VALLEY OF DIAMONDS

Classification: Terrestrial items (magic?)

Creator: Unrevealed (possibly none; possibly Deviants)

Users/Possessors: Mole Man

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#1 (November, 1961)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The diamonds within the Valley of Diamonds are extraordinarily bright and reflective. By distilling the diamonds into a vat of chemicals, they can create a formula which transforms those who bathe in it into their inner selves.

History: (Fantastic Four I#1 (fb)/Marvel Universe#7 (fb)) - Harvey Rupert Elder fell into Subterranea while exploring Monster Isle, and wound up in the Valley of Diamonds. The diamonds' glare struck him blind, but he soon honed a radar sense to take the place of his sight; he became the Mole Man, and ruled part of Subterranea.

(Fantastic Four I#1) - When the newly-formed Fantastic Four entered Subterranea through Monster Isle, Mr. Fantatic and the Human Torch stumbled into the Valley of Diamonds. Stunned unconscious by the light, they were found by the Mole Man and placed in protective suits so that they would not be struck blind by the diamonds' glare.

(X-Men: Hidden Years#20) - When the X-Men were captured and brought before the Mole Man, he clashed with the team. Faced with the telekinesis of Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), the Mole Man opened his doors looking into the Valley of Diamonds, intending to blind her and render her power useless, but Iceman quickly created an ice shield to guard the eyes of his fellow X-Men before they could be permanently blinded.

(Fantastic Four I#296) - When the Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman came to Monster Isle in search of the Thing, they clashed with the mutates which populated the Subterranean caverns. Mr. Fantastic led his friends into the Valley of Diamonds, which was dark, then had the Human Torch burst into flame, creating a temporary glare which drove the creatures away.

(Sensational She-Hulk#32 (fb)) - The Mole Man decided to analyze the formations in the Valley of Diamonds, and after placing the diamonds under scientific examination concluded that they were of supernatural origin. Manging to distill a "sweat" from the diamonds, he began to collect the liquids into an immense vat, hoping to discover a use for the chemical residue. One day, Gertrude - one of the Mole Man's Outcasts - fell into a vat. The Mole Man pulled her out, but Gertrude had been covered in hardened crystal. Opening the crystal, the Mole Man found that the once-ugly Gertrude had been transformed into a beautiful woman.

(Sensational She-Hulk#32) - After capturing the She-Hulk, the Mole Man placed her in bondage above a vat of the diamond residue, intending to plunge her in. Believing that the chemical transformed people into their opposites, he hoped that it would render She-Hulk into a grotesque monster. However, She-Hulk was able to escape her bonds.

(Sensational She-Hulk#33) - The Mole Man later strung up She-Hulk's friend Louise Mason over the vat of chemicals. When She-Hulk went to fight the Mole Man, he plunged himself and Mason into the vat, hoping that the chemicals would transform him into a powerful being. However, She-Hulk dived in and pulled Mole Man and Louise out; she herself was unaffected because the chemical actually transformed people into their inner selves, not their opposites. Louise was rejuvenated by the diamonds, but the Mole Man was transformed into a giant mole.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Valley of Diamonds should not be confused with: