I like your arrogance! The more spirited you are, the higher a price you will bring... when you are put upon the auction block!
- -- Slave-Master
Appearing in "The Thing -- Enslaved!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Deviant Skrulls
Slave-Master
- Boss Barker
(First appearance)
- Napoleon G. Robberson
(First appearance)
- Lippy Louie
(First appearance)
- Whitey (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Unnamed Richards baby
Alicia Masters
Machine Gun Martin (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Bonnie Parker (Mentioned)
- Clyde Barrow (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Kral System (First appearance)
- Kral IV (First appearance)
- Solar System
Items:
- Power Stone (Skrull) (First appearance)
- Anti-Gravity Rod (First appearance)
- Corrosive Ray (First appearance)
- Nerve Collar (First appearance)
- Shock Rod (First appearance)
- Neutralizer Cannon (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- Skrull Saucers
- Slave Truck (First appearance)
- Slave-Stealer Ship (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Thing -- Enslaved!"

Torgo greeting Thing
The Skrulls take the captured Thing to the planet Kral, a world whose culture is a mirror of the legendary 1930s. Back in the Prohibition Era, a mobster named Machine-Gun Martin escaped prison and was captured by the Skrulls. The inhabitants of Kral, fascinated by gangster culture, adopted it as their own. Boss Barker makes a bet with his opponent Lippy Louie that his acquisition of the Thing will be able to defeat his best fighter, the Mekkan known as Torgo in the Great Games.
While the FF on Earth begin searching for their captured friend, Ben is delivered into slavery at the hands of Boss Barker. Along the way Ben learns that the Skrulls of this planet adopted 1930's humanoid forms, inspired by Martin, and capture beings from other worlds to fight in their gladiator pits. After a few failed escape attempts, Ben is informed that he will have to fight Torgo. When meeting Torgo, Thing learns that the justification of the Mekkan's life will be the death of the Thing.
Back on Earth, Reed's deductions as to what happened to Ben bring him to the conclusion that he was likely kidnapped by the Skrulls.
Solicit Synopsis
See the mighty Thing, enslaved on the planet of the Skrulls!
Notes
Continuity Notes
- Machine Gun Martin later went on to have a feature article in the 1939 Daily Bugle. His first name was revealed in that story.
- The Skrulls of Kral IV are not the only Skrulls who co-opted Earth culture for their own ends. In Fantastic Four #174 a group of Skrulls was found that co-opted Earth culture from the 6th Century for entertainment purposes. Black Panther (Vol. 4) #32–34 showed that some of the Skrulls of Kral IV later took on the culture of the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s & 60s. Wisdom #1–6 showed that a group of Skrulls embraced the 60s British Pop music explosion.
- Fantastic Four #173 identifies that Torgo's is a member of the Mekkan race and that his homeworld is the planet Mekka.
- Taxtor was identified as a member of the Tekton race of the planet Tekton in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10.
Chronology Notes
Events occur behind the scenes of this story that affect the chronology of the following characters:
Human Torch:
Page 1-19
- Johnny goes out looking for the Thing.
Page 20
- Johnny returns to the Baxter Building and learns Ben was kidnapped by the Skrulls.
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks
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a
- Comics
- 1969
- 1969, October
- Silver-Age
- Fantastic Four Vol 1
- Stan Lee/Editor-in-Chief
- Jack Kirby/Cover Artist
- Joe Sinnott/Cover Artist
- Stan Lee/Writer
- Jack Kirby/Penciler
- Joe Sinnott/Inker
- Sam Rosen/Letterer
- Stan Lee/Editor
- Slave-Master (Earth-616)/Quotes
- Fantastic Four (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Reed Richards (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Susan Storm (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Benjamin Grimm (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Jonathan Storm (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Crystalia Amaquelin (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Torgo (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Taxtor (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Deviant Skrulls/Appearances
- Slave-Master (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Boss Barker (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Napoleon Robberson (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Lippy Louie (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Whitey (Skrull) (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Franklin Richards (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Alicia Masters (Earth-616)/Appearances
- John Martin (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Bonnie Parker (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Clyde Barrow (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Homo sapiens/Appearances
- Mekkans/Appearances
- Tektons/Appearances
- Kral (Star)/Appearances
- Kral IV/Appearances
- Sol/Appearances
- Earth/Appearances
- United States of America/Appearances
- New York (State)/Appearances
- New York City/Appearances
- Manhattan/Appearances
- Baxter Building/Appearances
- Power Stone (Skrull)/Appearances
- Anti-Gravity Rod/Appearances
- Corrosive Ray/Appearances
- Nerve Collar/Appearances
- Shock Rod/Appearances
- Neutralizer Cannon/Appearances
- Skrull Saucers/Appearances
- Slave Ship/Appearances
- Slave Truck/Appearances
- Slave-Stealer Ship/Appearances
- Prohibition