History:
DR. BRYAN HOSKINS
Real Name: Bryan Hoskins
Identity/Class: Human (alternate reality)
Occupation: Physician
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Stephen Dowell, Professor Lister, Mrs. Parker, Louise Wharton, Professor Xyk
Enemies: Chip Ladby
Known Relatives: Louise Wharton (former legal ward)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Birchfield, USA; formerly the University of Mars, planet Mars
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#36 (July, 1956)
Powers/Abilities: Dr. Hoskins is a skilled scientist and researcher.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown with grey streaks
History:
(Journey into Mystery I#36/2) - Dr. Bryan Hoskins and his colleague Professor Lister were invited to the University of Mars and met with Professor Xyk, who proposed the idea of a Martian child being adopted by humans and raised on Earth, suggesting that such a child would have human-like descendants. While Lister didn't believe in Xyk's ideas, Dr. Hoskins agreed to the experiment. At Xyk's encouragement, Hoskins adopted a Martian child from an orphanage and brought the child back to Earth.
Immediately on his return to Earth and his laboratory in Birchfield, Dr. Hoskins gave the child a nursemaid and began exposing the child to green rays that would neutralize the child's green skin pigment. Professor Lister continued to visit Dr. Hoskins over the years as the experiment continued; after the first year, the child had pink skin. Eventually, Dr. Hoskins decided to turn the child over to Mrs. Parker's orphanage so that the child would have human parents to raise her. The family who adopted the child named her Louise Wharton.
Dr. Hoskins continued to monitor Louise from a distance in Birchfield. In high school she became the sweetheart of Stephen Dowell and in college, Dowell became a record-breaking athlete. Louise and Stephen were engaged but Chip Ladby was jealous and wanted Louise for himself. One day, Chip came to Dr. Hoskins' office for a check-up and began rifling through his files, hoping that his medical files on Stephen would yield something incriminating. Instead, Chip found the file on the Martian experiment and learned Stephen had helped raise a Martian child on Earth. Assuming that Stephen's athletic prowess was due to Martian physiology, Chip confronted Dr. Hoskins and announced his intent to share the file with Louise's family so they would demand she break off their engagement. However, Dr. Hoskins claimed he'd been studying Chip for a long time as well and reminded Chip he himself was an orphan, suggesting Chip might be the Martian. Dr. Hoskins told Chip that Martians were no more intelligent or athletic than humans. Afraid he might be the Martian, Chip agreed to remain silent on the matter.
Chip left town and a week later, Stephen and Louise were married, with Dr. Hoskins among the guests as their wedding. Dr. Hoskins was pleased to see Louise was a lovely bride.
Comments: Created by Carl Wessler and Herb Familton.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Bryan Hoskins should not be confused with:
Stephen Dowell was a young man from Birchfield. In high school he started dating Louise Wharton and by college they were engaged. Stephen excelled at athletics in college and set eight new world records in athletics. Chip Ladby was jealous of Stephen and when he learned Dr. Hoskins had been studying a Martian who was raised as a human he assumed Stephen was the Martian in question. Dr. Hoskins frightened Chip away by suggesting Chip might be the Martian. With Louise's secret protected, she married Stephen.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
Chip Ladby was a young man from Birchfield who was attracted to Louise Wharton and jealous of Stephen Dowell because of their relationship. Even after they were engaged Chip continued to believe he had a chance of winning Louise. Thinking there was some secret to Stephen's success in athletics, Chip broke into Dr. Hoskins' office to read his records and discovered his file on a Martian who was raised as a human. Although the file didn't identify the name (or apparently the gender) of the Martian, Chip assumed Stephen was the Martian and that it explained his success in athletics. Dr. Hoskins frightened Chip off by noting Chip was an orphan who was adopted by the Ladby family and he might be the Martian. Afraid of becoming an outcast, Chip begged Dr. Hoskins to keep quiet. Chip left Birchfield soon after and Louise wed Stephen.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
Professor Lister was a colleague of Dr. Hoskins who journeyed with him to the University of Mars. Lister was present when Professor Xyk suggested the idea of adopting a Martian child and bringing them to Earth to see if their descendants would be human-like. Lister was against the idea, thinking it was absurd, but Dr. Hoskins decided to see the experiment through. Lister continued to check in with Dr. Hoskins as he tended to the child on Earth. Although the Martian did adopt a human-like appearance, Lister wondered if the Martian would be accepted by humans as one of them.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
Mrs. Parker was the head of the orphange in Birchfield where Dr. Hoskins sent the young Martian child to be raised. Mrs. Parker promised to keep Dr. Hoskins' secrets so that no one would learn where she came from; the young Martian was eventually adopted from the orphanage as Louise Wharton.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
The woman called Louise Wharton was a Martian born on Mars who lived in an orphanage. To perform an experiment, Dr. Bryan Hoskins became the legal ward of the child and brought her to Earth. To help give her a human appearance, Dr. Hoskins exposed her to green rays that neutralized her natural pigment. Within a few years she had become human in appearance and Dr. Hoskins sent her to Mrs. Parker's orphanage. After adoption, her name became Louise Wharton and she was raised in Birchfield, where Dr. Hoskins continued to monitor her progress. In high school she became Stephen Dowell's sweetheart and in college they became engaged. Chip resented their relationship and hoped to break them up so he could have Louise for himself but when Chip learned Dr. Hoskins had brought a Martian to Earth and assumed Stephen was the Martian, Dr. Hoskins tricked him into thinking Chip himself was the Martian. Louise was able to wed Stephen.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
Professor Xyk was a professor at the University of Mars. Xyk welcomed Professor Lister and Dr. Bryan Hoskins of Earth to the University of Mars and proposed to them his idea that a Martian who was adopted by humans and raised on Earth would have descendants who would appear human. Dr. Hoskins agreed to the proposal and Professor Xyk encouraged him to adopt a child from a Martian orphanage; this Martian child became Louise Wharton. Professor Xyk's hope was that if a Martian could have human descendants then it would promote peaceful coexistence between humans and Martians.
--Journey into Mystery I#36/2
images: (without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 1, panel 1 (main)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 4, panel 6 (face)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 2, panel 7 (Stephen)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 4, panel 5 (Chip)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 1, panel 1 (Lister)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 2, panel 6 (Parker)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 2, panel 2 (Louise as infant)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 3, panel 1 (Louise)
Journey into Mystery I#36/2, page 1, panel 2 (Xyk)
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#36/2 (July, 1956) - Carl Wessler (writer), Herb Familton (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 01/22/2026
Last updated:
11/04/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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