7. Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
first appearance (of new team): X-Men #141
(my preferred) line-up: Mystique, Destiny, Pyro, Avalanche and Blob

Like the similarly named (new) Brotherhood of Evil over at DC (my day 4 choice), this All-New, All Different Brotherhood of Evil Mutants immediately captured my imagination, and I liked them way more than the venerable originals from the very earliest days of the X-men. Again, I loved all of the new, intriguing characters and the fact that (as with the rival X-men), there was one member from the ‘classic’ era, Blob. And I was particularly intrigued by the fact that their leader, the shape-shifting Mystique, was an employee in the US federal government, which she used to further her schemes. Otherwise, I have to say that this particular, pretty tight line-up is the one I always liked, although it really didn’t last that long. I didn’t mind the addition of Rogue a little later in Avengers Annual #10, but I think it should the membership should have stopped growing after that (to say nothing of other changes/permutations that happened a little after my time). And also – a pretty unpopular opinion, I believe – Rogue should have remained a villain (but that’s a discussion for another thread/another time).

Because the golden age of science fiction is 13...

7. The Fearsome Five (First Appearance: ''New Teen Titans'' #3 1981)
(Doctor Light, Gizmo, Mammoth, Shimmer, Psimon, Neutron, Jinx)



The Fearsome Five first formed following the placement of an ad in the Underworld Star, an underground newspaper run for criminals. Dr Light invited rogues to join him in attacking the Teen Titans. Four criminals answered the ad: Psimon, Shimmer, Mammoth and Gizmo. With Dr Light as leader, they formed the first iteration of the Fearsome Five. Psimon took the lead after Doctor Light was defeated by the Titans, and broke Jinx and Neutron out of prison to add them to the team - Jinx stayed with the team, but Neutron did not.

This entry comes in on pure nostalgia. Readers of past Twelve Days list may remember that New Teen Titans was a very influential book for me. it is a large part of why I became and remained a hardcore comic book fan. So it seemed only right and proper that villain team from NTT get a spot on my list. And when it comes villain teams from NTT, there is really only one choice: The Fearsome Five.

Now I can't claim that the Fearsome Five were Wolfman and Perez's greatest creation, but they were always fun. And isn't fun what comics are supposed to be about? Plus Perez came up with some nifty visuals for the members, especially Gizmo and Psimon, and later Jinx.

#7 – Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Absorbing Man, Enchantress, Ultron, Kang the Conqueror, Klaw, the Lizard, Molecule Man, and the Wrecking Crew
As seen in Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #1–12 (1984–1985)




I have a real soft spot in my heart for Marvel's Secret Wars. I was 11 years old when it came out – exactly the right age to appreciate it. It seemed like a very exciting thing at the time and, in the days before such "events" became commonplace in comics, it felt like a big deal and something that really mattered to the continuity of the Marvel Universe. Of course, as it turned out, it was mostly the "illusion of change" rather than actual Earth-shattering change to the status quo – Spidey's new suit, the Thing temporarily leaving the Fantastic Four, and the introduction of Titania and the new Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) notwithstanding.

I mean, yeah, I know that Secret Wars is pretty thin on plot, and the simple premise of heroes and villains teleported from Earth to the Beyonder's Battleworld to do nothing more than have a huge fight feels like something straight out of a '60s episode of Star Trek, but I don't care! Secret Wars was just big, dumb superhero fun and 11-year-old me couldn't get enough.

But as fun as it was to see the assembled cast of superheroes, it was almost as much fun to watch the villains team-up, with Doctor Doom as their de facto leader. Of course, predictably the villains start to betray each other pretty quickly, and then Doom betrays them all and makes a last-minute play to usurp the Beyonder's powers. But with so many supervillains massed against the heroes, Secret Wars did actually feel pretty dangerous for the good guys. That, coupled with my nostalgia-soaked love of the series, is why I have picked it as today's choice.

Charma and Grimbor



Today's choice is definitely on the more obscure side, known best to Legion of Super-Heroes fans from a single outing in Superboy/Legion #221 in 1976. While Grimbor would feature in some future appearances, Charma dies “offscreen” after this issue, effectively making their partnership a “once and done”.

And so the question may be, after the various heavy hitting villain teams I've posted in prior days, how do they warrant this spot on my list? The short answer is the quality of that one story and the impact it made on me reading it when I was young (and how it still holds up to this day IMO).

Let's start with Charma herself...even amongst Legion fans, the first thing that may come to mind is her image. She very much has that “vivacious 70's style” visual appeal. And her powers tie directly into this allure, where men instantly fall in love with her and as such she can completely control them which she puts to villainous use. In fact, her partner Grimbor is under her spell as well.

But here's where things get tragic real quick...that same power also makes women hate her. And she can't control her powers, she was born that way and her powers are always on. As she describes to Grimbor in the image below, when she was a child her parents were killed in a food riot. She was sent to a girls' school, calling it “little more than a prison”, where she was treated horribly by the headmistress who frequently put her in a “punishment chair”. So often, in fact, that it started being called “Charma's chair”. And the other girls there similarly treated her badly, beating her up and taking her things.



This really had a profound impact on me. It wasn't the first tragic comic book back story I had ever read, but it somehow seemed harsher and really made me start to question more how one becomes a villain. And maybe it wasn't just all “steal stuff, grab power, cause mayhem for fun”. Charma is most certainly “evil” in spirit and deeds at this point, but it was like she never had a chance.

That alone may seem like my strong case for today's choice, but actually, Grimbor also deserves considerable mention in my opinion. Here is a non super-powered individual who is a master of “bondage, restraint, and security”, basically a locksmith of the highest order. Let's not forget that the Legion is massively powered overall, and their rogues gallery often features some significantly powered individuals/teams as well. During the course of this issue, while Charma is instrumental in taking control of the various male Legionnaires, Grimbor's restraints then are able to fully secure them. I love this concept...a single man who is clever enough has the ability to take out the Legion without throwing a single blow.

Jim Shooter scripted this issue (based on a suggestion from Ken Klaczak) with some spiffy Mike Grell pencils. It's one of my favorite Legion issues of all time and provides the team making the cut for today's choice.

You and I agree on so many things , how did you get it wrong on that green rabbit?😳

I strongly considered having the Minutemen on my list, but went with my gut instead. 

7. Joker and Clayface
Occurred in Batman #159 (September 1963)
By BilL Finger and Sheldon Moldoff

It was a pretty uncreative idea to pit two of Batman's foes against each other, each trying to prove they are more capable than the other, but this teamup becomes so memorable to me because Finger and Moldoff have The Joker and Clayface push themselves to their absolute limits, pulling off utterly insane tricks to prove their mettle, leaving the reader to truly not know when the Dynamic Duo is actually facing The Joker (or is it Clayface masterfully impersonating him) or Clayface (or is it The Joker impossibly managing to do the same) all while the action gets surprisingly intense:



Anyway, these are, hands down, my two favorite Batman villains. The Joker might have been an obvious pick, but Clayface gets more easily overlooked. Finger and Moldoff get his power here; they truly embrace the merits and abilities of both villains in so thoroughly enjoyable a manner.