Journey into Mystery #93
Journey into Mystery #93 is the first appearance and origin of Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man — a villain who would become a founding member of the original Masters of Evil and a recurring Avengers antagonist across six decades of Marvel continuity. The issue is a vivid time capsule of Cold War-era Marvel storytelling, rooting Thor directly in the geopolitics of the 1962 Sino-Indian War and reflecting the period's deep public anxiety about atomic power and nuclear conflict. It also contains a rare Silver Age moment in which Thor summons lightning bolts independently of Mjolnir, a detail that would be quietly set aside in later characterization. As one of the earliest Thor villain debuts, it helped establish the template — origin-driven, ideologically charged, threat escalating from a foreign state — that shaped the book's adversary roster through the mid-1960s.
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The issue was plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Robert Bernstein under his Marvel pen name 'R. Berns,' penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers — part of the tight Lee-Kirby-Bernstein collaboration that produced many of the earliest Thor and Iron Man stories during this phase of the Silver Age. Bernstein, a veteran of EC Comics and DC who went largely uncredited during his Marvel tenure, used the pseudonym 'R. Berns' for all his work at the company; modern reprints have belatedly restored his full name to the credits. The story went on sale April 2, 1963, with a June 1963 cover date, meaning Lee and Kirby were drawing on the Sino-Indian War — which had concluded barely five months earlier — as essentially breaking news, tying Marvel's mythology to headlines in a way that was characteristic of the early shared universe.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and full origin of Radioactive Man (Chen Lu), a Chinese nuclear physicist who deliberately irradiates himself to gain power; cover-dated June 1963, on sale April 2, 1963.
- Created by Stan Lee (plot), Robert Bernstein as 'R. Berns' (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), and Dick Ayers (inks).
- The story is set against the backdrop of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, making it one of the most geopolitically specific early Marvel Thor tales.
- Chairman Mao Zedong appears in cameo — cited by the Grand Comics Database as the first appearance of a real-world figure of his stature in the Thor title.
- Radioactive Man's debut power set — which includes the ability to deflect Mjolnir with his radioactive aura and to hypnotize Thor via radiated light — differs significantly from his later standardized abilities; the hypnosis power is effectively dropped in subsequent appearances.
- The issue features a rare instance of Thor generating lightning bolts without contact with his hammer, a power that would rarely be depicted again.
- The story was reprinted in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965) and has since been collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1, Essential Thor Vol. 1, The Mighty Thor Omnibus Vol. 1, Thor Epic Collection Vol. 1, and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 1, among other editions; it was also retold and expanded in Thor: First Thunder #4 (2010).
- Radioactive Man went on to become a founding member of Baron Zemo's original Masters of Evil, first assembled in Avengers #6 (1964), cementing this issue's importance to Avengers villain history.
Cast · 6 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
While on a medical mission to India, Dr. Blake becomes Thor to repel a Chinese attack. In order to fight Thor, a Chinese scientist irradiates himself to gain great power. He fights Thor in New York, and nearly defeats him, but Thor blows him back to China, creating a nuclear explosion.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).