LAVA MEN

First Appearance:  Journey Into Mystery #97
Origin Issue:  Avengers #306

Origin World:  Earth
Habitat:  Subterranea (a network of caves and passages far beneath Earth's surface, with water in underground rivers, pools, and lakes, high temperatures, no weather

Average Height:  5' 9"
Special Adaptations:  unusually acute hearing and night vision to enable them to function more easily in the darkness of Subterranea
Unusual Physical Characteristics:  Red skin of rock-hard consistency, body has twice the density of a normal human being's.  Upon death of a normal Lava Man immediately decomposes into dust.  A small number of Lava Men have undergone a metamorphosis giving them golden skins.  Grotesk has rendered all Lava Men under his rule mute.  No clearly female Lava Men have been depicted to d ate.   It is unclear whether there are no female lava Men (since the males do not age, they do not need to reproduce themselves to continue their race's existence), whether the females live apart from the males, or whether female Lava Men are identical to male Lava Men.

Leaders:  Grotesk (not a Lava Man himself, currently rules red Lava Men), Jenku (shaman of the gold Lava Men)
Other Representatives:  Akor, Denka, Kelak (all gold), Molto (deceased)
Major Allies:  Grotesk, Captain Marvel 2, (formerly) Cha'Sa'Dra
Major Enemies:  Avengers, Thor, Molian and Tyrannoid Subterraneas, Brutus, Deviants

Intelligence:  Normal (4/10)
Strength:  Enhanced Human (5/12)
Speed:  Enhanced Human (5/10)
Stamina:  Enhanced Human (5/10)
Durability:  Enhanced Human (5/14)
Agility:  Normal (2/7)
Reflexes:  Normal (2/7)
Superhumanoid powers:  High resistance to extreme heat and flame; continually generate intense heat from their bodies, and can increase the amount of heat at will, enough to be able to melt a weapon in his vicinity; mystical ability o cause large amounts of volcanic ash to appear, seemingly from nowhere, and to transform metal into ash; immunity to aging.  Some Lava Men can mystically transform themselves into twenty foot tall giants composed of hardened lava.  Some Lava Men can mystically command molten lava to do their bidding by performing a ritual prayer to the demons they worship.  The golden Lava Men can transform their shapes, and in doing so, even merge their bodies with one another.  They once formed themselves into   a  large sphere that could defy gravity.

Significant Issues: 

• Journey Into Mystery #97:  Molto the Lava Man battled Thor in New York City, became his friend
• Avengers #5:  Avengers fought Lava Men in Subterranea
• Marvel Team-Up #26:  Jinku plotted to use Mole Man's machine to activate all volcanoes on Earth; Molto mortally wounded by Jinku, but warned Thor and Human Torch 2 about Jinku before dying; Thor wrecked machine; Torch 2 led Molian Subterraneans in defeating Lava Men
• Avengers #236-237:  Project:Pegasus borer probe wreaked havoc in Lava Men settlement, they retaliated by invading Project:Pegasus, clashed with Avengers; returned to Subterranea
• Fantastic Four #313:  Lava Men in war against other Subterranea races, captured Mole Man
• Avengers #305-306, 308:  Jinku magically created non-sentient Lava Men that attacked Avengers and Hydrobase; revealed how demon Cha'Sa'Dra's death killed hundreds of Lava Men, and placed some others in immobile chrysalis state, vengeful Jinku unleashed monster against Avengers in Subterranea; immobile Lava Men attain new golden forms, Jinku similarly transformed; all made peace with Avengers
• Avengers Annual #20:  remaining untransformed Lava Men revealed to be ruled by Grotesk; some Lava Men flee to surface to escape war in Subterranea, but were forced to return

Appearances:

Avengers #5, 305-306, 208, 236-237
Avengers Annual #20
Fantastic Four #313
Journey Into Mystery #97
Marvel Team-Up #26