X-Men in 1974

They didn’t show up in a lot of places in 1974, so I’ll just cover them all at once.

First, in February, Juggernaut showed up in Incredible Hulk #172 by Tony Isabella and Herb Trimpe. The Hulk had been captured (again), and they’re going to try to banish him to another dimension. The machine they use succeeds, but also brings in the Juggernaut. They try to use the machine on the Juggernaut, but end up with Juggernaut and Hulk both. The two team up, and break free. Hulk sees Juggernaut hassling a motorist, and tells him to knock it off. They brawl, and Juggernaut seems to be winning, but Hulk grabs his helmet and spins him around until the helmet snaps, and Juggernaut slams into a nearby mesa. Before he can attack Hulk again, he’s taken out by Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl, who are looking to recruit Alex and Lorna. I really wish we could’ve seen Hulk and Juggernaut fighting for a longer time. It would’ve been fun. Ah, well. Still good.

Then we cut to April, for Captain America #172, by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema. Cap’s on the run, as a result of a campaign by the Committee to Regain America’s Principles. (Sometimes shortened to just the Committee, though never to the acronym, which is odd; I mean, it’d be quicker to just say CRA-ohhh, I get it! Steve, you sneaky dog, you!) He and Falcon are down in Nashville, on a slim lead. Banshee is also down there, also on the run, when he literally bumps into Cap. Banshee’s read that Cap’s a criminal, and thinks he’s there to recruit Banshee. So Banshee strikes first, and eventually takes Cap and Falcon down. Cyclops shows up, but Banshee still get away. As Cap and Falcon come to, they’re telekinetically grabbed by Marvel Girl, and brought to talk to Xavier, who explains that mutants have been going missing. He believes they were taken by the same group who’s been screwing with Cap.

In #173, Nick Fury and SHIELD show up to arrest Cap. Cap and the X-Men fight free, and Xavier talks about how mutants have been going missing, and he believes the Secret Empire is behind it. They come up with a plan. Linda Donaldson, Hank’s girlfriend from Amazing Adventures, is attacked by Cyclops. Cap and Falcon, in civilian clothes, show up to save her. Later, in their motel room, an agent from the Secret Empire shows up and offers them a job. He wants them to steal an Electron-Gyro (whatever that is). The pair sneak into the Brand Corporation in their uniforms, and steal the gyro. They’re brought to an isolated base in the desert, and the three X-Men arrive soon after, waiting outside.

#174, in June, has Cap and Falcon fighting through the base of the Secret Empire. They open a door to allow the X-Men in. They find the missing mutants, all strapped to some big disc, with their brain energy being siphoned. They free the mutants, and the Secret Empire’s guards show up. Another fight. It ends with an Atomic Annihilator being used on the heroes, apparently killing them.

Finally, #175 in July finishes things. We find out that the guy who shot them was a disguised Gabe Jones of SHIELD, who set the weapon to a stun setting. The Secret Empire has the mutants back on their disc, and use their brainwaves to power a flying saucer. When the ship lands and the leader of the Empire leaves it, the heroes are let out and quickly take control, with Cyclops destroying the machine siphoning the mutant energy. That ends the X-Men’s role. This issue ends with Number One, the leader of the Secret Empire, unmasking and shooting himself in the Oval Office, with the implication that it was Richard Nixon. (Interesting, Englehart began the storyline before Watergate, and had originally planned for Nixon to be the villain. Funny, how that all worked out.)

July also saw Iceman in Marvel Team-Up #23, along with the Human Torch. The Human Torch is checking out a break-in at a jewelry store, and sees a patch of ice. He gets hit from behind by an ice-bolt. He finds Iceman and attacks, but Iceman pleads ignorance. The Torch doesn’t believe him, and the pair fight. The other X-Men show up to stop them. The pair team up to go looking for whoever robbed the store, and find Equinox, who has ice and fire powers. After a brief fight where Equinox gets the upper hand, he tries to escape, but the two chase him. They both blast him at the same time, as his body’s changing from ice to fire, and he blows up.

Next up comes Defenders #15, by Len Wein and Sal Buscema, from September. Xavier contacts Dr. Strange for help, and Strange brings the Defenders. They meet Xavier at a cave, and fight a monster that Xavier reveals as illusion. They’re all then knocked out by Magneto, with the Brotherhood (Unus, Blob, Mastermind, Lorelei). He found in the cave the secret to creating the ultimate mutant. The Defenders break free, and beat the Brotherhood, but not before Magneto can create Alpha, the Ultimate Mutant.

#16, in October, reveals Alpha as a big, dumb-looking guy. The Defenders attack him, but they can’t hurt him. Magneto has Alpha teleport them away, leaving the Defenders behind. Magneto and his cronies are in New York. They go into the UN and demand humanity bow down to them. Alpha raises the building into the air. The Defenders show up, and Alpha stops them, but grows uncertain of his actions. Xavier and Magneto argue about which of them is evil, and Alpha sides with Xavier. He babifies the Brotherhood, then flies into space. (He next appears in 1990, in Quasar’s series.)

That’s the last any of the X-Men are seen in 1974. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Incredible Hulk #180 (October) and 181 (November), by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe. #180 has Hulk fighting Wendigo in Canada, with a last-page cameo from The Wolverine! #181 has Wolverine fight the Hulk, realize he’s not doing any damage, and turn on Wendigo, instead. He and Hulk take the Wendigo down, but despite his best efforts, Wolverine can’t kill him. So Wolverine turns on the Hulk, and they fight for hours. Hulk can’t get his hands on Wolverine, but eventually, they’re both knocked unconscious by gas from some crazy lady whose brother is the Wendigo. She wants to transfer the Wendigo’s curse to the Hulk. When they wake up, they fight a little more, but are interrupted by the crazy lady’s scream, as the Wendigo has woken up. The distraction allows Hulk to knock Wolverine out. #182 has Wolverine being retrieved by his superiors, having failed to capture the Hulk in the 6 hours he was given.

And that finishes 1974.