Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Artificial construct (likely a robot; see comments)

Occupation: None

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Atlanteans, Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), U.S. Navy

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "The Silent One," "spiteful minion of the hated humans" (as mistakenly called by Sub-Mariner)

Base of Operations: Mobile on the Atlantic Ocean floor

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#92/1 (June, 1967)

Powers/Abilities: Possibly of artificial construction (see comments), the orange-skinned IT was immune to the pressures and cold of the ocean's floor. IT possessed superhuman strength, seemingly near that of the Sub-Mariner.

IT emitted a dangerous level of radioactivity that could kill through prolonged exposure.

Judging by its facial expressions, IT could experience emotions, such as anger and surprise.

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 300 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: White
Hair: Bald

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#92/1 (fb) - BTS) - The history of IT is unrevealed, for its origin had "been lost in the dim, forgotten past" (see comments). IT slumbered beneath the bottomless mass of sludge and slime of the Atlantic Ocean floor for "countless centuries."

(Tales to Astonish I#92/1) - When the Sub-Mariner discovered a drum of radioactive waste that a surface submarine had discarded on the ocean floor, he threw the poisonous cylinder into a gaping fissure, so that it wouldn't endanger his kingdom. But the Atlantean prince had unwittingly thrown the radioactive drum upon the the resting place of IT, and a miniscule amount of radiation seeped out of the canister, reawakening the unhuman creature. IT climbed from its resting place and strode forth on the ocean floor, with every fiber of its bestial being lusting to destroy.

   Some time later, IT encountered a defensive mine field surrounding a mid-ocean radar-warning station--within the station, the radiation emitted by the approaching IT was detected on the bases "geiger-ray" dial. IT struck one of the mines, causing it to detonate, but IT was unharmed by the explosion. IT then punched the supporting pillars of the radar complex, forcing all the personnel to abandon the base when the entire structure collapsed into the sea.

   Continuing its travels, IT came upon a squad of Atlantean soldiers and assaulted them; one of the soldiers swam away and warned the Sub-Mariner of IT. Seeking vengeance, Namor swam to the location of the attack.

   Meanwhile, the crew of an American submarine was using a "geiger apparatus" to track the radiation of the mysterious destroyer of the radar station; when their radar detected IT swimming towards them, they mistakenly believed it to be the Sub-Mariner, who they thought was responsible for the base's destruction. Namor also came upon IT at the same time as the submarine, and he believed IT to be a human-controlled robot that the submarine had released to fight for them. As Namor and IT grappled with each other, the submarine fired torpedoes at both of them!

(Tales To Astonish I#93/2) - The Sub-Mariner and IT evaded the torpedoes and avoided being directly hit, but the resulting explosion caused a sub-sea cliff to collapse on them. Namor managed to dart out of harm's way, but IT was buried under a giant boulder. Believing that the humans aboard the submarine were willing to sacrifice their own "inhuman android" to strike at him, Namor swam toward the vessel to counterattack.

   But even as the Atlantean monarch mistakenly sought retribution, he had made a fatal error in assuming that his awesome foe had been lethally crushed, for IT yet lived! With its brain filled with an all-consuming hatred for the Sub-Mariner, IT began to stir and strain against the massive stone until the boulder was lifted and IT was free, with only one thought in its bestial brain: Kill! KILL!! KILL!!!.

   Namor reached the sub and punched a hole in the hull, while aboard the besieged craft, the crew once again detected the radiation as IT swam in behind the Sub-Mariner. IT--expecting stark fear from its prey--was caught off guard when Namor lunged and punched his foe, knocking IT down to the hull. But as he stood over his fallen enemy, the Sub-Mariner felt an unaccustomed weakness and sudden dizziness after his fist made contact with his silent adversary--Namor was unaware that he was suffering from concentrated radiation exposure from IT. Then the weakened Sub-Mariner was taken by surprise when IT kicked him aside.

   Namor collapsed on the hull, just as IT leaped at him; but summoning every ounce of his strength, the Sub-Mariner sprang out of his inhuman foe's path, and IT struck the submarine's conning tower instead--imbedded in two feet of metal, the mute creature was dazed and helpless.

   Seeing that his adversary no longer moved, Namor figured that the "inner mechanisms" of IT were damaged.

   As the the submarine began to surface, the weakened Namor managed to jump off and swim back to Atlantis, where his radiation poisoning was treated in the "medi-ray chamber."

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Dan Adkins.

It was never confirmed in the narrative captions that IT was actually a robot--that's just something Namor assumed.

In Tales to Astonish I#93 (page 8, panel 1), the Sub-Mariner punched IT and thought to himself, "The surfacemen's robot feels as if made of flesh and bone -- though its skin be hard as metal," so it's always possible that IT was a living being--the fact that IT seemed to express emotions would seem to imply that.

Perhaps IT was actually an extraterrestrial visitor who was stranded on Earth in the days of the Great Cataclysm, and he spent centuries in suspended animation waiting to be rescued.

Maybe IT was only stunned after colliding with the submarine, and he's still alive in some secret government laboratory.

Considering its appearance--craggy orange skin, and wearing only shorts--I'm surprised that Namor didn't initially mistake IT for his old sparring partner, the Thing (Ben Grimm). -- Ron Fredricks

Maybe IT was somehow connected to the Banari.
--Markus Raymond