For issues 22 and 23 of the X-Men, Marvel throws in villains from every corner of its ever expanding Silver Age universe to tangle with our favorite mutants. Let's check out these villains one by one
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is an Italian nobleman and the heir to a vast fortune. He is also an organized crime family head affiliated with the Maggia. Notwithstanding his staid, old-fashioned looks, Nefaria is fascinated with cutting edge science and technology. May years after this story, in the pages of the Avengers, Nefaria would give himself vast powers by stealing and magnifying the abilities of the Whirlwind, Power Man, and the Living Laser. It would be enough power to allow him to tackle the mighty Avengers. For example, Nefaria's strength would surpassed the Hulk's.
Plantman
Through sheer accident, Plantman possesses the technology to animate plants as well as accelarate their growth and increase their size. When doing so, he is in full mental control of the plants allowing him to order them about like his own personal army.
The Scarecrow
The scarecrow is a talented contortionist who had the misfortune of having his first battle with the Invincible Iron Man, no less. In addition to his abilities as a "rubber man", the Scarecrow also has a trained flock of crows ready to obey his commands.
The Porcupine
Alexander Gentry was a former U.S. weapons designer. He created the Porcupine armor using government resources but decided to use it himself for criminal activities. We see him here, early in his career, working for Count Nefaria against the X-Men. Gentry will have many other adventures, eventually winding up helping Captain America capture members of the Serpent Squad - an assignment that would cost Gentry his life. The Porcupine Armor is currently displayed in Avenger's Mansion with the inscription: "Battle Armor Of The Porcupine - Honored Foe of the Avengers".
The Eel
The Eel's power derives from his suit, with it, he can fire bolts of electricity and he can become too slippery to grab hold of. Oh yeah, as shown in the panel, he can also glow in the dark.
The Unicorn
The Unicorn wears armor designed by the Russian super-hero Crimson Dynamo. The primary weapon is the "horn" which can project force beams equivalent to 50 pounds of TNT at a range of 75 feet (This data from the sacred book of OHOTMU - The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe).
This pretty much rounds out the villains you'll get in these two issues.
Posted by Pete Albano - December 10, 2011
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