doctor doom

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, we’ll be discussing Marvel United. Yes! We haven’t discussed this board game in quite some time, and it’s time to fix that. Marvel United’s various villains and the way they alter the gameplay are the game’s most intriguing game design elements. In today’s list, we’ll share our picks for the Top 5 Marvel United Villains.

Dishonorable Mention: Gladiator (War of Kings Expansion)

Right off the bat, we’re shaking up things with this list. While a Top 5 Marvel United Villains list is up for debate (everyone has their own taste), Gladiator may just be one of the most universally hated villains in the game. Simply put, he’s unwinnable at heroic mode, unless you use multiple heroes with lots of wild symbols, which limits the number of heroes you can even use to defeat this villain. Most games against Gladiator end with the heroes auto-losing after a couple of turns. No thanks.

While the rest of the War of Kings Expansion adds some nice variety, Gladiator as a villain is plain unfun. Fortunately, he is an antihero. I’d use him as a hero, not a villain.

5: Dark Phoenix (Marvel United Season 2, X-Men, Stretch Goals)

We’ll be seeing a ton of Marvel United Season 2 on this list. Most gamers list it as the best Marvel United Season, and I tend to agree. Marvel United X-Men rules. Unlike our previous entry, Dark Phoenix may be difficult to acquire. Difficult, but not impossible. She’s available in the Season 2 Stretch Goal box. This box includes a heap of fantastic characters. We may see another one on this list from the same box, so the hefty price tag of $80 to $100 may be worth the cost.

Dark Phoenix offers a chaotic and fun fight. She doesn’t go down easy, but at the same time, Dark Phoenix doesn’t feel unfair of a fight (ahem, Gladiator). It also doesn’t hurt that Dark Phoenix is an iconic villain. I love playing against her, reliving moments from the epic Dark Phoenix Saga. And look at that mini. Gorgeous.

4: Legion (Marvel United Season 2, X-Men, Stretch Goals)

It did not take long for us to get to another Marvel United Villain from the Season 2 Stretch Goal box. Legion may be the pinnacle of Marvel United villain design. Like in the comic book, his personality changes. Every two turns brings a new wrinkle and mechanism into the game. Sure. This gimmick functions like an intricate puzzle in miniature game form, but puzzles can be a blast.

I’ve heard rumblings that at least one DC Super Heroes United villain borrows some game design ideas from Legion. I hope that’s true. Legion’s changing personality adds plenty of spice.

3: Doctor Doom (Fantastic Four Expansion)

Doctor Doom is our third representative from Marvel United Season 2 (X-Men). Such a great set. Naturally, Doctor Doom is included in the Fantastic Four Expansion, and he makes this list for more than nostalgia reasons. I swear. Doctor Doom is a “fantastic” Marvel United villain. All jokes aside, I’ve always had tight games against Doctor Doom as a villain. The Marvel United design team made sure to tune his combination of cards so players will always be one turn away from winning or losing each game. Brilliant!

Combination doesn’t begin to describe Doctor Doom’s Threats and Master Plan cards. They work so well together, and every time a new card gets revealed, players will be forced to make tense and meaningful decisions. Doctor Doom is one of those villains you face, and you’ll know which decision caused you to win or lose.

2: Juggernaut (Marvel United X-Men Core Set)

The X-Men set is four out of four on this list. Yowza! See what I mean when I said the Marvel United X-Men was a banger? Juggernaut makes this list–and almost tops it–because he makes a phenomenal introductory Marvel United villain. And he happens to be included in the Marvel United X-Men Core Set. Unless you really want Avengers in your game, I almost always suggest picking up the readily available X-Men Core Set. This makes Juggernaut one of the easiest villains on this list to add to your collection.

Juggernaut makes a great introductory villain because he’s thematic and fun. He charges around the board, headbutting people. Juggernaut behaves like you’d expect Juggernaut to behave. His ruleset is on the simpler side, but he can be challenging. Marvel United found a way to make Juggernaut easy to play and rewarding to defeat. I’ve never had a table dislike Juggernaut, and he just may be one of my most commonly played Marvel United villains.

1: Sinister Six & Assembled Sinister Six (Return of the Sinister Six and Maximum Carnage Expansions)

I’m double-cheating with our top entry. First, the Sinister Six is a supervillain team. Second, I’m picking two expansions here. Return of the Sinister Six was a KickStarter exclusive all the way back in Season 1, but plenty of stories carry this expansion, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. Maximum Carnage was released in Season 3, but the modular Sinister Six add-on was only available in the KickStarter exclusive variant of the expansion. I picked up the Maximum Carnage expansion via retail, so I have a method of adding the modular Sinister Six.

Above is a picture of Carnage’s puzzle piece that can be used in the modular Sinister Six. Using the Marvel United wiki, I took images (and real-world measurements) and printed out my own copy of each puzzle piece of a modular villain at my local library. There are some unique cards you won’t find in a retail copy of Maximum Carnage, so you’ll need to print out those as well. Both are easy to find and download.

I love both iterations of Marvel United’s Sinister Six. Featuring the Sinister Six’s founding members, Return of the Sinister Six provided Marvel United’s first supervillain team. Like Legion, The Sinister Six functions like another intricate puzzle. But once you’ve figured out the puzzle, it may be time to move on to the modular Sinister Six. This version of the Sinister Six includes every villain who has ever joined the Sinister Six, so that static puzzle becomes an ever-changing puzzle. The first Sinister Six holds a special place in my heart (and you’ll need them to fill out your roster of every Sinister Six member), but the modular Sinister Six is clearly the best Marvel United villain. Fun, adaptable, and never boring.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who your favorite Marvel United villains are in the comments. Thank you for reading, wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Last month Geekly discussed the X-Men’s top 5 villains. Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four, has as many contenders for their top five as Marvel’s merry mutants. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Top 5 Villains List. With Fantastic Four: First Steps releasing later this week, let’s discuss the Fantastic Four’s top five villains. We know one that one of these villains will make an appearance in Fantastic Four: Four Steps. Who knows? More than one of these villains will make their MCU debut soon.

Honorable Mention: The Frightful Four

The Frightful Four is a cheat; they’re a supervillain group. Supervillain groups began with Spider-Man’s Sinister Six in 1964. The Frightful Four debuted the following year. Members of the Frightful Four have also served in the Masters of Evil (who made the Avengers Top 5 Villains list) and the Sinister Six. In fact, Sandman is an original member of the Frightful Four and the Sinister Six. The Frightful Four have had a rotating roster, but Wizard (the team’s founder) has stayed the team’s one constant.

The Frightful Four takes its lead from its founder, the Wizard. Dr. Bentley Wittman is a twisted version of Reed Richards. But while Doctor Doom (another twisted version of Reed Richards) combines arcane knowledge with technology, the Wizard combines technology with smoke and mirrors. Think of the Wizard as a beefed-up Mysterio.

5: Maker

Our first Fantastic Four villain is another twisted version of Reed Richards. Maker is the Mr. Fantastic of the Marvel Ultimate Universe. In this universe, Reed proposes to Sue after Sue’s father dies. This universe’s Sue rejects Reed. While somewhat sympathetic (the Ultimate Universe’s Reed Richards witnesses the family he and Sue could’ve had while visiting the main Marvel timeline), Reed gives in fully to his selfish tendencies. He turns his anger on his would-be family by torturing Sue. Subsequently, the Human Torch attacked Reed with his hottest flame, which permanently scarred Reed’s face. After a brief exile in the Negative Zone, Reed emerged as the Maker.

Maker vows to mold the world in his image of perfection. The helmet he wears isn’t just for show. It adjusts to his head. Maker will stretch his brain, learning as much as he can of the universe’s secrets. Maker serves as a warning to Reed Richards. He must not give in fully to his self-centered nature.

4: Super-Skrull

Super-Skrull is an alias used by multiple Marvel comics characters. Essentially, Super-Skrull can refer to any enhanced member of the Skrull race. But when comic book fans refer to “Super-Skrull,” they typically mean Kl’rt, who appeared in Fantastic Four #18, and Kl’rt is the “Super-Skrull” who takes this spot. The Skrulls imbued Kl’rt with the Fantastic Four’s powers. Kl’rt possesses all the Fantastic Four’s powers. He’s an obvious threat.

But Kl’rt’s dominance runs deeper. Typically, he has better control over his powers, and his powers are improved versions of the Fantastic Four’s. Since he’s a Skrull, Kl’rt has natural shapeshifting abilities. Throw in hypnosis, and one can see why Super-Skrull Kl’rt was chosen to pave the way for a new Skrull Empire invasion. While Super-Skrull poses a threat to the Marvel universe as a whole, Kl’rt was designed to take on the Fantastic Four and has been a constant thorn in the side of Marvel’s first family.

3: Annihilus

Annihilus is another villain who poses a threat to the entire Marvel universe. Spoiler alert: The same can be said of the remaining villains on this list. Annihilus is an interdimensional insectoid conqueror and tyrant hailing from the Negative Zone, a pocket dimension located within Marvel’s main timeline. He attempted to take over the Negative Zone by wielding the Cosmic Control Rod. In classic Reed Richards fashion, he postulated that he needed the Cosmic Control Rod to treat Susan Richards during her pregnancy, and instead of asking for the rod, he stole it from Annihilus. The team intended to return the rod when they were done using it, but Annihilus took exception to the theft. Leave it to Reed to kick a hornet’s nest.

Since their first meeting, Annihilus and the Fantastic Four have been uneasy allies and foes on various occasions. Annihilus works best as an irritant to the Fantastic Four. The animosity has led to some stellar storylines that get personal.

2: Galactus

Galactus needs little introduction. He’s the big guy in blue and purple. Even if Galactus needed an introduction, he has countless heralds to do that for him. Galactus is more of a force of nature. He needs to feed on a planet’s essence to survive. Earth and Galactus happen to collide, and when they do, the Fantastic Four serve as Earth’s guardians.

But Galactus’s link to the Fantastic Four (and the Marvel universe) runs deeper than the surface. Galactus wields the power cosmic; the Fantastic Four were transformed by cosmic rays, originating from the power cosmic. Galactus also happens to be the last surviving member of the previous multiverse, the Sixth Cosmos. Due to a plague named the Black Winter, the universe began dying, and Galan (Galactus before he became Galactus) searched the cosmos to find a cure. He failed. Galan proposed to the remaining survivors that they die with glory by piloting one of their starships into the heart of the Cosmic Egg. Everyone aboard the vessel died, except for Galan. He fused with the Sentience of the Sixth Cosmos to become Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.

I love Galactus’s origin. It humanizes him. He’d easily take the top spot if it weren’t for one Fantastic Four villain.

1: Doctor Doom

Obviously, Doctor Doom takes the top spot. As mentioned before, Victor von Doom blends magic and science to become one of the Marvel universe’s greatest threats. He rules Latveria with a literal and figurative iron fist and intends to do the same with the rest of the world. Doom believes the world/universe needs a ruler smart and cunning enough to lead. He happens to be the best person for the job.

Even though Doctor Doom threatens the universe, he’s the perfect Fantastic Four villain because of his ties to Reed Richards. The two were college rivals. Doom blames Reed for the accident that cost him his face and drove him to the far reaches of the earth, where he studied magic to coincide with his brilliant scientific mind. Doctor Doom is forever linked to the Fantastic Four. He’s iconic. He’s a threat as big—if not bigger—than Thanos, and I can’t wait to see what the MCU has in store for this character.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who your favorite Fantastic Four villains are in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Top 5 Marvel United Villains