U-Foes

U-Foes are a fictional comic book supervillain team appearing in various series published by Marvel Comics. The group first appeared in Incredible Hulk (1st series) #254 (December 1980). As noted on the first page of that issue, the group's name was inspired by the 1979 Graham Parker song "Waiting for the UFOs".

Fictional team biography

Simon Utrecht funded an operation to gain superpowers the same way the Fantastic Four did. His group flew a spaceship into outer space, and were exposed to cosmic rays. What the group did not know was that they would be exposed to an even more massive amount than the Fantastic Four and that it would most likely kill them. Dr. Bruce Banner was at the launch site and upon realizing this brought the ship down before the group was exposed to the terminal levels of cosmic rays. The group however did gain their powers and the newly christened U-Foes attacked Banner for interfering in their affairs. Banner transformed into the Hulk and a large fight ensued, but the U-Foes ended up being their own worst enemies as they lost control of their own newly-gained powers.

After several defeats at the hands of the Hulk and his allies, each of the U-Foes were banished to a different dimension. He has also been able to emit negative-gamma rays that turn the Hulk back into Bruce Banner, but this is only effective so long as he is conscious.

Background: He was hired by Simon to be the spaceship's fuel-propulsion systems engineer. Is Ann Darnell's younger brother.

Ironclad

Real Name: Michael Steel

Powers: Permanently transformed into organic metal similar to the X-Man Colossus. Superhuman strength, durability, and the ability to increase or decrease his own weight, hovering in the air, or crushing like a mountain. Ironclad's form was initially composed of jagged folds of metal; however, after briefly losing control of his weight-altering powers and sinking deep into the Earth's crust, he emerged with his body smoothed and polished by the friction of his passage.

Background: He was hired by Simon as a scientist, engineer, and skilled pilot.

In other media

Video games

The U-Foes appear in .

The U-Foes appear in The Incredible Hulk. In this version, their original intention was to duplicate the accident that created the Hulk using atmospheric rather than gamma radiation. Their rage is subsequently directed at the Hulk due to him destroying the antenna that was gathering the radiation. Ironclad can also be used as a playable character in the game if one of the U-Foes (Vector, X-Ray, Vapor) is used against the other.

Television

In the micro-episode "This Hulk, This Hero!", Vapor and X-Ray cameo as inmates of the Cube, while Ironclad and Vector's names are seen on vials containing the inmates' blood samples. The U-Foes later return to fight the Avengers in the Cube in the episode "Gamma World, Part 1".

References

External links

U-Foes at Marvel.com

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1980 Category:Marvel Comics supervillain teams