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An iconic Masters of Evil story shows how the villainous super team once devastated the Avengers so severely that even Cap had to cry.
Everything has its opposite, and for Earth’s mightiest heroes the Avengers there are its most dastardly villains, the Masters of Evil. As the super team expanded over the course of their history the Masters did the same, creating an arms race of power that steadily raised the stakes ever higher. With the super villain team’s latest incarnation in Avengers #50 it seems that they may have their most powerful team yet, but they still have a long way to go before they can top the Masters’ most villainous act in history.
The siege of Avengers Mansion stands out as one of the Masters of Evil’s most iconic moments after over 30 years of comics history. How do fans know that’s when they struck their worst blow against Marvel’s best and brightest? Because it ended with Captain America reduced to tears.
Comics are all about raising the stakes, and the new Masters of Evil do just that in the latest issue of Avengers. With the powerful forces of Mephisto and Doom Supreme witnessing how the Avengers 1,000,000 BC defeated Kid Thanos, the two agree that the Avengers’ supremacy over every villain throughout history stands as a testament to just how powerful the threat that will finally bring them down needs to be. The two agree to construct a team of villains collected from across the entire multiverse, creating a premiere team of Masters of Evil like never before. But when it comes to actually being effective, the new team could do no better than to take notes from the Masters from the “Avengers Under Siege” story arc.
Running from Avengers #270-#277, “Under Siege” saw the Masters of Evil once more expand their ranks to an unprecedented degree. Headed by Baron Zemo, the super team had some of the heaviest hitters from the depths of Marvel’s villainy, including Mr. Hyde, the Wrecking Crew, Titania, Absorbing Man, Power Man, and Tiger Shark. With other members with more niche abilities like Moonstone and Blackout, what truly made the Masters of the time exceptional was not just their level of power, however, but their plan of attack. Seeking revenge on the Avengers, Zemo and his crew hit the heroes where it hurt most: Avengers Mansion.
By planning and executing an assault directly on the Avengers’ home, the Masters managed to not only gain the upper hand, but strike an emotional blow that would resonate throughout the team’s history. The Masters’ heaviest hitters focused first and foremost on Hercules, ganging up on the strongest Avenger of the time and pummeling him to the point of hospitalization. Blackout secured the Mansion while his teammates ambushed other members like Captain America and the Wasp, forcing the heroes into the vulnerable position of watching their most sacred objects torn apart and mutilated.
All the trophies the Avengers collected over the years as well as their own personal belongings, were plundered and desecrated. Even the fantastical and scientific secrets of the super team were exposed to the study of the Fixer, who analyzed he Black Knight’s sword and Captain America’s shield for his own studies. Watching all of this in horror, Captain America barely held himself together in time for the team to reunite and rally against the Masters, narrowly rescuing the ruins of their devastated home. It was not until the aftermath of the battle that the toll on one of the Avengers’ most steadfast members became clear, however. Captain America began to cry.
Looking over the wreckage of the gutted mansion, Captain America found his own private journal, some old magazines and newspapers, and pictures of his friends and family in ruins. Even his baseball autographed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were ripped apart, meaning that the few items that remained from his days before being frozen were destroyed. Agonized by the loss, Captain America did all he could do and began to weep.
The moment really hits home precisely because of how rare it is for the leader of the Avengers to show such vulnerability. Often standing as the bulwark of the team that keeps them together, striking such a personal blow to Captain America stands out as perhaps the most masterfully evil thing the Masters of Evil ever did. It’s the standard that all future iterations of the team are held against, and it stands out as a high bar the new Masters of Evil will have to reach if they hope to occupy such a legendary place in Avengers mythos.
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