History:
NORRIS
Real Name: Norris (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human (Post-World War II Era)
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Crane
Enemies: Two one-million-year-old men
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: A cavern somewhere in Subterranea
First Appearance: Mystery Tales I#47/6 (November, 1956)
Powers/Abilities: Norris was in good physical condition and enjoyed spelunking as a recreational activity. After being subjected to the million-year-old men's potion he was placed in indefinite suspended animation.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6')
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 175 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Light brown
History:
(Mystery Tales I#47/6) - Norris and his friend Crane were spelunking enthusiasts who went exploring a cavern. To their surprise they found two old men living in a state of suspended animation, with an antidote lying nearby their bodies. Exploring the cavern further, Norris and Crane saw the men had a number of advanced example of technology, including weapons. Realizing these men must be more intelligent than present-day men, Norris convinced Crane they should use the antidote to awaken the men but lead the men into believing the world was a dangerous place in need of their help, thinking they could manipulate the men into showing them how their technology worked.
Crane administered the antidote and soon the men awoke to greet Norris and Crane. They revealed they had been asleep beneath the Earth since before the Ice Age and were heartened to discover they'd been found by other humans as they'd feared they were the last of their kind.
Norris and Crane learned about how the men's weapons worked and started telling them what a dangerous and war-strivven planet the Earth was. This upset the two old men, but Norris and Crane suggested that with their advanced weapons they could conquer the planet and bring about peace. The two old men stepped aside to consider the idea.
When they returned, the old men proposed a toast, which Norris and Crane joined in with them. However, Norris and Crane quickly realized all four of them were becoming sleepy and falling into a state of suspended animation. The old men had been convinced by Norris and Crane's stories of the problems of the world above, but they were also non-violent, so chose to return to sleep until humanity became more enlightened. Since Norris and Crane had convinced the old men they were so worried about the state of the world, the old men had given them the potion so they could join them in their endless slumber. Norris and Crane fell asleep in the underground cavern.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Steve Ditko.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Norris should not be confused with:
Crane was Norris' friend and fellow spelunker. Crane was exploring a cavern with Norris when they discovered the bodies of two old men who had been in suspended animation there since before the Ice Age. Norris and Crane revived the old men, hoping to convince them to share their advanced technology so they could conquer the world. Crane and Norris told stories about how troubled the present-day Earth was but this just convinced the old men they'd rather return to sleep until humanity had changed for the better; they shared a toast with Norris and Crane, all four drinking from the potion which placed them all into suspended animation within the cavern.
--Mystery Tales I#47/6
These two men lived on Earth before the Ice Age, approximately 1 million years ago. At the time, human society had made great technological prowess including powerful weapons, but by the time the Ice Age began, the two men believed they were the last surviving humans on Earth. They concocted a potion which would place them in suspended animation and set themselves in a cavern deep beneath Earth's surface with a copy of the potion's antidote set next to their bodies, so that if anyone should ever find them they could be revived. When Norris and Crane discovered the two men they awoke them in the 20th century and tried to convince them the world had become a troubling place in need of help, Norris and Crane hoped the two men would share their technology with them so they could conquer the world. Instead, the two men prepared another dose of the potion and gave it to Norris and Crane as a toast, thinking that since those men were so troubled by the present-day world, they should join them in suspended animation until human society had progressed upon a more enlightened path.
--Mystery Tales I#47/6
images: (without ads)
Mystery Tales I#47/6, page 1, panel 2 (main)
Mystery Tales I#47/6, page 1, panel 3 (face)
Mystery Tales I#47/6, page 2, panel 1 (Crane)
Mystery Tales I#47/6, page 1, panel 1 (men)
Appearances:
Mystery Tales I#47/6 (November, 1956) - unidentified writer, Steve Ditko (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 11/02/2026
Last updated:
11/02/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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