Defenders 15

"Curses! Xavier and his cronies have somehow escaped my magnetic prison! Stop them my brother mutants -- quickly -- before they destroy all we hope to accomplish here!"

- Magneto

"Panic Beneath the Earth" is the title to the fifteenth issue of the first The Defenders ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story was written by Len Wein with artwork by Sal Buscema and inks by Klaus Janson. It was colored by Glynis Wein and lettered by John Costanza. The story was edited by Roy Thomas. This issue shipped with a September, 1974 cover date and carries a cover price of .25 cents per copy.

Synopsis
Doctor Strange gives Nighthawk and Valkyrie a tour of his Sanctum Sanctorum. Nighthawk shows off his new jet-pack, then Valkyrie reveals that he will be replacing her in the Defenders' roster. Nighthawk is upset that she is leaving just as he is joining the team. Valkyrie is more concerned however with where she is going to keep Aragorn. Nighthawk arranges for the purchase of a riding academy.

Suddenly, Doctor Strange receives a telepathic plea from Professor X - leader of the X-Men. His X-Men are off on a secret mission and he requires Strange's aide with a new emergency taking place at the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Strange agrees to aid him in any way the Defenders can. Strange sends off a psychic message to the Hulk to meet up with them, and they make their way to New Mexico.

The Defenders enter the cavern and encounter a giant red-skinned Cyclopean creature. The beast easily shrugs off a blow from the Hulk, and even Doctor Strange's Bolts of Bedevilment appear useless against it. Professor X deduces that the presence of the creature is just an elaborate illusion. Once the image disperses, the heroes find that cause of the illusion is Mastermind, assisted by his teammates in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The group's leader, Magneto, encases the Defenders in a magnetic force field bubble.

Magneto reveals how he escaped imprisonment at the Earth's core when the passing of the Kohoutek comet shifted the magnetic forces, allowing him to burrow his way upwards. He says how he found this underground cavern, which contained an array of highly technological devices - apparently left behind by some space-borne species. With it, he decided to create his own ultimate mutant.

While Magneto continues to brag, Professor X telepathically guides the others into focusing their mental energy together. Mental energy being electrical in nature, it is enough to short circuit the magnetic force field and they are now free.

The Defenders engage the members of the Brotherhood in battle. The Hulk fights the Blob, while Vaylkyrie deals with Unus the Untouchable. Doctor Strange counters Mastermind's illusions with some illusion-casting of his own, and Professor X and Nighthawk take care of Lorelei.

Suddenly, Magneto gloats and announces that his ultimate mutant is now ready to awaken.

Appearances

 * Defenders
 * Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange
 * Hulk, Bruce Banner
 * Nighthawk, Kyle Richmond
 * Valkyrie, Brunnhilde


 * Professor X, Charles Xavier


 * Blob, Fred J. Dukes
 * Lorelei, Lani Ubanu
 * Magneto, Max Eisenhardt
 * Mastermind, Jason Wyngarde
 * Unus, Gunther Bain


 * Alpha the Ultimate Mutant
 * Aragorn
 * Captain America, Steve Rogers
 * J.C. Pennyworth
 * Thor Odinson
 * Vision


 * Avengers
 * Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
 * Defenders


 * Altered humans
 * Asgardians
 * Homo Magi
 * Horses


 * New York
 * New York City
 * Manhattan
 * Greenwich Village
 * Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum


 * New Mexico
 * Carlsbad Caverns


 * Amulet of Agamotto
 * Cauldron of the Cosmos
 * Cloak of Levitation
 * Comet
 * Mjolnir
 * Synthazoid


 * Jet-pack
 * Sword
 * Dragonfang


 * Wheelchair


 * Electromagnetism
 * Energy projection
 * Force field generation
 * Illusion generation
 * Invulnerability
 * Molecular immobilization
 * Sorcery
 * Bolts of Bedevilment
 * Flames of the Faltine


 * Superhuman durability
 * Superhuman strength


 * Force field

Notes & Trivia

 * Valkyrie tendered her resignation in the Defenders in Defenders #12.


 * Valkyrie took possession of Barbara Norriss' body in Defenders #4.


 * Reference is made to The Enchantress in this issue.


 * The X-Men went on their secret mission in Marvel Team-Up #23.


 * Magneto fought up against the Avengers in The Avengers #111.