Fantastic Four #93
At the Mercy of Torgo!
As Reed, Johnny, and Crystal race to the planet where Thing has been taken prisoner, Thing enters the arena to battle Torgo. As the battle rages on, both combatants seem equally matched until weapons are brought into the event.
Meanwhile, Reed and the others arrive on the planet Kral and disguise themselves as locals, commandeering a vehicle. At that moment, Torgo has won the match, and the spectators are demanding that Torgo kill the Thing. Finding no honor in murdering such a worthy opponent, Torgo refuses. At that moment Reed and the others arrive to save Ben and free the other captives. Crystal shatters the planet-destroying device.
Free from their enslavers, the slaves revolt and attack their masters. The Fantastic Four then manage to escape in the ensuing chaos and escape the planet in their ship, Ben remembering Torgo as a true friend.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Thing, Human Torch, Crystal), Torgo, Skrulls (Slave-Master, Boss Barker, Napoleon Roberson, Lippy Louie)
Continuity Notes
Although caught in a slave uprising at the end of this story, the Skrulls manage to re-establish control and resume operations by the time that world is visited again in Black Panther (vol. 4) #31-34. However new unrest began as some of the Skrulls began co-opting the culture of African-Americans of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
A number of Skrulls escaped the revolt of their slaves here, Boss Barker survived by feigning death and sneaking off planet. He attempted to get revenge against the Thing in Marvel Two-In-One #45. Another notable Skrull from Kral IV known as Floyd Donahue led a crew of Skrulls into space aboard his ship Big Casino as seen in Avengers Annual #14.
After this story, Torgo helped liberate Kral IV (at least for a short time) and returned to his home world of Mekka as seen in Fantastic Four #173.
