Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #8
Cover Date: Nov 64
Title: "The uncanny threat of ... Unus, the Untouchable!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Chic Stone - Inker

Review/plot: This one really touches on the mutant theme. The Beast rescues a child, and ends up being harassed for being a mutant.

Frustrated, he quits the X-Men, deciding to use his powers to benefit himself. He becomes a professional wrestler...

...and meets up with Unus the Untouchable.

Meanwhile, Cyclops contacts Xavier for advice on what to do about the Beast. The Professor, who is wheelchair-spelunking, tells Cyclops to let Hank be.

Unus is auditioning for Mastermind. After he defeats the Beast (not recognized as an X-Man even though he is using the same name), Mastermind tells him that he can join the Brotherhood if he proves himself by finding the X-Men or even defeating one of them. Luckily the X-Men, sans Beast, show up soon afterward. Unus nearly defeats them but, although they can't hurt him, they beat him when Angel leaves Unus hanging from the top of a skyscraper.

The X-Men return to the mansion and find the Beast in the lab. The Beast has always been depicted as intelligent, but this is the first time he's been shown to be a "Marvel genius". He creates a device that will increase Unus' power.

The other X-Men think he's gone traitor, but increasing the power of Unus' forcefield makes it impossible for him to do normal things, like eat.

In the end he surrenders to the X-Men. The Beast reverses the effects of his device with the warning that if he ever goes bad he'll zap him again.

Considering what eventually happens to Unus, one wonders if the Beast is actually responsible for his death.

This was a pretty solid story.

Cyclops is also still trying to work up the nerve to ask Jean out. Instead he compliments her on her stitching.

Iceman transitions from being covered in snow to to being a true Ice-man. His body is translucent, showing that he completely turns into ice and isn't just covered in it.

For what it's worth, Brian Michael Bendis' All New X-Men has the original X-team being pulled forward in time during this issue. A scene very much like the one below occurs in All New X-Men #1, with the Beast from the "future" showing up before the last panel.

At the time i'm writing this, that series has already shown multiple problems with continuity (including a reference to the fight with Unus, which, since it occurs after that scene above, is difficult to square), so it's not yet clear how canon it is (e.g., the characters may have actually been pulled from a similar but alternate timeline).

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first Unus

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Magneto has had bad luck recruiting mutants in the past, including when he tried to recruit the Blob in Uncanny X-Men #7.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: X-Men: The Early Years #8

Unus' name always bugged me. It was one typo away from being "anus".

"After he defeats the Beast (not recognized as an X-Man even though he is using the same name)"

and we all mocked Marvel for telling Hogan to stop using "Hulk" in his name.

having watched some rassling in my day, i have to say watching a wrestler like Unus would be the most boring event ever. who wants to watch a match where one guy just stands there while the other guy can't touch him?

now, the Beast against a Luchador -that's rassling.

Oddly enough, the Deluxe Edition Marvel Handbooks recolor that panel of Hank bouncing of Unus's force field to make Hank look like the Hulk.

This wasn't the only time the Deluxe Handbooks recolored a panel- another example was the scene with Starfox flirting with the paramedic in Avengers 233, where the recoloring made it look like Starfox was using his powers on her (which might have been what gave Ron Marz the idea to portray Starfox as a rapist).

Although some mildly interesting things were done with Unus, I always found him to be a lame character.

I know the comment is 5 years old, but as a pretty big rassling fan myself I gotta agree that a match where one guy cant get touched would be boring as hell. With Marvel's character pool you could put on some damn good wrestling as well.

I think outside the circus, wrestling is probably the most "typical" superhero profession for super-powered non-hero characters. Aside from Unus, we had Spider-Man do it (at least in the first movie) and both Sharon Venture and Songbird (as Screaming Mimi) started out in the profession as well.

Seriously, I'd be so for a Kinnikuman-style Marvel comic universe. (SUPERHEROES TAKING THE FATE OF THE WORLD TO THE RING!!!)

Had to look 'Kinnikuman' up to be honest, superhero wrestlers, that could not sound more Japanese!

I'd be well for that as well, minimal usage of powers, duking it out in the squared-circle, there's potential for a great game or two there at least, for sure.

Didn't Marvel Boy/Justice start out as a wrestler too?

Wrestling seems to be an actual sport in MU, and VERY high street-levelers (Beast and Unus here, Spider-man) blend in just fine. Makes you think how much there are superpeople in the scene. Bit of super strength, low level invulnerability and slightly boosted healing factor goes long way. Tempting career choice for that kind of mutants. Also, diluted bootleg super soldier serum and stuff like that would probably find eager market too. And any (all?) of their gimmicks can be as real as need be. Circus is of course another such environment.

I wonder if seeing superhero antics in TV and even with your own eyes (at least if you live in NY), would help or hinder businesses like wrestling and circus. And whether, and how, these businesses affect the popular sentiments against superheroes and mutants, and the legislation thereof. Could go either way I guess...

But the most important question is; using wrestling rules, would Beast beat Spider-man?

Cage match, no. Normal wring match, maybe. Remember, though, Beast didn't really have super-strength until X-Factor, so at this point in time I'd say Spider-Man wins either way.

Though to be fair, I know nothing about wrestling rules. I'm just basing this on power sets.

I really have to wonder what rassling and carnivals were like up through the 1960s that they're such an easy target for villainy, or for superheroes who aren't sure if they're up to superheroing, and they get away with it.

I was once chatting with my Dad about superhero comics, and he made some comment about how Animal Man was believable, because [when his Grant Morrison series began] he used his superpowers at work as a stuntman in Hollywood instead. I'd already given a lot of thought to this, and could immediately respond that Dazzler used her superpowers to create a cheap lightshow at her concerts. Dad saw my point and agreed immediately. Then I pointed out that Peter Parker's first post-spider bite idea was to get into a rassling ring, and then become a tv star.

The reason Dazzler is the only company-owned character I genuinely want to write is because she would let me tell stories in a superhero world where people with superpowers don't put on tights and punch people. They get real jobs like people with superstrength or mind control would actually do.

I think superpowered MMA fights would be enormously popular.

Beast/Spidey Cage Match - i.e. where the aim is to escape the cage - could possibly end a draw when both competitors simply jump over the top to the outside right from the bell without a single hit. Last Man Standing would be waaaaay more interesting, first to lay the opponent out for a 10-count, anything-goes, no DQ's, no countouts, falls count aywhere etc. My money's on Spidey, but damn would it be a blast to watch.

It does seem as though rassling in the MU is actually real, to use real-life wrestling terminology, all matches are shoot matches. Which of course would be way more interesting with powers involved anyhow. Like Chris says above, superpowered MMA would be a massive money-maker for sure.

There must be some "fake" wrestling in the MU - I distinctly remember a Lee/Kirby FF where the Thing becomes a wrestler and gets tired of pretending to let the star beat him up. Issue 15 maybe?