What If The Mole Man Had Been Created Just A Few Years Earlier?

We all know our old buddy/1st villain of the Marvel Age, the Mole Man, right?

Well, let's all be grateful that he was created when he was. His status as a societal reject who made good in an underworld kingdom, the sympathetic villain, was a fluke of history, a time when Stan and Jack decided to humanize their characters--including the villains.

Ah, but what would have happened if the Mole Man had debuted just a few short years earlier? Let's watch...

It's one of those doomed archeological expeditions in Peru, and Larry is making time with Pete's woman:

Well, we know this isn't going to end well, don't we?

And when Pete boasts of the murder to Anita...

Man, Anita is a [REDACTED] [REDACTED], isn't she?

Ah, but this is a 1950s horror comic, so Larry is still alive!!

And...

Because SCIENCE!!

Years later, he does find his way out of the caves...but...

Dude, just go conquer a race of subhumanoids and try to take over the world. It's much more satisfying than--

No, Mole Man--NOOOOOOO!!!

Well, thanks to the great coincidence machine in the sky, Pete and Anita are back in Peru for an archeological lecture tour, so...

Anita--you kinda deserved that. And Pete?

Ewwww!!!

Well, now at least Larry will be caught, right?

Ha ha ha---this is pre-Code, baby--the bad guy gets away!!!

So we can see that, thankfully, our Mole Man was created at the perfect sweet spot in comics history. A few years earlier, and he's a neck chewing homicidal maniac.

And if he had been created a few years later??

Than Jim Lee would have designed him...brrr, now that's REALLY horrifying!!

From The Unseen #12 (1953), 90s version from Fantastic Four #1 & #2 (1997)