Appearing in "Enter, the Avengers"
X-Men #9
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Crew of unnamed freighter
- Matilda & Samuel (a couple on cruise-ship) (First appearance)
- Unnamed tourist in Bavaria
- Unnamed Bavarians
- Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) (Referenced)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- Atlantic Ocean
- Europe
- Bulgaria
- Balkan Mountains
- Lucifer's hidden cavern
- Balkan Mountains
- Germany
- Bavaria (First appearance)
- Bulgaria
- Ohio (Mentioned)
- Asgard (Mentioned)
Items:
- Cyclops' Visor, version 1
- Captain America's Uniform and Shield
- Iron Man Armor MK III
- Mjolnir
- Giant-Man's Suit
- X-Uniforms
- Thermal bomb
Vehicles:
- Unnamed freighter
- Professor X's cave-exploring wheelchair
Synopsis for "Enter, the Avengers"
X-Men #9
In the Northern Atlantic, a freighter is on a collision course with an iceberg. Suddenly, two red beams of light shoot out from the front of the ship and destroy the iceberg. Scott Summers and the rest of the X-Men head back to their cabin before anyone can see where the strange light came from. The X-Men attend to Scott who became weary after having to use his powers so rigorously. Scott explains to the other X-Men that Professor Xavier had told him they had a mission in Europe.
Suddenly another transmission from Professor Xavier comes in, telling his students that he has located his foe, Lucifer in a cave in the Balkans. He tells the X-Men that he wants them to come to the cave. If he is unable to stop Lucifer, they can finish him off. Professor Xavier enters the cave, but is engulfed by a cyclone that places him in front of Lucifer. Professor Xavier pulls a gun on Lucifer, but learns that if he pulls the trigger the world will be doomed.
The X-Men arrive in a Bavarian village. The Avengers arrive just behind them because they are investigating strange impulses detected by Thor's hammer. Lucifer reveals to Professor Xavier that he has built a thermal detonator attached to his heartbeat. If he is harmed or killed, it will blow up, causing worldwide damage. Lucifer knows that the X-Men have arrived in Europe, so he fires an ionic ray at them. Professor Xavier warns his students of the incoming ray, and they dodge it. He tells the X-Men of Lucifer's bomb, and that Lucifer cannot be harmed. The Avengers arrive and want to destroy the menace detected by Thor's hammer. A battle between the two groups ensues.
Lucifer laughs after seeing the two groups fighting each other. Professor Xavier uses the distraction to mentally knock Lucifer unconscious without changing his heartbeat, and then using telepathy, alerts Thor to the truth. Thor informs the rest of the Avengers of Lucifer's defeat, and they depart.
Professor Xavier leads the X-Men to him so they can defuse the bomb. He detects the bomb's weak point and orders Cyclops to use his power full force but in a hairline beam on the bomb's fuse, shattering it. The bomb is diffused and Xavier mentally wakes up Lucifer. Lucifer tells them that it took him 10 years to make the bomb, and Xavier says that he lost the permanent use of his legs, but Lucifer only suffered a minor setback. The X-Men leave Lucifer alone in his own cave, telling him that there is no place on Earth he can go to escape the retribution of the X-Men.
Appearing in "The Triumph of Magneto"
X-Men #11
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Stranger (First appearance)
- Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Disbands)
- Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) (Leaves)
- Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) (Leaves)
- Toad (Mortimer Toynbee) (Leaves)
- Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) (Leaves)
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) (Leaves)
Other Characters:
- Landlady
- Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
- NYPD
- Charlie (First appearance)
- Juggernaut (Cain Marko) (Behind the scenes)
- Cows (Invoked)
- Richard Chamberlain (Referenced) (Topical Reference)
- Blob (Fred Dukes) (Named only)
- Unus (Gunther Bain) (Named only)
- Giant-Man (Henry Pym) (Named only)
Races and Species:
- Mutants
- Gigantians (First appearance)
- Humans
- Fish (Illusion or holographic simulation)
- Dragons (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Prime Marvel Universe
- Earth
- North America
- United States
- New York
- Westchester County
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Brotherhood temporary hideout (First appearance)
- Manhattan
- New York
- United States
- Earth Orbit
- Central Europe (Mentioned)
- North America
- Heavens (Invoked)
- Stranger's Homeworld (Mentioned)
- Earth
Items:
Vehicles:
- X-Copter (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Triumph of Magneto"
X-Men #11
Professor X calls the X-Men when his Radar-Image Beam picks up the energy signature of a very powerful being. However, before they can get a better analysis, the being suddenly disappears in a flashing explosion. Suspecting this being to be a super-powerful mutant, the Professor and Scott concern themselves with the potential of such a powerful being. Iceman and Beast however, don't take this finding very seriously and begin horsing around again, prompting Marvel Girl to use her powers to break up their rough housing. This leads to the Professor scolding Bobby for inciting the situation.
Elsewhere in New York, the object of the X-Men's concern is a strange man in a suit that has taken up residence in a rooming house. When the landlord comes by and demands a full week's rent in cash up front, the man pulls a large wad of money out of his coat and hands it to her. Deciding to explore the city, this man, this Stranger, walks in the very air over the city to avoid traffic. The citizens of New York are shocked to find that there is a man walking right up in the sky. Not wishing to attract anymore undue attention, the Stranger flees the scene, but feels himself compelled to enter a particular building.
Walking through the wall, the Stranger finds Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants inside waiting for him. As the Stranger meets the Brotherhood, the X-Men search the city for this supposed new Mutant. As Angel scours the sky, the rest of the X-Men search the ground. Scott searches the streets and attracts the unwanted attention of the police who find is skulking about suspicious. In a scuffle, Scott's ruby quartz glasses are removed causing his optic beams to fire wildly, smashing a fire hydrant and one of the officers guns. Scott is then pulled out of the harry situation by Beast and Iceman who reunite him with Marvel Girl. The group then decides to continue looking for their query together.
Back in the building where the Stranger has met with the Brotherhood, the Stranger is offered membership with Magneto's team of evil Mutants. When the Stranger asks why he should join up with Magneto's group, the Master of Magnetism gives the Stranger a show of power, with Magneto binding him with metal and Mastermind using his illusions.
However, the Stranger sees through the illusion and breaks free of Magneto's binding. He decides to show his own power and fires a bolt of energy at Mastermind which converts the illusion casting mutant into solid matter. His weight increased causing him to break through the floors of the building, alerting the store manager a floor below to call for help.
This alarm attracts the attention of the X-Men who go to investigate and they find the Stranger with their mortal foes. Magneto orders Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to attack the X-Men. Quicksilver strikes first, however he is quickly stopped when Iceman coats him with ice. Wanda then counter attacks with her hex bolts which trip up both Beast and Iceman. Angel attempts to get close to the Stranger but finds himself repelled by a magnetic barrier put up by Magneto.
Growing tired, the Stranger decides to leave, turning into vortex to escape. Magneto wishes to go with him and is allowed, so he (followed by the ever loyal Toad) enters the vortex and it phases through the wall, eluding the X-Men. Cyclops and the others go to lend Iceman and Beast a helping hand, putting a stop to the Scarlet Witch's attack.
Freeing Quicksilver from his frozen bond, the two Brotherhood members realize that they have been abandoned by Magneto. Cyclops offers them a chance to join the X-Men and help them stop Magneto, however the two Mutant siblings decline, having had enough of the constant conflict and leave, vowing to one day return.
Meanwhile, the Stranger has taken Magneto and Toad to a secluded spot, impressing Magneto with his abilities. The Stranger has a shock for Magneto though: He reveals that he is not a mutant and that he intends to subjugate them with his power. Suddenly, the Stranger grows in size and envelops both Magneto and Toad in an anti-magnetic membrane. While at the X-Mansion, Professor X examines the transformed body of Mastermind and is shocked to find that he is alive but his molecules have been transformed into dense matter. Deciding that this Stranger is a potentially bigger menace than Magneto, the Professor gathers the X-Men and they fly out in their helicopter to find this being before he can act out again.
The X-Men find the forest where the Stranger had taken Toad and Magneto and find the two evil mutants still bound. The Stranger then appears and reveals his true form, telling them that he is a stranger from beyond the stars. Telling the X-Men that he has developed an interest in human mutation, he teleports away with Magneto and Toad so that he might examine this phenomenon on his own world. The Stranger leaves the X-Men with the police arriving, prompting the outlaw heroes to flee the scene as quickly as possible.
Later that day, Cyclops and Professor X are in the Professor's study where the Professor removes the place cards of Magneto, Toad and Mastermind of the list of mutants on Cerebro that might pose a threat. Suddenly, the cerebro alarm goes off warning the Professor and Cyclops of a coming threat that is heading right toward them.
This story is continued next issue....
Trivia
- The inker's name was misspelled as 'Ciiic Stone' for the first story.
- The Stranger's hair is colored brown in this reprint, instead of the usual white.