Marvel’s First 10 Supervillain Teams, Ranked by Legacy

Since the 1940s, Marvel Comics has been a pioneer of the superhero genre and the tropes that come with it. Superhero teams like the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four have all become inarguable icons of the franchise with long-lasting legacies. Of course, with so many powerful and beloved superhero teams, it was only a matter of time until many villains decided team up to try to even the playing field and expand their evil designs. These fiendish alliances have been thorns in the sides of Marvel heroes for decades, with their enhanced fire power and new schemes to take over the world or to defeat their hero adversaries. These are the most impactful supervillain teams to emerge from Marvel Comics’ early years.

From evil secret societies to alliances of superpowered criminals, these are the first 10 supervillain teams in Marvel Comics with the greatest legacies.

10) Terrible Trio

With the team-up of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the ‘60s were when Marvel Comics truly became the comic book titan it is today. However, the very first supervillain team Marvel introduced during the Silver Age, the Terrible Trio, was anything but iconic. Debuting in 1963, the Terrible Trio were three criminals assembled by Doctor Doom who gave them powers to destroy the Fantastic Four. Bull Brogin had super strength, Harry Philips had super hearing, and Yogi Dakor was fireproof. Although these powers allowed the Terrible Trio to defeat the Fantastic Four until Doom betrayed them, their bland personalities, mediocre abilities, and lack of costumes quickly led to their rightful obscurity.

9) Ani-Men

Plenty of heroes and villains derive their superpowers from the animal kingdom, and the Ani-Men took it a step further. In 1965, a group of four criminals was given special animal-themed costumes by the villain called the Organizer, to commit crimes on his behalf. The original roster of Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Ape-Man, and Frog-Man fought Daredevil. When the team reappeared as mercenaries for Count Nefaria to fight the X-Men, they were no longer wearing costumes. Instead, they had transformed into real human/animal hybrids. The Ani-Men were always portrayed as shallow mercenary supervillains who rarely had schemes of their own. Aside from the hero Thunderbird coincidentally dying while the X-Men fought the Ani-Men, these bestial mercenaries have left no real impact.

8) Enforcers

When Spider-Man disrupted the Big Man’s illegal operations, the crime lord thought the best people to kill the Wall-Crawler were a cowboy, a martial artist, and a stronger-than-average man. The Enforcers made their debut in 1964 as assassins and extortionists who sell their skills to the highest bidder. This evil trio consists of the lasso-swinging Montanna, the quick-footed Fancy Dan, and the muscle-bound Ox. Naturally, Spider-Man’s immense powers quickly proved to be too much for the Enforcers. These goons have reappeared periodically as a part of New York’s criminal underworld, but they’re rarely a serious threat to street-level heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil.

7) Circus of Crime

In 1941, Marvel debuted its very first supervillain team: the Circus of Crime. The original team was led by the Nazi Ringmaster of Death and fought Captain America during World War II. The group’s leader was succeeded by his son, the new Ringmaster, in 1962. With a hat that can hypnotize crowds of people, Ringmaster and his crew of circus performers travelled around robbing their audiences. Other members of the Circus of Crime include Princess Python, the Clown, Cannonball, Strongman, and the Great Gambonnos. Although the Circus of Crime isn’t popular nowadays, during the Silver Age, they fought almost every hero, including the Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, Spider-Man, and the Avengers. These villains represent some of the more bizarre aspects of Marvel’s Silver Age.

6) Frightful Four

After the failure of the Terrible Trio, Marvel finally created a menacing, iconic evil version of the Fantastic Four in 1965. The original team was founded by an evil genius called the Wizard to destroy Marvel’s First Family. Along with Paste-Pot Pete and Sandman, the standout member was Medusa, the queen of the Inhumans, who debuted as a part of the Frightful Four. She was the first Inhuman introduced by Marvel and her arrival was quickly followed by the appearance of the rest of her people. In addition, the Frightful Four have undergone no less than 23 incarnations and have always been one of the Fantastic Four’s most persistent and dangerous adversaries.

5) A.I.M.

Marvel Comics is no stranger to evil secret societies. Debuting in 1966, the Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M., began as a subgroup of Hydra before splitting off to pursue its own nefarious goals. A.I.M. is basically a collection of the world’s most brilliant and insane scientists who develop powerful weapons and sell them to terrorists. A.I.M.’s end goal is to create weapons that will upend the world order and allow them to take over the Earth. This evil think tank has been responsible for creating M.O.D.O.K., the Super Adaptoid, and even the reality-warping Cosmic Cube. With their striking yellow suits and a penchant for creating some of the Earth’s greatest scientific innovations, A.I.M. is among the most iconic evil secret organizations in comic book history.

4) Masters of Evil

The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and in 1964, they had to face off against the Earth’s Mightiest Villains. When Captain America joined the Avengers, his longtime enemy Baron Zemo sought to destroy him and his new friends. The Masters of Evil are the quintessential supervillain team that combats the Avengers. The original team included the Enchantress, Executioner, Melter, Black Knight, and Radioactive Man. Over the years, countless incarnations of this team have been founded by villains like Ultron, Egghead, and the Hood. Dozens of villains have joined the Masters of Evil at some point or another. Some of the Avengers’ most impactful storylines, like the formation of the Thunderbolts and the destruction of Avengers Mansion, were the result of plots carried out by the Masters of Evil.

3) Hydra

Just the phrase “Hail Hydra” is enough to get anyone’s skin to crawl at this reference to Marvel’s most evil terrorist organization. Opposing both Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. since 1965, Hydra has been trying to take over the world for thousands of years. Of course, its most evil, powerful, and iconic incarnation was affiliated with Nazi Germany. With leaders including the Red Skull, Baron Zemo, Armin Zola, and Baron Von Strucker, Hydra is an organization of hateful and sadistic bigots who won’t rest until the entire world falls under their fascist domination. Even when it seems that they’re beaten, Hydra will continually reemerge to threaten the free world. Hydra has always represented the worst of humanity and has been a pivotal enemy in Marvel Comics.

2) Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

When Magneto first lost to the X-Men, he sought to create his own band of like-minded mutants. In 1964, he formed the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to oppose Professor X’s students and fight for mutant superiority. The Brotherhood has been made up of many of Marvel’s most iconic X-Men villains, including Mystique, Mastermind, Toad, Avalanche, Blob, Pyro, and Sabretooth. The team also debuted several beloved villain-turned heroes such as Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Rogue. The Brotherhood has always been one of the most three-dimensional villain teams in comics because they ultimately want to fight to protect mutants from human persecution; it’s just that their methods are violent and misguided; and they most often want to destroy the X-Men.

1) Sinister Six

In 1964, Spider-Man’s greatest enemies assembled to crush him once and for all. The Sinister Six have always been focused on killing Spider-Man, and their numerous rosters have always included the most beloved and fearsome members of the Wall-Crawler’s rogues gallery. When the first roster of Doctor Octopus, Electro, Vulture, Mysterio, Kraven, and Sandman appeared, readers lost their minds at seeing Spider-Man’s best villains all in one place. Since then, almost every incarnation of the Web-Head has at some point found himself fighting a version of the Sinister Six. And it makes sense, as the set-up of one hero facing off against six of his most powerful adversaries causes the stakes to skyrocket. To this day, the Sinister Six remain Marvel Comics’ most iconic supervillain team.

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