The X-Men (1963)

The X-men are called home from patrol by Professor X who is concerned about a new menace. Angel is mobbed by a group of girls who want autographs or kisses and "saved" by Jean Grey, and Cyclops is able to save some construction workers. The X-men return home as quickly as possible to watch a mental project of a new threat called the Vanisher.

The Vanisher appears to be a mutant who has the ability to teleport. Professor X feels that the skills they have will not be enough so he put them through their paces in the "Danger Room".

Meanwhile, Vanisher warns the US government that he is going to steal national defense plans in three days. Thugs and criminals approach Vanisher to be part of his gang. When the Vanisher attempts to steal the defense plans he succeeds easily and makes the X-men look like a bunch of chumps, disappearing in front of them.

Vanisher demands that the US government hand over 10 million dollars or he will sell the plans to the commies. Alerted by FBI Special Agent Fred Duncan, the X-men and Professor X meet the Vanisher and his gang on the lawn of the White House. This time, Professor X uses his telepathy to give Vanisher amnesia so he can't use his powers and the X-men capture his gang easily.

This is the 1st appearance of Vanisher and Special Agent Fred Duncan.

The story opens with the X-men training in the Danger Room. Today Scott Summers is practicing the speed at which he can blast bean bags that are being launched at him by the Beast. The other boys are involved with some one-upmanship and roughhousing until Professor X calls them to order. Jean's task is to move a block of wood through a series of obstacles as quickly as possible. Their training is interrupted when Professor X detects the presence of another mutant nearby.

He commands the X-men to change into civilian clothes to seek out this new mutant and bring him back to their headquarters. The boys jostle to be the one to take Jean on the mission. Professor X warns Jean to be careful and she tells him, "Don't worry, sir! Remember how well you have trained us." This leaves Charles conflicted because he is consumed by worry over Jean because he loves her, but know it wouldn't be right to act on his love while he leads the X-men and while he's confined to the wheelchair.

The X-men depart to seek out this new mutant and are led astray a number of times until they arrive at the circus. There Cyclops watches the sideshow performance of a young man known as the Blob. Professor X confirms that the Blob is indeed the mutant they seek. Cyclops goes to talk to Blob but becomes annoyed at how obnoxious the man is. Jean and Warren arrived and the Blob decides to go back with them to the X-men headquarters.

At the headquarters Blob is tested by Professor X. The X-men spar in mock combat with the Blob and eventually Professor X offers Blob membership in the X-men. The Blob refuses and Professor X tells the X-men to capture the Blob so that he can remove the memory of their existance and base from his mind. The Blob is able to escape and return to the circus.

The X-men begin to hunt the Blob down so that he rallies an army of carnies to attack their headquarters. He realizes that he is too dangerous to them with the information he has and that they will come after him. The X-men mansion is attacked by a force of carnies that include giraffes, trapezee artists, gorillas, human cannonballs, cowboys, elephants and gymnasts.

The X-men are initially captured and Blob and his men enter the mansion to find Professor X. With Professor X's mental instructions Jean is able to free the team and the Blob and carnies are captured. Blob and the carnies have all memory of these incidents wiped from their mind.

First appearance of Blob.

The Beast again faces the perils of the Danger Room. He is eventually tripped up by a grabbing a false rope to try to swing over a water hazard. Iceman is next through the gauntlet but is too cocky at his young age and is quickly defeated. Angel humiliates him by hanging him from a wall hook. Once Iceman is rescued by Marvel Girl it is time for her test. She opens a box for Professor X which hides a cake. It has been one year since the X-men were first formed.

Meanwhile at another table, four other mutants bicker with each other. They are the Toad, Mastermind, Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver. Scarlet Witch becomes insulted by one of Mastermind's propositions and uses her hex power to dump a pitcher of water in his lap. Outraged, Mastermind makes a move to harm Scarlet Witch but she calls her speedster brother Quicksilver to save her. The toad reminds them that the leader, Magneto, would be upset by them fighting and they stop. Magneto is away from their island lair stealing an old ex-convoy freighter.

Angel spots the freighter that seems unmanned and reports it to Professor X. The Professor is concerned but is unsure how to proceed. Magneto returns home to find that his brotherhood has been infighting and he is not pleased. We also hear that Scarlet Witch is working for Magneto out of obligation to him because he saved her from a bunch of angry villagers.

Later, Magneto begins a plan to take over the island nation of Santo Marco. The X-men are alerted to this by a newspaper report of a mysterious unmanned vessel shelling the country. Professor X reaches out to Magneto on the astral plane to try to come to an understanding. Magneto makes it clear that because Professor X vows to protect humanity, it has made them mortal enemies.

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants successfully takes over the island of Santo Marco using Mastermind's illusionary army. Once in power Magneto estabilishes a legitimate army that appears the same. He rules with an iron fist while preparing for the coming of the X-men. When the X-men arrive Professor X details the plan for them to attack Magneto's castle from multiple points to catch his team off-guard. The Beast scales the castle walls, disables two guards only to be knocked back over by the Toad. While clinging to the wall, Mastermind projects an illusion that the wall has become as smooth as glass and Beast falls out of sight. Angel is able to fly inside but is harassed by a green clothed speedster, although he can't out run Quicksilver he can out maneuver him. Angel is able to dodge and Quicksilver slams into a wall knocking himself unconscious. The Scarlet Witch sees her brother in peril and collapses a wall on Angel.

Magneto and his soldiers arrive to bind the Angel only to be assaulted by Cyclops. Quicksilver recovers and puts Cyclops in a headlock, this prevents him from lowering his visor which blasts through the ceiling and causes Magneto's generator to go critical. The Brotherhood retreat to another part of the castle, as Cyclops is able to use his optic blast to push the generator out of the castle.

Angel, Iceman, Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Beast reunite but get trapped by a wave of boiling oil. Professor X senses their panic and arrives to rescue them. The boiling oil is only one of Mastermind's illusion. Before the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants leaves, Magneto sets an explosive trap for the X-men and nuclear bomb to destory the island. Quicksilver and Magneto are shocked that Magneto would murder all the people of Santo Marco. Quicksilver darts back and disarms the nuke.

Professor X is injured by the detonation of the other bomb. A injury so severe it robs him of his telepathy.

This is the first appearance of The Brotherhood of the Evil Mutants, and also of Toad, Mastermind, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

The X-men return to their headquarters with an injured Professor X. While chasing down the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Professor X was caught in an explosion that seems to have robbed him of his telepathy. The X-men put Professor X to bed. They are soon interrupted by the arrival of visitors. Jean's parents ( John Grey and Elaine Grey) have come for a visit. The X-men scramble to get into normal attire.

The students show the Greys around the school including and inactive Danger Room. When the students and the Greys leave the room they accidentally activate it with a trapped Cyclops inside. A simulation prepared for Beast starts, but he is able to defend himself with cause too much commotion. The Grey leave confident that they were right to send their daughter their on her free scholarship.

Mastermind has been dispatched by Magneto to find the X-men but has failed to turn up any leads. He and Quicksilver return to Magneto's new base, Asteroid M. Magneto is focused on destorying the X-men and quickly silences any other ideas that Quicksilver, Toad or Scarlet Witch may have. Magneto has come up with a new plan to find the X-men. His plan is to use the Toad to trap the X-men.

Meanwhile the X-men try to relax and watch a little T.V. to take their mind off the trouble with Professor X's health or Magneto's mutants. On TV they spy a young track athletic with incredible leaping powers. The other athletes notice as well and turn into an angry mob. The X-men are convinvce he is a new mutant in need of help and rush to his aid.

The X-men rescue him but then realize he seems familiar. Toad tries to escape but the X-men try to apprehend him. Magneto and the Brotherhood arrive and attack. The Brotherhood capture Angel and escape to Asteroid M, but are forced to leave the Toad behind.

Back on Asteroid M, Angel is tortured to reveal the lair of the X-men but resists due to Professor X's training. Toad feels compelled to returned to Magneto and summons a drop ship that returns him and the X-men to Asteroid M. Magneto plans to blow the X-men out of an airlock into the vacuum of space but Scarlet Witch prevents her. The X-men are able to rescue Angel and escape in a landing pod. When the X-men return they found Professor X in good health. He had faked losing his power to see if they could manage on their own as a sort of final exam.

This is the first report of Magneto's first base, Asteroid M. It is also the first story that shows one of the X-Men parents, the Greys.

(Follows from the events of Fantastic Four #27)

In this issue, the X-Men use new uniforms, designed by Jean.

Simultaneously Professor X and Magneto hear media reports of a powerful mutant named Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who could be valuable to their cause. Both seek out the Submariner in their astral forms, but Magneto is the first to arrive. Magneto convinces one of Submariner's subordinates to convince the prince to go to Magneto and join him. Hoping stop this from happening the X-men board a boat to one of Magneto's secret island lairs.

The X-men arrive too late to prevent Submariner from meeting the Brotherhood. Magneto attacks the X-Men's boat with his powers amplified by a giant magnet he had built in the island. The X-men escappes and star to fight. The battle results in Quicksilver being restrained by the X-men. Magneto decides that Quicksilver is expendable and threatens the Scarlet Witch. Outrage by Magneto's treatment of the Scarlet Witch, the Submariner attack s Magneto and destroys the giant magnet. Professor X calls for an end to hostilities, the Brotherhood flee without Submariner and the X-men return home.

The X-Men graduate. The picture taken in the begining of this story is shown several times during the upcoming years, a portrait hangin on the wall of the X-Mansion. Later, Professor shows Cyclops his Cerebro machine and makes Cyclops team leader while he is gone.

Elsewhere, after a brief argue between Scarlet Witch and Mastermind, Magneto arrives and tells the Brotherhood his plans to defeat the X-Men. Later, Magneto goes to a carnival to recruit the Blob. After a fight between the evil mutants and the workers, Magneto slash Blob with his powers and then Blob remember of his previous meeting with the X-Men, during X-Men #3.

Cyclops is aware of Blob getting his memory back and gathers the X-Men. The X-Men fight the Blob, but it was only a trap set by Magneto. After the X-Men battle the Brotherhood, Magneto sends his missiles to the X-Men but are blocked by the Blob. Magneto and his evil mutants leave. The X-Men try to make the Blob join them, but he doesn’t want to join any mutant teams, and go away all by himself.

In this story also appears for the first time a cafe in Greenwich Village where the X-Men go on the next stories, and its waitress, Zelda, future girlfriend of Iceman.

The X-Men train in the Danger Room under Cyclops’ watch. Cyclops thinks to himself about how much he loves Jean. Cyclops doesn't feel like he can tell her, especially now he is the new leader of the X-men. Jean also has fallen for cyclops.While out on the town Beast saves a boy but is attacked by an angry mob. Due to the hate humans have towards mutants (including the X-Men who protect both mutants and humans) Beast leaves the X-Men. Cyclops contacts the Professor but is told not to worry about Beast. Professor X is inside a cave, in search for Lucifer. Later Beast joins a wrestling match and fights another mutant by the name of Unus the Untouchable. Unus wants to join the Brotherhood, but Mastermind tells Unus that Magneto must gain his trust after what happened with the Blob. To earn Magneto's trust. Unus must find the X-Men and defeat them. On the streets, Unus sees a bank being robbed and takes the money for himself. The X-Men spot Unus and fail to beat him due to his force-field. Beast returns to the school to make a weapon that increases Unus's power and then leaves. The X-Men go after him, not knowing his true intentions. The Beast uses the weapon on Unus and makes him completely untouchable. Unus can’t touch anything or even eat. Unus is about to going insane from hunger so Beast uses the ray gun to reverse the effects on Unus. Beast warns Unus that they will keep the Ray gun for use against Unus if he is to return to his devious ways. After the battle Beast rejoins the X-Men.

This is the first apearence of Unus, and the first time Professor says something about Lucifer.

While on a cruise to Europe, Cyclops is contacted by the Professor and informs him that he found Lucifer. Professor X tells Cyclops that was Lucifer who broke his legs in the past, and warns that Lucifer must never menace Earth again. Professor is on Lucifer’s trail and after avoiding a trap, is caught by the villain. Xavier shoots at Lucifer but is warned that if he is harmed, Earth will be doomed.

Elsewhere, the Avengers seem to be in search for some kind of disruption, some great evil that attracts Thor's hammer. Lucifer launches a thermal-bomb that will explode if he is killed. The Avengers follow the disruption and it leads to the X-Men. The two super hero teams battle; The Avengers want to destroy Lucifer and the X-Men know he must not be harmed. The Professor uses his telepathy to put Lucifer unconscious. Professor X then tells Thor that Lucifer is not a threat anymore and the two team stop their battle. Professor X then gathers his X-Men and they disable the bomb. Professor lets Lucifer go.

This is the first time the Avengers and the X-Men are put together.

The X-Men train their powers. Angel is watching TV and sees a man and a saber-tooth attack a reach team in Antarctica. Professor X sends the X-Men on a mission to investigate what is going on in Antarctica. When they reach the Antarctica, they find a hidden land filled with dinosaurs. A group of natives attack the X-Men and capture Marvel Girl. The wild man and the saber-tooth scare off the natives. He tells the X Men his name is Ka-Zar and his tiger Zabu. A man from the Man-Ape tribe attacks Ka-Zar but is defeated. Ka-Zar tells the X-Men that the Swamp-Men captured Marvel Girl and that they are his enemies so he will help the X-Men. Angel flies off from the X-Men to get a view of the land but is also captured by the Swamp-Men. The Swamp-Men are going to use the two X-Men as sacrifices. With the help of Ka-Zar and Zabu, the X-Men defeat the Swamp-Men and rescue Angel and Marvel Girl.

The first appearence of Ka-Zar and Zabu, and also of the Savage Land in Antarctica.

Professor X gather the X-Men to find a new powerful being. Elsewhere, the Stranger is drawn to Magneto’s base. Magneto and Mastermind show the Stranger their mutant powers. Then, the Stranger shows the Brotherhood his power and destroys the base with a single blast of power. The Stranger also turns Mastermind into solid matter. Angel finds where Magneto is and the X-Men battle the evil mutants. Shortly after, the Stranger teleports away with Magneto and Toad, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are left behind, and the X-Men invite them to join the group, as they deny, saying that they will go back to Europe. Mastermind is also left behind, and the X-Men take him to the X-Mansion for analyses of his health.

Meanwhile, Magneto tries to force the Stranger into joining his mutants but the Stranger rebels and easily defeat and imprisons Magneto and Toad in a strange cocoon. The X-Men report to the Professor and he warns them that the Stranger could destroy the universe. The X-Men find the Stranger but the Stranger leaves the Earth, taking Magneto and Toad with him.

This is the first appearence of The Stranger.

Professor X reveals something about his past as a child: after the death of his father during a nuclear accident in Alamagordo, Dr. Kurt Marko (a friend of his father) married Xavier's mother Sharon to help raise him, and to take control of Xavier's money. Dr. Marko had already a boy, Cain Marko, an evil boy that always bullied Xavier. When Xavier discovered his mental powers he became very good in everything, from classes to sports because of his powers. Cain was always jealous about Xavier. Years later, during the Korean War, the two brothers were together for the last time, when Cain entered a cave and found the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that morphed him into the Juggernaut.

Meanwhile the story has been told by Xavier to his students, the X-Men are preparing defenses inside the X-Mansion. The Juggernaut is approaching and easily destroying every defense armed by the X-Men. Suddenly, the Juggernaut finally enters the mansion and the room where the X-Men are.

Note: This is the first story with Xavier's mother, Kurt Marko and Xavier's stepbrother, the Juggernaut.

Confronted by the Juggernaut in the mansion, Professor X tries unsuccessfully to defend himself by using telepathy, but Juggernaut is wearing his psionic helmet. The X-Men step in, using combined powers to fight the Juggernaut.

Professor X retreats to use his new "mento-helmet". This device boosts his powers and he sends a mental wave across the city looking for help.

The mental wave is received by the Teen Brigade and Mat Murdock, but neither the Brigade nor Murdock are able to respond. Finally, the wave reaches young Johnny Storm, who does not quite trust his senses.

The X-Men take a tremendous beating at the hands of Juggernaut, the highlight being Beast luring him into the danger room and giving him his moneys worth.

Meanwhile, Professor X is able to convince Johnny to come to the aide of the X-Men, and together they defeat Juggernaut. Professor X then erases Johnny's memories of the event and sends him on his way.

Ending on a comical note, Professor X promises each of X-men a "reward" when they are rested up....

From this issue on, "The X-Men" starts selling monthly.

After the X-Men recovered from the last fight with Juggernaut, Professor Xavier, proud of how his students handled themselves decides to gives them a vacation.

Professor X (having read a scaremongering story in his paper) decides to confront Dr. Bolivar Trask, (the protagonist) on a debating programme to be televised Nationally from a studio downtown, Trask a Anthropologist claiming that the existence of 'MUTANTS' would soon put the Mankind in jeopardy, having come to this conclusion, He had made preparations to safeguard Humanity from this impending threat. Initially creating and building a Servitor/Controller that He named "Master Mold" and a substantial amount of drones called "Sentinels" to stop them. At the studio, during a demonstration, (to show how effective and reliable his creations would be for the task ahead) the Sentinels rebel against Dr. Trask and restrain him. Xavier telepathically beckons the X-Men (Beast and Iceman, Angel then Cyclops) Cyclops arrives at the door to the Studio Only to be cautioned by Beast (the Sentinel Section leader "1" had departed with Trask to return to Master Mold - leaving a solitary Sentinel, '3-R' to guard the Captive studio audience) of an impending attack by 3-R - its Cybernetic brain enabling it to outmanoeuvre Beast, Cyclops and Iceman, preparing to administer the final blow, to a toppled and unconscious Beast, 3-R passes a window and suddenly collapses. Meanwhile Angel is airborne heading towards the studio and encounters the departing squadron of Sentinels (with their captive creator) and is strategically saved my Marvel Girl who Telekinetically pulls him toward the train She is travelling on to get to the Professor, , they soon arrive at the studio where the Professor had just probed the Sentinel's cybernetic brain, barely being able to interpret the Sentinel's cerebral images, Finally acquiring the co-ordinates of it's Base.

Professor X and His X-Men head towards the location of the base - Only to arrive at a location, a hilltop in the middle of open parkland, their presence has Not gone unnoticed, Suddenly the earth shudders beneath them, as the hilltop rises to reveal multiple armaments protruding from turrets ALL pointed in Their direction, quickly they take evasive action.

The introduction of Mutants' Greatest threat, the Sentinels and their creator, Bolivar Trask ALSO the First appearance of Angel's Parents.

The X-Men were fighting against the Sentinels at their hideout. After fighting they are captured and then enconter the Master Mold, the Sentinel that can create more Sentinels.

The Master Mold use a machine to review Beast's memories and discover everythig about his past: he was a young boy that discovered his powers as a teen, and when on high school was a football star. When the people discovered that he had powers, they got angry on him. After professor Xavier had read about him in newspaper, he went to McCoy's house, talk to his parents and welcome him to the group he was starting, the X-Men. At this point, Xavier realizes Beast is talking to much about the X-Men and put him in a transe with his mental astral projection, but get almost killed in the process.

Dr. Bolivar Trask is still captive of his creations, the Sentinels.

The X-Men had been arrested by the Sentinels and prof. Xavier is trying to find a way of defeat them. Dr. Trask is forced to make more Sentinels by the Master Mold. The X-Men manage to escape, and when they are almost being defeated by the Sentinels, Xavier discover that a giant crystal will make them to collapse, and use it with the help of policemen in a chopper above Sentinel's base. Dr. Trask sacrificed himself to protect everyone from the Master Mold.

At the end, a shadow is showed approaching the X-Mansion.

After their last battle against the Sentinels the X-Men are hurt and tired, especially Iceman, that have to stay at the hospital in coma state. While they are at the hospital, Angel's parents call Professor Xavier, intending to make a visit to the school. Xavier tells Angel to scout the area before they arrive. Then, Angel enters the mansion and is attacked and defeated by the Mansion's artifacts thrown by the intruder. When Cyclops and Xavier arrive, they don't find Angel, and are also attacked by some objects from the mansion and defeated. The Beast and Marvel Girl also reach the mansion and are defeated. At the end, the enemy locks the four X-Men and Xavier inside a ball trapped in a balloon and raises them up to the sky.

Meanwhile, Iceman is still at the hospital, in critical condition.

Angel's parents, Warren Worthington Jr. and Mrs. Worthington appear at the door and the mysterious enemy reveals himself as Magneto!

Mangeto is boasting about how he has defeated the X-Men, and watches Professor Xavier, Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel and Beast as they float upwards in his balloon trap, which is carrying them high up into the sky. He then proceeds to boast about how he defeated them, flaunting his mangetic powers to lift up the mansion and then place it back down, and then make their metal objects fly around.

The doorbell rings and it is the Angel's parents, coming to check up on their son. He lets them in, and sends them upstairs until he wants to use them again. He later uses them to attempt to take their DNA and create more mutants. At the hospital, the doctors are trying to treat a sickly Iceman. And, up in the balloon, Professor X and the X-Men break free of their bonds and try to think how to get down.

Professor Xavier discovered that Magneto had manage to escape from the Strange planet, after being capured in X-Men #11, by using an old spaceship he found there and power up with his magnetic powers.

Professor Xavier then psionically forced Iceman awake and pits him against Magneto. Iceman arrives and stops his machine for now, and fights with Magneto, not making much progress. Cyclops frees the X-Men and they arrive just in time to save Iceman from being defeated by Magneto.

The Stranger returns and attempts to kidnap Magneto again, and does so succesfully. After destroying Magneto's artificial mutants and getting better, all the X-Men sit down to have dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Worthing, the Angel's parents. All is well.

The X-Men were training inside the Danger Room with Cyclops as their leader when Professor appears and give them a little vacation. Hank and Bobby go out with Zelda and her friend Vera, when they run into a strange guy, who shows some powers just like Beast's and Iceman's. Jean Grey was shopping and also runs into this strange guy, and he starts to use her mental powers then. He realized that he had just found the X-Men, and follows Jean to Xavier's mansion. There, while he talks to Xavier, he starts to sense Cyclop's powers, and then wings become to grow on his back, just like Angel's. He puts on a uniform and starts to battle with the X-Men inside the Danger Room, defeating them and hijacking Marvel Girl to his HQ. Once there, he starts to tell Jean his story:

When he was young, he enters his father lab, blows a beaker and inhales the gas. After that day, he starts to mimic the abilities of others that are near him. He wants the X-Men powers to find the machine that his father had built before dying and being buried.

When the other X-Men arrive, he mimics their powers and finally reaches the machine. However, when he uses the machine, instead of becoming stronger and with permanent powers, he lost his power of mimicry.

The first appearence of Mimic and Vera Cantor.

The Blob and Unus meet each other at a wrestling match and after finding out they are both mutants decide to work together. Dressed up as X-Men they rob a bank and at the same time frame their enemies for their crimes. However they are unaware that the idea stems not from them but from Lucifer who is manipulating them from afar. Still struggling with the idea that his powers might hurt innocent people one day, Cyclops secretly leaves the mansion only to run into the two villains. He faces Unus and the Blob, but the crowd sees only three mutants in the same blue and yellow costumes and turns on him. Alerted by the news, the other X-Men arrive and together they manage to drive Unus and the Blob off. Meanwhile Xavier and Jean have been trying to locate the person behind the scheme, but upon establishing contact Xavier is hit by a mental blast that paralyses him. Using a mental-wave amplifier, Jean stays in telepathic contact with him, and the professor tells her the story about his first encounter with Lucifer. Years ago, Xavier discovered a city in Tibet being under some sort of alien mind-control. The professor managed to inspire a rebellion against Lucifer, and the alien was forced to abandon his base, however not before causing a block of concrete to fall and crush Xavier’s legs. The story also reveals that Lucifer is an alien that works for the Supreme One, in order to dominate the Earth. Back to the present, Beast builds a distortion device that negates the professor’s paralysis. The X-Men load up their new plane and set out to face Lucifer, who already is contacting his race that he finally has the means to take over the planet.

Whilst the X-Men seek a way into Lucifer`s desert citadel, Professor X is trapped by the villain`s robots.

The team attack Lucifer`s headquarters and must battle whirlpools and other dangerous defenses to reach the interior. Meanwhile, Professor X talks to Lucifer and discover that he is actually an alien, send to Earth ten years ago to dominate it. He would do it with the help of a giant computer machine, called Dominus, that is operate by robots.

After fighting their way through the labyrinth-like hideout, the X-Men finally confront the robots and defeat them. After knowing about Lucifer's defeat to the X-Men, the Supreme One banishes him to an eternal exiles and end the Earth invasion.

The X-Men after training in the Danger Room, make their separate ways to various destinations in New York...

Count Nefaria, as head of The Maggia gathers a group of super-villains - The Scarecrow, the Porcupine, Plantman, The Eel and The Unicorn - to capture Xavier`s students...

Plantman knocks out Marvel Girl with chloroform gas, Scarecrow nets Angel, Hank is mesmerized into submission by the Porcupine. After a brief skirmish, Iceman and Cyclops are felled by The Eel and The Unicorn...

Captured, the X-Men are chained in the dungeons of The Maggia headquarters. Count Nefaria tries to convince the young mutants to join him. He argues that united they could gain revenge on the world that hates them....

This is the first appearence of these villains, that were put together by Count Nefaria, in X-Men stories.

The X-Men have been captured by Count Nefaria and the five super-villains that have joined his re-organized Maggia. Nefaria gives the team one hour to decide to join them, although whether they agree or not, it’s they who will be blamed for Nefaria’s big plan. Indeed, Nefaria has a machine that can create solid illusionary images from afar, as well as trap the entire city of Washington under an impenetrable crystalline dome. The fake X-Men are sent to the Capitol, where they demand a ransom of 100 million dollars, which one of them will pick up in three hours. The military calls in Professor Xavier as civilian adviser for mutant conditions and he secretly establishes contact with his students, right as they managed to break out of their prison cell in Nefaria’s fortress. Xavier tells them to go along with the Count’s plans, while he mentally studies his machines. Nefaria is surprised that the X-Men take up his offer and sends them to get the briefcase with the ransom. Not fully trusting them, he sends the quintet of Plantman, Porcupine, Scarecrow, Eel and Unicorn after them. However, it’s they whom he should be suspicious of, as the five villains decided to betray him and take the money for themselves. The X-Men pick up the briefcase, but a crowd of angry civilians gets into a fight with them. The X-Men are thrown at with bricks and they don’t dare to fight back, fearing to hurt the innocent people. The villains come to help, but the Unicorn betrays his allies and attempts to get away with the money by himself. The military enters the fighting and shoots the Unicorn out of the sky. Xavier sees that there is nothing more he can do, so he retreats to a hotel. Among the confusion of a three-way battle between X-Men, villains and army, Cyclops hands the briefcase to Jean and tells her to get it to Nefaria on her own. She does as told and, not much later, the fight ends with the villains escaping and the X-Men heading back to Nefaria’s fortress after Jean. The Count followed all these events on a big tele-screen and eagerly anticipates Marvel Girl’s arrival. Before handing him the bag, she demands that he releases Washington from the dome, right as a mysterious stranger enters Nefaria’s command center. He easily works on the Count’s machine and, not only makes the force dome disappear, but also renders the machine useless. As the other X-men arrive, Nefaria flees with the money and boards a ship, where he is confronted by the Unicorn. They decide to share, but the briefcase vanishes - it was an illusion created by Nefaria’s machine. The stranger, who turns out to be Professor Xavier, thanks to new lightweight flexible metal braces, used the Count’s invention against him. The team is happy to have won, but Jean receives a letter with disturbing news – she has to leave the school.

Jean Grey was sent to Metro College, to take regular classes by her parents. There she mets and becomes friend of student Ted Roberts.

The X-Men are confronted by a mad scientist called Dr.August Hopper. As his alter ego “ the Locust'“he wants to unleash a plague of giant insects upon the world, with an ionic device that he invented. Once the plague is unleashed he will create a cure under his true identity of Dr.Hopper so he came become world famous as the man who stopped the insect plague. Unfortunately for him Jean Grey knew him as a professor at Metro College and after becoming suspicious she informs the X-Men. After some investigation by Professor Xavier they confront the Locust and his swarms of giants insects and manage to defeat him as Marvel Girl scrambles the villain’s control mechanism and Professor Xavier in disguise is able to make Dr. Hopper see the error of his ways.

First appearence of Ted Roberts and the Locust.

The X-Men are taking Jean to Metro College, when they see an orphanage on fire. They stop the car and save the children. At the same time, in Central America, El Tigre and his helpers are looking for Mayan gold of Kukulcan. They find gold and a precious stone, witch El Tigre keeps with him. At night, his helpers try to steal him, but suddenly he uses his new powers of the stone on them. Back to NY, El Tigre is trying to steal the pendant of Kukulcan from the museum. Professor X discovers his plans with the help of Cerebro, and the X-Men go after him to try stopping him. After defeating Beast, Iceman, Angel and Cyclops, El Tigre finally steals the pendant. After he uses it on himself, he becomes then Kukulcan himself, an old Maya God.

Banshee's premier issue starts off with him as an apparent villain, teamed up with Ogre who is working for Factor Three. However while Ogre is working on a way to track the X-men, Banshee goes into town, stealing a priceless painting called Gaelic Landscape.

The X-men are testing Mimics powers after Professor X enhanced the range in which Mimic must be in order to "mimic" a mutants power. After the tests are finished, Professor X uses Cerebro to look for mutant activity. He discovers Banshee stealing imported tobacco.

Ogre, with the help of Banshee launches a unsuccessful kidnap attempt on the Professor X. After a silver-age style epic battle, the X-men capture Banshee and defeat Ogre. It is then revealed that Banshee was controlled by Ogre through one of his many gadgets.

This issue ends on the note that Factor Three is still out there....

This story is reprinted in Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 2

The Warlock appears and summons Jean and Prof. Xavier to his subterranean cavern where his headquarters was an actual medieveal castle, intending to make Jean his queen. He revealed to them an apparatus he invented that was powered by his brain. It was suppose to turn the minds of normal mortals backwards- to the level of mankind at the time of King Arthur. They would no longer have the scientific weapons or skills to oppose the forces of the Warlock.

The Warlock tells that he used to be Merlin the Magician, and onde had fight Thor.

Angel had follown them, and Xavier manages to summon the rest of the X-Men to help destroy the Warlock and put him in a comatose state.