Masters of Evil


The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6, with the lineup continually changing over the years.

Publication history

The first version of the Masters of Evil debuted in The Avengers #6, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The second version of the Masters of Evil debuted in The Avengers #54, created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and George Tuska.
The third version of the Masters of Evil debuted in The Avengers #222, created by Jim Shooter, Steven Grant, and Greg LaRocque.
The fourth version of the Masters of Evil debuted in The Avengers #270, created by Roger Stern, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer.
The fifth version of the Masters of Evil debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy #28, created by Jim Valentino, Herb Trimpe, and Steve Montano.
The sixth version of the Masters of Evil debuted in The Incredible Hulk #449, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.
The seventh version of the Masters of Evil debuted in Thunderbolts #3 created by Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, and Vince Russell.
The eighth version of the Masters of Evil debuted in Secret Avengers #21.1, created by Rick Remender, Patrick Zircher, and Andy Troy.
The ninth version of the Masters of Evil debuted in Thunderbolts #10, created by Jim Zub, Jon Malin, Kurt Busiek, and Mark Bagley.

Fictional team biography

Baron Heinrich Zemo's Masters of Evil

The original Masters of Evil was gathered by Baron Heinrich Zemo. Despite attempting to capture the Avengers with Adhesive X and spreading it over New York City, the Avengers find an antidote with the help of Paste-Pot Pete, give it to the Masters in secret, and then send most of the members to jail. Zemo is tricked into opening a container filled with tear gas inside his helicopter, but escapes anyway.
Baron Zemo leads the team in his revenge on Captain America and the Avengers. The team had been joined by the Enchantress and the Executioner, whom Zemo found in their exile to Earth that was imposed on them by Odin for attacking Thor. The Enchantress hypnotizes Thor into attacking the Avengers, but Iron Man breaks him out of the trance. Meanwhile, Captain America is lured to South America to fight Zemo. After defeating Zemo, Captain America returns on Zemo's helicopter and stops Zemo from shooting the Avengers. However, Enchantress casts a spell that gets the helicopter to the rooftop she and the Executioner are on. The Executioner knocks Captain America out by striking his shoulder, and takes him out of the helicopter, after which they all try to escape. The Masters are sent to another dimension in a space warp generated by Thor.
Two issues later, Enchantress returns them to Earth using a spell. Simon Williams is given superhuman strength with an ionic ray, though he is told he will die in a week unless given an antidote Zemo has. He captures the Wasp and lures the Avengers into a trap, but sacrifices himself to save the Avengers. Immortus appears and offers to help the Masters by defeating the Avengers. He succeeds in sending Captain America to the Tower of London in 1760. The Masters attack the Avengers, but Captain America manages to return. The Enchantress, sensing defeat, sends the villains back in time to before they met Immortus.
In a later issue, Zemo kidnaps Rick Jones with an attractor beam and has the Enchantress and the Executioner release the Black Knight and the Melter. They attack the other Avengers, forcing Captain America to go alone to Zemo's kingdom to rescue Rick. The Executioner tells the Avengers that a battle in the city would hurt many people, meaning they should surrender. Captain America blinds Zemo with his shield and Zemo dies when he accidentally triggers a rock slide. The Black Knight and the Melter are captured after Thor transports them to another dimension with different scientific laws, meaning their weapons rebound. However, Enchantress and Executioner escape before they can be transported.

Ultron's Masters of Evil

The second version, organized by Ultron-5 in his Crimson Cowl disguise, consisted of Black Knight, Klaw, Melter, and Whirlwind. Radioactive Man is also added to the group after being sprung from the group. The Dane Whitman version of Black Knight receives an invitation in Nathan Garrett's mailbox, as Ultron-5 was unaware that Garrett had died. Whitman decides to join the group as a spy. Ultron-5 also captures Edwin Jarvis and used him as a proxy. Learning of Ultron-5's plot, Black Knight attempts to warn the Avengers, only for Ultron-5 to learn of his plan. The Avengers were taken captive by the Masters of Evil. However, Jarvis escapes and helps Black Knight rescue the Avengers while exposing Ultron-5 has Crimson Cowl. The Masters of Evil are defeated by the Avengers, but Ultron-5 escapes.
During the Rutland Halloween Parade, Klaw takes over the Masters of Evil in a plot to kidnap scientist T.W. Erwin. The Liberators led by Enchantress posing as Valkyrie arrive and both groups work to defeat the Masters of Evil.

Egghead's Masters of Evil

Criminal scientist Egghead organizes a third version, consisting of Moonstone, Scorpion, Tiger Shark, and Whirlwind. Egghead uses this incarnation to assist him in making technological breakthroughs. When Whirlwind decides to attack Wasp by himself, Moonstone leads Scorpion and Tiger Shark in retrieving him. The villains are defeated by the Avengers.
After that incident, Egghead keeps only Moonstone and Tiger Shark on the team, while Scorpion and Whirlwind are replaced with Beetle, Shocker, and Radioactive Man. Shocker is brainwashed as part of a plot by Egghead to bring Hank Pym into the Masters of Evil. While Pym is on trial, the Masters of Evil invade the courtroom and attempt to make the public believe that Pym is their leader. When Egghead attempts to shoot Pym, Hawkeye shoots his arrow into his gun, causing it to overload and kill Egghead. Beetle and Moonstone cooperate with the Avengers and tell them that Egghead framed Pym, who is cleared of all charges.

Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil

forms the fourth version of the Masters of Evil from over a dozen villains, consisting of Absorbing Man, Blackout, Black Mamba, Fixer, Goliath, Grey Gargoyle, Mister Hyde, Moonstone, Screaming Mimi, Tiger Shark, Titania, Whirlwind, the Wrecking Crew, and Yellowjacket, created with the goal of obtaining vengeance on Captain America and overwhelming the Avengers with sheer power. The villains storm Avengers Mansion and beat Hercules into a coma.
A later flashback reveals that Augustus Roman's family died during the fight between the Avengers and this incarnation of the Masters of Evil.

Doctor Octopus' Masters of Evil

The fifth incarnation was organized by Doctor Octopus, but bore little resemblance to previous incarnations. Its roster included Gargantua, Jackhammer, Oddball, Powderkeg, and Puff Adder, in addition to former members Absorbing Man, Shocker, Titania, and Yellowjacket. Doctor Octopus uses this incarnation of the Masters of Evil to steal the technology of the Avengers and ends up fighting the original Guardians of the Galaxy, a superhero group from an alternate future timeline. When Gargantua, Puff Adder, and Shocker become sympathetic towards the Guardians of the Galaxy, they turn on Doctor Octopus, who flees.

Baron Helmut Zemo's second Masters of Evil

The sixth incarnation of the Masters of Evil are assembled by Helmut Zemo and pose as superheroes known as the Thunderbolts. In addition to Zemo, the team consisted of Beetle, Fixer, Goliath, Moonstone, and Screaming Mimi. All of the group's members eventually become true heroes and renounce their criminal ways, though Zemo, Fixer, and Moonstone all return to villainy some time later.

Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil

The seventh incarnation of the Masters of Evil is assembled by the Crimson Cowl and consists of Cyclone, Flying Tiger, Klaw, Man-Killer, and Tiger Shark. Crimson Cowl later recruits Aqueduct, Bison, Joseph Manfredi||Blackwing, Boomerang, Cardinal, Constrictor, Dragonfly, Eel, Icemaster, Joystick, Lodestone, Man-Ape, Quicksand, Scorcher, Shatterfist, Shockwave, Slyde, Sunstroke, and Supercharger into the group. The Masters of Evil plot to get control of Earth's superhuman mercenaries and tried to get the Thunderbolts to join them. The Masters of Evil are defeated by the Thunderbolts, but the Crimson Cowl escapes while using Dallas Riordan as a decoy.

Crimson Cowl's second Masters of Evil

The eighth incarnation, led by the Crimson Cowl, consists of Black Mamba, Cardinal, Cyclone, Gypsy Moth, Hydro-Man, Machinesmith, and Man-Killer. Crimson Cowl uses this incarnation in her second attempt to master and control Earth's superhuman mercenaries. While Cyclone tries to steal a disc containing information on a weapon that would have assisted in this plot, Crimson Cowl gets Cardinal on her side by claiming that Hawkeye killed his daughter Meteorite. When the Thunderbolts catch up to the Masters of Evil, Hawkeye shows them that the disc actually contains a biotoxin that Justin Hammer would have used to kill them all. This causes Cardinal, Cyclone, Gypsy Moth, and Man-Killer to forcefully aid the Thunderbolts in attacking Hammer.

The Shadow Council's Masters of Evil

Max Fury of the Shadow Council forms a ninth incarnation of the Masters of Evil, consisting of Princess Python, Vengeance, and Whiplash. Fury later recruits Black Talon, the Brothers Grimm, Carrion, Constrictor, Crossfire, Diablo, Firebrand, Griffin, Killer Shrike, Lady Stilt-Man, Pink Pearl, and Squid to join the Masters of Evil. Fury hires Taskmaster to retrieve the Crown of Wolves from Baglia. Taskmaster succeeds, but he and Fury are unable to control the Crown's power, causing Taskmaster to be possessed by the Abyss. Taskmaster is eventually freed from the Abyss after Agent Venom destroys the Crown.
The Masters of Evil are featured in the series "Avengers Undercover", where the surviving captives of Arcade's Murderworld infiltrate Bagalia to kill Arcade. Following the death of Max Fury, Helmut Zemo has become the new leader of the Masters of Evil. After a fight with the villains, Cullen Bloodstone is accepted into the Masters of Evil and teleports his accomplices into Arcade's casino, where Arcade is apparently killed by Hazmat. While the other young heroes take up Zemo's offer to join the Masters of Evil, Cammi is the only one to decline. She attempts to flee, only to be caught by Constrictor and slammed into a rock wall.