Can YOU
Name This Marvel Villain??
Showing posts with label villains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label villains. Show all posts
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Even More Emissaries Of Evil!
While clearly alliterative, the name of the group of villains who comprised the Emissaries of Evil seemed to come up short--after all, what villain would want to be regarded as an "emissary"? Are they an evildoer, or a messenger? Diplomatic, rather than deadly. "Greetings... we're here to bring you the evil that we harbor toward you" or, closer to the mark, something that indicates they've been sent by someone even more evil: "We come bearing a message from our master: 'Die!' " Yet in comics, alliteration goes a long way when you add an exclamation point--and those who would join the Emissaries club took their role seriously, even though I doubt the "Emissaries of Evil" was a name they could use as a form of intimidation toward those they went after, or even to strike fear into their targets. The Masters of Evil grabbed the really good name in those respects.
There was only one grouping of Emissaries who formed up and operated on their own volition, and that turned out to be the original team (though I'm probably being generous with that noun) from 1967, with Electro getting first billing as the one who gathered them together:
As was the case with the the Sinister Six in the first Amazing Spider-Man Annual, Daredevil would initially battle the Emissaries one by one; but going the ASM Annual one better, the DD issue, as we've seen, would provide a finale where Daredevil faced and battled the entire group. But under what circumstances did other groupings of evil Emissaries stick with that dopey name assemble over the years?
That's our cue to assemble yet another
Marvel Trivia Question
Who made up the ranks of the Emissaries of Evil between the years 1976-1998?
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Thursday, February 3, 2022
The Machinations of the Intelligencia!
Early 2010 saw the introduction of the Intelligencia, a group of villains who pooled their talents to make acquisitions of rarity and value and assist each other when needed, as well as stepping in to manipulate events with an eye on reaping benefits down the road. Comprised of the Leader, M.O.D.O.K., Dr. Doom, the Red Ghost, the Wizard, the Thinker, and Egghead, the group was not "a team," as such--"more an irregular collective, sharing information, and when necessary, taking it," as the Leader put it.
If their collective name sounds familiar, you may be remembering a previous Captain Marvel character from nearly a decade before these mental masters made their debut:
As opposed to the cover caption, the story adds a "t" to the Skrull entity's name. We can only wonder if some future incarnation of Not Brand Echh would have either the Intelligencia or Intelligentsia make a point of correcting the other and what such a meeting might entail. It doesn't seem likely that reaching an impasse on the subject would be an option acceptable to either camp.
The Intelligencia were used as a spearhead to launch the Fall Of The Hulks mega-crossover event, numbering 15+ issues published over a span of five months--a reading list not for the faint of heart.
As for their first foray into "taking" information when they deemed it necessary, we meet the Intelligencia as they scour the globe searching for repositories of the until-now lost contents of the library of Alexandria, assumed to be destroyed in the fires set by Julius Caesar's men in 48 BC. The narrative we find in the scene belongs to the Leader, who in hindsight informs us that this undertaking would eventually lead to the end of the Intelligencia.
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Monday, November 22, 2021
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Monday, May 31, 2021
"Bedlam At The Baxter Building!"
Over fifty-five years ago, the city of New York was gearing up for the wedding of two of its most famous residents--a celebration which spilled over into the year's action-packed Fantastic Four annual!
It's been over eight years since the PPC briefly tipped its hat to this 1965 issue, and it's high time it was given its full due. But try explaining that to Dr. Doom, who, at this point in time, has recovered from the injuries his hands received from the crushing attack of the Thing, though it's his earlier defeat at the hands of Reed Richards which continues to gnaw at him. Fortunately, through the magic of what we used to call "back issues," we can pair up scenes in which Doom continued to rage at past humiliations he has suffered from both members of the Fantastic Four, moments of bitter recollection which began to fester just around the time when the Frightful Four were about to launch their final attack against the FF at their Baxter Building headquarters--after which, we jump ahead to follow up with Doom's harsh treatment of his copy of the "Daily Press." In both instances, it's clear that few can hold a grudge like this armored foe.
Monday, April 19, 2021
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Something Fatal This Way Comes
Can YOU
Name This Marvel Villain??
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Monday, October 26, 2020
Thursday, September 24, 2020
The Frightful Fours
Just how many lineups have the Frightful Four gone through in their nefarious career of frightfulness? Just a glance at one or two Wikis on the subject had your humble host deploying his boot skates and jetting away at a speed and a puff of smoke that even the Road Runner would be impressed by; but since the criminal group has survived and continued to make appearances into this decade, you can imagine how often a group which premiered in 1965 has had to shuffle its membership in order to remain viable as a criminal threat. If nothing else, their leader, the Wizard, should be recognized for his tenacity and perseverance in re-forming the Frightful Four time and again, if only to find himself and his group cuffed and headed for a stretch behind bars. (You would have thought that, by now, word would have spread through the criminal underground and in prison circles to steer clear of a perpetually losing proposition that membership in the Frightful Four has come to represent.)
Consider this, then, an informal scrapbook of the evil FF's appearances through the years*--up to around the end of 2004, which is where I finally veered off (many thanks for the loan of those skates, Mr. Stark). Feel free, of course, to make mention of those instances you don't see here--we can never have too much fright in our day, I always say. (Though considering the times we live in, perhaps that's debatable.)
*Omitted are all appearances of the "Frightful Three"--i.e., the Wizard, the Trapster, and the Sandman operating as the Frightful Four while their fourth member slot is vacant.
Naturally, we should start off with the first, and arguably the best lineup:
The Wizard, Madam Medusa, the Trapster, the Sandman
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #36, March, 1965
Monday, September 7, 2020
Monday, July 20, 2020
Friday, May 29, 2020
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