THE ALIEN BENEATH LOCH NESS

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Extra-terrestrial

Occupation: Scout

Group Membership: His species

Affiliations: Mr.McNab, its robots  

Enemies: Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), the human race

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Jack (name Captain Britain called him) 

Base of Operations: Its spaceship beneath the waters of Loch Ness, Scotland; formerly active through large areas of outer space

First Appearance: Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain Weekly#233 (July 27th, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Telepathic, able to project its thoughts over great distances. Also able to inflict pain telepathically, or create convincing illusions using the power of its mind. It might additionally have a level of precognitive ability, as it predicted Captain Britain would interfere with its plans. It was protected by an electrical force field, but it wasn't clear if this was another innate power, or something generated by the ship or a device of the alien's. Extremely long lived (centuries at least). It possessed a space vehicle capable of interstellar travel (although perhaps not faster than light), and had a number of well armed, amphibious robots at its command.

History: (SSM&CBW#234/2 (fb) ) - The alien was a scout for a race with great energy needs, and had scoured the universe for eons in search of new sources of power. It arrived in Earth's solar system, where it decided that Earth's sun was a potential energy supply. It signalled its people, then decided that since it would take centuries before the equipment needed to harness the Sun's energy would arrive, it would land on the only nearby inhabited planet to see if the natives might pose any threat. It hid its ship beneath the surface of a remote lake (Loch Ness), and disguised its vessel as a sea monster. As time passed, men occasionally spotted the vessel, giving rise to the legends of the Loch Ness Monster. Mankind also became more technologically advanced, until they started sending rockets into space. The alien viewed that this was too much progress, and decided to build satellites which would inhibit human power sources, causing human civilization to collapse.

(SSM&CBW#233/2 - BTS) The alien predicted that the superhuman known as Captain Britain might become a threat. Accordingly it recruited the assistance of Mr.McNab, a local innkeeper, promising him wealth if he served it.

(SSM&CBW#233/2) - It practiced using the spaceship's robotic "monster" head to snatch airborne robots designed to look like Captain Britain. Then when a group of students arrived from Thames University in London, planning to search the Loch, the alien sensed that one among them, Brian Braddock, was the threat it had predicted. It ordered its crony McNab to kill the lad, which he attempted to do. He also sabotaged the bathysphere the students planned to use to check under the water. The next morning, when the unsuspecting students began their first dive, the alien moved its space ship in closer, planning to destroy the small diving vessel. However Captain Britain dragged the bathysphere back to the surface and to safety. Then he dove back down into the waters to face the "monster". The alien nearly succeeded in crushing the hero within the jaws of the "monster," but was stymied when the hero used his mystic sceptre to break several of the "creature's" teeth. As Captain Britain attempted to make it back to the surface and fresh air, the alien dispatched several of its robots to capture the hero and bring him inside the spaceship, which they duly did.

(SSM&CBW#234/2) - The alien greeted its captive, and explained its origins and future plans to destroy humanity. Then it offered to spare Captain Britain alone, if he would surrender his mystic star sceptre, which the alien wished to study. The hero refused, and the alien ordered its robots to attack him. Captain Britain acted swiftly, and turned the robots' guns against one another. The alien cried out to its minions to stop before they destroyed each other, but it was too late, and its adversary soon finished off the remaining robots. Then he leapt at the alien himself, only to be caught in an electrical forcefield that protected the extraterrestrial. As the hero gasped for breath following his shock, the alien attempted to take the sceptre from his hands, only to be thwarted by Captain Britain's own force field. Captain Britain fled, but the alien informed him that he could not escape as "The Master Control Panel is blocking your path! If you ram it, you'll destroy the ship!" Captain Britain replied that was his idea. Trying to stop him, the alien generated an illusion of demonic creatures blocking his path, but the hero called his bluff, and began to demolish the controls. As the alien screamed in protest at the destruction he was causing, Captain Britain dodged past it and out through a hole which had been created in the side of the ship. Moments later the ship exploded, presumably killing its alien owner as well.

Comments: Created by Larry Lieber, Jim Lawrence, Ron Wilson and Fred Kida.

Another villain from the Doctor Evil school of world conquest. Extremely bombastic - the alien's response to CB telling it that the star sceptre was not meant to be used by "the ruthless - the cruel!" was to shout out "Bah! The whimpering voice of goodness - of noble sentiment! A voice I loathe!". Then there's telling Captain Britain all its plans, and how to destroy its ship. Real smart..not! Sadly (for the readers) the alien implied that others of its kind were on their way to Earth, which means there is the genuine and terrifying possibility, however slim, of this story one day getting a sequel!

Profile by Loki

CLARIFICATIONS: The alien beneath Loch Ness should not be confused with

The robotic Loch Ness Monster should not be confused with

The alien's robots should not be confused with

The robotic Loch Ness Monster

When the alien first landed on Earth, it disguised its spaceship to look like a "prehistoric undersea monster," sightings of which over the years helped give rise to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The neck and head of the monster camouflage were robotic and capable of grasping and biting objects, helping to maintain this illusion. It was also able to squirt out jets of ink to blind opponents in the water. Captain Britain destroyed the vessel when he sabotaged its control panels, causing a chain reaction which led to a massive explosion.

The ship before it was disguised.--Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain Weekly#233/2, (234/2

The alien's robots

The alien commanded a number of amphibious, humanoid robots, armed with hand-held energy blasters. They successfully captured Captain Britain in an underwater battle, stunning him with their blasters, but had less success when they tried to attack him again out of water, where his greater agility worked against them. He apparently destroyed them all with his star sceptre. The alien built at least one robot to resemble Captain Britain, which it then used as target practice. This robot could fly, so possibly the others might have been able to do so also.

--Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain Weekly#233/2, (234/2

Images:
SSM&CBW#234, p.11, panel 1
SSM&CBW#233, p.17, panel 5
SSM&CBW#234, p.11, panel 3
SSM&CBW#234, p.10, panel 1

Other appearances:
Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain Weekly#234 (August 3rd, 1977) - Larry Lieber & Jim Lawrence (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Fred Kida (inks), Larry Lieber (editor)

Last updated: 01/22/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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