KING BASALLO
Real Name: Basallo
Identity/Class: Terrestrial race (Lava Men), magic user
Occupation: King
Group Membership: Lava Men
Affiliations: Cha'sa'dra, Jinku, Molto, Mother Core
Enemies: Avengers (Beast/Hank McCoy, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Giant-Man/Hank Pym, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Thor, Wasp/Janet van Dyne, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Godpack (Anak, Bellam, Blitziana, Loga, Luminor, Riger, Zefra), Grotesk, Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Rick Jones, Australian Morlocks (Buckland, Bushranger, Mirror Seer, unidentified others), Madelyne Pryor, X-Men (Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Dazzler/Alison Blaire, Havok/Alex Summers, Longshot, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie Raven, Storm/Ororor Munroe)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Basallo of the Lava Men
Base of Operations: Subterranea;
the Lava Men's subterranean kingdom beneath the Never Never, Australian
Outback
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery I#97 (October, 1963)
Powers/Abilities: Like other Lava Men, Basallo possesses a rock-like outer shell, molten metal within his body, superhuman strength, great resistance to physical injury and heat, and rapid recovery from damage. Basallo was convinced he could not be killed because of the nature of his body. His molten composition is highly conductive, making electricity an effective source of pain and a potential threat to the Lava Man's nervous systems or life force. Basallo is an experienced combatant and commands a royal guard. His staff can project intense heat or energy and release a dense ashen murk. Like all Lava Men, Basallo can navigate through the ash while opponents are blinded by it.
Height: 6'2" (by approximation)
Weight: 500 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Glowing yellow-white
Hair: None
History:
(Avengers I#306 (fb) - BTS) - The Lava Men were created by the demon
Cha'sa'dra who transformed hundreds of Gortokians into a tribe of fiery,
near immortal rock people. The demon remained with them and supplied the
tribe's rulers, including witch doctor Jinku, with magic.
(Journey Into Mystery I#97 - BTS) - Basallo, king of the Lava Men, sent
their supreme warrior Molto to the surface to claim the world of man for
the Lava People. Molto was defeated by Thor.
(Avengers I#5 (fb) - BTS) - After an underground explosion
drove the Living
Rock into the Lava Men's realm, they learned the object was highly
explosive. Witch doctor Jinku advised king Basallo to use a machine to
push it to the surface, where its eventual detonation would destroy the
surface world instead.
(Avengers I#5) - Basallo saw wisdom in Jinku's words and ordered his men
to start work on the machine. His plan was opposed by the warrior Molto,
who had come to realize the surface dwellers were not evil. He begged
his king to reconsider, but Molto was silenced by Jinku. Basallo once
again ordered his forces to keep raising the rock. The emergence of the
Living Rock brought in the Avengers, the Hulk and his ally Rick Jones.
Thor tried to reason with Basallo to call off his plans, but Jinku's
aggressive approach led to a fight that ended when the Hulk caused the
Living Rock to implode. Thor allowed Basallo and his men to return to
their homes, but not before promising them that they would fight them
with all their might should they ever threaten the surface world again.
(Marvel Team-Up I#26 (fb) - BTS) - Jinku later persuaded
Basallo to steal the Mole Man's volcano-activating
machine and Thor's hammer Mjolnir.
s
(Marvel Team-Up I#26) - Basallo kept out of the fighting when Thor, the
Human Torch and Molto opposed Jinku and his forces. After Jinku was
beaten, Basallo agreed to return his people to Subterranea.
(X-Men: Outback I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Basallo became convinced
he was receiving instructions from the Mother Core, which told him that
appropriating mutant genes would strengthen the Lava Men. The Mother
Core's mandates taught him that mutants were a lower form of life and
had no say in the matter. His realm's subterranean tunnels reached all
the way to Australia where he had his men hunt for round up mutants
whose genetic material would be used to power the Mother Core.
(X-Men: Outback I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Basallo and his forces were actively
hunting the Australian Morlocks, who had all gathered in Never Never, a
community protected from the outside world by a mirage. Eventually,
Basallo and his forces found their way into Never Never. Only Bushranger
managed to escape. She went looking for help and ran across the X-Men
who agreed to help her.
(X-Men: Outback I#4) - Basallo was not intimidated when the mutant heroes arrived, still feeling they were little more than additional resources and boasting that the Lava Men's molten blood and durable shells made them superior. While his royal guard attacked the team, Basallo used his staff to blanket the battlefield in an ashen murk that his own people could navigate. Psylocke telepathically linked Dazzler and Longshot to counter the loss of sight, while Storm dispersed the ash. Basallo fought Bushranger personally, mocked her lack of an offensive mutant power and injured Havok when he intervened. Bushranger stole the king's staff and struck him with it, proving that he could be hurt despite his claim that Lava Men could not be killed.
(X-Men: Outback I#4) - The day was won when Storm
recognized that the molten metal in the Lava Men's bodies was highly
conductive. She threatened to strike every Lava Man with unprecedented
voltage and warned that the immortal Bushranger would pursue them
indefinitely. Although his royal guard remained willing to fight,
Basallo refused to make his people suffer for him. He ordered them to
lower their weapons and release the captive mutants. Storm acknowledged
that he had chosen his people wisely but warned him never to threaten
the Never Never again.
(Thor I#481 (fb) - BTS) - Basallo and his Lava Men were mentally
enslaved by Grotesk and forced to do his bidding. Grotesk deposed
Basallo as king, but kept him around though he quickly grew tired of the
Lava Man's 'idle prattle'.
(Thor I#481) - As part of his ongoing schemes to destroy the surface
dwellers for the nuclear testing that killed his own kind, Grotesk and
Basallo studied Thor using a spy drone.
(Thor I#481 - BTS) - Convinced he was sufficiently prepared to carry out
his plans, Grotesk forced the Lava Men to once again push the Living
Rock to the surface. The massive artifact emerged in Manhattan, leading
to a confrontation between Grotesk, the Lava Men and Thor. When Thor's
allies the Godpack intervened on the Asgardian's behalf, the battle was
quickly won.
(Thor I#481) - In the aftermath, Thor met with the grateful Basallo,
once again in charge of his people. He promised the Lava Men would leave
peacefully and proceeded to lead them back into Subterranea.
(Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2 (fb) ) - Basallo and the
Lava Men grew frustrated that the surface dwellers only viewed them as
despicable, hideous monsters. Hungry for revenge, they built the
magmachine underneath Manhattan that would turn the entire planet to
molten rubble.
(Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Hungry for
pizza before destroying the world, Basallo sent one of his underlings up
into Manhattan to steal some. His henchman robbed Dani, delivery girl
from Multiverse Pizza on her way to deliver an extra-large,
triple-cheese pie to Avengers Mansion. Dani went to the mansion to
report what happened, leading Beast and Wonder Man to follow the scent
of the pizza into the sewers.
(Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2) - The heroes caught up
with Basallo who was chastising his peon for having only brought back a
single pie, which was never enough to feed all of them. Basallo was then
confronted by the Avengers who demanded that they hand over their pizza.
This led Basallo to explaining what he was planning to do with the
magmachine. Beast and Wonder Man tried to reason with him: people loved
Hank no matter what he looked like, meaning that people will judge what
you do more than how yo look. Unmoved by the speech, Basallo ordered the
magmachine activated. However, while Beast kept the Lava Men distracted,
Simon Williams easily tore the machine apart, ending its threat.
(Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2 - BTS) - Beast and Wonder
Man took Basallo to jail, picking up two more pizzas on their way back
to the mansion where Dani was playing videogames with Vision.
Comments: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Basallo remained unnamed until 1994's Thor I#481. It's hard to
say if Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2 is part of
616-continuity, but since there's nothing in the story to contradict it
being canon, it's been included. Judging by Wonder Man's post Heroes
Return outfit, I placed it after the events of Thor I#481. Basallo's
activities in X-Men: Outback are, of course, continuity inserts
and take place around 1988, during the team's stay in Australia.
The nature of the Mother Core, the exact process by which it could absorb mutant genes and the true extent of Basallo's claim to immortality remain unrevealed.
Profile by Norvo
CLARIFICATIONS:
Basallo should not be confused with:
Images: (without ads)
X-Men Outback I#4, p6, pan1 (main)
Avengers I#5, p12, pan2 (lift the rock)
Thor I481, p22, pan5 (rescued by Thor)
Marvel Super Stories Amazing Adventures I#2, p130, pan1 (stolen pizza)
Appearances:
Journey Into Mystery I#97 (October, 1963) - Stan Lee (writer, editor),
Jack Kirby (pencils), George Roussos (inks)
Avengers I#5 (May, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Jack Kirby
(pencils), Paul Reinman (inks),
Marvel Team-Up I#26 (October, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Jim Mooney
(pencils), Frank Giacoia & Dave Hunt (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Avengers I#305-308 (July-October, 1989) - John Byrne (writer), Paul Ryan
(pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Thor I#481 (December, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils),
Mike DeCarlo (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures I#2 (November, 2024) - "Cheese
Be Not Proud" by Brian Fies (writer, pencils, inks), John Jennings
(editor)
X-Men: Outback I#4 (September, 2026) - Steve Orlando (writer), Roi
Mercado (pencils), Alex Sinclair (inks), Darren Shan & Mikey J.
Basso (editors)
First Posted: 10/06/2026
Last Updated: 10/06/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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