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In Amazing Spider-Man #76, the new web-slinger goes up against powerful villains of the Incredible Hulk who originated as a joke.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #76, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
A villain would have to be pretty powerful to face the Hulk, and the U-Foes are no exception. As dark mirror images of the Fantastic Four, the villainous group began as B-listers, but have evolved into threats powerful enough to face Marvel’s most powerful heroes. With their recent appearance in Amazing Spider-Man, the U-Foes prove to be a deadlier threat than ever. Just what is it that makes them so dangerous?
When considering the origin of the U-Foes it’s easy to see why they were originally billed as lower-level villains after they debuted in 1980’s Incredible Hulk #254, by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. Their leader, Vector, was millionaire Simon Utrecht before an accident granted him and his team their powers. The twist is that the “accident” was actually caused on purpose. Utrecht intentionally sought to recreate the circumstances of the Fantastic Four’s origin, deliberately flying into space and exposing his team to cosmic rays in order to gain powers. The accident came when the Hulk arrived on the scene and, after interfering, left Utrecht and his allies with an entirely different set of powers.
Vector took the position as a leader, imbued with the power to repel objects away from himself with a form of telekinesis. Ironclad filled the role of the Thing in the group, becoming a metallic brawler with the unique ability to increase his weight and density on command to become impossibly heavy. Rather than sheathing himself in flames like the Human Torch, X-Ray became an embodiment of the electromagnetic spectrum and could utilize any kind of radiation to a variety of effects. Lastly there was Vapor, who could transform herself into a gaseous form of any chemical makeup. That origin explains both the mediocrity and success the U-Foes would later see.
The reason they were not taken very seriously is that they were treated as a knockoff version of the Fantastic Four, with their origins establishing them as imperfect copies not nearly as powerful as their heroic counterparts. Against the Hulk they often floundered, with Banner’s monstrous form simply overpowering Ironclad or shrugging off any attacks the others threw at him. X-Ray learned early on to create a counter to Hulk’s gamma radiation that could even regress him back into his human form of Banner, but even with such a valuable ability the U-Foes squandered what opportunities they had. At the same time, such versatility hinted at the heights they would one day achieve.
When utilized correctly, each of the U-Foes have unique applications of their powers that are devastating in combat. Vector’s power has been so great he’s punched through mountains, held Thor at bay, and even broken through dimensional barriers. Ironclad has every reason to overpower other brutes when he utilizes his density-magnification cleverly, and his teammates X-Ray and Vapor should be entirely impervious to damage given their non-solid forms. It is these abilities that stood out in their latest appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man, where exposure to X-Ray’s radiation could very well end Peter Parker’s life.
The U-Foes first appear in the comic in a role as disposable menaces, but by mastering the full potential of their lethal abilities, they have finally attained the status they deserve as serious threats. A previous alternate universe appearance by Vapor in the Maestro miniseries hinted at the fatal effect their powers could have, with the villainous surpassing Hercules’ godlike durability to poison a force too powerful for the future Hulk to defeat physically.
It seems that in recent years the U-Foes are getting the upgrade they deserved all along. Killing Spider-Man would certainly be quite the achievement for rogues dismissed as B-listers for so many years. Even if they were not able to recreate the Fantastic Four’s accomplishment it seems they’re perfectly capable of making history on their own.
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