As noted on the first page of that issue, the group's name was inspired by the 1979 Graham Parker song "Waiting for the UFOs".

[3] Simon Utrecht, a former politician and multi-millionaire, funds an operation to gain superpowers the same way the Fantastic Four had, by flying into space and being exposed to cosmic rays.

[5] Some time later, as their powers stabilize, the U-Foes reunite with the goal of revenge and making a name for themselves in the public eye by killing the Hulk.

However, Banner is freed by his allies Betty Ross, Rick Jones, and Bereet, and defeats the U-Foes as the Hulk.

They later attempt to kidnap Portal to exploit his mutant powers, and are defeated once again by Captain America, Darkhawk, and Daredevil.

[7] Despite the handicap of an orphan girl who had gotten mixed up in the battle, the Hulk and the Pantheon soldiers manage to subdue some of the U-Foes.

During the Acts of Vengeance, the U-Foes face the West Coast Avengers with the help of the Mole Man, but they are defeated.

The team later encounters the Hulk in the Arctic ice fields outside the Leader's devastated sanctuary for cancer victims.

The U-Foes also are freed from the Raft, when Electro breaks them out in the New Avengers,[8] but are distracted from escaping by a confrontation with Crossfire and his team of mind-controllers — including the Mandrill, Mister Fear, the Corruptor and the Controller — over technology that had been stolen from them, until Spider-Man, Captain America and Iron Man are able to capture them.

During the "Civil War" storyline, the Superhuman Registration Act brings the U-Foes to the attention of the United States government.

The resulting clash leads to Volstagg being falsely blamed for destroying Soldier Field and killing thousands, and giving Osborn the excuse to start a war with Asgard.

[15] After Gamma Flight quit working for Henry Peter Gyrich due to his obnoxious attitude, he hired the U-Foes to go after Hulk in exchange for full pardons for their past crimes.

[19] Hulk proceeded to badly injure Ironclad and turned Vapor's sulfuric gas form onto Vector enough to blind him.

[21] With Peter Parker badly hospitalized and placed in a medically-induced coma, Ben Reilly became Spider-Man again and stopped the U-Foes.

[22] Vector (Simon Utrecht) is a businessman and politician who funded the U-Foes' space flight in search of power.

[23][24][25] Vapor (Ann Darnell) is an engineer and X-Ray's older sister who was hired to serve as a life-support manager on the space flight.