FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER
Real Name: None
Identity/Class: Human composite being (World War II)
Occupation: None; former mind-controlled slave
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Basil Frankenstein, Dr. Kitagowa, Nazis (all against his will)
Enemies: Invaders (Bucky/James Barnes, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Toro/Thomas Raymond)
Known Relatives: Dr. Basil Frankenstein, Dr. Kitagowa (creators)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Castle Frankenstein in Geneva, Switzerland
First Appearance: Invaders I#31 (August, 1978)
Powers/Abilities: The Monster possessed superhuman strength, durability and was highly resistant to pain. His physical strength increased presumably proportionally with his size (lifting 10 tons at his peak). He was also presumably immune to aging and conventional disease like his predecessor.
As long as the brain-control implant in his head was active, he could not resist following Basil's orders, even though part of him tried to resist. He was completely incapable of controlling his own actions and his speech was limited to a "Sieg Heil!", which was all he was taught by his creators.
With the implant inactive, he regained control over his higher brain functions and became not only able to ignore Basil's orders, but also gained full access to his speech center.
Height: Unrevealed (8'; formerly 6'5"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (325 lbs.; formerly 230 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: White
Hair: Gray
History:
(Invaders I#31 (fb) - BTS) - In the early 1940s, at the restored Castle Frankenstein, the crippled Dr. Basil Frankenstein and the Japanese scientist Dr. Kitagowa (or "Kitty" as Basil lovingly called her) created a monster from the remains of the newly buried dead that were robbed from the graves at the local graveyard (presumably by their Nazi allies). They duplicated Victor Frankenstein's experiment, but couldn't duplicate the size of the original Monster. To keep the Monster under their control they put a brain-control implant in the Monster's head.
(Invaders I#31 (fb)) - Not long after the Human Torch (Hammond) and Toro were captured while investigating Nazi activity at Castle Frankenstein, the Monster's creators sent him as a test of their control over him and his abilities to the nearby village to slaughter several villagers on their orders. He returned to Castle Frankenstein afterward.
In search for their allies, Captain America (Rogers) and Bucky broke into Castle Frankenstein, but after delivering a beating to some Nazi soldiers, the Monster caught them by surprise. Cap noticed how the Monster hesitated to beat them up and seemingly didn't want to fight them, but moments later Basil was rolled into the room by Dr. Kitagowa in his wheelchair and his voice caught the Monster's attention. Cap used the distraction to hit the Monster with his shield, but he was barely affected by it. The Monster then followed his master Basil's order to capture Bucky and Cap, though he was not allowed to damage the latter's body too much because, according to Basil's lover Kitagowa, he was the perfect specimen for Basil's brain to get transferred to. The Monster then took Cap and Bucky to the dungeon on Basil's order where Cap and Bucky were reunited with Toro.
While the monster remained at attention, Basil and Kitagowa explained their plans to create an army of monsters to fight for the Nazis and to transfer Basil's brain into Cap's body because Kitagowa was attracted to the American. The Monster rolled the bed Cap was strapped to, to the laboratory where the Human Torch was also kept in a glass prison that rendered his powers inert. Basil ordered Kitagowa to switch on the generators, which transferred the Human Torch's energies into the Monster's body, which grew several inches (I assume the target was 8 feet like Victor's Monster, but I am not sure the target was reached). While the experiment seemingly succeeded, the castle was invaded by angry villagers and the Sub-Mariner, who freed the Human Torch. In return the Torch freed Cap, but Kitagowa wasn't willing to just let the American leave yet because she still wanted his body to house Basil's brain. Basil commanded the Monster to attack Cap and Namor, but the Human Torch freed Toro and Bucky, who joined the fight against the Monster that turned out to be afraid of fire. The Human Torch told the others not to hurt the Monster because he felt sympathy for him, but Namor ignored his plea and hit the Monster as hard as he could. The Monster fell into some of the machines at the lab and a jolt of electricity apparently short-circuited the control implant in his brain. Tears ran down the Monster's face and he quickly turned on his evil creators. He picked up Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Kitagowa, carried them to the top of the castle wall next to a cliff and after proclaiming how miserable the life was that was given to him by the two scientists, who created him from the stolen remains of friends, he jumped with them under his arms from the castle to their certain death at the bottom of the cliff.
Comments: Created by Don Glut, Chic Stone & Bill Black.
The monster wore a different uniform on the cover, but it is actually a good shot of him beating the snot out of Namor and Captain America. Weirdly enough the blue hat from this uniform was the one found by Spitfire that led to Captain America telling her the story about the Invaders' encounter with this monster.
Not 100% sure what rank the monster was supposed to have, but the insignia on his shoulders looked a lot like the ones associated with a Corporal (Unteroffizier) of the alpine troops, which would make sense.
Cap mentioned Boris Karloff in comparison to the monster because Karloff played the Frankenstein Monster in the first three Frankenstein movies by Universal (respectively Frankenstein in 1931, Bride of Frankenstein in 1935 and Son of Frankenstein in 1939). Cap also mentioned John Wayne, which I first assumed was an anachronism, but he was apparently already a big star by 1942 (I thought his career became big after the war).
This monster was mentioned once again in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#37 (January, 1992) when Doctor Strange went through his notes about the Frankenstein family and Victor's Monster.
In Wolverine and the X-Men II#11 (December, 2014) by Jason Latour we see the comic book version of a Nazi Frankenstein in a comic featuring Captain America from October 19??, which is not based on an actual Marvel Comic from the real world. Maybe the Invaders' encounter with Basil's monster was turned into a comic book story by Earth-616's Marvel Comics.
This profile was finished on 08/15/2025 in a hot room that felt like the Human Torch was standing right next to me while on fire and bit of a headache because my body can't handle the heat. It was posted on Mary Shelley's 228th birthday.
Is there an actual reason why this version of the Monster couldn't survive the fall? Bad stitching? Bad energy storage capabilities?
Maybe he somehow got better or just survived because he is a Frankenstein Monster and shouldn't just die because he fell a few hundred feet down a cliff. I could see him live peacefully in a chalet somewhere in Switzerland, enjoying the country's neutrality with a glass of wine and some cheese. Maybe he owns a herd of mountain goats now and isn't so down on life anymore.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Basil Frankenstein's Monster should not be confused with:
images (without ads)
Invaders I#31, p6, pan5 (main)
Invaders I#31, p10, pan1 (head shot)
Invaders I#31, p12, pan3 (growing)
Invaders I#31, cover (blue uniform)
Wolverine and the X-Men II#11, p2, pan1 (possible comic version)
Appearances:
Invaders I#31 (August, 1978) - Don Glut (writer), Chic Stone (pencils), Bill Black (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
First Posted: 08/30/2025
Last updated: 08/30/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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