Marvel Tales #4
In "The Return of the Vulture," Ant-Man faces a bizarre new threat when a radiation-exposed red beetle gains a human mind and attempts to conquer the world using an army of insects—only to be outmaneuvered by Ant-Man and his loyal ant allies. A standout 1966 tale from Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, illustrated with dynamic energy by Jack Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers, this issue blends sci-fi whimsy with classic Marvel action. The cover, a striking collaboration by Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby with inks by Ditko and Ayers, captures the beetle’s menacing rise in vivid detail.
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A red beetle is given a human-type brain through exposure to radiation and steals Ant-Man's enlarging gas to try and take over the world, using other insects as an army. But Ant-Man still controls the ants and together they defeat the Beetle.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).