The Thing -- Enslaved!

The Skrulls take the captured Thing to the planet Kral, a world whose culture is a mirror of the legendary 1930s. Back in the Prohibition Era, a mobster named Machine-Gun Martin escaped prison and was captured by the Skrulls. The inhabitants of Kral, fascinated by gangster culture, adopted it as their own. Boss Barker makes a bet with his opponent Lippy Louie that his acquisition of the Thing will be able to defeat his best fighter, the Mekkan known as Torgo in the Great Games.

While the Fantastic Four on Earth begin searching for their captured friend, Ben is delivered into slavery at the hands of Boss Barker. Along the way Ben learns that the Skrulls of this planet adopted 1930's humanoid forms, inspired by Martin, and capture beings from other worlds to fight in their gladiator pits. After a few failed escape attempts, Ben is informed that he will have to fight Torgo. When meeting Torgo, Thing learns that the justification of the Mekkan's life will be the death of the Thing.

Back on Earth, Reed's deductions as to what happened to Ben bring him to the conclusion that he was likely kidnapped by the Skrulls.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing, Crystal), Torgo, Skrulls (Slave-Master, Boss Baker, Napoleon Robberson, Lippy Louie), Franklin Richards (unnamed), Alicia Masters, Machine Gun Martin

Continuity Notes

• Machine Gun Martin later went on to have a feature article in the 1939 Daily Bugle. His real name is identified as John Martin in that issue

• The Skrulls of Kral IV are not the only Skrulls who co-opted Earth culture for their own ends. In Fantastic Four #174 a group of Skrulls was found that co-opted Earth culture from the 6th Century for entertainment purposes. Black Panther (vol. 4) #32-34 showed that some of the Skrulls of Kral IV later took on the culture of the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s & 60s. Wisdom #1-6 showed that a group of Skrulls embraced the 60s British Pop music explosion.

• Fantastic Four #173 identifies that Torgo's is a member of the Mekkan race and that his home world is the planet Mekka.

• Taxtor was identified as a member of the Tekton race of the planet Tekton in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10.