BARON HUGO

Real Name: Hugo (full name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human (Romanian)

Occupation: Baron, mayor

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Girl/Sue Storm, Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm)

Enemies: Diablo (Esteban De Ablo) (indirectly)

Known Relatives: Unidentified ancestors (presumed deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: His own district in Transylvania, Romania

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#30 (September, 1964)

Powers/Abilities: Baron Hugo has no superhuman powers but he is a skilled and brave mayor, unafraid to face the treacherous forest leading up to Diablo's castle. He has extensive knowledge of Diablo, presumably passed down from his ancestors and gained while mayor of the district near Diablo's castle.

He has been known to carry a rifle.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue (see comments)
Hair: White (balding)

History: (Fantastic Four I#30 (fb) - BTS) - A hundred years ago, Hugo's ancestors helped trap Diablo inside his Transylvanian castle. Later assuming the title of Baron, Hugo became mayor of a district in the Transylvania region of Romania that was near Diablo's castle.

(Fantastic Four I#30) - After the Fantastic Four visited the Transylvania region on a vacation, the locals warned them against venturing into the forest where the alchemist Diablo dwelt; but when the heroes investigated the forest anyway, Baron Hugo and several locals secretly followed the Fantastic Four, hoping to reach the heroes before it was too late. When the Fantastic Four came across the castle of Diablo, Baron Hugo revealed he and his men had been following the group and warned them against going into the castle; he introduced himself and offered them a place to stay in his estate. The group accepted and, as Baron Hugo led them back through the forest, he revealed how his territory's ancestors had sealed Diablo within the castle 100 years ago. When the Thing asked what Hugo and his men were afraid, as Diablo should be long dead, Baron Hugo admitted that they could not be certain since Diablo was rumored to have found the secret to prolonging his life, and the townspeople suspected Diablo was still alive in his castle, awaiting the day he could escape. Having arrived at the Baron's estate, the Fantastic Four were then led to their rooms, which the Thing considered posh and remarked that the Baron sure knew how to live.

Days after Diablo had been freed by a mind-controlled Thing, Baron Hugo overheard Mister Fantastic's determination that Diablo's potions would harm the world and he interjected, remarking in agreement that Diablo was evil and would stop at nothing to master the world. Hugo then revealed that Diablo was amassing an army to use at a future date, commenting that with the Fantastic Four's Thing under Diablo's sway, the army would be unstoppable. Mister Fantastic solemnly agreed, but noted that there was nothing they could do until Diablo broke a law.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Chic Stone.

Baron Hugo's eyes appeared to be white, but--and I'm not sure if it's a trick to my eyes or not--they seemed to have a VERY slight blue color to them. Since normal humans do not have white eyes, it must be a coloring error, and since (trick or not) I thought I saw a VERY slight blue in the white coloring, I chose to list his eye color as blue. Then again, I'm old and the blue could just be a trick of my own failing eyes. U Decide!!

In a chronologically-earlier story involving Diablo in Marvel: The Lost Generation#8, the Romanian character Captain Edvard Hugo was introduced -- possibly he was intended to be a younger version of Baron Hugo. - Ron Fredricks

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Baron Hugo should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four I#30, p3, pan1 (Baron Hugo, main image)
Fantastic Four I#30, p3, pan3 (Baron Hugo, headshot)

Appearances:
Fantastic Four I#30 (September, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Chic Stone (inks)

First posted: 07/18/2022
Last updated: 07/19/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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