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 ⏵

Antagonists:

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

Other Characters:

• Transian townspeople (Only in flashback)
• Santo Marcan citizens
• Two unnamed businessmen.

Races and Species:

• Humans
• Mutants
• Flies (Mentioned)
• Pigs (Illusion or holographic simulation)
• Seagulls (Mentioned)
• Sheep (Mentioned)
• Spiders (Mentioned)

Locations:

• Earth
  • Europe (Only in flashback)
    • Transia (Only in flashback) (as an unnamed location)
  • United States of America
    • New York
      • Westchester County
        • Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
          • Danger Room
          • Professor X's laboratory.
  • Atlantic Ocean
    • Magneto's uncharted island base (First appearance)
  • South America
    • Santo Marco (First appearance)
• Astral Plane

Items:

• X-Uniforms
• Cyclops' Visor, version 1
• Magneto's Helmet
• Scarlet Witch's Suit (First appearance)
• Daily Chronicle

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 lifting a lid from a 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 Santo Marco in South America. Professor Xavier learns of the attack contacts Magneto on the astral plane 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 Santo Marco's populace so the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants can easily take over the country.

Professor Xavier and the X-Men travel to Santo 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 fear.

The X-Men devise a plan to attack the Brotherhood, but do not realize that the palace door 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 before 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 by the explosion.

Notes

• This issue 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. Mastermind 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 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.
• The Danger Room exercise of the issue involved dangerous and potentially life-threatening exercises for the Beast and Iceman. While Marvel Girl was merely asked to open a box to demonstrate her refined telekinesis. Iceman expresses the suspicion that Professor X is favoring Jean over him.
• When the X-Men are celebrating their anniversary, the Beast is not depicted among the team.
• When Magneto attacks two businessmen to steal their freighter, the senior of the two businessmen recognizes him instantly and mentions Magneto's previous encounter with the X-Men. But the younger businessman has no idea who Magneto is.
• Shortly after the theft of the freighter, Magneto and Angel have a near-encounter at sea. Magneto mistakes the sound of Angel's wings, for the sound made by a seagull's wings.
• In scenes taking place in the laboratory of Professor X, Jean Grey is depicted as his lab assistant.
• In this issue, Professor X gets a premonition about Magneto's plans, but this is not part of his regular powers.
• According to this issue, the Scarlet Witch is indebted to Magneto for saving her life, and is willing to keep serving him until her debt is repaid. Quicksilver has no obligation to Magneto, but is tagging along with the Brotherhood to watch over Wanda.
• In the flashback in Transia, Wanda receives her codename when an unnamed villager claims that she is "a Scarlet Witch". It is left unclear if she is the only Scarlet Witch, or even the first one which the villagers have encountered.
• In the flashback in Transia, Magneto has apparently deduced that Wanda is not a real witch, but a mutant. Later retcons have established that Magneto was wrong in his conclusion.
• During his encounter with Magneto in the Astral Plane, Professor X proclaims that the X-Men will fight other mutants to the death.
• In this issue, the Angel uses Quicksilver's speed against him. He manipulates the speedster into chasing him, evades his attacks, and causes the distracted Quicksilver to collide with a wall. According to Angel, Pietro has speed, but is lacking in maneuverability.
• Angel expresses an immediate attraction to the Scarlet Witch, and muses to himself thart he could join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants for her sake. He fails to defend himself against her attacks.
• When ecountering the X-Men, Magneto recognizes the Angel, but seems uncertain what the winged mutant's codename is. However, he recalls Cyclops' codename.
• In an attempt to wake up an unconscious Cyclops, Iceman covers most of Cyclops' face and chest area with ice.
• The X-Men have a frienfly fire incident in this issue, with no casualties. Marvel Girl mistakes Angel, Cyclops, and Iceman for Magneto's soldiers, and uses her telekinesis to send various bladed weapons against them.
• When the X-Men run away from Mastermind's illusory flames, Cyclops lifts Marver Girl in his arms during their escape.
• In one panel, the dialogue does not match what the art is depicting. Jean Grey examines an injured Professor X and comments on his glazed eyes. But the artwork is depicting Jean standing behind the Professor, from a position where she can not see his eyes.
• This issue ends in a cliff-hanger, with Professor X claiming to have lost his powers and the X-Men forced to fend on their own. X-Men Vol 1 5 revealed that the Professor was lying, deceiving the X-Men as part of a test.
• 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