Episode 220: The Avengers vs. the Masters of Evil

In this episode, we kick off a decades-spanning series focusing on the hot new superhero team of 1997: the Thunderbolts! And we begin with some early Avengers issues introducing Captain America’s arch-nemesis Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil!

But first, we begin with Avengers #4, in which the Sentinel of Liberty himself is fished out of the North Sea and joins the Marvel Universe!

Then it’s on to Avengers #6, in which Baron Zemo enlists the Black Knight, the Mysterious Melter and Radioactive Man in the inaugural lineup of the Masters of Evil, a team of supervillains that might have some role to play in the formation of the Thunderbolts some 30+ years later!

In Avengers #7, Zemo is joined by a pair of Asgardians, the Enchantress and the Executioner—who, in Avengers #9, hatch a scheme that involves the debut of future Avengers mainstay Wonder Man!

Will this concept of a villain who turns into a hero have some bearing on the Thunderbolts? Is Avengers #6 the silliest comic we’ve ever discussed on this podcast? And can these pulse-pounding issues pass muster with that eternally youthful Middle-Aged Brigade known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

  • Curt’s dream, revisited
  • You know what this story needs? An alien who turns people to stone!
  • Seriously, what’s the deal with the Teen Brigade?
  • Rick Jones makes a boneheaded mistake
  • Twin Peaks: The Return
  • Venom: The Last Dance
  • Avengers Vol. 1 # 16: The Old Order Changeth!
  • Infamous Iron Man Vol. 1: Infamous

Join us in two weeks as we take a detour into the 1970s for a look at two pivotal moments in the life of Captain America: Secret Empire and The Coming of the Nomad!

Until then:
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And as always, thanks for listening!

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