Marvel Two-In-One launched in 1974, teaming the Thing with a different hero each month. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!Spoilers appear below – You’ve been warned!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: June 1977
Cover Price: 30¢
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Ron Wilson

WHO stars in this issue?

the Thing – Benjamin J. Grimm was bombarded by cosmic rays in a space exploration flight, alongside three friends. The cosmic rays gave each of them different powers, and they formed the Fantastic Four. Ben underwent the most physical change of the foursome: his skin mutated into orange rock and, as a result, he gained super-strength.

Namor the Sub-Mariner – Namor is the hybrid son of a human and an Atlantean. He possesses the power of flight and super strength that is enhanced with hydration. His mother was the Queen of Atlantis, thus making him its prince.

WHAT happens?

Reed Richards believes that Professor Louis Kort is the only one who can remove the Fixer’s mind-controlling device from Deathlok, without killing him. So, the Thing loads up the comatose cyborg into the Fantastic Four’s Sling-Jet and takes flight for Kort’s lab in London (he also brings his girlfriend, Alicia, along for the ride).

As they fly over the ocean, Namor spots the Fantastic Four plane and flies alongside to say “Hello”. At that very same moment, he is attacked by Piranha (we later learn it’s one of many Piranha duplicates). Alicia urges the Thing to lend Namor some aid, so they delay their trip as the Thing jumps into the deep waters. They’re swarmed by a horde of Piranhas and brought to their amphitheatre (as is Alicia).

The villains command that the heroes fight, or else they’ll harm Grimm’s girlfriend. Namor and the Thing duke it out but, as planned, they end up smashing the amphitheatre and bringing it down upon the Piranhas. Namor swims ahead to rescue Alicia before she can be crushed by the falling stone. After some parting words, the Thing and Alicia get back into the Sling-Jet and continue their journey to London.

WHERE does the story take place?

The story takes place beneath the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

WHEN does the villain next appear?

These copycats of the Piranha have not been seen but the original returned in the Defenders vol. II #7.

WHY is Sub-Mariner the guest-lead?

After the Sub-Mariner’s series was canceled in 1974, he was featured in the first ten issues of Super-Villain Team-Up (from 1975 to February 1977). By the time this issue came out, there wasn’t a Sub-Mariner series to put a marketing push behind – so it seems like this was just for fun!

HOW was it?

Meh. It was overly coincidental that out of the entire Atlantic Ocean, the Thing’s plane just happened to be in the same place as Namor was swimming. And, on top of that, the Piranhas picked that exact time to ambush Namor? OK – Now you’re really pushing the believability. (I know, I know – it’s just comics, right? Well, we can demand some level of quality storytelling, can’t we?) Anyhow, once you get behind the hard-to-get-beyond coincidences, now our heroes have to take on the duplicates of a lame Namor villain (not even the villain, himself? Yeesh!). I suppose the only fun part was we get some slugfest scenes of the Sub-Mariner and the Thing trading blows – but really, all this issue does is delay the advancement of Deathlok’s freedom from the Fixer’s control.

Note: This issue’s letters column features commentary on Marvel Two-In-One #25.

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Marvel Two-In-One launched in 1974, teaming the Thing with a different hero each month. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!Spoilers appear below – You’ve been warned!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: May 1977
Cover Price: 30¢
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Ron Wilson

WHO stars in this issue?

the Thing – Benjamin J. Grimm was bombarded by cosmic rays in a space exploration flight, alongside three friends. The cosmic rays gave each of them different powers, and they formed the Fantastic Four. Ben underwent the most physical change of the foursome: his skin mutated into orange rock and, as a result, he gained super-strength.

Deathlok – in a post-apocalyptic future, the corpse of Colonel Luther Manning was reanimated using cyborg components. Last issue, he was brought to the present by the Fixer and Mentallo.

WHAT happens?

Utilizing more servo-units, the Fixer and Mentallo gain control over Deathlok and send him to shoot Jimmy Carter (with a servo-unit, naturally) as he’s being inaugurated as the President of the United States of America. But, while the villains control his body, they don’t control his mind or voice. So, he attempts the shot in a way that will allow the Fantastic Four and Nick Fury to stop him. Unfortunately for President Carter, they still can’t react fast enough to stop the shot from being fired.

Afterwards, the Fantastic Four and Nick Fury are able to defeat Deathlok and later, the Fixer and Mentallo. S.H.I.E.L.D. has agreed to figure out a way to remove their control from Deathlok and its revealed that the President wasn’t shot. It was actually the Impossible Man posing as the President (Mr. Fantastic called a mysterious guest early in the issue, asking for his help) all along!

WHERE does the story take place?

The majority of this story takes place at the White House in Washington, D.C.

WHEN do the villains next appear?

After being taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody in this issue, the Fixer and Mentallo are later freed by Hydra in the Micronauts #24 (cover date: December 1980).

WHY is Deathlok the guest-lead?

Deathlok debuted in Astonishing Tales #25 and he maintained the lead feature of that series until it was canceled with issue #36 (cover date: July 1976). From there, his story continued into Marvel Spotlight #33 (April 1977). The character’s existence in a post-apocalyptic future was problematic because he didn’t exist within the “proper” Marvel Universe. In order to have stories where he could interact with Marvel heroes, they had to time-travel to meet him (this was the case in Marvel Team-Up #46). But, the story that began last issue and continued into this one rectified that concern by bringing Deathlok to the present via Doctor Doom’s time-machine. Problem solved!

HOW was it?

This issue was a lot of fun! Not only did we get to see Deathlok in action within the Marvel Universe but we were also treated to a lot of characterization. Fun moments between the Thing and the Human Torch. Character introspection as Deathlok lamented his current situation (not only being mind-controlled … but having to live as a reanimated corpse). Add to that a Jack Kirby cover, an historical event and a mystery guest star (yeah, I know … I spoiled the mystery) and this was easily Marv Wolfman’s best issue of Marvel Two-In-One yet.

Note: This issue’s letters column features commentary on Marvel Two-In-One #24.

On Ebay: Marvel Two-In-One | the Thing | Deathlok
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