MUTANT FORCE

Membership: Burner, Lifter, Peeper, Shocker, Slither

Purpose: To serve the interests of whomever has hired them, be it a super-villain or the United States government; at times, to further the cause of the mutant race.

Affiliations: Harridan, Leviathan (Edward Cobert), Mad Dog, Mandrill, Professor Power, Red Skull (Shmidt), the Resistants, Secret Empire, Seraph

Enemies: Alpha Flight (Aurora/Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, Puck/Eugene Judd, Sasquatch/Walter Langkowski), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), a Chlorite, Defenders (Angel, Beast, Gargoyle, Hellcat, Hulk, Iceman, Moondragon, Nighthawk, Son of Satan, Valkyrie, Wasp, Yellowjacket/Hank Pym), Guardian (James Hudson), Manta, Mister One and Mister Two, New Warriors (Aegis, Bolt, Namorita, Nova, Speedball, Turbo), a Sentinel, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention and Espionage Logistics Directorate), the Tribunal, Joshua and Beatrice Walker, Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed

First Appearance: (as Brotherhood of Evil Mutants) Captain America Annual#4 (1977)
                                  (as Mutant Force) Defenders I#78 (December, 1979)

History:
(Captain America Annual#4 (fb) - BTS) - Magneto organized a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants by recruiting five previously unknown male mutants. He trained them in the use of their powers, and prepared them to serve him in various missions.

(Captain America Annual#4) - Magneto had found a miniature spacecraft that he wished to exploit, and hoped to use the diminutive Mister One (who controlled the larger Mister Two) to do so. As a diversion, Magneto sent the Brotherhood to attack Mister Two and Captain America in a park. The mutants were doing well in their battle until several SHIELD agents showed up, so they escaped in a hover-van. Meanwhile, Magneto apprehended Mister One himself. When the Brotherhood demanded information from Magneto, he showed them the spaceship, then lowered Mister One inside to examine it. But soon Captain America and Mister Two attacked, and the villains almost won, but they had to flee when Mister One blew up the tiny spaceship.

(Defenders I#78 (fb)) - The five mutants were abandoned by Magneto and hired by the Mandrill, who dubbed them the Mutant Force, a name the team kept.

(Defenders I#78) - The Mandrill used his powers to create a female army, which the Mutant Force took advantage of in their off-times. The villains attacked an air-force base in Colorado, where they battled the military and the Defenders (Hellcat, Valkyrie, Wasp, Yellowjacket). Burner, Lifter, and Peeper escaped with a pile of gold and an unconscious Yellowjacket, leaving Shocker and Slither behind.

(Defenders I#79) - The three members of the Mutant Force attacked the other three Defenders, rescuing their teammates. The Mandrill used his powers to make the female Defenders join his army, and he put Valkyrie in charge of the Mutant Force, making them angry. Later, Wasp escaped, and she and the military retaliated.

(Defenders I#80) - After a long battle, the Mutant Force rounded up all the remaining military men in one hanger, holding them there with an electrical field made by Shocker. After Nighthawk arrived, the field was shorted out and the Mutant Force was defeated.

(Defenders I#83) - The Mutant Force, still in custody, was brought before a special United States Intelligence Services branch. They agreed to become special government operatives in return for full presidential pardons (see comments). 

(Defenders I#87 (fb)) - After the Hulk invaded a baseball stadium, the Mutant Force was sent in to apprehend him.  The stadium was evacuated and the team, plus the military, did battle with the Hulk.  When Valkyrie and Hellcat intervened, the Hulk escaped.

(Defenders I#87) - The team was called before what they thought was a government inquisition (but was actually the alien Tribunal) against the Defenders. Lifter testified about their recent battle with the Hulk.

(Defenders I#125 (fb)) - No longer working for the government, the Mutant Force (minus Peeper) was recruited by the Secret Empire, along with several other operatives. Mad Dog was put in charge of the Mutant Force.

(Defenders I#125) - The four mutants and Mad Dog were sent to attack the Defenders at the wedding of Hellcat and the Son of Satan in Greentown, Ohio. The villains were quickly defeated.

((New) Defenders I#126) - The Mutant Force and Mad Dog were held in SHIELD null-fields for questioning. The Secret Empire arranged for their release while Leviathan caused a distraction.

((New) Defenders I#128) - Alongside Harridan, Seraph, and Leviathan, and equipped with special strength-sapping devices, the villains quickly defeated the attacking Defenders.

((New) Defenders I#129) - Mad Dog and the Mutant Force attacked the Defenders while the Secret Empire launched a satellite that they hoped would start a new world war.

((New) Defenders I#130) - The satellite exploded and the Defenders quickly defeated the villains.

(Captain America I#343) - Months later, the Mutant Force (minus Slither) changed their code-names and worked as mutant rights activists in the terrorist group called the Resistants, which received funding from the Red Skull (see the profile on the Resistants for details on this group).

(New Warriors II#6) - All five villains were reunited and used the Mutant Force name again. They attacked an armored truck and were quickly defeated by the New Warriors.

(X-Men: Watchers on the Walls: Chapter 14: Exposure (Northern) - In British Columbia, Manta pursued a Chlorite alongside a Sentinel, Wolverine, and Guardian; seeking to catalog all mutants, they battled and defeated Mutant Force (Burner, Lifter, Peeper, Slither).

(Captain Marvel IX#9) - Under the leadership of Captain Marvel (Danvers) Alpha Flight (Aurora, Puck and Sasquatch) caught Mutant Force (Burner, Lifter, Shocker, Slither) attacking an army base and handed them over to the authorities at the Triskelion.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.

    The Mutant Force was the first team of mutants to become government operatives in special assignments, a theme later used by Freedom Force and X-Factor.

    The five Mutant Force members have, for the most part, appeared solely together.  Slither has been a part of the Serpent Society and the Fangs under Viper; Shocker has appeared on his own, and as a minion of Magneto on Genosha; and Peeper has been a supporting character in both Wolverine and Weapon X briefly.  The members all received their real names in their Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry. The team's appearances as the Resistants are also of great interest, so be sure to see Patrick D. Ryall's profile on them, linked at the top.

Profile by Chadman.

Clarifications:

Mutant Force/Brotherhood of Evil Mutants should not be confused with other incarnations of the Brotherhood/Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and has no known connection to

• Mutant Civil Rights Task Force @ X-Factor II#1
• Mutant Liberation Front @ New Mutants I#86
• Mutant Liberation Front @ X-Force I#26
• Mutant Liberation Front @ Punisher III#12
• Mutant Liberation Front @ X-Force II#4
• Mutants Rights Coalition @ X-Treme X-Men I#34
• Mutant Underground @ X-Men II#166
• Force of Nature @ New Warriors I#7
• Force Four @ Power Pack I#50
• Force Works @ Force Works I#1
• anyone else not mentioned in this profile.

images :
Captain America Annual I#4, cover (Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attacking Captain America)
Captain America Annual I#4, p14, pan3 (Slither, Shocker, Lifter, Burner; Magneto, Peeper (foreground))
Defenders I#130, p7, pan3 (Mutant Force, led by Mad Dog)

Appearances:
Captain America Annual I#4 (November, 1977) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils/editor), John Tartaglione & Jon Verpoorten (inks), George Rousos (colors), Archie Goodwin (consulting editor)
Defenders I#78 (December, 1979) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#79 (January, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe & Ed Hannigan (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#80 (February, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#83 (May, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#87 (September, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#125 (November, 1983) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Defenders I#126 (December, 1983) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Paul Becton (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Defenders I#128 (February, 1984) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Mike Mignola (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Defenders I#129 (March, 1984) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Defenders I#130 (April, 1984) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Mike Zeck (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Captain America I#343 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
New Warriors II#6 (March, 2000) - Jay Faerber (writer), Jason Armstrong (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
X-Men: Watchers on the Walls (May, 2006) - Christopher L. Bennett (writer)
Captain Marvel IX#9 (November, 2016) - Ruth Fletcher Gage & Christos Gage (writers), Thony Silas (artist), Sana Amanat (editor)

First Posted: 09/28/2005
Last updated: 11/12/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.