U-Foes
PURPOSE: To accumulate Wealth and Power, Seek revenge on those who have opposed them.
AFFILIATIONS: The Leader, Crossfire, Controller
ENEMIES: Hulk, Avengers, Thunderbolts, Heroes for Hire, Captain America, Daredevil, Etc
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Mobile
FIRST APPEARENCE: Incredible Hulk #254 (1980)
HISTORY:
Former U.S. Representative and wealthy industrialist Simon Utrecht grew bored with
economic and political power and sought super-powers. Scientist Michael Steel was
trying to re-create the conditions which created the Fantastic Four, so Utrecht
hired him to design, build and fly a spaceship for that purpose. Accompanied by
life support specialist Ann Darnell and her brother, propulsion engineer James
"Jimmy" Darnell, the foursome traveled into space where the ship flew into the
cosmic rays. Their plan was successful and they started to change!
( Vector ) Simon Utrecht
gained the ability to telekinetically repel any object--up to ten
times what he can physically lift--with great force and velocity, although he
can only repel objects and cannot bring objects towards himself.
( Ironclad ) Michael "Mike" Steel
gained super-human strength and can lift 60 tons, possesses
steel-hard skin, and can increase his own weight to an unknown limit.
( Vapor ) Ann Darnell
can transform to any type of gas at will, including anesthetic,
noxious, corrosive, and explosive types. Since she is a life support engineer,
she is very skilled at chemistry.
( X-Ray ) James "Jimmy" Darnell
was transformed into a being of pure energy and can fly
and project hard radiation in all of its forms; his energy form is immune to most
forms of physical harm but is susceptible to attacks from lead objects.
Physicist Bruce Banner found their New Mexico launch facility and aborted the flight,
believing that they were in trouble. Believing Banner had prevented them from gaining
greater powers, the foursome (naming themselves the U-Foes after Utrecht) attacked
Banner. Dr. Banner transformed into the Hulk and was nearly defeated by the foursome.
In the end, however, the U-Foes increasing powers caused their downfall. Ironclad
found himself sinking towards the center of the Earth. X-Ray was racked with agony
and launched himself into space. Vapor, unable to maintain cohesion, was dispersed
in the wind. Vector found that his power repelled even the oxygen he needed to
breathe, before sending him flying away from the surface of the Earth.
Luckily, for the U-Foes they managed to gain control of their abilities before any
of them died, and months later they faced the Hulk again. They succeeded in
capturing their foe, and planned to publicly execute him on live television,
but Bereet used her alien technology to distract the U-Foes while she and Rick
Jones freed the Hulk. Possessing Banners intellect, the Hulk outwitted and
overpowered the U-Foes. Taken into custody, they escaped some time later, but
were forced out of sync with Earth by Vector's powers and found themselves at the
Crossroads dimension, where they faced the Hulk for a third time. This time, the
virtually mindless Hulk was assisted by the alien Puffball Collective, which guided
the Hulk in trapping each of the U-Foes in a different dimension that neutralized
their powers.
Fearing their lack of control could prove fatal, Utrecht funded research into
technology to further this control. This technology proved capable of "curing"
certain powers, which later intrigued Utrecht's friend and associate, rogue CIA
agent William Cross.
The U-Foes accidentally exiled themselves to the Crossroads of Reality when Vector's
escape efforts repelled the U-Foes’ home dimension from them. There, they again
encountered the Hulk, who briefly trapped them in four separate dimensions with the
aid of the Puffball Collective, an alien life form. Regrouping, they were returned
to Earth by the mutant Portal (Charles Little Sky) but were immediately defeated by
the Avengers. Ironclad, Vapor, and X-Ray were placed in the Vault, but escaped during
the so-called "Acts of Vengeance." Led by Loki to believe that the Avengers had slain
Utrecht, the threesome attacked the Avengers Compound before learning the truth and
fleeing. Vapor briefly joined Superia's female army the Femizons, but the foursome
reunited to seek Portal's aid in recovering some extra-dimensional artifacts.
Interrupted by Captain America, Daredevil, and Darkhawk, the four were returned
to prison before being freed by the Leader.
To repay The Leader, the U-Foes broke into the Pantheon's Mount and battled the
Hulk. Vector was later sighted at the Brass Bishop's energy auction of the corpses
of Silver and Auric, and the four were shortly thereafter recaptured. Imprisoned
in the Vault, they allied with Crossfire to attempt escape, but project director
Rozalyn Backus stole much of Utrecht's wealth (including his power nullification
technology) and tricked Utrecht into believing Crossfire had betrayed them,
sparking conflicts between the U-Foes and Crossfire's mind-controlling clique.
The Thunderbolts foiled another escape attempt before the Master freed the U-Foes,
using them to contact the evolved White Tiger and then to break into the Vault for
him. At the Master's behest they captured the Hulk and several U.N. scientists,
using the Controller's discs to drain information from them. The nascent Heroes
for Hire team stopped them, but they escaped and captured Luke Cage for the Master
before being betrayed and left comatose by their employer.
Imprisoned in the miniaturized "Big House," they were part of that facility's mass
escape, but She-Hulk, Southpaw, and Henry Pym recaptured them and they were moved
to the Raft. Escaping the Raft, they fought a running battle with Crossfire's gang
while both groups sought the Vault's corrupt former administrator Rozalyn Backus
and Vector's lost technology. She claimed to have destroyed Utrecht's power-removing
technology, destroying the U-Foes ability to regain their humanity, so Vector
vengefully destroyed Backus' charitable projects. The U-Foes remain at large.
Return to Dragon Hero Main Page
Return to Marvel Universe
Return to Top of Page
