Greetings from the Odinson,
The Odinson pulled a fast one. I have one more Rogues Gallery to touch on. He’s my all time favorite hero and next to Superman, Captain America is the most inspirational hero in comic books. So it would stand to reason that the villains he would face would be some of the most dastardly. Without further ado, the Odinson presents a bonus entry to his series on comic book Rogues Galleries. This final week I take a look at the villains, madmen, and clandestine organizations that would threaten the American Dream.
Part 12: Captain America’s Rogues Gallery
Hydra – Before Cobra there was Hydra. Hydra is an underground criminal organization bent on world domination. Their origins date back to World War II. Their members are completely loyal to the cause. It is not known how many people belong to Hydra but their numbers are enormous. Like the mythical beast from which they take their name, Hydra has the uncanny ability to regroup after every defeat and come back stronger than before. They have agents in every corner of the world, every sector of life, including domestic and political, and their identities are a secret. Notable members are Baron Wolfgang Strucker, Mentello, the Fixer, Viper (Madame Hydra) and the Silver Samaria, the Red Skull, Gorgon, and Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew). Must Read: Strange Tales #135 and 140; Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #110, 111, 144, 145, 146, 147, 273, and 274; Captain America (1998-2002 3rd Series) #3, 4, 5, 6, and 7; Captain America (2002-2004 4th Series) #29; Daredevil (1964-1998 1st Series) #120, 121, 122, 123, and 207; Marvel Two-in-One #29 and 30; New Mutants #5-6; Fury TPB; Iron Man: Haunted TPB; Spider-Woman: Origin HC; Wolverine: Enemy of the State HC Vol. 1-2; and Amazing Spider-Man TPB Vol. 10 "New Avengers!"
A.I.M. and M.O.D.O.K. – AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a criminal organization made up of scientists bent on world domination through the use of science and technology. AIM was originally an offshoot of the earliest incarnation of Hydra. In the decades since World War II, AIM has established itself as a force whose deeds and aspirations rival that of Hydra’s own. AIM is responsible for the creation of the Super-Adaptoid, the Cosmic Cube, and MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing). MODOK is a genetically altered human with a diminutive body and an abnormally large head. Able to support his head through the use of cyborg implants, MODOK possesses vast super-human intelligence and psionic powers of the mind. In the years since his creation MODOK has actually usurped control of AIM, subsequently lost his command, and now has been reprogrammed to serve the organization once again. In recent years AIM has developed the MODOK Squad, a group of zombie-like soldiers powered by powerful cyborg implants. Must Reads: Strange Tales #146 and 149; Captain America (1998-2002 3rd Series) #13; Captain America (2004 5th Series) #3; Incredible Hulk #167, 288, 289, 290, and 314; House of M; Incredible Hulk TPB; Marvel Team-Up #104; Howard the Duck: Media Duckling TPB; Iron Man #205; Super Villain Team-Up: MODOK’s 11 TPB; and Captain America and The Falcon TPB Vol. 2 "Brothers and Keepers!"
The Serpent Society – This is a secret society of super-villains whose costumes and powers are based on snakes. Founder Seth Voelker, a.k.a. Sidewinder, was inspired by the previous snake-themed group, the Serpent Squad and set out to form an organization to help him seize power and amass great wealth. The members of this group are as eclectic as they are deadly. Cap’s dealings with them have been harrowing, and the Sentinel of Liberty is always put to task when dealing with them. For a time a member of the Society, Diamondback, inspired by Cap, actually turned good and was Captain America’s erstwhile partner and love interest. Much like Hydra or AIM, it is not known when or where the Serpent Society will strike, but one thing is for sure...they will, and it will be on a grand scale. Notable members are Sidewinder, Anaconda, Asp, Black Mamba, Bushmaster, Cobra, Cottonmouth, Diamondback, Death Adder, Rattler, Puff Adder, and Rock Python. Must Read: Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 337, 338, 341, 342, 344, 365, 379, 380, 381, and 382; Captain America (2002-2004 4th Series) #31; Uncanny X-Men Annual #13; Deathlok #7; Giant-Size Avengers #1; Marvel Adventures: Avengers TPB Vol. 3; and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #44.
Batroc the Leaper – Georges Batroc is a former member of the French Foreign Legion. He is a master in the martial art known as savate, a combination of western boxing and the use of karate kicks. He is now a costumed mercenary with a reputation for getting the job done. For some heists Batroc employs extra muscle, the assassin Zaran and the South American cutthroat known as Machete. Whether alone, or with his Batroc’s Brigade, Batroc the Leaper has plagued the Sentinel of Liberty on many occasions. He has even managed to get the upper hand on the good Captain a few times. Batroc is not an evil man. He is the quintessential professional and does not take life needlessly. Batroc is an “honorable bad guy.” Honorable, but dangerous, and Cap has learned that Batroc is definitely not an adversary to take lightly. Must Read: Tales of Suspense #75; Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #105, 130, 149, 150, 251, 252, and 303; Captain America (1998-2002 3rd Series) #4 and 41; Captain America (2002-2004 4th Series) #30; The Bloodstone Hunt; Hawkeye: Earth’s Mightiest Marksman; Marvel Premiere #20; Marvel Team-Up #52; Solo Avengers #3; Union Jack: London Falling TPB; and Captain America (2004 5th Series) #43.
Crossbones – Not much is known about the mysterious merc known as Crossbones. What is known is that he is a hulking soldier whose strength and fighting prowess rival that of even Captain America. He is a master hand-to-hand combatant and adept in the use of knives, explosives, and firearms. He is the perfect weapon, and it should come as no surprise that he is the bodyguard and number one henchmen of Captain America’s greatest enemy – the Red Skull. He is a cold-blooded killer, but Crossbones’s loyalty to the Red Skull is unwavering. He follows the Skull’s every order with unflinching efficiency. Currently Crossbones is courting his employer’s daughter, Sin. They have become the Marvel U’s version of Bonnie and Clyde, or rather Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers. New Captain America Bucky Barnes will have his hands full dealing with these two. Must Read: Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #363, 364, 368, 369, 370, 375, 376, 377, 378, 383, 409, 410, 411; Streets of Poison; Captain America (1998-2002 3rd Series) #24; Captain America (2004 5th Series) #15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 30; Captain America: Red Menace TPB Vol. 1-2; and Fallen Son: Death of Captain America TPB.
Baron Zemo – Baron Zemo is a name that has haunted Captain America’s dreams since the days of World War II. There have been two men to bear the name. First, Baron Heinrich Zemo plagued Cap in WWII. He was a Nazi sympathizer, ally to the Red Skull, and orchestrated Captain America’s greatest defeat. It was while trying to foil Baron Zemo’s attempt to destroy the American Capitol that Bucky, Cap’s teenaged partner, was killed (though that has been proven false in recent years) and Cap was lost to the arctic depths of the ocean not to be heard from again for many years. Heinrich met his demise in a final showdown with the Sentinel of Liberty years later when his Masters of Evil battled the Avengers. Heinrich’s son, Helmut, took up the mantle and the quest for vengeance against his father’s hated enemy. At first Helmut called himself the Phoenix and attempted to drown the good Captain in a vat of Adhesive X, the very substance that scarred his father. He would have succeeded, too, if it had not been for the Falcon. Later, as Baron Zemo, Helmut orchestrated Captain America’s second greatest defeat. Helmut assembled a small army of super-villains, raided and took control of Avengers Mansion, and forced a captured Captain America to watch as the brute Mr. Hyde beat and tortured the Avengers’ butler, Jarvis. In recent years Helmut assembled the super-team, the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts, originally former members of Helmut’s Masters of Evil, planned to use their identities as heroes to take over the world. Baron Zemo’s current intensions are unknown, but make no mistake that if he does return to his evil ways the new Captain America will be tested like never before. Must Read: Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) #4, 6, 7, 9, and 21; Avengers Classic #6 and 7; Essential Avengers TPB Vol. 1; Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #168, 275, 276, 277, 278, 290-300; Avengers: Under Siege TPB; The Bloodstone Hunt; Civil War: Thunderbolts TPB; Thunderbolts #64; and Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning TPB.
Red Skull – If there was an ultimate embodiment of evil, this guy would be it. During World War II the Red Skull was Adolf Hitler’s ultimate enforcer and deadliest fighter. This villain became even more dangerous when he was reborn into a cloned body of Captain America himself. The Skull’s clashes with Captain America are legendary. If not for the stalwart Sentinel of Liberty, the Red Skull would have conquered the world time and time again. There was the time when the Skull obtained the ultimate power of the Cosmic Cube. On a few other occasions the Skull obtained ultimate power and actually conquered the world. He once highjacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and got hold of the launch codes to the US nuclear arsenal. This arch villain once released a deadly chemical agent over Mount Rushmore and even the Mighty Avengers were barely able to contain the devastation. The number of lives this monster has destroyed is too high to count. The Red Skull did the one thing that not even Doctor Doom, Lex Luthor, or Loki have ever accomplished. He orchestrated the assassination of his greatest enemy. Must Read: Tales of Suspense #79, 80, and 81; Captain America (1968-1996 1st Series) #101, 102, 103, 104, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 148, 186, 227, 300, 350, 367, and 445; Captain America (1998-2002 3rd Series) #14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 45-48; Captain America (2002-2004 4th Series) #32; Astonishing Tales #5; Avengers (1997-2004 3rd Series) #64-70; Essential Super-Villain Team-Up TPB; The Assassin Nation Plot; Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus HC; Nova #3; “Captain America Lives Again!”; and Captain America: Operation Rebirth TPB.
Honorable Mentions: Machete, Zaran, Mr. Hyde, Count Nefaria, Scourge, the Hate-Monger, Flag-Smasher, Armadillo, Machinesmith, Ultimatum, Yellow Claw, Baron Blood, Blue Streak, Porcupine, Doctor Faustus, the Watchdogs, Red Guardian, Master Man and Warrior Woman, the Serpent Squad, the Tumbler, Protocide, and the Axis Powers of World War II.
There was no way I could conclude my look at the greatest Rogues Galleries in comics without looking at the Rogues Gallery of the greatest hero. Though I am really enjoying the current story by Ed Brubaker, Steve Rogers is sorely missed. And if some of the rumblings in the dark corners of the Marvel U are any indication (i.e. the Red Skull’s ultimate goal, the coming of a third Annihilation event, a Kree/Shi’ar war, the true identity of the Hood’s benefactor), the world is going to need the one true Captain America.
This is Odinson bidding thee farewell
