AVENGERS versus KANG THE CONQUEROR

First Blood (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #2 When: December 1996 Why: Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino & Jeph Loeb How: Chap Yaep

The Story So Far...
Facing apparent death in their battle against the psionic entity called Onslaught -- The Avengers and Fantastic Four were whisked to the safety of a pocket dimension created subconsciously by naive mutant Franklin Richards.

Beginning their lives anew with no knowledge of their true history: The Avengers are founded under the direction of Nick Fury and SHIELD, to act as a global peace-keeping force against super-powered threats also newly manifesting on this Counter Earth.

Bolstered by the addition of Captain America and Thor; The Avengers are a powerful assembly whose legend will inevitably continue into the distant future. A future ruled by Kang The Conqueror, who has travelled through time to defeat history's mightiest heroes!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thor 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Kang 6 (Genius)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thor 6 (Generator)
Agility: Hellcat 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Kang 5 (Lasers)
Total: Kang The Conqueror 29 (Metahuman)

The Avengers are: Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Vision, Swordsman, Scarlet Witch, and Hellcat.

Starting from scratch in the pocket universe -- these Avengers are still relatively new to working with each other. They just recruited Thor in the previous issue, when he saw through his brother's manipulations, and helped to defeat him.

Scarlet Witch was key to their victory, using hex powers to turn Loki's spell back against him, but it remains to be seen how her awesome magicks will affect the futuristic technology of Kang The Conqueror.

This time Kang hails from the even farther flung future of the 31st century: a variant conjured to this universe by Franklin Richards based upon his distant descendent -- the time travelling Nathaniel Richards, who is typically cited as having conquered the 30th century.

It was that Kang who deployed the Avengers to Limbo to destroy a facsimile of himself in a quest to consolidate power by eliminating all Kang variants diverging from his prime timeline. A feat achieved with advanced technology that allows him to effortlessly traverse time and space.

Kang is also outfitted in advanced armor, which grants him super-human strength and durability, gravity-defiance, defensive force-fields, and an arsenal of weaponry capable of deploying concussive blasts and other attacks.

Captain America's tactical savvy should help the team coordinate, but it's Thor who offers the most obvious counter-attack to Kang's incredibly powers.

We've seen The God of Thunder face similar versatile threats from The Mandarin, Nebula, Super-Skrull, Thanos, Juggernaut, Doctor Doom, and even DC's Superman and Captain Marvel! Will he be the difference maker? Let's find out!

The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Captain America (#7)

What Went Down...

The appearance of a massive spaceship floating over New York City prompts Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, to activate his Avengers for a full investigation, and if necessary, neutralization of any emerging threat.

Captain America doesn't much like the cut of Fury's jib, but with Scarlet Witch and Hellcat already in the field, the team is quick to mobilize against a mysterious individual already in the process of engaging the women.

A simple gesture directs a blast of energy that engulfs Scarlet Witch and Hellcat!

The remaining Avengers arrive just in time to witness the assault. Cap discreetly makes sure Hawkeye has a clean shot, but Thor is too incensed to give the archer opportunity to strike first. Kang invites it with no clearer motive: "Your move."

The God of Thunder obliges -- tossing his mighty hammer Mjolnir!

Remarkably the weapon stalls beyond Kang's outstretched hand, igniting with sparks of electricity as it collides with a force-field surrounding him!

Captain America recognizes the danger and orders Hawkeye to try to rally Scarlet Witch to make use of her awesome magicks that stopped Loki.

Swordsman sees the need for a distraction to give Hawkeye a clear run, but his attempt to take the initiative is immediately squashed, much to Captain America's chagrin. Swords are simply no match for Kang's advanced technology!

Cap tries to restore order so the team can regroup, but Thor refuses to yield.

"Do what thou must, Captain. But, no being, mortal or god, may take the fabled Mjolnir from my side -- and not rue the day!"

The thunder god brings down the very heavens, dive bombing Kang in blaze of lightning that explodes around the force-field bubble, and rips through the surrounding earth!

The Avengers feel the fallout as Scarlet Witch does her best to shield she and Hellcat from the erupting energies. As she struggles, The Witch compels Hawkeye to help the rest of the team, even as he finds himself lacking any clear shot.

Captain America rallies Vision and Hawkeye to his side for a final stand.

Hawkeye sends the first salvo, much to Kang's amusement.

The arrow sails straight and true, inevitably striking Kang's force-field -- but this "toy" contains a thermite incendiary tip that burns through bubble and deactivates the defensive barrier!

Captain America throws his mighty shield -- knocking Kang off his feet, while Vision takes the order to glide toward the threat and neutralize it by phasing through his body to cause him discomfort -- and submission.

Alas, Kang's futuristic defenses are vast and many. Before the android can shift his density, The Conqueror orders his ship to open fire -- blasting Vision with a massive explosion!

Thor gravely returns to the battlefield, mournfully coming face to face with Kang under the belief that his new comrades have perished. He vows to avenge his fallen allies by spilling Kang's blood.

The ferocity and power of Thor's attack is enough to cause even Kang alarm.

He desperately calls for assistance from his ship as Thor rains down bareknuckle blows against his restored force-field!

A beam of energy blasts Thor from behind and surrounds him in another bubble that is dragged towards the ship. A futuristic assault that allows Kang The Conqueror to claim the thunder god as trophy in victory.

The Hammer...

Remembering that Kang featured prominently in this issue, I figured it might be fun to go back to Heroes Reborn to take a fresh look. After all, he's given pride of place as the first real threat to the pocket universe's fully formed Avengers, after they were deployed to Norway, and recruited Thor from the side of Loki.

Some of Heroes Reborn reads like a prototype version of Ultimate Marvel, and I guess that includes the highs and lows, as Kang The Conqueror is reduced to a far less interesting villain, coming from the distant future of the 31st century for the expressed purpose of impressing Mantis by beating up history's famed Avengers and nothing much more.

It's kind of a weirdly underwhelming take on what could've been a very unique and interesting villain. One whose status outside the present-day Marvel Universe could've allowed Kang full knowledge of the battle with Onslaught, and the false new reality that was created to contain the heroes.

There doesn't appear to be any acknowledgement of the fact that Loki was accidentally sent to Limbo in the prior issue. A domain notably claimed by Kang The Conqueror in past issues of Avengers, and a natural means for alerting him to the existence of the Heroes Reborn universe.

Kang might've used his unique awareness to attempt to conquer this world and use it for his own ends -- or perhaps escape it, having been accidentally caught by Franklin Richards while travelling from the future, rather than simply being a facsimile created within the world to occupy the heroes before their return.

In that situation Kang could've been key to unravelling the mystery of this new reality, investigating the lost history of The Avengers and Fantastic Four. He could've been a pivotal figure in the whole affair! Granted, that was a role reserved for Doctor Doom, and Kang probably didn't quite have the cachet to demand that level of attention at the time. That wouldn't come until a few years later when Kurt Busiek devises the epic Kang Dynasty -- a year-long story that put Kang back on top with his conquest of the present day.

Exactly how much clarity or planning was going into the pages of Heroes Reborn's Avengers Volume 2 is not evident, and difficult to gauge.

Three hands in writing might not have helped artist Chap Yaep, whose pencils are frustratingly unfocused throughout the battle of Avengers #2. His staging too often centers around unimportant aspects of subject matter, passing up opportunities for dynamic narrative shots of characters in action, in favour of messy layouts filled with dead space, awkward zooming, literal voids, and splashes of relative inaction.

Layouts are unmistakably Liefeldian, but storytelling particularly dips here, held together by script and/or dialogue credited to Jim Valentino (script), and Jeph Loeb (dialogue), respectively. Without their words scenes become less clear.

As I recall, things settle down in the next issue, and continue to improve when Ian Churchill joins the team in Avengers #4. Even so, it isn't wildly surprising that Marvel chose to sever ties mid-series with the Rob Liefeld portion of their Image-produced Heroes Reborn titles. There is an unmistakable air of chaos and waste. A sense of carelessness, and things just barely being held together by a ballooning creative team.

The editorial shakeup reportedly happened at issue #6, and will become evident in credits for Avengers #8, when Walt Simonson formally takes over writing duties, introducing a second contrary Thor to the equation, and generally restoring more normalcy to the Avengers and their portrayals ahead of their imminent repatriation to the main universe in Heroes Reborn: The Return.

The second Thor highlights the potential complication the Heroes Reborn universe adds to our rankings, but per the rules of alternate realities, we consider these to be off-shoots connected to the main character, unless otherwise stated.

No doubt we'll return to explore more from Heroes Reborn some time in the future, as well as more from Kang The Conqueror. If you'd like to see those things and more you should follow links to topics throughout this post -- or check out the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 battles and ranked more than 1,000 iconic characters! You can make sure there are many more to come by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for your patronage you'll find additional updates and multiple tiers to sponsor more feature content.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winner: Kang The Conqueror
#420 (+564) Kang The Conqueror
#7 (--) Captain America
#17 (--) Thor
#90 (--) Hawkeye
#125 (-20) Hellcat
#155 (-7) Vision
#441 (-1) Scarlet Witch
#991 (-336) Swordsman

ABSORBING MAN & TITANIA versus ANT-MAN & WASP

"Even a God Can Die!" (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #275 When: January 1987
Why: Roger Stern How: John Buscema & Tom Palmer

The Story So Far...
Avengers Mansion has fallen into the grip of Baron Zemo and The Masters of Evil! Their siege has claimed not just the heroes' headquarters -- but also one of their mightiest ranks!

For daring to charge the building alone, Hercules received a devastating beatdown that left the demigod barely clinging to life! Rushed to hospital, he was declared dead, but The Prince of Power's bold heart refused to stop beating for long!

Captain America was captured providing backup, but Wasp escaped to accompany Hercules to the hospital. Joined by Ant-Man, she stands as the last line of defense for Herc and The Avengers -- and a walking target as The Masters of Evil deploy Absorbing Man & Titania to finish her off!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Titania 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Ant-Man 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Wasp 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Titania 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Wasp 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Absorbing Man 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Wasp 3 (Explosives)
Total: Absorbing Man 22 (Champion)

Don't look now! It's a tag team showdown of Marvel Comics power couples with a debuting partner on both sides, but these pairs aren't created equal!

Carl "Crusher" Creel was a small time crook & boxer who was dosed with an enchanted potion by Loki while in prison. The concoction of Asgardian herbs granted Creel the power to absorb physical properties of anything he comes in contact with, transferring it to himself, his clothes, and a prison ball & chain.

The Absorbing Man typically chooses metals and stone, enhancing his strength and durability to go up against the likes of Thor and Hulk, but he's also capable of more inventive transformations, such as gases, liquids, energy sources, and supernatural materials. He can even rearrange his composition, enduring dismemberment, and forming irregular shapes such as hammers for fists.

Creel first met Titania during the original Secret Wars when she was unveiled by Doctor Doom and deployed against the Fantastic Four. An antagonistic relationship soon turned romantic as the pair became partners in crime and wedlock. They continued to battle each other's rivals, facing She-Hulk, Thunderstrike, Spider-Man, and The Avengers after joining up as enforcers for The Masters of Evil.

Scott Lang may be the second Avenger to assume the mantle of Ant-Man, but he's no stranger to prison himself. Unable to support his young family as a repair man; he used his skills as an electrical engineer to become a burglar, eventually breaking into the residence of Dr. Hank Pym -- the original Ant-Man!

Formally granted Ant-Man's suit after proving himself altruistic, he gained all the skills of Pym particle technology, favouring shrinking over enlargement, command of ants including winged varieties, a concussive "disruptor" blast, and eventually wrist-mounted gauntlets similar to the Wasp's bio-electric stingers.

We've seen the high-flying Janet Van Dyne cut down opponents many times before, blasting the likes of Moonstone, Pyro, Dragon Man, and Kingsize!

This seems like a fairly one-sided affair, with Absorbing Man and Titania typically mixing it up with a different weight class. The Tape gives us our best insight into how the diminutive heroes level the playing field, relying on intelligence, speed, agility, and firepower to mitigate the mighty strength of their opponents.

The Tape: Absorbing Man & Titania Ranking: Wasp (#39)

What Went Down...

Walls crumble as Absorbing Man and Titania stomp their way past helpless security and hospital staff -- on the warpath to The Avengers inside!

Nurses do their best to usher vulnerable patients out of the building as Wasp and Ant-Man shrink down to unnoticed size and race against the herd. Lost amongst the rushing feet, they aim to make a stand to defend a gravely injured Hercules.

Wasp makes the first move -- answering Absorbing Man's search by flying directly into his gaze with her bio-electric stringers blasting!

The sudden assault is enough to shock Absorbing Man out of his steel-skin!

Momentarily blinded by the flash, he clutches at his eyes in human form -- vulnerable as Wasp encourages Ant-Man to strike!

The diminutive hero rapidly returns to normal size, taking advantage of his blinded foe with a dazzling uppercut!

Titania launches herself at the Ant-Man in a furious rage, but with Wasp watching his back, he knows it's coming -- and shrinks beneath the reach of the rampaging villainess to leave her colliding face-first with a nearby wall!

Not taking too kindly to being outwitted -- Absorbing Man reaches into a power junction and makes contact with the electricity. He receives enough raw power to add another "smart guy" to the list he's stomped.

Absorbing Man is a real bright spark as his body absorbs the charge and he swings his electrified wrecking ball over head!

Wasp and Ant-Man have no choice but to flee the walking bug-zapper, while Titania continues smashing through walls to enter the operating theatre housing the mortally wounded Hercules!

Titania has no regard for the demigods' critical condition, but stops short of making good on her threats to worsen his situation when Ant-Man directs a small army to swarm all over her body!

The maddening predicament shocks Absorbing Man out of his electrified state, sending him in search of a bottle of alcohol so he can assume its properties and become a living wash over his partners' ant-covered body!

The alcohol shower does the trick, but pulling himself back into humanoid form leaves Absorbing Man feeling disoriented -- and open to a tandem direct assault from Wasp's stinger and helmet Ant-Man's disruptor!

The blow stuns Absorbing Man, but once again Titania comes to the aid of her man -- immediately snatching Wasp out of the air!

Ant-Man is there to assist his fellow Avenger as well, riding his flying ant into range to toss a small canister at Titania.

It erupts into a gas that shrinks Titania down to the same diminutive size as the insect-like heroes. An equalizer that leaves her vulnerable to Wasp's stinger!

Absorbing Man groggily stumbles through the operating room in desperate search of a source of absorbable power. He finds only the unconscious Hercules, but before he can absorb the strength of a demigod -- Wasp is on him!

The full-size heroine flies overhead and hooks her legs under Absorbing Man's arms, briefly taking him off his feet before unleashing her full bio-electric stinger directly at his head!

The Absorbing Man drops like a mighty oak, slamming face down on the surgery floor -- knocked out! Ant-Man strolls in with a similarly unconscious Titania over his shoulder, noting Wasp's toughness as they relax in victory.

The Hammer...

Occasionally over the years I've been asked to weigh-in on "who would win a fight" between various characters. It can make for a fun conversation, but the more I do all of this, the more I'm reluctant to give any real answer, drifting away from that type of thing.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths exists to some extent to provide solid reference material for exactly these kinds of debates, but despite our sports-inspired format, comic book superhero fights aren't determined purely by skill or abilities. It's an exercise in plot and narrative. Discussing abilities is a good jumping off point, but it's kinda putting the cart before the horse.

Stan Lee -- after decades of receiving these kinds of questions -- put it with affable simplicity in his Stan's Rants YouTube series: "There's one answer to all of that; it's so simple. Anyone should know this! The person who'd win in a fight is the person that the scriptwriter wants to win!"

Which means Absorbing Man and Titania may be obvious favourites in a fight against Wasp and Ant-Man, but that's exactly why they will more than likely lose. It just wouldn't be interesting if these things were foregone conclusions. The heroes can't simply be smeared across the pavement, and when a super-villain holds such an overwhelming advantage over a hero -- that just better defines the heroism of finding a way to overcome and defeat them.

That's why we still talk about Spider-Man beating Juggernaut, Batman matching Superman, and why Wasp is now nestled comfortably in our Top 40 ranks! [And as a matter of record: Spielberg won two Best Director Oscars for Schindler's List (1994) and Saving Private Ryan (1999), so Ant-Man should have more faith].

Of course, in the interest of avoiding foregone conclusions, sometimes the heroes have to lose, and The Avengers are facing one of their most stunning defeats, this issue taking place during the Siege of Avengers Mansion.

Wasp & Ant-Man's victory at the hospital defended a mortally wounded Hercules, whose vital signs are strengthening after an earlier flatline, but Baron Zemo and The Masters of Evil still have control of the Avengers' HQ. A violation Wasp vows to avenge after doctors have delivered the good news, and issue closes.

Wasp has been in a leadership role around this time, and it's kinda cool to see her playing pointman as the team attempts to regroup. She and Ant-Man could be easily overlooked heroes, but they're both well suited to rallying the troops, and making a surprise attack against The Masters of Evil.

You can rest assured we'll be looking at more from the "Avengers Under Siege" storyline, and Hercules' brutal defeat, at some point in the future.

If you want to find those entries, or any of the topics covered today, you should follow links throughout this post. Or just dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 battles and ranked more than 1,000 iconic characters! You can make sure there are many more by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for your patronage you'll find additional updates and multiple tiers to sponsor your own special content.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winners: Wasp & Ant-Man
#33 (+6) Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)
#354 (new) Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
#379 (-27) Titania
#984 (new) Absorbing Man

AVENGERS versus KANG

Time -- And Time Again! (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #267 When: May 1986
Why: Roger Stern How: John Buscema

The Story So Far...
Beneath the bedrock of Manhattan Island -- Wasp joins Hercules and the Black Knight as they bore an underground tunnel network towards Avengers Hydrobase. A simple enough task for the Prince of Power -- until an eerie glow consumes the trio and whisks them away!

Caught in a swirl of endless fog, the Avengers encounter the unconscious presence of Hulk, Giant-Man, and Iron Man. A surefire clue to Wasp that they've been displaced from time and space -- sent to the Limbo dimension during the teams' first encounter with the Space Phantom!

Such a bizarre feat could only be possible for Kang The Conqueror! The master of time emerges to declare dominion over Limbo from Immortus -- but how do the three Avengers factor into his mad scheme?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hercules 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Kang 6 (Genius)
Speed: Wasp 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Hercules 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Wasp 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Hercules 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Kang 5 (Lasers)
Total: Kang The Conqueror 29 (Metahuman)

The Avengers are: Wasp, Black Knight, and Hercules.

Not the most formidable line-up for a threat as potent as Kang The Conqueror, but also not to be under estimated as a coordinated force.

Wasp has been known to fight above her weight class, taking on the unexpected challenge of Kingsize, and snuffing the flames of Pyro when Freedom Force attacked the base in Avengers #312. Her veteran wiles, Pym particle shrinking, flight, and bio-electric stingers make her a deft field leader -- and tricky to track!

Black Knight represents a more straight-forward challenge, wielding the dark magic of The Ebony Blade with expert mastery. A sharpened sword that once gave Moon Knight a run for his money, and compliments the blunt force of Hercules.

We've seen The Prince of Power take a win teaming with She-Hulk against Bran the Blessed, but results were mixed when the Secret Avengers met a magically empowered Baron Zemo, and Olympus Group fought the Dark Avengers.

Kang's greatest weapons are his advanced technology and foreknowledge of future events. This can make him very difficult to pin down, or lay a hit on with conventional means, but his presence inevitably coincides with plans that leave him vulnerable to those he seeks to dominate in the short-lived present.

If The Avengers can assemble themselves as a fighting unit they might just stand a chance. Let's see how it all unfolded!

The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Wasp (#39)

What Went Down...

From the swirling fog steps the dreaded visage of the one responsible for bringing The Avengers to Limbo...

Kang The Conqueror welcomes the trio of Avengers to his domain, rejecting Hercules' second-hand knowledge of the realm's rule by Immortus.

The Conqueror claims to have brought them to the past for his own amusement, challenging his enemies to defeat him in exchange for escaping eternity in Limbo.

Wasp is the first to indulge Kang's mad request -- firing a direct blast!

The bioelectric energy of Wasp's stinger is no match for Kang's hi-tech shields, but it does draw the time traveler's immediate attention.

The distraction grants The Black Knight the opening he needs to move in close for an attack with his Ebony Blade! The sword disrupts the invisible barrier with spectacular results -- destroying Kang's protective field!

With nothing preventing a close-quarters strike -- Hercules advances!

A mighty punch from the prince of power quite literally knocks Kang's head off!

The decapitation shatters the illusion of Kang's deception -- revealing the dangling wires of a sophisticated robot at the severed neck!

With the true Kang watching his android doppelganger's fate from the safety of monitors in his distant central robotics plant -- Hercules ends the charade by slamming his hands together around the floating head!

The Hammer...

A team effort swiftly gets the better of Kang's proxy, but can it ever really be that simple with The Master of Time?

Hercules may have easily crushed the robot's head once Black Knight disabled its defenses, but the trio of Avengers remains trapped in Limbo: pawns in a grand scheme to see them ultimately face another of Kang's many time-generated doppelgangers.

Kang is on a warpath to destroy the many "divergents" his existence throughout time has generated. A literal war with himself, against opponents who exist at different points of his life, some choosing paths not taken. His ultimate target: a Kang who's lived far too long to succumb to any simple trap, or frontal assault.

It may sound a tad complicated, but it's a mere sample of the twisted timelines and grand temporal game played by Kang The Conqueror: He who has lived the ages as both Rama-Tut and Immortus, and intends to control a legion of Kangs by replacing his vanquished selves with robotic copies.

This deliberate intention goes some length to explaining how we treat results like this in the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths rankings. This result will be deemed a defeat of Kang, perceiving his robotic clone as a direct extension of his intent, and an instrument used to battle The Avengers, which failed. At least for now!

The three Avengers remain trapped in Limbo circa Avengers #2, when they first battled the Space Phantom, and Kang will attempt to capitalize upon the group's depleted ranks to complete his conquest in the present-day.

Fun times with an eclectic mid-eighties line-up of Avengers that we'll no doubt see in future entries. If you'd like more from these characters you can follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featurd fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1000 characters! Catch-up on more of the standings with the 2022 Rankings Recap and consider becoming a supporter on Patreon to receive additional updates, sponsored content options, and help keep us in the fight!

Get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winners: Hercules & Black Knight (w/ Wasp)
#154 (+283) Hercules
#418 (+559) Black Knight
#39 (--) Wasp [+1 assist]
#981 (new) Kang The Conqueror

MASTERS OF EVIL versus AVENGERS

A Gathering of Evil! (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #222 When: August 1982
Why: Jim Shooter & Steve Grant How: Greg LaRocque

The Story So Far...
While Wasp and The Avengers welcome their newest recruit to the halls of Avengers Mansion -- one of their old adversaries begins drawing plans for recruitment of his own for a new team of Masters of Evil!

Egghead begins his scheme by sending a missile to Atlantis, destroying the prison that holds Todd Arlis aka; Tiger Shark. From there, the first recruit attacks the super-villain prison facility at Ryker's, freeing Whirlwind, Scorpion, and Moonstone.

In exchange for their freedom, the team agrees to serve Egghead in his scheme for power & fortune, but old grudges die hard, and Whirlwind can't help but take a day trip to Avengers Mansion to seek revenge against The Wasp. A decision that forces The Masters of Evil to make their presence known ahead of schedule!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thor 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Hawkeye 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Moonstone 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Thor 6 (Generator)
Agility: Scorpion 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Thor 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Thor 5 (Lasers)
Total: Thor 32 (Super)

The Masters of Evil are: Moonstone, Tiger Shark, Whirlwind, and Scorpion.

This powerhouse foursome is acting under the direction of Egghead, but a lack of cohesion is evident from the very outset. Whirlwind goes rogue looking for payback, but he'll get more than he bargained for once Avengers assemble!

The Avengers are: Wasp, Hawkeye, Thor, and She-Hulk.

Thor tops several categories of The Tape with godly might, but on average these Masters of Evil outpace at least half of The Avengers here, and there's a pretty compelling case for their path to victory.

Moonstone gained cosmic might from a Kree gravity stone that grants her super-human strength, durability, flight, energy blasts, and various other tricks. She could probably occupy Thor alone, as we saw when she battled the Asgardian-powered Bulldozer and Piledriver during Thunderbolts #1.

Either Tiger Shark or Scorpion could run interference on She-Hulk, with the former's history of battling the Sub-Mariner making the most compelling case. His ability to withstand the ocean depths, and Namor's strongest blows, as in Marvel Team-Up #14, spells an underrated powerhouse of the Marvel Universe.

That would free up Scorpion to try swapping his hatred of Spider-Man for the Wasp. She doesn't have the strength to cause an abrupt upset, but as we've seen before, her speed, agility, and bio-electric stingers can beat big opponents.

Whirlwind might be best suited to blowing Wasp off course, but she's always seemed to have his number. He might have better luck disrupting the flight of Hawkeye's arrows. His armor has gone head-to-head with Iron Man, and his fast twirling could probably deflect most standard trick arrows. Let's find out...

The Tape: Masters of Evil Ranking: Thor (#20)

What Went Down...

When Janet Van Dyne jumps into her town car for home, she finds faithful driver Carrothers replaced by arch-nemesis David Cannon -- aka; Whirlwind!

Like his namesake, Whirlwind whips around to grab hold of his intended target, but he's left holding a designer shall as Wasp activates the Pym Particles in her suit that cause her to shrink to insect size -- and bio-electric blast Cannon in the face!

On his way back to Avengers Mansion -- Hawkeye notices something amiss in the stationary vehicle and slips his bow to the ready.

Before he can finish producing an arrow from his quiver -- the archer is suddenly hit with a powerful beam of energy fired from overhead!

The voice that follows turns its ire not toward the downed Avenger, but rather the helmeted Whirlwind now fleeing from the vehicle. Moonstone lands on the street, joined by her fellow new Masters of Evil -- furious at their teammate for going rogue against The Avengers!

Wasp comes to Hawkeye's aid, buzzing through the air only to be swatted by Tiger Shark!

Recognizing the motley crew of villains and their superior powers, Hawkeye uses Wasp's distraction to quickly fire off a signal flare arrow before being blasted again by Moonstone!

Fortunately for Hawkeye -- the signal reached an Avenger capable of evening the score! His mighty hammer preceding him as it flies through the villainous foursome, scattering them like skittles!

Thor descends from the sky with hammer now in hand -- bringing it slamming into the road with enough force to topple the Masters of Evil again!

The thunderous shockwave is enough to stir a sleeping Avenger, who hears the commotion of Moonstone taking to the skies and firing her beams at Thor.

Scorpion seizes upon the opportunity of a staggered thunder god, charging in to smack Thor violently through the air with a powerful tail swipe!

That's all She-Hulk needs to see to smash through her Avengers Mansion window and race into battle!

Tiger Shark is sent flying back-first into the perimeter wall as She-Hulk reaches the gate, but it's Wasp who meets her on the street to stop the gamma-irradiated Avenger from entering the struggle -- lest she ruin the designer outfit borrowed from Janet Van Dyne's personal wardrobe.

Shulkie scrambles to carefully remove her borrowed garments while Thor swings his hammer to deflect more beams from Moonstone -- and Tiger Shark turns Wasp's abandoned town car into an airborne projectile!

The car finds its target, reduced to twisted metal and broken glass as it collides with Thor in a car-on-man traffic accident!

Wasp unleashes her stinging bio-electric blast while flying around the back of Scorpion's neck, shouting a wellness check to her godly teammate.

Relatively unharmed; Thor shrugs off the wreck and returns his ire to the direction of the villains, but Tiger Shark insists The Masters of Evil should fear nothing from the thunder god's strength.

The sub-aquatic scourge insists a coordinated effort can reduce the lone powerhouse to hamburger meat, but his focus fails to take into account She-Hulk -- who catches Tiger Shark by surprise with a knockdown blow from behind!

Hawkeye rejoins the group, firing an exploding arrow at the twirling tornado of Whirlwind -- knocking the swirling villain out of orbit as The Avengers square off with the newly outnumbered Masters of Evil!

Moonstone calls for evasive actions, but is cut-off as Wasp buzzes around the floating villain and blasts her with a bio-electric sting!

She-Hulk is ready to wallop Moonstone as she drops out of the air -- and is sent careening into a flat-footed Scorpion!

Thor makes sure Scorpion and Moonstone aren't getting up as The Avengers celebrate the victory with their newest recruit, and an armored NYPD truck arrives to cart the villains off.

The Hammer...
A triumphant team effort is capped off by She-Hulk as she proves the value of having extra muscle -- even on a team that boasts the Asgardian might of Thor, God of Thunder!

The Avengers all had their parts to play, but it's obviously an action-packed welcome to the team for She-Hulk in particular, who was their newest recruit as of a roster drive in Avengers #221. You probably know it: the red cover with white grid of prospective new members.

She-Hulk is a Wasp find -- the only one to accept admission from a meeting to bring another woman into the Avengers fold that also included: Invisible Girl, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, and Dazzler. All candidates who find their ways to other versions of the Avengers (assuming you include Dazzler with A-Force).

Hawkeye rejoined at the invitation of Captain America & Iron Man as well, and the skirmish outside Avengers Mansion in #222 serves as a chance to smooth things over with She-Hulk, whose pink Cadillac he fried with an electric impulse arrow after she cut off his cab in traffic, in the previous issue.

Hawkeye is obviously at home with the Avengers after a couple of decades of association, and despite the initial friction, it turns out She-Hulk is a perfect fit too.

Typically the less volatile counterpart to Hulk, she thrives in the social dynamic of the Avengers, pairing instantly well with fashion-conscious Wasp as a character in need of a more permanent costume.

That may be a precarious premise for pairing a couple of female characters, but you know I enjoy Wasp the fashionista and the modern sensibility of She-Hulk matches it well. A case where the conceited push to balance the Avengers line-up with additional femininity pays off a treat, benefitting from She-Hulk's tenure as a solo hero, and perhaps the keen intuition of plotter & then-Editor in Chief, Jim Shooter.

As a piece of Avengers history this is all very interesting, but the thing that made the cover -- and really gets me jazzed -- is the oddball grouping of villains who formed this short-lived new Masters of Evil.

Long time readers will know I have a particular taste for good quality second-tier villains, and this one-time gathering brings Scorpion into the super-villain big leagues, seeing him bat at Thor in a brief detour away from his usual sparring with arch-nemesis Spider-Man.

Scorpion'll be back menacing the web-slinger in his next printed appearance, but in a couple of decades he'll team with Moonstone again, under the guise of Venom, as members of the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers [see; Thunderbolts #111, Nova #3, and Incredible Hercules #128]. An interesting relationship branch for a couple of characters who don't otherwise have much to do with each other.

Moonstone and Tiger Shark stick around with Egghead in the short term, joining the next Masters of Evil line-up in Avengers #228. That one continues the brief advancement a spider-villain as well, but those are details for another day.

Tiger Shark is another bad guy I get a kick out of seeing, especially when he's out of the water away from his usual issues with Sub-Mariner. What can I say? This is the fun of long-running superhero comic books!

If you agree that this is fun -- you can find more from your favourite heroes and villains by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue!

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Winners: She-Hulk, Wasp, Thor, and Hawkeye
#17 (+3) Thor
#39 (+14) Wasp
#87 (+69) She-Hulk
#88 (+70) Hawkeye
#413 (-61) Moonstone
#434 (--) Scorpion
#980 (-193) Whirlwind
#981 (-294) Tiger Shark