"XENARTHRANS"
Classification: Terrestrial (possible Deviant mutates, see comments) 1950s era
Location/Base of Operations: Their undersea city, somewhere in the Atlantic ocean
Known Members: Makka; at least three unidentified others (see comments)
Enemies: Eric Lansing
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#5/5 (September, 1959)
Powers/Abilities: Although able to use advanced technology, they demonstrated no innate paranormal abilities.
Traits: Vaguely humanoid, the "Xenarthrans" were possibly mammal/reptile hybrids, having scaly armored upper bodies and hairy lower bodies.
Despite their fearsome appearance, the "Xenarthrans" seemed to be a fairly non-aggressive race, and only attacked in self-defense.
Type: Semi-humanoid
Average height: 8' (by approximation)
Eyes: Two (on head)
Fingers: Four (including opposable thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed
Skin color: Green (heads), orange (arms/torso), green (legs)
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#5/5 (fb) - BTS) - Untold centuries
ago, the "Xenarthrans" established a city somewhere beneath the surface
of the Atlantic Ocean.
(Tales of Suspense I#5/5) - Construction engineer Eric Lansing began his intercontinental tunnel project with his work crew. Starting in the New England area, they began to tunnel downward, and when they had gone down far enough, they leveled off and continued onward, under the floor of the ocean.
Meanwhile, in their subterranean city, one of the "Xenarthrans"--Makka--sensed the work crew's approach with his electro-detector and told an associate. Suspecting that it was the "land-dwelling creatures," Makka reported the incident to the city's ruling council.
As the council of the "Xenarthrans" met, they feared an invasion by humans ("We don't want those barbaric land-dwellers here! We've seen how war-like they can be!"). Two Xenarthrans were dispatched outside the city's protective dome with explosives to destroy the tunnel from the ocean floor--the ruling council figured any humans who escaped would think it to be an accidental cave-in, and would consider it too dangerous to tunnel under the sea.
When the drill of Lansing's work crew hit an area that it couldn't penetrate, Lansing himself went up ahead in the tunnel to investigate, and found what appeared to be man-made metal. Ordering his men to set the drill for high pressure, Lansing told the crew to start again. The drill was reactivated, and with a loud crash it broke through the snag; the awe-struck Lansing saw what lay ahead--a city on the floor of the ocean inhabited by alien creatures! As Lansing heard the creatures say that the explosives would go off at any second, he beat a hasty retreat back up the tunnel.
Following the explosion and cave-in, the work crew questioned Lansing, asking him what caused the tunnel's collapse; but after hearing Lansing's story of alien creatures and a city beneath the sea, the workers were incredulous ("That explosion must've knocked a few of his marbles loose!"). Figuring the explosion to have been the result of gases (which Lansing didn't run a test for), it was all written off as negligence on the part of Eric Lansing.
Later, when Lansing tried to tell some of his colleagues his story, none would accept his excuses. Having lost his fortune and his professional standing, the formerly smug and arrogant Eric Lansing learned the value of humility.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and John Forte.
The creatures in this story only had a vague resemblance to the one depicted on the Jack Kirby cover.
The creatures in this 5-page story -- "I Was Trapped in the Tunnel to Nowhere!" -- were never actually named, but I just thought they kind of resembled hairy armadillos (Chaetophractus villosus), so I gave them the name "Xenarthrans" -- which is derived from "Xenarthra," the group name/order in which armadillos (along with anteaters and sloths) are classified.
Armadillos can go without oxygen for short periods of time when they are burrowing under the ground -- maybe that's how the two "Xenarthrans" survived undersea outside the protective dome while they set the explosives.
I'm guessing that maybe the "Xenarthrans" (aka the "Armadillo Men") are Deviant mutates, much like the Lizard Men.
In regards to their numbers: Although no more than four "Xenarthrans" were seen together in any story panel, Eric Lansing claimed to have seen thousands of them, however this could be written off as a result of Lansing's hysteria upon seeing the strange creatures.
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The armadillo-like "Xenarthrans" have no known connections to:
Makka has no known connections to:
Eric Lansing has no know connection to:
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The home of the "Xenarthrans," it was a city covered by a protective dome which sat 1900 fathoms below the surface on the sea floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Eric Lansing's work crew accidentally drilled into it while they were trying to bore an intercontinental tunnel; but only Lansing himself actually saw the city and its inhabitants. --Tales of Suspense I#5/5 |
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A wealthy and world-famous construction engineer, the smug and arrogant Lansing had just received another of his many awards and honors from the Society of Construction Engineers (this one for building the Nagpur Bridge in India). Despite the doubts of his peers, the vainglorious man embarked on his next project--construction of an intercontinental tunnel from the United States to Europe! To finance the incredible project, Lansing gathered all the money he had, along with all the money he could borrow. After forming a work crew, he initiated the mammoth task. But when his tunnel inadvertently burrowed into the "Xenarthrans" undersea city, Lansing--the only one to actually see the creatures--was doubted by the rest of the work crew and his peers. With his tunnel project a failure, the humbled Lansing lost his fortune and his professional standing, but he learned a lesson in the value of humility. --Tales of Suspense I#5/5 |
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images: (without ads)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p1, pan1 (main image - "Xenarthrans" confronting Eric Lansing)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p3, pan4 (Makka with electro-detector)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p4, pan1 ("Xenarthrans" at council table)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p4, pan6 ("Xenarthans" confront Eric Lansing)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, cover ("Xenarthran" and Eric Lansing)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p3 pan5 ("Xenarthrans" city)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p1, pan2 (Eric Lansing, accepting award)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p2, pan3 (smug Eric Lansing mentions his next project)
Tales of Suspense I#5/5, p2, pan7 (Eric Lansing, with work crew)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#5/5 (September, 1959) - John Forte (pencils/inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense#1 (October, 2006) - reprint
First Posted: 02/04/2007
Last updated: 04/23/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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