd get Edward Evo. Edward is the first name of Hyde. In anime, it's also the first name of FMA, who in his youth tried to use alchemy to create a living biological body and bring his mother back to life... classic biopunk move.

I still think it's missing something, though, like a middle name or initial. Perhaps Edward X. Evo. X stands for Xenios, which is Greek for a protector of guests. From this is derived Xenos, meaning strange or foreign. So... a protector of the strange and foreign. The initial is pronounced with an E sound (Edward ex evo) for more alliteration. It also looks visually like "Edward times evolution." That's a lot packed into one initial.

I suppose that might make his heritage Greek, but it could also just mean one of his parents liked greek stuff, or he changed his name.

Still open to more ideas, though.