FOUR-ARMED MEN

Classification: Extraterrestrial race

Location/Base of Operations: Their headquarters on Earth; originally from an unidentified planet of an unidentified star-system

Known Members: At least seven males (none identified), "Anne Morgan"

Aliases: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Bruno, William Cartwright

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#26/1 (December, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: The extraterrestrial Four-Armed Men were physically similar to Earthlings, and seemed to have normal human-level strength--other than possessing an additional pair of upper appendages, they displayed no paranormal abilities. They obviously had some form of advanced technology (at least in terms of space-travel), but no particular examples were depicted.

Traits: In addition to their extra limbs, the Four-Armed Men (along with the females) had bald heads and pointed ears--they were able to pass themselves as humans by concealing their physical differences with wigs and clothing.

Type: Humanoid
Eyes: Two
Fingers: Five, opposable thumb
Toes: Unrevealed
Skin color: Pink
Average height: 6' (males); 5'6" (females)

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#26/1 (fb) -BTS) - The past of the Four-Armed Men is largely unrevealed, but at some point, the warriors from outer space landed on Earth and established a headquarters in the jungles of South America. They began to surreptitiously invade Earth by infiltrating human civilization, and when enough of their operatives were in position, they planned to rise up and take over the world.

(Tales to Astonish I#26/1 (fb) ) - While he was in the Amazon jungle, explorer William Cartwright chanced upon the secret lair of the Four-Armed Men and learned of their plot. Cartwright managed to escape from the aliens and fled back into the jungle, but before he could make his way back to civilization, he contracted a disease that left him in a weakened condition. Upon returning to his estate, Cartwright hired Bruno to be his bodyguard, in case the Four-Armed Men tried to assassinate him.

(Tales to Astonish I#26/1 (fb) - BTS) - The Four-Armed Men learned of Cartwright's affliction, and to prevent him from revealing their presence to the world, they sent one of their female agents disguised as "Anne Morgan," a nurse who would tend to Cartwright while he recuperated.

(Tales to Astonish I#26/1) - On a bleak and rainy night, Nurse Morgan arrived at Cartwright's estate, and Bruno led her to the bedridden explorer. William Cartwright told the nurse about his encounter with the Four-Armed Men.

   For a week, the nurse diligently tended to the needs of her patient; when he finally felt better, Cartwright was preparing to leave for the United Nations with Bruno, so he could finally warn the world about the menace of the invaders. Nurse Morgan insisted on accompanying them, in the event that Cartwright had a relapse, but Bruno pointed his gun at her and urged her to leave; the nurse distracted the bodyguard, then struck Bruno from behind with a vase and knocked him unconscious. Nurse Morgan explained to Cartwright that she had been suspicious that Bruno was an agent of the Four-Armed Men, and with his bodyguard now incapacitated, the nurse told Cartwright that she would take him to the UN instead.

   As Cartwright was getting dressed, he asked the nurse to go into his closet to retrieve his briefcase, which he claimed had some important files in it; Nurse Morgan complied and opened the closet... but then Cartwright shoved her inside and locked the door behind her.

   Cartwright and the recovered Bruno left for their appointment at the United Nations, while the trapped "Anne Morgan" could only use her four arms to futilely pound on the locked closet door.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer; see comments), Jack Kirby (pencils) & Dick Ayers (inks).

Since this story was originally published a month after Fantastic Four I#1, it's possible that it took place in the early days of the modern Marvel Universe; maybe Marvel could do an "untold tale" one-shot special--Fantastic Four I#1.5--and tell a flashback story with the newly-formed team driving these alien invaders from Earth.

This 7-page story--Look Out!! Here Come The... Four-Armed Men!--would be reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell I#8 (March, 1971) and Chamber of Chills#19 (November, 1975), but it was basically a reworking of an earlier story involving Jane Bryant in Menace#4/4 (June, 1953).

Considering Stan Lee was the writer of the story featuring the subterranean four-armed men and Jane Bryant, it is likely that he was the writer of this story as well.
--Markus Raymond

Profile by Ron Fredricks.





CLARIFICATIONS:
The Four-Armed Men have no known connections to:

William Cartwright has no known connections to:

Bruno has no known connections to:

Nurse Anne Morgan has no known connections to:

Four-Armed Men's headquarters

An ancient stone structure located in the Amazon jungle of South America, it was built by the extraterrestrial Four-Armed Men.

Within its interior was a huge idol with a gleaming gemstone embedded in its forehead; when an individual touched the gemstone, a secret entrance opened in the structure's floor, revealing a hidden stairway.

The stairway led down to a subterranean tunnel beneath the structure, and into an illuminated cavern where the Four-Armed Men maintained their headquarters.

The headquarters included a desk where their leader was stationed, along with a pit containing an unspecified species of serpents (for executing spies).

--Tales to Astonish I#26/1

William Cartwright

Wealthy explorer William Cartwright was in the jungles of South America when he was separated from the rest of his exploration party; while searching for his group, he came upon some ancient ruins. Cartwright went inside the structure (which looked to him to be the work of some alien intelligence) and touched a gleaming gemstone embedded in a huge idol, which opened the floor and revealed a hidden stairway. Descending the stairs, Cartwright found an underground passageway illuminated with blazing torches.

Then Cartwright found himself confronted by a pair of Four-Armed Men. Fighting as desperately as he could, Cartwright was no match for the menacing four-armed attackers--he was subdued and taken to a subterranean cavern, where he saw more of the Four-Armed Men. The leader of the group informed Cartwright that they were warriors from outer space, and that they were infiltrating human civilization in their attempt to take over Earth.

As Cartwright uselessly struggled against his captors, the Four-Armed Men were about to execute him by hurling him into a pit of serpents; but then Cartwright smelled the heavy vapor of methane leaking somewhere from the subterranean depths, and he got an idea--he requested that he be allowed to smoke a final cigarette before his execution, and seeing no harm in Cartwright's request, the Four-Armed Men allowed him to do so. But instead of lighting his cigarette, Cartwright lit all the matches, then tossed the flaming matchbook at the source of the methane. The gas exploded, and the distraction gave Cartwright the chance to escape from the cavern and run back into the jungle.

But before he could make his way back to civilization, Cartwright contracted an unspecified disease in the jungle (perhaps malaria?) which left him weakened. When he eventually made his way back home to his estate, the bedridden Cartwright hired Bruno as his bodyguard, then contacted a medical agency to procure the services of a nurse who could tend to him while he recuperated.

On a bleak rainy night, Nurse Anne Morgan came to the Cartwright estate, and Cartwright told her the story of his encounter with the four-armed aliens.

After a week under the nurse's diligent care, Cartwright felt better, so he was preparing to go to the United Nations to warn the world about the invaders. Nurse Morgan knocked Bruno unconscious, then she insisted on accompanying Cartwright, in case he had a relapse; Cartwright agreed, then asked the nurse to get his briefcase out of the closet. When Nurse Morgan opened the closet door, Cartwright shoved her inside and locked the door behind her.

Having seen through the nurse's disguise and learning she was actually one of the four-armed invaders, Cartwright successfully trapped her, then he and the recovered Bruno left to go to the UN.

--Tales to Astonish I#26/1

Bruno

The large and imposing Bruno (last name unrevealed) was explorer William Cartwright's devoted bodyguard; he was armed with a revolver handgun, and he took his duties very seriously.

While in the jungles of South America, Cartwright stumbled upon the extraterrestrial Four-Armed Men and their plot to conquer Earth, so he hired Bruno to protect him in case the aliens attempted to assassinate him.

Cartwright also hired Nurse Anne Morgan to take care of him while he recuperated from a jungle disease; but Bruno was suspicious that the nurse was an agent of the Four-Armed Men, so he and Cartwright secretly planned a trap for her.

A week later, after Cartwright had recuperated, he was going to have Bruno accompany him to the United Nations so he could warn the world about the invading aliens; Nurse Morgan wanted to go along as well--in case Cartwright suffered from a relapse--but Bruno pointed his gun at her and insisted that Cartwright didn't need her anymore. Then Bruno was duped by the nurse when she tricked him into looking behind, and she clubbed him with a vase to knock him unconscious.

Later, when Bruno recovered, he learned that Cartwright had successfully locked Nurse Morgan in a closet (as per their plan).

As Bruno and William Cartwright left Cartwright's estate for their appointment at the United Nations, the Four-Armed WOman futilely pounded on the locked closet door.

--Tales to Astonish I#26/1

"Anne Morgan"

A female operative of the extraterrestrial race of Four-Armed Men, her actual name was unrevealed (see note). To disguise herself as a human, she concealed her bald head and pointed ears with a wig, and she wore a cloak with her nurse's uniform to cover her extra arms.

Explorer William Cartwright escaped from the Four-Armed Men and threatened to reveal their invasion plot to the world; the aliens learned that Cartwright had contracted a disease, so they sent the female operative to Cartwright's estate to act as his nurse until she could assassinate him.

The nurse diligently attended to Cartwright--a week later, he had recovered and was about to go to the United Nations to warn the world about the alien  invaders. But Cartwright hadn't been fooled by the nurse's disguise--he tricked her into going inside a closet, then he locked the door behind her.

As Cartwright walked away to keep his appointment at the UN, "Anne Morgan" furiously pounded her four fists on the locked closet door, which caused her wig to fall off.

(Note: It was unrevealed if there was an actual nurse named Anne Morgan, whom this four-armed female was impersonating, or if that identity was purely fictitious; regardless, since she was an extraterrestrial, "Anne Morgan" was probably not her real name.)

--Tales to Astonish I#26/1

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p4, pan2 (leader of Four-Armed Men tells William Cartwright their plans)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p3, pan6 (William Cartwright first encounters Four-Armed Men)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p3, pan7 (William Cartwright fights two Four-Armed Men)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p4, pan1 (William Cartwright brought before the leader of Four-Armed Men)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p2 pan6 (William Cartwright discovers lair of Four-Armed Men (exterior))
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p2 pan7 (William Cartwright inside lair of Four-Armed Men)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p3, pan1 (William Cartwright twists stone in idol)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p3 pan2 (William Cartwright discovers secret passage to subterranean caverns)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p2, pan3 (William Cartwright, ill in bed; Anne Morgan (right))
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p4, pan5 (condemned to execution by Four-Armed Men, William Cartwright requests a last cigarette)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p2, pan1 (Bruno (holding candles) leads Anne Morgan to Cartwright)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p6, pan4 (Bruno, tricked into looking behind by Anne Morgan (left) )
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p6, pan3 (Anne Morgan)
Tales to Astonish I#26/1, p7, pan8 (locked in closet, Anne Morgan's true form revealed)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#26/1 (December, 1961) - Stan Lee (writer/editor; see comments), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)

First Posted: 08/28/2019
Last updated: 08/28/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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