X-Men Vol 1 4

X-Men #4
Previous Issue	X-Men #3
Next Issue	X-Men #5
Cover Date	March, 1964
Issue Details
Editor-in-Chief	Stan Lee

1. "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!"
Appearances · Synopsis
Writer(s)	Stan Lee
Penciler(s)	Jack Kirby
Inker(s)	Paul Reinman
Letterer(s)	Artie Simek
Editor(s)	Stan Lee

 But is it necessary to plant such fear in the hearts of the people, Magneto? 

—Scarlet Witch

Appearing in "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!"

Featured Characters:

• X-Men
  • ⏴ Cyclops (Scott Summers) ⏵
  • ⏴ Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) ⏵
  • ⏴ Angel (Warren Worthington III) ⏵
  • ⏴ Beast (Henry "Hank" McCoy) ⏵
  • ⏴ Iceman (Bobby Drake) ⏵
• ⏴ Professor X ⏵

Villains:

• Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (First appearance)
  • Toad ⏵ (First appearance)
  • Quicksilver (Pietro) ⏵ (First appearance)
  • Scarlet Witch (Wanda) ⏵ (First appearance) Template:Flash
  • Mastermind ⏵ (First appearance)
  • ⏴ Magneto ⏵ Template:Flash
• Magneto's Army (First appearance)

Other Characters:

• Transian townspeople (Only in flashback)
• Santo Marcan citizens

Locations:

• Europe (Only in flashback)
  • Transia (Only in flashback) (as an unnamed location)
• New York
  • Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
    • Danger Room
• Atlantic Ocean
  • Magneto's uncharted island base (First appearance)
• Santo Marco (First appearance)

Items:

• Cyclops' Visor, version 1
• Magneto's Helmet

Vehicle:

• Stolen Navy freighter

Synopsis for "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!"

The X-Men are in the middle of their latest training session. Marvel Girl is given the task of opening a locked box using her telekinetic powers. Once it is opened she finds a birthday cake stashed inside. Professor Xavier explains that it has been one year since classes first started at the school, and he felt that the date should be celebrated.

Meanwhile four other mutants (Toad, Mastermind, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch) are seen having dinner. Mastermind tries to impress the Scarlet Witch, but she is not interested in him. Mastermind threatens her but Quicksilver intervenes to protect his sister. Magneto is elsewhere seen stealing a freighter and returning it to his secret headquarters somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. When Magneto returns Toad informs him that Quicksilver and Mastermind were fighting. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch tell Magneto that they do not want to be members of his group anymore, but Magneto informs them that they are forever in his debt. The group has a flashback to a town in Europe where Magneto saves the Scarlet Witch from an angry mob that wants to kill her for burning down a barn with her mutant powers.

Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants use the stolen freighter to attack the small nation of San Marco in South America. Professor Xavier learns of the attack when he reads the newspaper and tries to contact Magneto using his telepathic powers. Professor Xavier and Magneto dispute their different views on mutant and human relations; Professor Xavier believes that they should coexist with one another while Magneto believes that homo-superior should rule the world. Mastermind creates an imaginary army to frighten San Marco's populace so that the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants can easily take over the country.

Professor Xavier and the X-Men travel to San Marco using the story of an American professor and his students on a goodwill mission. Once they are in the country the X-Men change into their costumes and attack the Brotherhood. Mastermind tries to scare the X-Men away by creating an illusion of a fire wall in the X-Men's path. Professor Xavier realizes that the fire is not real, so he enters it to show his students that there is nothing to be afraid of.

The X-Men then devise a plan to attack the Brotherhood, but do not realize that the door to the palace has been booby trapped with a bomb. Just before Beast opens the door, Professor Xavier senses the danger and hurls himself in front of the X-Men to protect them. The Brotherhood escape from the palace, but not until after Quicksilver disarms a second bomb intended to destroy the entire nation along with the X-Men. Professor Xavier regains consciousness only to learn that his telepathic powers were damaged during the explosion.

Notes

• This issue reintroduces Magneto and introduces the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will become best known as mainstays of the Avengers and will eventually be revealed to be Magneto's children. Mastemind will play a major role in the Dark Phoenix Saga. The Toad will go through various personality changes and usually appear in the henchman role. The character Astra will later be retroactively inserted into the Brotherhood's original line up in the Magneto War arc.
• The Beast uses his formal name "Henry" for the first time in this issue.
• This story celebrates the first year anniversary since their class first began.
• This month's issue features the first appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Coincidentally, this month's issue of DC's Doom Patrol introduces the Brotherhood of Evil.
• On both the cover of this issue and X-Men #5, Scarlet Witch's costume is colored green, and Quicksilver's is colored blue. They are their correct respective red and green colors within the issues.
• This issue is reprinted in many other comics and books, see references for more info.
• credits:
  • Sensational Script by: Stan Lee
  • Dynamic Drawings by: Jack Kirby
  • Imaginative Inking by: Paul Reinman
  • Legible Lettering by: Art Simek
• references: X-Men #1

Trivia

• This Comic Book was referenced in Marvel: Avengers Alliance and is one of the Comic Book Covers required in order to recruit Magneto in the game.

See Also

• 64 image(s) from X-Men Vol 1 4
  • 4 reprint(s) of X-Men Vol 1 4.jpg
• 21 reprint(s) of X-Men Vol 1 4

Recommended Reading

• X-Men #1 - first appearance of Magneto