Kevin Plunder, the second man to be known as Ka-Zar, is a creation of the legendary writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. He made his debut in The X-Men #10 in March 1965.

The tale of Kevin begins with his father’s expedition to Antarctica, which led to the discovery of the Savage Land’s jungles and the precious element Vibranium. After an attack by mercenaries seeking the Vibranium, Lord Plunder was forced to hide in the Savage Land with Kevin, his eldest son. Tragically, Lord Plunder met his end at the hands of the Man-Ape tribe, but Kevin was rescued by Zabu, a sabre-toothed tiger. Adopted by Zabu and named Ka-Zar, meaning “Son of the Tiger,” Kevin grew up mastering the ways of survival in this untamed land.

As Ka-Zar, Kevin renounced his life of luxury, choosing instead the mantle of the Savage Land’s guardian. His exploits are numerous, including alliances with superheroes and his eventual marriage to Shanna The She-Devil, with whom he has a son, Matthew. Ka-Zar’s dedication to the Savage Land is unwavering, often returning with Shanna to defend it, even aiding allies like the X-Men, Magneto, and the Sub-Mariner against foes.

Ka-Zar stands out as a heroic figure, deeply connected to the prehistoric wonders of the Savage Land, making him an enduring character in the Marvel Comics universe.

In the treacherous terrain of the Savage Land, a dire situation unfolds as Professor X, Magneto, Jean Grey, and Morph find themselves imprisoned within Mister Sinister‘s stronghold. As fate would have it, the X-Men land in this prehistoric wilderness only to discover their powers are mysteriously neutralized. They’re quickly ambushed by the Nasty Boys, who overpower the mutants with ease. Wolverine, however, slips away from the chaos, leaving his comrades to be hauled back to Sinister’s den.

Navigating through a land where dinosaurs still roam, Wolverine encounters Ka-Zar and Zabu. Despite an initial clash, they unite with a common goal: storming Sinister’s fortress to liberate their friends. In the meantime, the villainous Sinister reveals his grand scheme to the captives: he intends to harvest their DNA to engineer a subservient race destined to aid in his global domination. In a cruel twist, Magneto’s formidable power is drained and transferred to Vertigo, amplifying her abilities, which she unleashes upon the helpless heroes. Amidst the turmoil, Wolverine and Ka-Zar make their move on the lair, while within its walls, Rogue and Gambit share a moment of vulnerability, confessing their deep-seated emotions to each other.

In a daring raid, Wolverine infiltrates the main base, creating a diversion for the Nasty Boys, while Ka-Zar deftly frees the captives from their cells. The escapees face Ruckus‘s wrath, but Wolverine successfully liberates the X-Men. In a dramatic turn, Xavier destroys the power dampening device, regaining the mutants’ powers at the cost of his mobility. An epic battle unfolds, with the X-Men, alongside Magneto and Morph, emerging victorious. Sinister attempts to dominate Morph’s will once more, but Xavier intervenes, erasing the imposed conditioning. United, the team overwhelms Sinister, shattering him into fragments. As he tries to reassemble, Jean Grey exerts her formidable abilities, scattering his essence across the Savage Land. The citadel’s destruction is imminent as Sauron triggers a self-destruct sequence, prompting a swift evacuation by the heroes.

In the aftermath, the X-Men devote themselves to aiding the Savage Land’s inhabitants in reconstructing their community. Magneto departs, his relationship with the X-Men unchanged by the recent events.

At the episode’s start, the Nasty Boys launch an ambush on the X-Men. With scarcely more than a dozen comic appearances, the Nasty Boys are indeed the ‘B-team,’ as Logan dubs them. They tormented X-Factor in the comics, following Sinister’s commands. Here, Sinister alleges their creation, suggesting possible genetic engineering, unlike their comic counterparts. The sole occasion they met the X-Men in print, they were eliminated by another before the X-Men arrived.

Wolverine asserts his claws lack mutant properties, a claim that is incorrect, though unknown to him or the episode’s writers at that time. The emergence of his claws causes him an unexpected pang of pain.

In the Savage Land, Wolverine endures significant trials in Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure, even siring a child with Gahck, a local woman, before his departure.

Sinister’s ambition to engineer a new mutant generation from others’ DNA mirrors his comic book chimera concept, where he crafted mutants using existing ones as blueprints, notably Rasputin IV.

Zaladane employs technology akin to Sinister’s in Uncanny X-Men #275 to usurp Magneto’s abilities, paralleling Vertigo’s actions here. Vertigo also reappears as the sole Savage Land Mutate in the Nasty Boys by season four. Fortuitously for her, Magneto allowed her to survive.

Gambit and Rogue’s kiss reflects their near kiss in the season opener, with cataclysm seemingly requisite for their romance, ultimately resolved in Remember It.

This episode leaves several unresolved plots: Sauron re-emerges in season three’s Savage Land, Strange Heart, Sinister reappears before season four concludes, and Magneto’s peaceful exit sets the stage for his assumption of Xavier’s role in To Me, My X-Men.

Reunion (Part 1) | Out of the Past (Part 1)