The Crawling Creature

History: In a subterranean cavern-world, a large, alligator-like creature menaced a peaceful society of primative humans that dwelled there, eating their livestock. A U.S. government project sent Walter Carter in a drill-machine vehicle to explore the subterranean depths of the Earth. Carter discovered a tunnel below the Grand Canyon that led to the cavern-world. When he met the primative tribe, they told him of the “Crawling Creature”. Taking his gun, Carter went to find the creature and destroy it, but found his gun to be useless against the monster's tough hide. Carter went back to the drill-machine and returned to the surface, luring the creature behind. Later, when the creature emerged on the surface, Carter tricked it into falling into the canyon, where it was unable to climb out.

Length: 25 ft. (head to tail)
Demonstrated Powers: The Crawling Creature was able to crush rocks, and its hide was tough enough to resist gunfire. The creature had a strong dislike of salt, and it had weakened eyesight when in the normal light of the surface world.

Comment: Speculation - It is possible that the primative people were descendants of humans that were kidnapped by the subterranean Deviant race to be used as a slave labor force.

Comment: It is unknown if the subterranean world is connected to “Abysmia”, which was beneath North America and the home of the subterranean hero Rockman, who first appeared in Timely Comics' USA Comics # 1.

Comment: The subterranean world, with its primative people and prehistoric beasts, is reminiscent of author Edgar Rice Burroughs' inner world of Pellucidar.

Comment: Carter's drill-machine vehicle looks very similar to the atomic-powered drill used by The Wizard in the Human Torch story in Strange Tales # 102. Possibly an earlier version of the Wizard's machine?

Comment: In X-Men: The Hidden Years # 4, the mutant Magneto stated that low-level subterranean radiation in the “Savage Land” made everyone mildly telepathic, thus allowing people from diverse cultures to communicate with each other (which explained how everyone seemed to speak English). Carter must have been exposed to the same radiation, as he was able to communicate with the primatives of the cavern-world, seemingly in English.

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