Factor Three
| Factor Three | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The X-Men #28 (January 1967) |
| Created by |
Roy Thomas Werner Roth |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Mt. Charteris; Burton Canyon, Colorado; the Alps in Europe |
| Member(s) |
Banshee Blob Changeling Mastermind Mutant Master The Ogre Unus Vanisher |
Factor Three is a short-lived supervillain subversive organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group is usually depicted within the pages of The X-Men. It was led by the Mutant Master, who was secretly an alien from a race of beings from Sirius that resemble octopuses. It used various mind control methods to capture and train new agents, though some merely joined for profit. The Factor Three saga, as the storyline has become unofficially known in the years since, was one of the earliest multipart storylines in the team's history.
Factor Three was first mentioned in The X-Men #28 (January 1967), and was created by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth.
The team continued to be mentioned or appear throughout the following issues, from #29-39 (February–December 1967), until the team disbanded.
Factor Three first appeared through two of its agents, Banshee and the Ogre. Oddly enough, though the organization's credo involved the prosperity of the mutant race by becoming the third World Power (after the US and then-Soviet USSR), The Ogre was not a mutant at all, but was merely a paid mercenary who relied on technology. Banshee, forced to submit to the Mutant Master's commands via a headpiece rigged to explode should he refuse, teamed up with The Ogre to kidnap Professor Charles Xavier. His fledgling X-Men thwarted their attempts, captured the Ogre, and freed Banshee.
Later, Factor Three freed the supervillain Juggernaut, serving to distract the X-Men while a second attempt was made to kidnap Professor X; this time they succeeded. With the help of Banshee, the X-Men were able to locate Factor Three's hidden base within the Alps, but were captured during the rescue attempt. Finally meeting the Mutant Master himself, along with his full array of henchmen, their plan was unveiled. They intended to cause nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union, which would wipe out the human race.
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