Avengers Annual #20 — Nick Peron

Apr 16

Apr 16 Avengers Annual #20

Of Moles and Mutates

The hustle and bustle of Broadway is interrupted when the street suddenly rips open and a group of Moloids, Tyrannoids, and Lava Men come fleeing from below. This is just as Hercules and Sersi are on their way to see a showing of Phantom of the Opera. Feeling the ground quake, they head to the source of the disturbance and see the subterranean creatures running amok in the streets and attacking people. Calling for back-up, the two Avengers then leap into battle. They are soon joined by their teammates Captain America, Black Widow, Vision, She-Hulk, Quasar, Sandman, and Rage. They don’t understand why these three distinct underground races — habitual enemies — are fighting together, but they manage to drive them back below ground.

Deciding to get to the bottom of this mystery, Captain America leads the Avengers into the tunnel below. There they find a lone drill tank, suggesting that this wasn’t a planned invasion. They are greeted by the Mole Man, a shrouded Tyrannus,[1] Grotesk, rulers of their own subterranean domains. While the Avengers known both the Mole Man and Tyrannus, they are unfamiliar with Grotesk. He tells them that he is the last survivors of a humanoid race known as the Gortokians and after a few failed attempts at conquering the surface world he gave up his warlike ways.[2] He was later visited by Lava Men — who were former Gortokians transformed by magic — who had not been transformed into gold who had come seeking leadership from him.[3] Grotesk was satisfied ruling over his new subjects until he was recently forced from his domain by a new breed of Deviant Mutates that are seeking to claim the long abandoned technology the Deviants used to create the various subterranean races.

The Mole Man and Tyrannus then fully admit that the weapons and technology they have used in the past were all derived from Deviant technology they found after taking control of their individual domains.[4] The Mole Man explains that renewed interest by the Deviants had followed a recent civil war among those who sought to dispose of their current leader, Warlord Kro.[5] The trio are now asking for the Avengers assistance in preventing the Deviant Mutates from taking over the domains. Since this could put the surface world at risk as well, Captain America agrees to help on the condition that the Mole Man, Tyrannus, and Grotesk never threaten the surface world ever again.

Captain America and the Black Widow decide to return to the surface and check their records as well as get in touch with the Fantastic Four and send the rest of the team with their reluctant allies to find the Deviant Mutates.[6] As everyone parts company, they are unaware that an elderly woman is watching from the shadows.[7]

The Mole Man, Tyrannus, and Grotesk lead the Avengers down into the tunnel deep below the Earth. Eventually, they end up falling through the weakened floor, dumping the group in front of a group of Deviant Mutates. They are led by a green skinned Mutate calling himself Brutus. With the Avengers busy fighting the Deviants, Mole Man and his allies depart hoping that both sides of the conflict perish in the brawl. The Vision and She-Hulk are the first to fall in battle and Brutus orders the rest of the Avengers to stand down or their comrades will be put to death. Realizing they have no choice, Sersi and the others surrender. Brutus then seals them in a sphere of energy and has them carted off the Mutates base of operations where he intends to use a brainwashing device to make them into his super-powered pawns.

Back on the surface, the old woman who had been observing things from the shadows has emerged onto the streets of New York. There she flags down a taxi cab and offers the driver a gold necklace as fare to JFK International Airport. There she intends to take a plane to Los Angeles where she hopes to find Tony Stark.

… This story is continued in Incredible Hulk Annual #17

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Black Widow, Captain America, Hercules, Quasar, Rage, Sandman, Sersi, She-Hulk, Vision), Mole Man, Tyrannus, Grotesk, Kala, Brutus, Moloids, Tyrannoids, Lava Men, Gortokians

Continuity Notes

The reason why Tyrannus is wearing a shroud is because his access to his Fountain of Youth has been cut off by the Deviant Mutates that are waging war on the Subterraneans. This will be explained in Incredible Hulk Annual #17.
Grotesk attempted to conquer the surface world on two different occasions in X-Men #41 as well as Ms. Marvel #6 and 8 respectively.
It was revealed in Avengers #305-307 that, centuries ago, many Gortokians worshiped a fire demon named Cha’sa’dra and were transformed into Lava Men. More recently (and in those same issues) the Lava Man renounced their worship with some help from the Avengers and the majority of the group were transformed into gold.
Tyrannus mentions how he was banished to Subterreanea by the wizard Merlin centuries ago. This was all detailed in Incredible Hulk #5.
The Deviant civil war is chronicled in Eternals: The Herod Factor #1.
The reason Cap wants to see if the Fantastic Four want to help is because they have had the most experience in Subterranea following their first encounter with the Mole Man back in Fantastic Four #1.
This is yet another Subterranean ruler named Kala, first seen back in Tales of Suspense #43. The reason why she appears as an old woman here is because she — like Tyrannus — has an issue with staying young baked into the character.

A History of Subterranea

The Watcher is examining the history of the myriad lifeforms that live below the surface of the Earth. Their origins date back one million years ago when the Celestial Host came to Earth and experimented on early man. One such Celestial, Ziran the Tester, created the genetically unstable offshoot of humanity known as the Deviants.[1] Over the next millennia, the warlike Deviants ultimately subjugated humanity as slaves and ruled the entire globe about twenty thousand years ago, ruling from their island nation of Lemuria. The last hold out was the island kingdom of Atlantis. During this war, one city state of Atlantis decided to escape the bloodshed by sinking their city deep below the Earth and erecting a dome to protect it. This domain would later be called the Netherworld and its people the Netherworldians.[2]

As the war between the Deviants and Atlantis raged on, the Celestial Host returned once more. When the Deviants foolishly attacked their creators, the Celestials retaliated, sinking the both Lemuria and Atlantis to the ocean floor.[3] The Deviants survived by building a dome around their city as well. They soon began burrowing into the Earth, creating a complex series of tunnels below the ground. They then used their mastery of genetics to create a race of slaves. These humanoids eventually formed a rebellion led by their leader, a humanoid named Gor-Tok. Once liberated from their masters, this people named themselves the Gortokians, after their savior. Some of the Gortokians would later come to worship the demon Cha’sa’dra who used his magic to transform his followers into a race of Lava Men.

Seeking to re-conquer the Gortokians, the Deviants in turn created two new subservient races to wage war on their behalf. However, the Gortokians fought back and drove the Deviants back to Lemuria. The surviving creatures were left alive and they would continue to thrive in their underground domain.

In the 6th Century, Roman emperor Roman Agustilus attempted to conquer Camelot, leading to a war with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Ultimately, Agustilus was defeated by Arthur’s champion, the Black Knight, and was banished to Subterranea by the wizard Merlin. Appearing before one of the subservient races, Romulus reinvented himself Tyrannus and made them his subjects, dubbing them Tyrannoids. Discovering abandoned Deviant technology, Tyrannus eventually grew old with age. His followers, however, prolonged his life by bathing him in the so-called Fountain of Youth, allowing him to rule over his subject well into the present day.[4]

Subterranea became the home of yet another surface dweller, a man shunned in society because he was considered ugly. He sought to abandon civilization and after a ship wreck ended up on fabled Monster Island. There, he found tunnel leading underground where he found the second race of Deviant slaves. Reinventing himself as the Mole Man, he ruled over his Moloids and also usurped Deviant technology, using it to create massive monsters to carry out his bidding. Seeking vengeance on the surface world, the Mole Man ran afoul of the newly formed Fantastic Four.[5] Meanwhile, Tyrannus became interested in the surface world, but his first attempt at conquest was thwarted by the Hulk.[5]

Also around this time, Kala — the ruler of the Netherworldians — also sought to conquer the surface. This led to an encounter with Iron Man. However, upon discovering that exposure to the surface would cause the nearly immortal Kala to rapidly grow old, she gave up her ambitions for conquest for a time.[6] soon after this, the Lava Man also threatened the surface world, only to be driven back by the mighty Avengers.[7] During this time, the remaining Gortokians were ruled by King Krono. Tragically, the entire population was wiped out by radiation from an underground nuclear test. All except for Prince Gor-Tok, who was mutated by the radiation into the creature known as Grotesk.[8]

Soon, the Mole Man and Tyrannus found themselves at war with each other, fighting each other with giant robots as well as manipulating pawns to fight on their behalf, such as the mutant X-Men.[9] Grotesk also threatened the surface world soon after this and also fought the X-Men.[10] By this time, the Mole Man believed he finally got an edge of Tyrannus by allying with Kala, however she ultimately betrayed him in the end.[11] However, Kala would come crawling back to the Mole Man after her youth began to fade. Showing some rare compassion, the Mole Man welcomed Kala back with open arms.[12] Grotesk later fought Ms. Marvel, only to be banished through a space warp.[13] Tyrannus also met his apparent demise, being devoured by the demon Set while fighting Doctor Strange.[14]

The Deviants also never gave up their quest to re-conquer the surface world and have had changes in leadership over the years, from Brother Tode, to Warlord Kro, and the priest known as Ghaur.[15] Most recently, the Deviants have gained a new general, the man known as Brutus. The Watcher concludes his recounting by saying he cannot say if Brutus will win the war or not, as his job is merely to watch.

Recurring Characters

The Watcher

Continuity Notes

The creation of the Deviants was first detailed in Eternals #1.
The sinking of the Netherworld was first documented in Tales of Suspense #43.
Also known as the Great Cataclysm, the sinking of Atlantis and Lemuria has been detailed in part or in full in number of stories, namely: Strange Worlds #2, Strange Tales #68, Journey into Mystery #4, Sub-Mariner #62-66, Adventure into Fear #15 and 21, Marvel Spotlight #16-17, Savage Sword of Conan #8, 104, and 226, Eternals #2 and 18, Ka-Zar the Savage #8, Marvel Saga #3, Fantastic Four #316, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23, Marvel Comics Presents #169, Namor the Sub-Mariner #62, Cable #96, and Incredible Hercules #123.
Tyrannus’ origins were first told in Incredible Hulk #5. However, this story is the first mention of his battle with the original Black Knight. This clash would be expanded upon in Mystic Arcana: Black Knight #1.
The Mole Man’s origins were first told in Fantastic Four #1, but how he ended up in Subterranea would be expanded upon in Marvel Universe #4-7.
The first clash between Tyrannus and the hulk was from Incredible Hulk #4.
Kala’s failed bid to conquer the surface world happened in Tales of Suspense #43.
The Avengers fought the Lava Men in Avengers #5. This story omits that a member of the Lava Man race previously fought Thor in Journey into Mystery #97.
The death of the Gortokians and the birth of Grotesk was all told in X-Men #41.
The time Tyrannus and Mole Man fought involving giant robots and the X-Men happened in X-Men #34.
Grotesk battled the X-Men in X-Men #41.
Kala’s love triangle with the Mole Man and Tyrannus was told in Fantastic Four #127-128.
Mole Man and Kala reconciled back in Marvel Treasury Edition #25.
Grotesk’s battle with Ms. Marvel happened in Ms. Marvel #6 and 8. It’s never clearly explained how Grotesk escaped from the space warp here. His most recent profile in X-Men: The Phoenix Force Handbook #1, offers not much by way of explanation either.
Tyrannus was consumed by Set in Daredevil Annual #5. Again, recent handbook profiles for Tyrannus (namely Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12) doesn’t offer much explanation as to how Tyrannus survived getting eaten alive by a snake demon. Magic, I guess?
Brother Tode was ruler of the Deviants until he was transformed into inert matter in Avengers #247. Ghaur took over in Eternals (vol. 2) #2 until his defeat in Fantastic Four Annual #22, leaving Kro in charge until the civil war in Eternals: The Herod Factor #1.

Burning Vision

The Vision is on patrol of the city when he comes upon an apartment building on fire. Offering his assistance, the synthezoid learns from firefighters that a kid naped Tommy Rivera is trapped inside. Using his phasing powers to search the burning building, the Vision quickly finds Tommy in the middle of the inferno. The boy is in a frightened state because he was responsible for the fire, particularly after his grandmother warned him not to play with matches. While listening to this story, the ceiling collapses on the Vision. Luckily, Tommy is able to dig the Avenger out and he leads the boy to safety. Once outside, and reunited with his grandmother, Tommy vows to never play with fire again. Seeing that his job is done, the Vision departs.

Recurring Characters

Vision

A Wing and a Prayer

A young boy named Jeffrey Crane is up one night praying to god. After losing his mother, he fears that he will become an orphan now that his father has been diagnosed with cancer. Pleading with God not to take his father away, young Jeff spots Thor fly by his bedroom window and takes it as a sign. When Jeff tries calling out to the thunder god, he doesn’t hear, prompting the boy to get dressed so he can go down to Avengers Headquarters for help. As Thor arrives at at base, he is unaware that he is being observed by Carl Creel the Absorbing Man who is plotting to get revenge against Thor.[1]

Soon, Jeffrey Crane rings the doorbell at Avengers Headquarters where he is greeted by Jarvis. After hearing Jeff’s tale, Jarvis has to let the boy down by telling him that Thor can’t do anything to cure his father. Not accepting this response, Jeff then tries to break into the building to find Thor for himself. He ends up setting the security system and is rescued by the very god he came to see. While Thor can’t do anything himself, he attempts to petition Odin to intervene. However, the All-Father denies this request as well.

As Jeff comes to grip with the fact that nobody can help, the Absorbing Man launches his attack. In the ensuing battle, Jeffrey gets into harms way just as his father arrives looking for him. Rushing to Jeff’s aid, his father is grabbed by the Absorbing Man who unintentionally absorbs the properties of the senior Crane’s cancer and starts rapidly becoming ill. Fearing for his life, Creel turns into air to purge the cancer from his body and escape, vowing to return. As Thor departs, Jeff’s father tells the boy that his cancer has gone into remission, giving him a new lease on life.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Absorbing Man, Odin, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

Here, Creel says his dream of having a normal life is gone. He had come to this conclusion after being banished to another dimension for a time. Once he got free he got into a brawl with the Hulk. See Thor #376 and Incredible Hulk #348.