Loki

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 Villains List; today’s list is the Avengers’ greatest foes. The Avengers are a strange case. Many of the villains one could include in an Avengers rogues gallery are either another hero’s villain (we’ll see some of those) or a Marvel Universe-level villain (we’ll see some of those, too). The Avengers lack villains who are unique to them and many of the ones who are Avengers-specific villains don’t tend to have the personal connection necessary for a proper archenemy. (We may need to make a post for what makes a good nemesis.) But despite not having an archenemy, the Avengers have a lot of great villains they’ve faced. Let’s see who made the list.

Honorable Mention: Scarlet Witch

Yes. We have another honorable mention for this list. Scarlet Witch often works with the Avengers but she does cross the line into the role of villain and when she does, it can be devastating. Much like her MCU counterpart in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel Comics’ Scarlet Witch becomes overcome by the loss of her twin sons in the story House of M. Scarlet Witch has a personal connection with the Avengers. She has the power level that can make someone believe she could defeat the Avengers, too. If she chose the life of a villain full-time, perhaps the Scarlet Witch would serve as the Avengers’ archenemy.

5: Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper certainly has the personal connection to become the Avengers’ greatest enemy. He’s Simon Williams’ (Wonder Man) brother, and in turn, Simon Williams is the brain brother of Vision, so Grim Reaper is Vision’s half-brother of sorts. I don’t know how that works. Grim Reaper has been a part of several plots against the Avengers, too, if only tangentially. He was there in the aftermaths of both Secret War and Civil War. Because Grim Reaper lacks the power level required for an Avengers’ big bad, he tends to work behind the scenes or wait until the team is underpowered before striking. Even so, Grim Reaper deserves a spot on this list.

4: Kang the Conqueror

Kang is the inverse of Grim Reaper. He has the prerequisite power to become the Avengers’ greatest villain, but he lacks a personal connection. Kang the Conqueror is a Marvel universal threat. The Avengers are one of the many teams that happen to get into Kang’s way. Kang has more of a connection to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. In any reality (in the comic books), Kang the Conqueror began as Nathaniel Richards, a descendant of Reed’s. He idolized Tony Stark—so there’s a small connection there—and his first identity was Iron Lad. But Kang has held many identities: Kang, Immortus, Mister Gryphon, Rama-Tut, and even Doctor Doom. I hope the MCU returns to the character, eventually.

3: Thanos

Thanos is another super-powerful villain without a personal connection with the Avengers. Thanos is another Marvel Universe threat and not just an Avengers villain. Even the MCU films Infinity War and End Game brought in the Guardians of the Galaxy and a few others. Still, Thanos has had plenty of run-ins with the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. You’ll find Thanos in most Marvel titles named “Infinity” and he’s even been involved in Secret Wars and Civil War II.

2: Loki

2012’s Avengers stayed true to the Avengers’ original villain. Loki Laufeyson was the first villain of many to face off against the Avengers. He also has a personal connection to Thor Odinson, so that’s another positive for calling Loki the Avengers’ archnemesis. My favorite Avengers storyline featuring Loki is the “Acts of Vengeance” comic book crossover. Loki convinces the Avengers’ supervillain counterparts to join forces and attack members of the Avengers that the villains wouldn’t normally attack. Each hero’s nemesis would feed information about the various Avengers to the villain who planned to attack the hero. Leave to Loki to organize a massive crossover with Doctor Doom, Kingpin, Magneto, the Mandarin, the Red Skull, and the Wizard. Loki would take the top spot if it wasn’t for one villain.

1: Ultron

Created by Hank Pym (changed to Tony Stark for the MCU), Ultron was an AI designed to assist with world protection. Ultron turns rogue. He has a link with Vision and by extension Wonder Man. Add in the original Ant-Man into his origin and Ultron has the personal connections to be the Avengers’ greatest foe. He also has the power to back up those convictions. The events from Age of Ultron (the movie, not the comic book crossover, which wasn’t as good) are just the tip of the iceberg. Ultron even took the guise of Crimson Cowl and took control of the Masters of Evil, a supervillain team that just missed this list. I struggled between Loki and Ultron but decided to go with the robot. Who says a robot can’t be a superhero team’s greatest enemy?

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Doctor Strange 2

A couple of Marvel Cinematic Universe teasers occurred during conventions last weekend. The first was Director Benedict Wong stating that he started “film stuff” for Doctor Strange sequel and hopes to start filming by the end of the year.

That’s a bit odd because Disney/Marvel hasn’t officially announced Doctor Strange 2. From the sound of it, it’s in at least the pre-production stage. Mr. Wong didn’t specify if “filming by the end of the year” meant 2018 or 2019. That will play into Doctor Strange 2’s release date. If it’s 2018, it may be released around the same time as the third Guardians of the Galaxy installment.

Is Loki Dead?

The second bit of rumor came from Comic Con in Chicago. I won’t get into too many spoilers with Avengers: Infinity War on the off chance that the three or four people who haven’t seen it yet read this, but the way Loki meets his end at the beginning of the film has led to some speculation.

One fan theory calls attention to Loki trying to stab Thanos with a blade in his left hand, instead of his right and that leads to some believing that he was using a projection of himself. Tom Hiddleston must not have heard the theory, because according to Screen Rant, Hiddleston looked visibly surprised when someone asked him about it. Hiddleston’s said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

That isn’t confirmation one way or the other. In fact, Hiddleston could be getting into the trickster character one last time.

Season 7 will be Orange is the New Black’s Final One

Netflix announced that the seventh season of Orange is the New Black will be the last.

This doesn’t come as a surprise as the hit show was renewed for three seasons in 2016, and the creative team has always hinted at a seven-season run, but Netflix confirmed it this week. Creator Jenji Kohan told Deadline, “After seven seasons, it’s time to be released from prison. I will miss all the badass ladies of Litchfield and the incredible crew we’ve worked with. My heart is orange but fade to black.”

Video Games

Soulcalibur 6 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The Soulcalibur series returns today with a reboot of sorts. A lot of classic characters will join the fray with newcomers Grøh, Azwel, and Geralt of Rivia (of The Witcher fame). The other big addition will be the new mechanic known as the Reversal Edge. Soulcalibur has finally joined the trend in modern fighting games with emphasizing defense.

Movies

Mid90s

Jonah Hill is another actor making his directorial debut with this coming of age comedy. He also penned Mid90s and if nothing else, this movie will have a great 90s soundtrack.

Halloween

What is with comedic actors branching out into other avenues of film? I’m liking it. Danny McBride cowrote the script to the latest installment of Halloween. Most critics have given the film positive reviews, stating that it’s the best Halloween sequel and marks a return to form for the franchise. It follows the classic slasher formula; I may give it a chance.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

If the last two entries didn’t clinch this week as the week of comedians spreading their wings, this last one does. Melissa McCarthy stars in this dark biographical comedy about a failing writer who forges letters of famous people to make ends meet. The premise alone makes me interested.

TV

Friday, October 19, 2018

Lore (Amazon)

I watched the first season of Lore and if you can get past the cadence of the narrator’s voice, it’s a joy. Seriously, the narrator sounds like a cross between an automated voice and William Shatner hamming it up. Lore shows the history of popular myths, fables, and urban legends. It gets into the weeds to find the basis of these tales and sometimes, it shows us why they persist today. I’ll definitely watch this one, but I’ll have to take it in waves as I get reacclimated to the narrator.

Wanderlust (Netflix)

The BBC was treated to this Toni Collette vehicle last month and Netflix is airing it for folks outside the UK today. The main characters struggle with a fading sex life, so Collette (who plays a therapist) and her husband (played by Steven Mackintosh) decide to start dating other people.

Monday, October 22, 2018

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW)

Another week, yet another Arrowverse TV show. I was never into Legends of Tomorrow. The show acted as a depository of characters the series killed off but wanted to keep the actors employed. I’m also not a huge fan of time-travel and the plot issues it creates.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Native America (PBS)

If watching documentaries makes me a nerd, then I’m a nerd. PBS begins its four-part mini-series about the indigenous people of the United States. Native America travels back 15,000 years to show how Native Americans designed cities aligned to stars. It explores their unique systems of science and spirituality, and that’s just the beginning. Yes! I just set my DVR.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Legacies (CW)

Legacies is a spin-off show of The Originals, which was itself a spin-off show of The Vampire Diaries. Something tells me that Legacies will feature werewolves and vampires. This franchise has a lot of fans, but I may have to start with The Vampire Diaries if I’m able the chain of events that led the series to Legacies. But maybe not.

Board Games

Impact: Battle of Elements

With Strike off the market, Impact hopes to fill the void. The idea is simple. Players start with so many dice. They chuck their dice into a battle arena (the box) and if other people’s dice match the symbol they rolled, they claim those dice. If none of the dice match what they rolled, they lose all their dice. Last player rolling wins. There’s a little more to it than that, but very little. Still, a lot of people love this game and it lives on with a different skin with Impact: Battle of Elements.

Underwater Cities

This last entry is an odd but intriguing one. With land coming at a premium, the people of Underwater Cities starting building under the sea. Players try their best to compensate for their citizens adapting to this new lifestyle. I could talk about the worker placement aspect and action point allotment, but the fun in Underwater Cities derives from this near-future sci-fi concept.

That’s all we have for news this week. Be kind to one another and have a geeky week.

Tag: Loki

Top 5 Avengers Villains