AIRJET-CYCLE
Classification: Terrestrial technology
Creator: Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards)
User/Possessors: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Crystal, "Gears" Garvin, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Giant-Man (Bill Foster), Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Invisible Woman, Jocasta, Machine Man, Medusa, Mr. Fantastic, She-Hulk, Thing, Triton, Wyatt Wingfoot
Aliases: Fantasti-Cycle
First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#45 (December, 1965)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Airjet-Cycle is designed similarly to a motorcycle, and can seat up to four people, supporting even the Thing. It uses four VTOL jets in order to take off, and is propelled forward by a rocket engine.
History:
(Fantastic Four I#45) - When the Human Torch sent up a flare to his teammates
after meeting the Inhumans for the first time, Mr. Fantastic, the
Thing and the Invisible Girl answered his signal aboard the
Airjet-Cycle.
(Fantastic Four I#46) - After battling the Inhumans, all four of the Fantastic Four boarded the Airjet-Cycle, and flew back to the Baxter Building aboard it.
(Fantastic Four I#48) - The Fantastic Four flew an Airjet-Cycle through New York as they witnessed the effects of Uatu's Matter Mobilizer.
(Fantastic Four I#55) - The Thing took his Airjet-Cycle to visit Alicia Masters, but when he found her with the Silver Surfer, he started a fight with him, taking the cycle into the air to confront him. The Airject-Cycle was destroyed by the Silver Surfer during their scuffle, but he later repaired it with the Power Cosmic in order to apologize.
(Fantastic Four I#57) - As the Fantastic Four searched New York for the Sandman, the Thing patrolled the city aboard his Airject-Cycle.
(Fantastic Four I#58) - The Thing and Wyatt Wingfoot piloted an Airjet-Cycle as they went to aid the rest of the Fantastic Four against the cosmic-powered Dr. Doom.
(Fantastic Four I#64) - The Human Torch lent an Airjet-Cycle to Triton of the Inhumans so that he could use it to explore New York.
(Strange Tales I#161 (fb)) - Captain America borrowed the Airjet-Cycle from the Fantastic Four as he set off with Reed's Electro-Amplifier Rifle to help Nick Fury drive off the forces of a Yellow Claw robot imposter.
(Fantastic Four Annual I#5) - The Thing took the Airjet-Cycle to visit Alicia Masters, and wound up having his first encounter with the Psycho-Man.
(Fantastic Four I#69) - When the Thing was brainwashed by the Mad Thinker into attacking the Fantastic Four, Crystal piloted the Invisible Girl to safety on an Airjet-Cycle.
(Fantastic Four I#72) - The Thing piloted an Airjet-Cycle into aerial combat with the Silver Surfer, but the Surfer easily brushed off his attack.
(Fantastic Four I#78) - While the Human Torch ran some maintenance on the Fantasticar, the Thing saw to the Airjet-Cycle.
(Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine#4) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle to visit the Invisible Girl on Whisper Hill, but when he flew overhead of a band of AIM agents, they shot the vehicle down, destroying it.
(Fantastic Four I#134) - The Thing and Medusa flew an Airjet-Cycle to a confrontation with the Dragon Man.
(Fantastic Four I#136) - As the Thing and Human Torch piloted the Airjet-Cycle back to the Baxter Building, the Thing was overcome by the powers of the Brain, which caused him to forget how to pilot the cycle, and he crashed it.
(Fantastic Four I#137) - After the defeat of the Brain, the Thing and the Human Torch flew back to the Baxter Building aboard their retrieved Airjet-Cycle.
(Fantastic Four I#138) - The Airjet-Cycle remained parked in the Baxter Building as the Fantastic Four took their Pogo Plane on a mission to the Keewazi reservation.
(Fantastic Four I#142) - Wyatt Wingfoot flew an Airjet-Cycle to Metro University to meet with Sam Thorne.
(Fantastic Four I#143) - Wyatt flew his Airjet-Cycle alongside the Human Torch, and tried to confront him on his personal problems with Mr. Fantastic, but Johnny became angry and knocked Wyatt off of his cycle. Wyatt fell on the roof of a building and was unhurt, but his cycle destroyed a police car when it crashed.
(Marvel Team-Up I#18) - Wyatt flew an Airjet-Cycle alongside the Human Torch into battle with Blastaar, but Blastaar shot the cycle out of the sky. Wyatt managed to land the cycle safely, and repaired it.
(Fantastic Four I#147) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle to meet with the Invisible Girl, but was interrupted along the way by the Sub-Mariner.
(Fantastic Four I#151) - Reed repaired Wyatt's cycle, and used it to travel back to the Baxter Building after a visit with the Invisible Girl.
(Fantastic Four I#188) - The Thing and Invisible Girl flew an Airjet-Cycle into battle with the Molecule Man, who used his powers to reshape it into bonds. The Invisible Girl destroyed the reshaped vehicle with one of her force fields.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#47) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle to Yancy Street to answer a call for help from the Yancy Street Gang.
(Fantastic Four I#214) - An Airjet-Cycle was seen in the Baxter Building garage.
(Fantastic Four I#229-230) - The Fantastic Four flew an Airjet-Cycle to a confrontation with the living black hole called Ebon Seeker.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#78) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle to the television studios of Ted Silverberg to confront Wonder Man for portraying the television character "Monster Man," who was clearly a rip-off of Grimm. He then flew the cycle to visit the offices of Nelson & Murdock to seek legal action, but learned he didn't have a case against Silverberg. After realizing that Silverberg's programs contained mind control, he flew the cycle back to the studios to confront the true power behind the programs, Xemnu the Titan.
(Fantastic Four I#235 (fb)) - The Fantastic Four brought three Airjet-Cycles with them aboard their ICBM and used them while exploring the surface of Ego, but Ego generated an energy blast that knocked them off the cycles.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#80) - The Thing gave Johnny Blaze a lift on his Airjet-Cycle after Blaze had gone on a rampage as Ghost Rider. Later, he took the cycle to another confrontation with Blaze, after the Ghost Rider had gone out of control.
(Fantastic Four I#237) - Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl used an Airjet-Cycle to fly from the Baxter Building to their final confrontation with Spinnerette.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#82) - The Thing flew Captain America and Giant-Man with him on the Airjet-Cycle as they searched for the whereabouts of A.I.M.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#86) - The Thing flew the Airjet-Cycle to one of his favorite bars for a drink, and wound up meeting the Sandman there.
(Fantastic Four I#242) - Thing and Mr. Fantastic both took an Airjet-Cycle to a fight with Terrax the Tamer.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#92) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle in pursuit of Jocasta, leading him to the factory where Ultron had rebuilt himself.
(Marvel Two-In-One I#93) - After the Thing had been put under Ultron's hypnotic control, Machine Man and Jocasta escaped the scene aboard the Airjet-Cycle, once Machine Man cracked the security codes. After seeing "Gears" Garvin for repairs, Garvin piloted the Airjet-Cycle with Machine Man and Jocasta aboard as they set out to face Ultron and rescue the Thing. Garvin's control over the cycle was shaky at best.
(Fantastic Four I#251) - The Thing used the Airjet-Cycle in another visit to Alicia Masters.
(Fantastic Four I#275) - Wyatt Wingfoot and the She-Hulk used an Airjet-Cycle in an attempt to catch up to a helicopter used by T.J. Vance to take nude photos of the She-Hulk, but the offending helicopter was lost in the crowded skies of New York.
(Fantastic Four Annual I#19) - Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and She-Hulk rode an Airjet-Cycle to examine the seeming reappearance of the Infant Terrible (actually a Skrull imposter).
(Fantastic Four I#278 - BTS) - The Airjet-Cycle was within the Baxter Building when the structure was lifted into space by a Grabber and destroyed by "Dr. Doom" (Kristoff Vernard).
(Fantastic Four Annual I#22/2) - Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman discovered that at the last minute, Uatu the Watcher had saved many of their devices from destruction, including the Airjet-Cycle, on the pretense of studying them. When he had completed his studying, Uatu returned all of the devices to the Fantastic Four at 4 Freedoms Plaza.
(Fantastic Four I#328) - Having lost the powers of the Thing, Ben Grimm piloted an Airjet-Cycle across New York in a desperate search for his teammates, who had been captured by the Frightful Four.
(Fantastic Four III#4) - The Thing flew an Airjet-Cycle from Pier Four to the site of Four Freedoms Plaza to investigate a bright flash of light, which proved to be the arrival of the Silver Surfer.
(Fantastic Four: Domination Factor#1/Avengers: Domination Factor#4) - The Thing and Invisible Woman flew an Airjet-Cycle as they escorted a plane transporting Reed back to New York from a conference.
(Inhumans III#2) - The Thing piloted an Airjet-Cycle to the Himalayas as he, the Human Torch, Quicksilver and Crystal explored the sudden disappearance of Attilan.
(Fantastic Four Annual 2000) - The Thing piloted an Airjet-Cycle into battle against Dr. Doom's lieutenants from Counter-Earth, and fought Divinity from aboard the cycle.
(Fantastic Four III#49) - The Thing piloted an Airjet-Cycle into battle against Abraxas, and hurled himself from the cycle to where Abraxas hovered in mid-air, but Abraxas easily hurled him away.
(Thing II#1) - While the Thing was out enjoying his newfound status as a billionaire, Johnny played around on Ben's Airjet-Cycle, but Reed put an end to his horseplay, revealing that the Airjet-Cycle cost $2,000,000.
(Thing II#8 (fb)) - The Thing flew his Airjet-Cycle to the Himalayas to help the Impossible Man deal with a bad case of hiccups that caused him to shapeshift uncontrollably.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Fantastic Four: Wedding Special#1) - Thing took the Airjet-Cycle to the Raft prison to meet the incarcerated Puppet Master (Phillip Masters) and get his blessing to marry his daughter Alicia Masters.
(The Marvels II#2) - Thing flew the Airjet-Cycle while he and the Human Torch talked about Horror movies based on Stephen King's work.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.
The Airjet-Cycle is such a commonly-used vehicle that I've probably missed more than a few appearances. Let me know if you have some additions!
Thing II#1's revelation that an Airjet-Cycle cost $2 million dollars got me thinking...at least 5 have been destroyed, so that's $10 million gone right there! No wonder the FF have gone bankrupt so many times.
The skycycle Zach Moonhunter flew in Captain America I#402-408 is strikingly similar to the FF's design.
Thanks to Ron Fredricks for adding a missed appearance from Fantastic Four I#237 and new scans. Thanks to Markus Raymond for adding Fantastic Four I#242 and a few new images as well.
Profile by Prime Eternal. Update by Markus Raymond (2018-2021).
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Airjet-Cycle should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four I#45, p18, pan1 (Mr. Fantastic, Thing, and Invisible Girl on Airjet-Cycle (bottom view))
Fantastic Four I#45, p17, pan6 (Mr. Fantastic on Airjet-Cycle (top view); Invisible Girl, Thing)
Fantastic Four I#55, p12, p5 (Thing on Airjet-Cycle (side view))
Fantastic Four I#237, p17, p3 (Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Girl on Airjet-Cycle (side view))
Fantastic Four I#275, p8, pan6 (Wyatt Wingfoot and She-Hulk on Airjet-Cycle (front view))
Thing II#1, p10, pan1 (top view)
Fantastic Four: Wedding Special#1, p21, pan4 (Thing on Airjet-Cycle (front view))
Appearances:
Fantastic Four I#45-46 (December, 1965 - January, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#48 (March, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#55 (October, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#57-58 (December, 1966 - January, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#64 (July, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Strange Tales I#161 (October, 1967) - Jim Steranko (writer/artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual I#5 (1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks)
Fantastic Four I#69 (December, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#72 (March, 1968) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#78 (September, 1968) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#134 (May, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (pencils/inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#136-138 (July-September, 1973) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (pencils/inks)
Fantastic Four I#142 (January, 1974) - Gerry Conway (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#143 (February, 1974) - Gerry Conway (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#18 (February, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Gil Kane (pencils), Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#147 (June, 1974) - Gerry Conway (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#151 (October, 1974) - Gerry Conway (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#188 (November, 1977) - Len Wein (writer/editor), George Perez (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Marvel Two-In-One I#47 (January, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Chic Stone (artist), Roger Stern (editor)
Fantastic Four I#214 (January, 1980) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), John Byrne (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Four I#229-230 (April-May, 1981) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#78 (August, 1981) - Tom DeFalco & David Michelinie (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Fantastic Four I#235 (October, 1981) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#80 (October, 1981) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Fantastic Four I#237 (December, 1981) - John Byrne (writer/pencils/inks), Glynis Wein (colors), Jim Novak (letters), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#82 (December, 1981) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#86 (April, 1982) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Fantastic Four I#242 (May, 1982) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#92-93 (October-November, 1982) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (penciler), assorted inkers, Jim Salicrup (editor)
Fantastic Four I#251 (February, 1983) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Fantastic Four I#275 (February, 1985) - John Byrne (writer/pencils), Al Gordon (inks), Michael Carlin (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual I#19 (1986) - John Byrne (writer/penciler), Joe Sinnott (inker), Michael Carlin (editor)
Fantastic Four I#328 (July, 1989) - Steve Englehart (writer), Keith Pollard (pencils), Romeo Tanghal (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual I#22 (1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four III#4 (April, 1998) - Scott Lobdell & Chris Claremont (writers), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Fantastic Four: Domination Factor#1 (December, 1999) - Dan Jurgens (writer/penciler), Bob McLeod (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers: Domination Factor#4 (February, 2000) Jerry Ordway (writer/penciler), Dennis Janke (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Inhumans IV#2 (July, 2000) - Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Marin (writers), Jose Ladronn (artist), Mark Powers (editor)
Fantastic Four Annual 2000 (2000) - Louise Simonson (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine#4 (May, 2001) - Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson & Jeph Loeb (writers), Erirk Larsen, Ron Frenz, Keith Giffen & Shannon Denton (pencils), Bruce Timm, Joe Sinnott, Al Gordon & Al Milgrom (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four III#49 (January, 2002) - Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Marin & Jeph Loeb (writers), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Jesus Merino (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thing II#1 (January, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Andrea DiVito (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thing II#8 (August, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Kieron Dwyer (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four: Wedding Special#1/2 (December, 2018) - Dan Slott (writer), Mark Buckingham (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
The Marvels II#2 (July, 2021) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Yildiray Cinar (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 06/05/2005
Last updated: 08/26/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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