The Masters of Evil are a group of villains in Marvel Comics, often found fighting the Avengers.
It was started by Baron Zemo to combat the Avengers. It serves as the collective archenemy of the Avengers team sharing the role alongside Kang the Conqueror and Ultron, the latter also leading the second version of the Masters of Evil. Baron Zemo II who is the son of the original Zemo serves as the most prominent member of the group as he appeared as the leader in most incarnations.
History
Heinrich Zemo's Masters of Evil
The original version of the Masters of Evil was assembled by Heinrich Zemo in order to get revenge on Captain America and defeat his new allies the Avengers. Zemo gathered together Iron Man, Thor and Giant Man/Wasp's respective enemies Melter, Radioactive Man and Black Knight, and sent them against the Avengers, also covering New York in the same Adhesive X that had permanently grafted Zemo's mask to his face. With the help of Paste-Pot Pete, the Avengers find a cure to the Adhesive and trick the Masters into spreading it, before capturing all except Zemo.
Joined by Enchantress and Executioner, Zemo lead the Masters again in another plot to destroy the Avengers. Enchantress hypnotized Thor into attacking his allies while Captain America is lured to South America to fight Zemo. Iron Man manages to undo Enchantresses brainwashing and Captain America defeats Zemo before using the latter's helicopter to fly back to and help his allies. Enchantress casts a spell that transports the helicopter to the roof she and Executioner are standing on and, after knocking out Captain America, the Masters board the helicopter in an attempt to escape. However, Thor generates a space war to send the villains to another dimension.
Not long afterwards, Enchantress uses a spell to warp herself and the other Masters out of their dimensional prison, and they then blackmail the newly powered Simon Williams into fighting the Avengers by telling him he will die in less than a week unless Zemo gives him a cure. Williams kidnaps Wasp and fights the Avengers as the Masters planned, although he decides to sacrifice himself to save them. Later, Immortus offers to help the Masters and transports Captain America back in time to the Tower of London in 1760. As this occurs, the Masters attack the Avengers, only for Captain America to manage to return. Sensing defeat, Enchantress decides to transport herself and the other Masters back in time to before they encountered Immortus.
Later on, Zemo kidnaps Rick Jones while Enchantress and Executioner free Melter and Black Knight from prison. The Masters battle the Avengers while Captain America is forced to enter Zemo's kingdom and rescue Rick by himself. Captain America manages to blind Zemo using his sheild, causing him to fire wildly and accidentally trigger a rockslide, killing him. Meanwhile, Executioner tells the Avengers that their battle will endanger many people, meaning they should surrender. To get around this, Thor defeats Melter and Black Knight by sending them to a dimension with different scientific laws, meaning their weapons rebound on themselves, while Enchantress and Executioner escape before this happens.
Members
Masters of Evil I
- Baron Zemo (founder)
- Black Knight (Nathan Garrett)
- Enchantress
- Executioner
- Melter
- Radioactive Man
- Wonder Man
Masters of Evil II
- Ultron-5 (leader; disguised as Crimson Cowl)
- Black Knight (Dane Whitman, infiltrator)
- Klaw
- Melter
- Radioactive Man
- Whirlwind
Masters of Evil III
Masters of Evil IV
- Baron Zemo II (leader)
- Absorbing Man
- Blackout
- Black Mamba
- Fixer
- Goliath
- Grey Gargoyle
- Mister Hyde
- Moonstone
- Screaming Mimi
- Tiger Shark
- Titania
- Wrecking Crew
- Wrecker
- Bulldozer
- Piledriver
- Thunderball
- Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara)
Masters of Evil V
- Doctor Octopus (leader)
- Absorbing Man
- Gargantua
- Jackhammer
- Oddball
- Powderkeg
- Puff Adder
- Shocker
- Titania
Masters of Evil VI
This was the version that became the Thunderbolts:
- Baron Zemo II (leader)
- Beetle / MACH-1
- Fixer / Techno
- Goliath / Atlas
- Moonstone / Meteorite
- Screaming Mimi / Songbird
Masters of Evil VII
- Crimson Cowl (leader)
- Aqueduct
- Bison
- Blackwing
- Boomerang
- Cardinal
- Constrictor
- Cyclone
- Dragonfly
- Eel
- Flying Tiger
- Icemaster
- Joystick
- Klaw
- Lodestone
- Man-Ape
- Man-Killer
- Quicksand
- Scorcher
- Shatterfist
- Shockwave
- Slyde
- Sunstroke
- Supercharger
- Tiger Shark
Masters of Evil VIII
- Crimson Cowl (leader)
- Black Mamba
- Cardinal
- Gypsy Moth
- Hydro-Man
- Machinesmith
- Man-Killer
Masters of Evil IX
- Max Fury (first leader)
- Baron Zemo II (second leader)
- Bi-Beast
- Black Talon (Samuel Barone)
- Brothers Grimm (Percy and Barton Grimes)
- Carrion
- Constrictor
- Crossfire
- Daimon Hellstrom
- Diablo
- Eel
- Firebrand
- Griffin
- Killer Shrike
- Lady Stilt-Man
- Lascivious
- Letha
- Madame Masque
- Madcap
- Pink Pearl
- Porcupine
- Princess Python
- Ringer
- Satannish
- Squid (Don Callahan)
- Tiger Shark
- Tinkerer
- Vengeance (Kowalski)
- Whiplash (Anton Vanko)
- Wrecking Crew
- Wrecker
- Bulldozer
- Piledriver
- Thunderball
- Young Masters
- Alex Wilder
- Black Knight
- Coat of Arms
- Egghead II
- Enchantress II
- Excavator
- Executioner II
- Mako
- Melter
- Mudbug
- Radioactive Kid
Masters of Evil X
- Lightmaster (leader)
- Absorbing Man
- Blackout
- Mister Hyde
- Titania
- Whirlwind
- Wrecking Crew
- Wrecker
- Bulldozer
- Piledriver
- Thunderball
Masters of Evil XI
This group was later made part of the Army of Evil during HYDRA's rise to power during the Secret Empire storyline:
- Baron Zemo II (leader)
- Atlas
- Fixer
- Klaw
- Man-Killer
- Moonstone
- Tiger Shark
- Whiplash
- Wrecking Crew
- Wrecker
- Bulldozer
- Piledriver
- Thunderball
In other media
- The Masters of Evil appear in The Avengers: United They Stand. They are led by Baron Helmut Zemo and consist of Absorbing Man, Boomerang, Cardinal, Dragonfly, Moonstone, Tiger Shark, and Whirlwind.
- In the TV show, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Masters of Evil were founded by the Enchantress and Baron Zemo. It's original members were Executioner, Crimson Dynamo, Wonder Man, and Abomination. Living Laser, Chemistro, and Grey Gargoyle joined later.
- The Masters of Evil were the major villainious group in the video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance. They were formed by Doctor Doom and his lieutenants were Ultron, Loki, Enchantress, Mandarin, and Baron Mordo.. Other known members are Scorpion, Bullseye, Winter Soldier, Radioactive Man, Fin Fang Foom, Crimson Dynamo, Mysterio, M.O.D.O.K., Rhino, Shocker, the Wrecking Crew, and Lizard.
- In Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, the group consists of M.O.D.O.K., Graviton, Abomination, Baron Zemo, and Tiger Shark, under the command of Red Skull.
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