MARTIANS

Classification: Extraterrestrial (Martians; see comments)

Location/Base of Operations: Mars

Known Members: At least two (neither identified)

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Bret Hoff, Dan Squire

First Appearance: Uncanny Tales I#28/3 (January, 1955)

Powers/Abilities: Somewhat resembling early ape-like Earth hominids (possibly Homo erectus), these Martians appeared to be about ten times larger than humans. Due to their size, they likely had proportionally great strength, but they demonstrated no other powers, nor any signs of technological development (see comments).

Type: Semi-humanoid
Average height: 60' (by approximation)
Eyes: Two (on head)
Fingers: Unrevealed (see comments)
Toes: Unrevealed (see comments)
Skin color: Light brown

History:
(Uncanny Tales I#28/3 (fb) - BTS) - The past of these giant humanoid Martians is unrevealed, but the primitive beings were fascinated by how the ants of their world knew the secret of passing through solid matter.

   When the first spacecraft from Earth landed on their planet, the Martians captured astronauts Bret Hoff and Dan Squire. Believing that the strangers who could devise such a fantastic spacecraft to reach their world could also discover the ants unsolved secret of "penetrability," the Martians put them in a glass-topped maze. They provided the men with at least four of their world's ants, along with a smaller model of the maze in which the astronauts were trapped; they tasked the men with placing the ants within the smaller maze and observing them, so that they could learn the secret of the ants' power of "penetrability," and thereby teach the Martians about the method the insects used.

(Uncanny Tales I#28/3) - Trapped inside the maze for an unspecified period of time, the two astronauts were suffering from the lack of food, water, and sleep. Although they eventually complied with their Martian captors and placed the ants into the maze, the exhausted men both fell asleep as the insects scurried around the smaller labyrinth's twisting corridors, and all the ants passed through its walls and got away.

   When they awoke, the astronauts discovered that all the Martian ants were gone--Squire smashed the small maze in angered frustration, and Hoff could only lament over what their own fate would be.

   As the astronauts collapsed to the floor, two gigantic Martians leered down at them--they would starve the little strangers to death, hoping that hunger would motivate the two Earthmen to pass through the maze's walls, thus admitting they knew--and could thereby teach the Martians--the baffling secret that the ants alone knew...

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Mort Lawrence.

This 4-page story--The Maze!--was done with a surprise-ending which revealed that the astronauts shared the same plight as the ants; the final two story-panels above were all we ever saw of these Martians--all that was depicted was their faces, so next to nothing was revealed about them.

Since the two astronauts didn't wear oxygen helmets, this story likely took place in an alternate universe where Mars had a breathable atmosphere (...unless their maze was hermetically-sealed).

No year was mentioned for when these events occurred, but I suppose it could be Reality-616 (mainstream Marvel Universe) during the year it was published, and Hoff and Squire were using advanced technology of the 1950s era (...much like Professor Crews and Willy Gregg).

I guess these Martians had Hoff and Squire test the ants because the insects were too small (relatively speaking) for the Martians themselves to see clearly.

Since they were never depicted as speaking to the astronauts, my guess is that these gigantic Martians were telepathic--otherwise, how would Hoff and Squire know what they wanted them to do?

Also, the primitive Martians seemed to be the equivalent of Earth cavemen (see main image, the one on the right seems to be wearing a spotted animal-skin), yet they somehow manufactured the larger maze for the astronauts and the smaller one for the ants--maybe they had telekinesis that worked on the atomic level, and they formed both mazes from base elements of their planet.

It remains to be explained how so many different races/beings allegedly originated from Mars.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
These Martians have no known connection to:

The Martian ants have no known connection to:

Brett Hoff has no known connection to:

Dan Squire has no known connection to:

Martian ants

Somewhat resembling Earth ants, but they were about ten times larger. They had the power of "penetrability," and could rearrange their atoms to squeeze through the atoms of another solid object.

The gigantic humanoids of Mars wanted to learn how the ants accomplished such a feat, so they captured Earth astronauts Bret Hoff and Dan Squire and tasked them with learning the secret of the ants' power.

The astronauts placed at least four of the ants into a glass-covered maze, and tried to watch as the insects scurried through the labyrinth. But the exhausted men had been prisoners for so long that they both fell asleep while trying to watch the Martian insects; consequently, all the ants eventually passed through the walls of the maze and got away.

--Uncanny Tales I#28/3

Bret Hoff and Dan Squire

Two Earth astronauts, they were the first men to reach the planet Mars.

Upon landing, they were captured by the giant primitive Martians and placed within a glass-covered maze, where they found a smaller maze modeled after the one they were in. They were given at least four Martian ants, and tasked by the giant Martians with discovering how the ants used their power of "penetrability" to pass through solid matter.

Held prisoner in the maze for an unspecified period of time, the exhausted men were suffering from the lack of food, water, and sleep; consequently, they both fell asleep while all the ants used their power to escape.

When they awoke and found all the Martian ants gone, Squire smashed the small maze out of frustration, and Hoff could only bemoan what their own fate would be.

--Uncanny Tales I#28/3

images: (without ads)
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p4, pan6 (two Martians look down upon Dan Squire and Bret Hoff in maze; astronauts' spacecraft [background])
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p4, pan7 (two Martians look down upon Bret Hoff and Dan Squire in maze)
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p1, pan1 (Martian ant in maze; Dan Squire [left] and Bret Hoff [background])
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p2, pan2 (three Martian ants in unidentified astronaut's hand)
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p2, pan7 (one of the three Martian ants passes through solid wall of maze; Bret Hoff and Dan Squire [background])
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p1, pan3 (Dan Squire [left], Bret Hoff)
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p2, pan1 (Bret Hoff [left] and Dan Squire discuss Martian ants power of "penetrability")
Uncanny Tales I#28/3, p4, pan5 (Dan Squire smashes glass cover of Martian ant maze; Bret Hoff)

Appearances:
Uncanny Tales I#28/3 (January, 1955) - unidentified writer, Mort Lawrence (pencils/inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 03/29/2026
Last updated: 03/29/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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