The Return of the Human Torch

The headquarters of the Crime Boss are infiltrated by the Human Torch, whom the criminals thought they got rid of in 1949. The Crime Boss tries to employ the same weapon he used to stop the Torch before: Solution X-R. Spraying the Torch with the chemical snuffs out the hero's flame and immobilizes him, however the Torch's flame is now stronger than before and he uses it to melt through the chemical spray and quickly subdues the Crime Boss and his minions.

With the battle over, Chief Wilson and a police officer arrive on the scene and are surprised to see the Human Torch after being missing for years. The Torch explains to the Chief his origins and how he fought in World War II, eventually killing Adolf Hitler himself. After the war he met his partner Toro and the pair began fighting crime until they went up against the Crime Boss who used Solution X-R to immobilize the two heroes. The Torch was taken out to Yucca Flat, Nevada where he was buried in the desert where he remained inert for years. However, a nuclear bomb test bombarded him with radiation that increased the power of his flame, making him stronger than ever before and allowing him to break free of his prison to get revenge.

Not knowing what happened to Toro over the years, the Torch threatens to burn the Crime Boss if he does not tell him what happened to boy. The criminal relents and informs the hero that Solution X-R was given to him by communist agents and that after they "eliminated" the Torch they handed Toro over to commies. With recent reports of a strange fire-ball seen flying over Korea, the Human Torch flies there and confronts it, realizing that it is his pal Toro. As it turns out Toro had been brainwashed by communist agents into fighting for their side. With his enhanced powers the Torch easily defeats his partner and rushes him back to the United States to get medical treatment to reverse the brainwashing.

As he is turning Toro over to hospital, Chief Wilson arrives and informs the Torch that his daughter Mary has been captured by a new leader of Crime Syndicate known as the Butcher who demands the Torch's surrender. The Torch agrees to turn himself over and to go to the arranged meeting spot in Knob Hill and allow himself to be sealed in a steel casket. With the Torch trapped inside, the Butcher has the casket lifted with a helicopter and dumped into the ocean. Toro, having been cured of the communist brainwashing arrives at the scene and flies down into the water and uses his flame powers to free the Torch. The pair then track down the Butcher to his hideout where he is keeping Mary Wilson. When the Butcher attempts to escape in his helicopter, the Torch and Toro blow it up with fire balls.

They then take Mary back to her father where the two partners announce that they are going to resume their crusade against crime.

Recurring Characters

• Human Torch

• Toro

• Chief Wilson

• Mary Wilson

• Adolf Hitler

• Phineas Horton

Continuity Notes

• The recounting of the Human Torch’s origins and his partnership with Toro are inaccurate here. One inconsistency is the assertion that the Human Torch could instantly control his powers and had a good relationship with his creator, Phineas Horton, as seen in Marvel Comics #1 and reinforced in many other stories, that is not true.

• This story also states that the Human Torch did not start working with Toro until 1949. This is not correct either. Human Torch Comics #2 and many other publications affirm that the pair first met in 1940 and fought during World War II together.

• The Torch killing Adolf Hitler is an established fact in the Marvel Universe, reinforced in What If? #4, which identifies that Toro was also present. As explained in Super-Villain Team-Up #17, Hitler’s managed to cheat death thanks to Nazi scientist Arnim Zola. At the moment of death, Hitler’s consciousness was then transferred to a clone body. Hitler returns multiple times in the modern age as both the Hate-Monger and Nazi-X.

• In Dark Reign: The List - Avengers #1, Bucky Barnes (then Captain America) claimed that he had actually killed Adolf Hitler. Other than the fact that this is refuted in so many other places, it is an impossibility since Bucky went missing in action in Avengers #4 and was in the custody of the Russians who (as explained in Captain America (Vol. 5) #8) had put him in suspended animation. It was later explained by then Marvel editor Tom Brevoort that this claim was a poorly made joke that his teammates in the Avengers didn’t pick up on because it was being made in poor taste, and not a continuity error as fans think. I’m inclined to agree with Brevoort as fans a notoriously bad at taking things at face value instead of stopping and trying to consider context. 100 years from now fanboys will probably form competing religions that will kill each other over taking these things out of context because fanboys are that fucking stupid.

• What is unexplained here is what became of Sun Girl, the woman who replaced Toro as the Human Torch’s sidekick. This plot hole is revealed in Saga of the Original Human Torch #3 which reveals that Toro later returned as the Torch’s sidekick prompting Sun Girl to retire.

Back From the Dead

The Red Skull watches footage of wartime battles between his predecessor and Captain America with his minions. With the reel done, he tells his followers that Captain America is dead and that they can begin trying to establish an international crime syndicate.

Meanwhile, at the Lee School Professor Steve Rogers tells his students the origin story of the World War II hero Captain America. However when class lets out some of the kids don't believe the story and begin mocking Captain America. Taking offence to this Bucky picks a fight with the boys but it is broken up by Steve. Taking Bucky into New York, his young friend asks why he doesn't come out of retirement to prove the kids at school that he is not make believe, but Steve tells him that Captain America's work is done. However as they listen to the radio in the car they hear reports that the Red Skull has returned and allied himself with the Communists and that he has invaded the United Nations building where he has taken the delegates hostage.

Seeing this as a reason for Captain America to return, Bucky reveals that he has hidden their costumes under the car seat in case they would ever need them again. Changing into Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes rush to the UN Building much to the surprise of those gathered outside. Smashing into the UN Building's main assembly, Captain America and Bucky battle the Red Skull and his forces. However the Skull and his minions are easily trounced and the hostages freed. The delegates thank Captain America and welcome him back.

The next day at school the news of Captain America's return has reached the children who now have proof and new found respect that Captain America has returned, much to the delight of Steve and Bucky.

Recurring Characters

• Captain America (Burnside)

• Bucky (Monroe)

• Red Skull (Malik)

• Professor Reinstein

• Captain America (Rogers)

• Bucky (Barnes)

• Red Skull (Schmidt)

Continuity Notes

• Although this story states that the Captain America, Bucky, and Red Skull in this story are the original characters from World War II. This is not the case.

  • As explained in Avengers #4, Captain America and Bucky went missing in action in 1945 and What If? #4 goes on to explain that the United States government covered this up by selecting successors to take their place. During the war Cap was portrayed by both William Nasland and Jeff Mace, while Bucky was played by Fred Davis, Jr. Nasland died in What If? #4 while Mace and Davis had retired by 1950 as seen in Captain America: Patriot.

  • The Captain America and Bucky appearing here are William Burnside and Jack Monroe. As revealed in Captain America #153-155 Burnside and Monroe were obsessed with Captain America and Bucky and Burnside discovered an incomplete copy of Professor Erksein’s super-soldier formula and used it on themselves. Burnside was so obsessed with the original Captain America he underwent plastic surgery to look like Rogers and legally changed his name to Steve Rogers. His real name is not revealed until Captain America #602.

  • The original Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, actually ended up in suspended animation in 1945 in Tales of Suspense #72 and would not be revived until the modern age.

  • As revealed in Captain America #154, the communist Red Skull was actually Albert Malik who usurped the identity for his own purposes.

• The origin story presented here is a truncated version of the origin told in Captain America Comics #1. Given the details above, the individuals in this flashback are Steve Rogers and Johann Schmidt. The creator of the super-soldier serum is identified as Professor Reinstein. Reinstein was actually a codename, as explained in Captain America #255, the real name of the scientist is Abraham Erskine.

The Sub-Mariner Returns

A cargo ship pushing through a raging storm along the South Pacific is pulled toward a coral reef by a magnetic energy that causes it to sink and all hands are lost at sea. A week later in calmer weather another ship suffers the same fate. With more and more of these bizarre sinkings the United States government orders all shipping routes altered to avoid the region while the Navy is deployed to investigate the cause.

In New York City, Betty Dean and his roommate Cathy are relaxing at home. Reading the story about the shipwrecks prompts her to consider that her old friend the Sub-Mariner would be ideal for a mystery like this. When Cathy asks her who the Sub-Mariner is, Betty recounts his origins and how he became a friend with her and eventually helped all humanity during World War II. She explains that after the war Namor was awarded the highest civilian decoration by the President and eventually retired to return home and try to rebuild his civilization.

With Namor's past explained to Cathy, Betty gets on the phone with Admiral Seabrook and suggests that he summons the Sub-Mariner, Seabrook agrees and puts out the call. Four days later Namor arrives at Betty's home and Betty explains to him the situation. Intrigued, Namor agrees to accompany Betty to the South Pacific to investigate the strange shipwrecks. There they set up camp on a small island and Namor dives into the water to investigate the wrecks. He is shocked to find robots stripping metal from the sunken ship and going into a cave in the coral reef. Namor returns to the surface and tells Betty what he saw and tells her to radio it in, convinced that this is something too big for him to deal with alone. However, when their story is not believed Namor goes to handle it since he is the only one willing to do so.

Namor attacks a group of the robots but they fight back and knock him out. The Sub-Mariner is taken to their leader and when he is revived the leader explains that they are from the planet Venus and that they had come to Earth as they believed that the human race to be one of weaklings. However, upon finding a human being of great strength who can also breath under water the Venusian leader has come to re-evaluate this belief. Namor manages to break free, and swims out of the cave to one of the sunken ships. He opens the cargo hold and fills the cave with it's load of coal trapping the Venusians below. Namor then digs a single tunnel for them to exit from and orders them to surrender, fighting back any Venusians that try to escape.

The Venusian leader then surrenders and agrees to come to the surface. There Namor forces him to order his minions to return to Venus. After their rocket takes off the Venusian leader suddenly falls over having gone inert. When the authorities finally arrive they find their story fantastic, but Namor and Betty turn over the inert form the Venusian leader for examination and leave the Navy officials to puzzle it out on their own.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Betty Dean

• Princess Fen

Recurring Characters

• Betty Dean provides an incredible truncated explanation of Namor’s origins from Marvel Comics #1 and their first meeting in Marvel Mystery Comics #3.