Real Name: Unrevealed, if any
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (allegedly, see comments; 1950s era)
Occupation: Would-be destroyer of humanity
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Operative of "Comrade X" from the "Red Planet" (see comments)
Enemies: Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Toro (Thomas Raymond)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Rampaged in New York City;
originally from the "Red Planet"
First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2 (September, 1968; see comments)
Powers/Abilities: The Un-Human was incredibly strong and immensely large -- it is possible that, like a number of gigantic extraterrestrial races (e.g. the Tsiln, [see Gog]), it used a form of telekinesis to support its vast bulk. It had a scaly hide that was immune to fire and probably other forms of injury; but despite its physical invulnerability, it apparently needed to breathe, since it could be rendered unconscious with chloroform.
Having a roughly humanoid build, it had two arms, four legs (each of which terminated with a crab-like pincer); it also had eight heads, at least one of which was equipped with an extendable "fang" in its mouth that could inject poison into an opponent's bloodstream.
The Un-Human did not speak, but only growled, perhaps suggesting that it was non-sentient -- if so, it might be an extraterrestrial animal, or possibly a genetically-engineered "killing machine" (see comments).
Height: Unrevealed (300'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Orange (see comments)
History:
(Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2 (fb)) - In late 1954 or early
1955 (see comments), a large flying "gizmo" appeared in the sky
above New York City and released a multitude of leaflets with a
message that stated, EARTH PEOPLE: SOON AFTER YOU READ THIS, YOU
WILL BE DESTROYED BY THE UN-HUMAN WHO WILL BE PARACHUTED FROM OUR
CRAFT! WE NEED YOUR WORLD FOR THE GROWING POPULATION OF OUR
PLANET! AFTER THE UN-HUMAN DESTROYS ALL OF YOU, WE WILL RETURN! [signed]
COMRADE X, RED PLANET.
One of the leaflets was caught by the heroic fiery android called the Human Torch and his mutant sidekick Toro as they were flying in the sky. Shortly afterward, the Un-Human itself was dropped from the aircraft via a huge parachute. Despite the Human Torch's warning about the creature's fangs, the headstrong Toro flew in closer to attack the Un-Human directly in "one of its ugly faces," only to be struck down by a poisonous extendible fang from one of the Un-Human's eight heads. As the Torch caught the unconscious and barely breathing Toro, the Un-Human landed and began to wreak havoc in the city, tearing down buildings and presumably causing much loss of life (see comments).
While the Un-Human continued its rampage of destruction, the Torch rushed Toro to Doctor Carter, who quickly diagnosed the young hero as dying and needing an immediate blood transfusion from the Torch. The Human Torch was faced with a dilemma--whether to remain in the doctor's office and help Toro, or return to battle the Un-Human; but before he could make the decision, the Un-Human tore off the top of Doctor Carter's building.
Thinking quickly, the Torch grabbed a gallon jug of chloroform from Carter's supplies and took to the air. As the Un-Human opened one of its mouths to release its poisonous fang, the Human Torch threw the jug into it, followed by a blast of flame; the heat exploded the bottle inside the Un-Human's mouth, and the fumes of the chloroform seeped out, rendering the monster unconscious and dropping it "like a giant redwood tree" -- several other buildings were toppled as it fell, no doubt increasing the death toll in the process (see comments). The Torch left the unconscious Un-Human, figuring the police would chain it and kill it with poison gas (...an operation whose logistics were, perhaps wisely, not dwelt upon further).
With the menace of the Un-Human seemingly over, the Torch rushed back to Carter's office and provided the life-saving blood transfusion for Toro.
(Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2) - Sometime afterward, Toro related the tale of of his and the Human Torch's clash with the Un-Human to unrevealed parties (see comments).
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Dick Ayers.
This 5-page story was reprinted in Human Torch#8/2 (November, 1975)
While the notion of an alien race attempting to conquer the Earth via a single monster is not unheard of (as seen not only in some Marvel/Atlas science fiction stories, but also in the Japanese science fiction film industry), the Un-Human's rather prosaic arrival by parachute, coupled with the vaguely communistic tone of the equally prosaic explanatory leaflets, suggests that it might in fact have been a mutation or artificial life-form sent by earthly enemies, possibly communist, to destroy the United States, with the supposed threat to the world as a cover story (In the comic books of the 1950s, communists would try almost anything). Another possibility is that "Comrade X" is none other than the Deviant Kro, who (as revealed in the Monster Hunters story in Marvel Universe#4-7) spent some time during the mid-1950s sending giant monsters out to terrorize the world, occasionally doing so in cooperation with communist agents; if so, the Un-Human might have been a Deviant mutate.
Further reconciling the Commies and the Deviants, (as
borrowed from Cary in the Grottu
entry) Kyle further extrapolates:
Maybe the Un-Human was genetically-engineered by Soviet puppets
loaned to Warlord Kro by the renegade Eternal Druig
-- the latter did spend a good portion of the Cold War posing as a
KGB "interrogator," and he could easily have supplied whatever
technology Kro lacked for the Un-Human's mutation/creation! Also,
Comrade X in this story may have been an earlier iteration of Comrade
X.
The android Human Torch's last published pre-modern
appearances were in Human Torch Comics#38 (August, 1954) and Captain
America Comics#78 (September, 1954); the Un-Human story was written
during the 1950s and presumably intended for a future issue of one or
the other of these titles, but both were cancelled before it could be
used, and the story went unpublished in inventory until its appearance
in Marvel Super-Heroes. Any additional information about other
"lost" Golden Age stories would be very much appreciated.
Avengers Index#7 confirms on page 20 that
yes, the Un-Human story immediately preceded the flashback in
Avengers I#134 / Avengers West Coast II#42 / Saga of the Human
Torch#4, where the Torch burned himself out.
--Per Degaton
Although the story's exact time-frame is unclear, as it was narrated by Toro as a reminiscence, it is possible that it occurred after Captain America Comics I#78, but before the android Torch was rendered inactive in 1955, making the Un-Human the Torch's last known pre-modern foe. Oddly, the Torch's clash with the Un-Human, memorable though it might seem to the casual observer, was not mentioned in the Saga of the Human Torch miniseries.
One would think that a Godzilla-style
attack on New York City, with such massive property damage and a
huge death toll, would be remembered for generations. But
considering the story was narrated by Toro, my theory is that it
didn't actually happen as depicted -- maybe Toro visited a school or
orphanage and entertained the kids with a scary monster story based
on one of his and the Torch's earlier actual adventures, but he
embellished some of the facts (e.g. the Un-Human's size, the
destruction it caused) to make it seem more exciting.
The Un-Human supposedly came from the "Red Planet,"
which could imply that it was a Martian.
And I'm only assuming the thick growths on the Un-Human's heads were
its hair -- maybe they were actually tentacles.
--Ron Fredricks
Finally, the blood transfusion given to Toro may have extended his youthful vigor (much like Spitfire in Namor the Sub-Mariner#12), allowing him to make an appearance in the "Modern Age" of the Marvel Universe without showing a noticeable addition in age when he re-appeared for the first time since the 1950s (and also apparently died) in Sub-Mariner#14.
And maybe Phineas Horton, the creator of the original
Human Torch, also learned of the the youthful life-extending
benefits of the Torch's blood, and injected himself with it -- that
would explain his flashback appearances in the early Modern Age as
"Thomas Raye" (see Nova/Frankie
Raye).
--Ron Fredricks
New and additional images and text expansion by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Ronald Byrd.
Originally edited/Updated by Kyle Sims.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Un-Human has no known connection with and should not be confused with:
Comrade X, the sender of the Un-Human, has no known connection with:
Doctor Carter has no known connection with:
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A rocketship-style aircraft used by "Comrade X," it supposedly came from the "Red Planet" (see comments). It first flew over New York City and dropped many leaflets that threatened the citizens with an impending attack by the Un-Human. Shortly afterward, it dropped off the Un-Human via parachute, and the monstrous creature attacked the city. (Comment: In his narration of the story, Toro just referred to it as "a big gizmo".) --Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2 |
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Evidently a friend of the Human Torch (Jim Hammond) and Toro (Thomas Raymond) in the 1950s, Carter (first name unrevealed) maintained a medical practice in a building in New York City. When Toro was injured during a confrontation with the monstrous Un-Human, the Human Torch flew his injured sidekick to Carter's office. Carter quickly diagnosed that the young hero was dying, and that he needed a blood transfusion from the Human Torch. Seconds later, the Un-Human tore off the roof of Carter's office building, so the Torch took a gallon jug of chloroform from Carter's supplies and used it to render the immense monster unconscious. After the Un-Human was defeated, the Human Torch returned, and Carter supervised the blood transfusion -- the process was successful, and Toro made a complete recovery (see comments). --Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2 |
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Appearances:
Marvel Super-Heroes II#16/2 (September, 1968) - unidentified writer, Dick
Ayers (pencils/inks), Stan Goldberg (colors)
First posted: 04/11/2003
Last updated: 05/12/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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