ALPHA and BETA
Identity/Class: Terrestrial gorilla mutates
Purpose: To serve the Red Ghost
Affiliations: Red Ghost (Ivan Kragoff); their gorilla "brothers"
Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Unicorn (Milos Masaryk)
Base of Operations: S.H.I.E.L.D. base somewhere in Africa; formerly the Red Ghost's laboratory
First Appearance: Iron Man I#15 (July, 1969)
Powers/Abilities: Prior to their mutation, this pair of primates had the normal strength and agility of others of their species; the Red Ghost had honed their killer instincts and trained them to fight like veteran warriors.
Following Alpha and Beta's exposure to the radiation of the Cosmic Ray Intensifier, they received paranormal powers (see individual sub-profiles for details).
History:
(Iron Man I#15 (fb) - BTS) - After breaking ties with his Communist masters and
believing that his three Super-Apes were "liquidated" (see comments),
the Red Ghost acquired two normal
gorillas--whom he called "Alpha" and "Beta"--and trained them to obey
his vocal commands. He established a laboratory beneath a
ghost-town in the deserts of the American southwest, with the ultimate
intent of exposing the gorillas to cosmic radiation, and thereby give
them super-powers.
(Iron Man I#15) - After learning of Tony Stark's Cosmic Ray Intensifier, the Red Ghost coerced the Unicorn into stealing it for him.
Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell were transporting the Intensifier to a testing site in the Nevada desert, when the Unicorn disabled their aircraft and took the device. As Iron Man, Stark pursued the fleeing Unicorn to the ghost-town, where he was attacked by the two gorillas.After a brief battle with the primates, Iron Man drove them off with his repulsor rays; he followed them into the underground lab, where he again battled with the Unicorn.
Meanwhile, the Red Ghost activated the Intensifier and ordered Alpha and Beta into its beam to empower them (the Ghost had apparently used the device upon himself earlier, to restore and increase his own faded power). While Iron Man and the Unicorn continued their struggle, the Red Ghost and the gorillas made their getaway in an escape craft; the Ghost made a remote announcement over the laboratory's loud-speakers to the two combatants, telling them of his plans--he was going to use Stark's invention as a prototype to build an enlarged Ultra-Intensifier, and with it he would create an army of Super-Apes! Then the Red Ghost activated his laboratory's auto-destruct, blowing up the entire installation, with Iron Man and the Unicorn still inside...
(Iron Man I#16) - The Red Ghost's aircraft landed "deep in the the heart of Africa's gorilla country," where there just happened to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite-tracking station and environment research center--this was where the Ghost intended to obtain the components to build his Ultra-Intensifier. Using his power, the Ghost infiltrated the S.H.I.E.L.D. station and deactivated the surrounding electric fence; Alpha then used his enhanced strength to tear through the steel fence, while Beta used his mental powers to immobilize the base's personnel and gather an army of fellow gorillas.
Meanwhile, Iron Man and the Unicorn had formed an uneasy alliance to escape from the wreckage of the Ghost's laboratory. Iron Man correctly guessed the Red Ghost's destination to be the one location where the villain could fulfill both his needs for building the Ultra-Intensifier and forming a gorilla army, so he and the Unicorn (who wanted to have his revenge on the Ghost) hitched a ride on a trans-Atlantic jet headed to Africa.
With the S.H.I.E.L.D. base now completely under his control, the Red Ghost had his gorilla army gather the components to build his Ultra-Intensifier; but just as his task was nearly complete, Iron Man and the Unicorn arrived, so he ordered the gorillas to attack them. The ordinary gorillas proved to be no match for the combined might of Iron Man and the Unicorn, and the apes quickly scattered.
But when the Red Ghost tried to activate his Ultra-Intensifier to empower the simians, Beta mentally stopped him and telepathically informed the Ghost that he rejected his plans to gain power by enslaving the gorillas ("Pursue your insane goals among fellow humans, Red Ghost...you'll find no more allies among the apes!"); then Beta ordered Alpha to destroy the Ghost's machine.
Afterward, the gorilla army returned to the jungle, presumably joined by Alpha and Beta.
Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin and George Tuska.
Previously, the Red Ghost's original Super-Apes were last seen in Fantastic Four Annual I#3 (1965), after which the trio of primates was confiscated by the Soviet government for examination (BTS), and the Red Ghost wrongly believed them to be dead. But the Red Ghost would later be reunited with his three Super-Apes in Iron Man I#82 (January, 1976).
And I apologize for the odd and irregular shape of the images in this profile, but both issues were drawn in this pseudo-psychedelic style--blame it on the Hippy-Dippy-Trippy 1960s (Far out, man!).
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Alpha has no known connections to:
Beta has no known connection to:
The gorilla army should not be confused with:
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One of the two gorillas used by the Red Ghost, who had honed Alpha's killer instincts and trained him to fight like a veteran warrior. Prior to his mutation, Alpha possessed the ordinary strength of a gorilla; but following his exposure to the radiation of the Cosmic Ray Intensifier, Alpha was granted super-strength (comparable to that of the Thing or the Hulk, as per Iron Man). --Iron Man I#15 (15, 16 |
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One of the two gorillas used by the Red Ghost, who had honed Beta's killer instincts and trained him to fight like a veteran warrior. Following his exposure to the radiation of the Cosmic Ray Intensifier, Beta was granted increased intellect and telepathy, and he could mentally dominate the wills of humans and gorillas. He used his power to immobilize the personnel of a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, and also gathered an army of other gorillas from the jungle; but Beta eventually rejected the Red Ghost's enslavement of them and turned against him. --Iron Man I#15 (15, 16 |
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A device created by Tony Stark, it could duplicate the effect of cosmic rays before they were diffused by the atmosphere, making it quite valuable in space research. It was being transported to a S.H.I.E.L.D. testing site in Nevada; but the Red Ghost forced the Unicorn to steal it for him while it was in transit. The Red Ghost first used the device on himself to restore his own faded power; then he ordered his gorillas Alpha and Beta into the beam's path, which gave his simian servants super-powers as well. Afterward, the Red Ghost planned to use Stark's invention as a prototype to build a larger and even more powerful version of it--an Ultra-Intensifier--so he could empower an army of gorillas, but his plan never came to fruition. --Iron Man I#15 (15, 16 (Comments: Previously, the Red Ghost only had the ability to make himself immaterial, but this device boosted his power such that he could become a crimson wraith-like mist.) |
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A group of at least six ordinary African gorillas, they were coaxed from the jungle by the super-powered Beta to assist the Red Ghost. Once he had taken over a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, the Red Ghost had the gorillas gather components so he could build an Ultra-Intensifier, and thus give these apes cosmic ray-spawned super-powers as well. When Iron Man and the Unicorn attacked the base, the normal apes were no match for their combined might. But after Beta realized that the Ghost was planning to enslave them, he revolted and had the Ultra-Intensifier destroyed. With the battle finished and the Red Ghost defeated, the gorillas returned to their jungle home. --Iron Man I#16 |
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images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#15, cover (main image - Alpha and Beta attack Iron Man)
Iron Man I#16, p18, pan1 (headshot - Alpha and Beta)
Iron Man I#16, p13, pan2 (Alpha and Beta with Red Ghost)
Iron Man I#16, p11, pan4 (Alpha tears through fence; Beta [background])
Iron Man I#16, p12, pan1 (Alpha; Beta [right])
Iron Man I#16, p12, pan3 (Beta uses his mental power on S.H.I.E.L.D. guards)
Iron Man I#16, p18, pan4 (Beta "speaks" telepathically to Red Ghost)
Iron Man I#15, p7, pan3 (picture of Cosmic Ray Intensifier in magazine article, held by Red Ghost's hand)
Iron Man I#15, p9, pan2 (Cosmic Ray Intensifier)
Iron Man I#15, p17, pan4-5 (Red Ghost sends Alpha and Beta into radiation of Cosmic Ray Intensifier)
Iron Man I#16, p11, pan2 (gorilla army)
Iron Man I#16, p14, pan1 (gorilla army carrying components for Ultra-Intensifier)
Iron Man I#16, p14, pan3 (Iron Man and Unicorn battle gorilla army)
Appearances:
Iron Man I#15 (July, 1969) - Archie Goodwin (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Johnny Craig (inks), Artie Simek (letters), Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man I#16 (August, 1969) - Archie Goodwin (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Johnny Craig (inks), Jean Izzo (letters), Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 09/24/2025
Last updated: 09/24/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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