top 5

Top 5 Movie Monsters

Published on October 31, 2026May 1, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Halloween, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with what should be a fun Top Five List for the holiday. That’s right. We’re celebrating Halloween with a list of the Top 5 Movie Monsters. There are so many to choose from, but we’ll try to keep this list to just five. I’m sure you’ll let us know if we got this list right in the comments. Let’s get to the Top 5 Movie Monsters.

5: King Kong

The Eighth Wonder of the World claims our fifth spot on this list. King Kong had to make this list, and he did, but just barely. In short, King Kong is iconic. He predates popular gigantic monsters (some of which may also make this list) by at least two decades. There’s a reason Kong also has the nickname, the King of Monsters. He dominated all other large monsters on his home, Skull Island. He tapped into viewers’ primal fear and took the movie-going public by storm. And while Kong terrified movie-goers in his 1933 debut, King Kong’s story is just as much about humanity exploiting the planet. And that gives his story weight.

Honestly, I didn’t think a 1930s United States director (Merian C. Cooper) would address an issue like humanity exploiting the planet in a story. To be fair, the original King Kong focused more on human greed and wanting to turn Kong into a “star,” but that still counts as exploitation. Humans kidnapped Kong and put him on a stage. Future directors, like Peter Jackson, leaned more into exploiting natural resources in more recent films. Regardless, King Kong gains more relevance because his story contains a message.

4: Godzilla

Eediga-Ooom! We didn’t need to wait long for another gigantic monster to make this list. Godzilla challenges King Kong for the title of King of the Monsters. Without question, he is the first kaiju. Like Kong before him, Godzilla explores another primal fear: nuclear weapons. That’s right. Godzilla’s origin centers around the aftermath of nuclear weapons. Following World War II, Japan was kind of obsessed with this topic. But the Godzilla films tackled more than the existential crisis of a nuclear war. At various times, Godzilla films challenged social and political views.

Despite frequent hiatuses, the Godzilla film franchise holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous movie franchise. After each hiatus, the tone of the movies could drastically change. Sometimes dark and brooding. Other times, over-the-top and silly. No matter the tone, I don’t mind watching the occasional Godzilla film.

3: Bruce the Shark (Jaws)

Da-dum…Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-da-Dum! Be honest, you were singing the Jaws theme just now. We talked about primal fear in past entries. No other movie monster feeds into that more than the great white shark in Jaws. His nickname was Bruce, so we listed him as Bruce on this list. Also, “Bruce the Shark” in Finding Nemo is a nod to Jaws. Fish are friends, not food. Getting back to Jaws, Bruce is a great example of less is more. As you can see from the picture above, Jaws” animatronic shark looks a little fake, so Steven Spielberg opted to show Bruce as little as possible. The rest is movie history.

The movie Jaws is history’s first blockbuster film. It set the rules–or are they guidelines?–for what a summer blockbuster should look like. Jaws was also the highest-grossing film of all time after its release. Who cares if that only lasted two years, until Star Wars was released? Together with Star Wars, Jaws set the Hollywood standard and ushered in a new generation of auteurs. The movie itself holds up remarkably well decades after its original release. That may have a lot to do with Spielberg’s choice of showing the shark as little as possible. At first, I questioned Bruce the Shark’s entry on this list. Does a shark constitute a movie monster? It does if it’s this shark.

2: Xenomorph (Alien)

Stealth. Strength. Weapons. The xenomorph has it all. That deadly combination keeps most protagonists on their toes. Throw in the face-huggers, and the xenomorph may be the most iconic monsters in movie history. Like many other monsters on this list, the xenomorph is the icon of a trailblazing film series. Science fiction horror didn’t exist before Alien. The original Alien charted new territory. At the heart of that new territory lives the xenomorph.

You can’t separate Alien from Xenomorph or Xenomorph from Alien. They’re synonymous. The xenomorph’s design is genius. What would you expect from H. R. Giger? That sleek, sinister, almost sadistic design will strike fear in anyone. I don’t know what I fear the most from the xenomorph: its acid, its ability to strangle me with any one of its appendages, the face-huggers attaching to my face and then the xenomorph bursting from my gut. Whose sick mind thought of this thing? Right. Giger and Ridley Scott. The xenomorph is that movie monster you love to hate.

1: The Thing

The Thing takes the concept of Jaws‘ Bruce the Shark (show as little of the monster as possible) and adds the idea of a shapeshifting entity. In many ways, The Thing is a combination of Jaws and Alien. Why wouldn’t it claim our top spot? Don’t trust your eyes. They’ll deceive you. And when you catch a glimpse of The Thing, do so with the visceral imagery of a xenomorph. Set in Antarctica, The Thing takes the form of the last person it killed.

I can’t imagine watching The Thing take the form of one of my loved ones. This is what makes The Thing so terrifying. It lulls you into a false sense of security. It plays on your emotions. While The Thing may not have shown up in as many films as the other monsters on this list, there’s no doubt it leaves an impression. That’s why The Thing takes the top spot on our list.

But those are my thoughts. Which monsters would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Horror-Themed Board Games

Published on October 17, 2026April 30, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Spooky Season, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’re celebrating the season with our list of the top five horror-themed board games. There are way more horror-themed board games than you might think. Heck, there were way more horror-themed board games than I thought there were. I left a lot of great games and some former favorites off this list. So, you know we’ll have at least one honorable mention. Yay! Let’s see the game that just missed this list, before we get to the ones that made our Top 5 Horror-Themed Board Games List.

Honorable Mention: The Night Cage (2021)

The Night Cage just misses this list because I may not have played it enough. Plain and simple. I have yet to play enough of this title, and I’d love to see it hit the table more. The board doesn’t look like much (without the tiles it’s a simple grid), but pulling tiles from the candle-shaped draw pile is so thematic.

Building out The Night Cage’s labyrinth is a lot of fun, too. And it doesn’t hurt that Smirk and Dagger Games produced an accompanying soundtrack for The Night Cage. Talk about going above and beyond with creating a mood. The Night Cage leans heavily into atmosphere. Each game is a tense prison break. You’ll need to keep your wits to survive.

This list was super tough to make. There are a lot of games that could’ve claimed the sole honorable mention spot: Kingdom Death Monster, Abomination, and Dead of Winter are just a few. We could make another list of the Top 5 Cthulhu-themed games. There are so many great horror-themed board games.

5: Cthulhu: Death May Die (2019)

Yes. I’m a Rob Daviau and Eric M. Lang fan. And yes, several other games can scratch the same itch as Cthulhu: Death May Die. Kingdom Death Monster comes to mind; Kingdom Death Monster is another game one could consider an honorable mention for this list. But I prefer Cthulhu: Death May Die. It would be higher on this list if I had played more than a handful of times.

Unique player powers and an ever-changing narrative that seldom plays out the same way twice. Cthulhu: Death May Die adds a bombastic sense of humor to a sometimes overly serious intellectual property. I appreciate that, too. This game needs to hit my table more often. Maybe then it’ll climb the ranks on a list like this.

4: Betrayal at House on the Hill (2004)

I love Betrayal at House on the Hill. It’s one of the first horror-themed board games I ever picked up after returning to the board game hobby. Again, I had plenty of great horror-themed board games to choose from for this list. Betrayal at House on the Hill (Betrayal for short) plays out like the movie Cabin in the Woods. Players search the titular house, a mansion players build as they play the game. Whenever an Omen card is drawn, the player who drew the card makes a haunt roll. If the roll fails, the haunt begins. Typically, one player works on behalf of the house, and the rest fight against the traitor.

Word of caution: Betrayal can crumble under the weight of the haunt. Some haunts prove difficult to understand, and gamers can misplay numerous aspects of the haunt. I played one where I was the traitor, my former teammates attacked me, but my character wanted to perish. The other players played into my win condition. No two haunts are the same, so just because players understand one, it doesn’t mean they’ll comprehend the next one. And many of the haunts are unbalanced. Some favor the explorers, while others favor the traitor. Still, my family plays Betrayal at House on the Hill at least once every Spooky Season. If you want a story and exploration, it’s an excellent pick.

3: Final Girl (2021)

I knew Final Girl would make this list, but placing the game would be difficult. I went with the classic three-spot for a game that fits this bill. Whenever I craft one of these Top 5 lists and have one odd entry in the list, not knowing where to place the game (or insert element here), that’s the one I place at three. Final Girl may be the best solo-only board game on the market. It’s definitely the most famous solo-only board game out there. I’ve played it a few times, and I’m hooked.

I can hear some of you complain that Final Girl has a lot of game for a solo board game. Just look at the picture above. You’d think this game facilitated four or five players. Nope. It’s a solo board game. Yowza! That’s a lot of table space for a solo-gaming experience. I’m getting off-topic, but I’ll just say that massive solo games are good for the hobby. Not everyone has enough friends to play games, or they struggle to find times that work to play with their game group. Quick rant over. If you’re going to play a solo board game, you can’t go wrong with Final Girl. It captures its theme brilliantly. You are a final girl trying to survive until the end of a horror movie. Final Girl may look complicated, but the elements work so well together that you can’t help but pick up the rules quickly.

Plus, Final Girl is the only solo board game to make BoardGameGeek’s Top 100 Games. I know that BoardGameGeek has its flaws, but Top 100 for a solo board game is impressive.

2: Mansions of Madness: Second Edition (2016)

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition does a great job of incorporating an app with a board game. I know. I know. This is yet another controversial pick. Two in a row. Some board gamers are purists. They don’t want to own a game that has an app you’ll need to download to a smart device. But Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is so worth it. The game does accommodate solo play, but part of the joy is teaming up with players to solve various puzzles and unearthing what the followers of Cthulhu have planned.

The Mansions of Madness app will also change details for each scenario between different plays. I played the exact same scenario twice in a row, figured I knew who the cultists were, and attacked those characters, only to realize that the details had changed, and they pointed the finger at different characters. My bad. We lost that game miserably. But the fact this can happen validates Mansions of Madness: Second Edition’s app. I don’t always have the time to invest in a scenario of Mansions of Madness, but whenever I do, it never fails to add a touch of cinema.

1: Horrified (2019)

Horrified has dominated the horror-themed board game category ever since it released in 2019. I have all the variants of this game, and we play every Horrified variant each Spooky Season. Ironically, I’ve played the original Horrified the least. I’ve enjoyed every play of the original, but we prefer American Monsters, Greek Monsters, and the Dungeons & Dragons variants best. Speaking of the Dungeons & Dragons Horrified game, I’m writing this post early and before the next variant, Horrified: Ravenloft, another Horrified game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, releases. I can’t wait to add the new one to our yearly rounds of plays.

Each Horrified monster behaves differently. Some will openly attack players. Others, like Big Foot, will actively avoid players. Heck, you’ll have to prove Big Foot even exists. The original Horrified has a good mix of various difficulty-setting monsters. American Monsters and Greek Monsters up the ante. World of Monsters gets a little too tough with some monsters. And the Dungeons & Dragons Horrified adds D&D elements. What’s not to love?

Ultimately, pick a genre of monster you would like to face and throw down with that version of Horrified. Prospero Hall does a great job of capturing the essence of most of these monsters. The fact that players take on two or more of these monsters at a time means that you’ll seldom get the same game twice.

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll probably have played all or most of the titles on this list. Like I said, there are so many fantastic horror-themed board games. What are some of yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Board Games By Indigenous Designers

5 Tabletop Games by Indigenous Designers

Published on October 12, 2026May 2, 2026 by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Geekly Gang! We’re celebrating the day by discussing five board games designed/published by indigenous designers or publishers. Some of these games I’ve seen at my local game shop. I may have played a few of these. The rest I need to try. Regardless of which group these games belong to, I wanted to highlight games designed by indigenous board game designers. Here is Geekly’s list of five board games by indigenous designers.

Wolves (Coyote & Crow)

Wolves by Kenna Alexander was one of the first games that came to mind when I came up with this list. Publisher Coyote & Crow employs a variety of indigenous artists. All of Coyote & Crow’s releases show their native roots. Wolves is no exception.

Wolves features semi-cooperative play. Players must balance personal goals with the needs of all at the table. This is a trend in board games designed by indigenous designers. Culturally, indigenous people don’t tend to seek the all-out destruction of their neighbors. Semi-cooperative play is difficult to pull off well, but Wolves does a great job of walking the balance between players working toward personal and community goals. Each player takes on the role of a community leader. Resources are slim, and everyone must survive through a harsh winter. If any player fails to accommodate their community, everyone loses. I love the art, the design, and the concept.

You should give Wolves a play and keep publisher Coyote & Crow on your gaming radar if it isn’t already.

Burn the Fort (Indigenous Action)

Anti-colonialism is another trend in indigenous board games. No game represents this trend more than Burn the Fort by Klee Benally. The game’s name says it all. Players take the role of a historic warrior fighting to stop the colonial invasion of their lands. Players gather resources, trade with other players, and acquire the means to burn the titular fort.

Like Wolves, Burn the Fort features semi-cooperative play. At the start of the game, everyone starts in an alliance, but alliances can be broken. Players can choose how much they want to contribute to stopping colonial forces, but with each wagon that reaches the fort, the train moves toward the Golden Spike that will ultimately spell doom for everyone. Burn the Fort also offers something of a history lesson. I like games that can make history fun to learn. A brief background accompanies each historic warrior. Excellent.

While other games by indigenous designers feature maintaining balance, Burn the Fort puts the ideas of exploitation and expansion front and center.

Winter Rabbit (Absurdist Productions)

If you want a Native American board game steeped in folklore, look no further than Winter Rabbit by William Thompson. Set in the world of traditional Cherokee animal stories, Winter Rabbit has players take on the role of the animals. Ever the trickster, the Rabbit decides he doesn’t want to work. Instead, he confuses everyone else so he can take all the resources for himself.

Winter Rabbit features an interesting hidden worker placement mechanism. Villagers are drawn from a bag. The active player knows whose villager they have drawn and can choose where to place it; none of the other players knows this information. When resources are produced, everyone gets one, but those with villagers present gain additional resources. Rabbit villagers do not produce resources. When one of these appears, the resources are diverted to the Rabbit Burrow. I told you the Rabbit doesn’t want to work.

I’ll be honest. I borrowed a lot from the publisher’s description of Winter Rabbit. I wrote this post months before its release, and my copy is on its way. I can’t wait to play Winter Rabbit. It looks amazing.

Nawalli: The Aztec Card Game (Studio Tecuanis)

NAWALLI by Gonzalo Alvarez and Will Rogers is a creature battle card game based on Aztec mythology. You take on the role of a shapeshifting sorcerer known as a Nawalli to summon Nawals. The game has four partially pre-built decks, ready for customization. Each deck represents Aztec gods from the four directions: Tezkatlipoka, Tlalok, Ehakatl, and Xipe Totek. As you can see, NAWALLI dives into Aztec mythology.

NAWALLI features gorgeous art by Gonzalo Alverez. Many describe the game as a Mesoamerican Pokémon. NAWALLI could only have come from someone with intimate knowledge of Aztec culture and mythology. The images recreate the traditional Aztec style. The look of NAWALLI catches the eye. There are many dueling card games, but NAWALLI’s vibrant art and theme set it apart.

Nunami (Thomassie Mangiok)

We end this list with the self-published Nunami. While Wolves featured balance between one’s neighbors, the Inuit board game Nunami promotes the healthy cohabitation of humanity and natural elements. Nunami’s triangular cards heighten the game’s dynamic terrain management.

Nunami, like NAWALLI, features traditional Inuit artwork set against a stark white or black background. Nunami may be the most abstract game on this list. Players influence a region (hexagon base) with the cards they play. Some cards will cause another to flip facedown. The first player to reach four points wins. Nunami plays the fastest of any of the games on this list. If you want a quick play, Nunami may be for you. Even though Nunami plays more like an abstract game (think Chess, where there’s no story reason why a Knight moves in an L pattern), players attempt to achieve balance. In this case, a balance between man and nature. That sounds like a Native American theme to me.

These are five board games by Native American designers that I wanted to highlight today. What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

5: Alma (Fear)

Yes. The spooky girl trope is overplayed in horror. And yes. Alma from Fear looks a lot like Samara from The Ring. I’ll try not to spoil anything, because you should play Fear and its sequel. Trust me when I say Alma rises above the creepy child horror trope. She has a compelling backstory, and even though what she does in the first Fear can send shivers down your spine, Alma outdoes herself in the sequel. Fear 2 is unhinged. The sequel reaches maximum Alma, and it’s all the better for it.

4: Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)

Would you kindly add Andrew Ryan to the top five horror video game villains? Yes, Andrew, we would. Seriously, all I had to say was “would you kindly?” and some of you shivered. That’s the mark of a great horror video game villain and one hell of a line. The buildup makes Andrew Ryan work so well. Again, I’ll try not to spoil anything here, but it’s tough to do in these lists. Gamers grow accustomed to the line “would you kindly” that when the volta (the turn) happens, it’ll make your jaw drop the first time you hear it. It’s so good. Andrew Ryan could’ve easily moved up this list if it weren’t for a heap of blueblood horror video game villains.

Including Andrew Ryan disqualifies Shodan from System Shock, Bioshock’s spiritual prequel. We felt we needed to mention Shodan here, lest she lead the AI revolution and wipe out humanity. If AI decides to be our benevolent overlords, we love you, Shodan. Yas queen.

3: Scissorman (Clock Tower)

I struggled with where to place Scissorman on this list, so we’re going with the rule of three. If in doubt, place the character at the three spot. JK

Scissorman is one of the most bizarre horror video game villains. When the creators of Clock Tower decided which weapon to give their main antagonist, they went with a pair of giant scissors, because death by scissors would be a slow, painful demise. Yep. Clock Tower wanted maximum levels of torture and chose to give their villain a giant pair of scissors. That’s one way to go. I can’t imagine getting decapitated by a comically large pair of scissors. Clock Tower dominated the early days of the PlayStation 1, and Scissorman was one of the biggest reasons.

2: Pyramid Head (Silent Hill 2)

Face it. You read the title of this Top 5 and figured Silent Hill and Resident Evil would dominate this list. If it weren’t for our “one character per franchise rule,” those two games would saturate this list. So, we went with the big guns. Pyramid Head is iconic. He’s the first monster you think of when discussing the Silent Hill franchise. Well, it’s him or those headless nurses. Yikes!

First off, Pyramid Head doesn’t have a pyramid on top of his head. His head is a pyramid. Second, Pyramid Head doesn’t follow the typical role of a stalking villain. Sure, he stalks you, but Pyramid Head suddenly makes an appearance, and what he does to other horrific creatures makes you dread facing him. Pyramid Head pours gasoline on the Andrew Ryan idea of building up the game’s main villain. This guy is one of the most recognizable horror video game villains in history. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone dressed as Pyramid Head at my local Comic-Con.

1: Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)

Albert Wesker defies conventional horror video game villain logic. He’s not a one-off villain. He lurks in the shadows, plotting the player’s demise. Originally killed off in the first Resident Evil, Wesker injects himself with the T-Virus, turning him into a superhuman who will stop at nothing to take out the heroes. Evil to his core, Albert Wesker refuses to go down without a fight. Players’ familiarity with the character breeds animosity. And the feeling is more than mutual.

Like Pyramid Head and most of the characters on this list, Albert Wesker is the first villain one thinks of when discussing Resident Evil. But Resident Evil isn’t just another horror video game. It began the survival horror video game genre. Albert Wesker is the granddaddy of all survival horror video game villains. Wesker even trumps this post’s featured image villain, Nemesis from Resident Evil 2. Ah! Nemesis was such a menace. Love him.

That’s our list of the Top 5 Horror Video Game Villains. Who would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Five Popular But Underused/Misused Batman Villains

Published on October 5, 2026May 1, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Batman Villains list. What? I warned you that I found numerous Batman villains while researching Batman’s Rogues Gallery. I still have enough unused villains for at least two more lists. The last list was 5 Underrated/Underused Women Batman Villains. Today’s list will feature popular Batman villains who, for some reason, aren’t used as much as they could or should be, or they get misused. Plenty of Batman villains could make this list. These are our five picks who fit the bill. There is a chance a villain you’re thinking of makes a future list. Seriously, we have at least another two Top 5 Lists in this series. Leave a comment on who you would add to this list of Five Popular but Underused/Misused Batman Villains.

5: Clayface

I wrote this post months ago, so the Clayface film has yet to be released. I hope it does well. I liked the teaser trailer (just a hint of when I wrote this, LOL). This is a list of popular Batman villains. We’re not going obscure here; that’ll be another list. Clayface makes this list because of their interpretation in the comics. At least ten different characters (men and women) have taken the mantle of Clayface. The character has two main power sets: body manipulation (the most well-known) and rot touch (less well-known). Because of these two distinct power sets, DC Comics writers retell Clayface’s origin. A lot. Too much. Most new Batman creative team that decides to include Clayface tend to give Clayface a new given name. Because two power sets exist, that same Batman creative team will introduce the character with their origin.

Too many origins. Unless it has changed significantly, stop retelling Clayface’s origin. Ironically, media outside of comics do a better job of interpreting Clayface. Again, I hope the Clayface movie does well. We may see a Clayface renaissance. This development is also why Clayface is this low on the list. They narrowly beat out another popular Batman rogue, Scarecrow. Scarecrow has a similar issue in the comics. For whatever reason, comic book writers liked retelling Scarecrow’s origin, despite Jonathan Crane being the only Scarecrow in DC Comics, and his powers seldom changed. Scarecrow also has a spottier record with media outside of comics, but Clayface’s volume of origin stories gives them the edge.

4: Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange may have the strangest history in comics. Pun intended. He’s one of the few characters who know Batman’s identity, which makes him a unique threat to the Caped Crusader. He even dressed as Batman, trying his best to out Batman the Batman. Interesting. Comic book writers thought Strange posed too much of a threat, so they killed him in the Eighties. But he became a ghost, haunting Batman and his rogues for years. Bizarre. I told you Hugo Strange has a coconut comic book history.

Essentially, Doctor Hugo Strange is a mad scientist. He’s one of those classic mad scientists who remained relevant beyond the comic books’ Golden Age. Back in the 40s, half of every superhero’s rogues gallery consisted of mad scientists. But Hugo Strange endured because comic book creative teams gave him second and third chances. They built on the stories that came before. The reason Hugo Strange makes this list is that he’s never had a live-action portrayal. That could change soon. Two-time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks has expressed interest in being Strange–Hugo Strange, that is–and the character has seen spotty appearances in the comics in recent decades.

3: Bane

Bane has been done dirty outside the comics. Tom Hardy gave a good performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, but it was undercut by the reveal that he was Talia al Ghul’s stooge. I could forgive that if Bane wasn’t comically taken out by someone driving a truck over him. The less said about Bane’s portrayal in Batman and Robin, the better. The character often gets cast as a muscle-bound idiot. He’s at least not as intelligent as other Batman rogues. But Bane is highly intelligent. He’s a crime lord for crying out loud. Bane represents one of several reverse-Batmans in Batman’s rogues, and yet, the comics also do Bane dirty.

Bane gained notoriety as the “Man who Broke the Bat.” The scene where Bane snaps Batman’s back lives in comic book lore. It’s iconic. But do you remember what happens after Batman nurses himself back–get it?–to health? The replacement Batman (Jean-Paul) becomes unstable and assumes the identity of Azrael, who, in turn, becomes a greater threat than Bane. Yeah. What I dinged The Dark Knight Rises for, revealing a stronger adversary in Bane’s place, happens in Bane’s most iconic comic book story, Knightfall. Bane could really use a good publicist.

2: Ventriloquist

Like Mister Freeze (another character who just missed the list), Ventriloquist was put on the map by Batman: The Animated Series. People forgot the Ventriloquist existed. During BTAS’s run, fans demanded to see more of the Ventriloquist in the comics. While Mister Freeze found some success in the comic book medium, comic book creators didn’t know what to do with the Ventriloquist. Despite an intriguing backstory, he doesn’t evolve beyond being a novelty.

I could see Ventriloquist stories exploring identity. Is Scarface the true personality? Or could it be the man with his hand up Scarface’s backside? Scarface pictures himself as a crime boss, and yet Ventriloquist never gets cast as a crime boss. I could see Ventriloquist existing in the same space as the Falcones and Rupert Thorne. Ventriloquist may need his own solo movie. Make it happen, DCU.

1: Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter is another example of a character whose stock increased after a handful of fantastic Batman: The Animated Series episodes. But Mad Hatter comic books may be more frustrating than the Ventriloquist. BTAS did for the Mad Hatter what it did for Mister Freeze. It revamped Jervis Tetch’s backstory. It turned an also-ran, joke caricature of a character into a living, breathing human. It even pitted Mad Hatter as a different reflection of Batman, another reverse-Batman, if you will. Joker covers chaos, versus Batman’s order. Two-Face shows what could happen if ones alter-ego goes unchecked. Mad Hatter turns Batman’s need for control up to a million.

That’s right. If Batman ever gave in completely to his desire for control, he could easily turn into a version of Mad Hatter. Sure. Mad Hatter “loves” Alice, but the part of Alice can be played by another person. What Tetch wants most is control. We see that in more than a few BTAS episodes. It’s a shame Mad Hatter’s glow-up in BTAS didn’t end up increasing his comic book profile.

And that’s our list of five popular underused/misused Batman villains. Who would you have added? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Punisher Villains

Published on September 26, 2026May 28, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Villains List. Today’s post breaks down The Punisher’s best villains. Honestly, The Punisher has a thin number of unique villains. The Punisher borrows quite a few villains from other superheroes’ rogues’ galleries, so you may see some villains on this list that are typically connected with another superhero. This isn’t to say that The Punisher is devoid of great stories; we shared some great Punisher Starter Stories a year ago, but The Punisher lacks a compelling rogues’ gallery. Still, The Punisher special presentation releases soon (I’m writing this early, so we won’t know when The Punisher Special’s release will occur), so now may be the perfect time to discuss The Punisher’s Top 5 Villains.

Honorable Mention: Bushwacker

While we typically include at least one honorable mention, I debated mentioning Bushwacker. He has a machine gun for a hand, his goals change with the flip of a coin, and his origin, at best, is flimsy. Bushwacker looks ridiculous. Is he a hired gun or a mutant killing maniac? Who knows? What we do know is that The Punisher has few unique villains, so Bushwacker makes this list as an honorable mention by default.

5: Bullseye

We begin this list in earnest with Bullseye, who typically opposes Daredevil. I’ll prepare you now. The bottom portion of this list will be dominated by other superheroes’ villains. We’ll save the top two spots for Punisher-only villains. Regardless of his affiliation with the Man Without Fear, The Punisher has had plenty of battles against Bullseye. It makes sense. Both Bullseye and Punisher can serve as mercenaries. Both have similar abilities. In the comics, the two have almost polar-opposite personalities. The Punisher resembles Batman, while Bullseye leans toward The Joker, which leads to some interesting confrontations.

4: Daken

Daken may be Wolverine’s deranged son and spends a lot of his time terrorizing the X-Men, but he’s also the man who killed The Punisher. That’s right. Daken took down The Punisher. Like most comic book deaths, The Punisher rose from the dead in Franken-Castle, but the fact still stands. Daken and The Punisher have had some epic battles. Maybe not as many as Bullseye, but plenty of great ones. I also like the idea that Daken isn’t human. He’s a mutant. Too many of The Punisher’s villains fall under the just a human category.

3: Kingpin

Yep. Kingpin is yet another primarily Daredevil villain, but he’s also a significant Punisher villain. Heck. Kingpin is the MCU’s big bad for its street-level heroes like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Punisher. He had to make this list. And the Kingpin Punisher battles skews toward rated-R. I hope we see a straight-up blood-fest between Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk. We could see a lot more scenes like the one from Daredevil: Born Again, season one, where Fisk crushes a man’s skull. More please. And mind the splash zone.

2: Barracuda

Frank Castle and the man named Barracuda are products of war. As an ex-Green Beret, Barracuda went from the armed forces to the CIA to the mob, leaving behind a trail of bodies. Barracuda is just as vicious and unforgiving as The Punisher. He’s also well-connected to powerful, evil people and employs a team of hired killers to fight by his side. And Barracuda loves to kill. He doesn’t care if his victim deserves it or not. Barracuda is one of Punisher’s greatest challenges and foes. Too bad he doesn’t show up more often in the comics. We need to see more of the Marvel Universe’s most hardened and sickest killers.

1: Jigsaw

Jigsaw is Punisher’s arch-rival. He had to take the top spot on this list. If Billy Russo had a heart at all, it’d be rotten. His face reflects his soul. Is it any wonder Jigsaw thrives against the Marvel Universe’s worst vigilante? Jigsaw fits the Kingpin mold. He can rule from afar or get his hands dirty. And boy, does Jigsaw ever get his hands dirty. The top two villains on Punisher’s list could scar viewers for life. But Jigsaw gets top billing as Punisher’s arch nemesis, because he has systematically torn apart Frank Castle’s life. Jiggy has taken out everyone and everything that Castle holds dear and framed him for it. It’ll be interesting to see if or how the MCU will handle Jigsaw. This is not a villain for the faint of heart.

That’s our list of the Top 5 Punisher Villains. Did your favorite make the list? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Tabletop Games From 2003

Published on September 19, 2026March 4, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Tabletop Games throughout the years. Today’s list features the best games from 2003. Unfortunately, 2003 gets sandwiched between two of the better years for board games, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a handful of standouts this year. Almost every year has at least one or two stellar games. We’ll talk about 2003’s board game list soon, but let’s review the ground rules for which games make these lists before we begin.

1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.

2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.

3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.

5: Reiner Knizia’s Amazing Flea Circus (2003)

Amazing Flea Circus is by no means one of Reiner Knizia’s best small card games. I much prefer Don’t L.L.A.M.A., but Amazing Flea Circus still deserves an honorable mention, because few games from this year have seen as many printings and editions. It’s a simple but fun game. Sometimes, that’s all you need. Spoiler Alert: Amazing Flea Circus won’t be the last we hear from Reiner Knizia on this list.

4: Coloretto (2003)

In Coloretto, players collect colorful chameleons. The rules are simple. Either add a card to a row or collect all the cards in a row. A row can only contain three cards, so eventually, players will be forced to claim rows. Players gain points for up to three colors. Each color beyond the first three costs players points. Wild (or Joker) Chameleons count as any color and +2 cards always help.

Coloretto proves you don’t need a complicated rule set for an engaging game. One can see its influence in games like River Valley Glassworks, where one only scores points up to a certain number of colors. Coloretto’s main game mechanisms center around set collection, but set collection works. I wouldn’t be surprised if Coloretto’s success as a set collection didn’t spawn other games that use a similar mechanism. Ticket to Ride (released the next year) also uses a similar system.

3: Yinsh (2003)

We’ve mentioned the GIPF Project series of abstract games on more than one of these past best of year lists. Yinsh is the highest-rated of these games. In fact, Yinsh is still a Top 5-rated abstract game on BoardGameGeek. The board game resembles the cover art (above). Like Othello, discs are dual-colored. Players try to make a chain of five discs in their color by jumping over discs with their rings, flipping over the disc. As soon as a player gains a chain of five discs, they discard one of their discs. The first player to discard three of their rings wins.

Yinsh has a clever, built-in balancing mechanism. Getting rid of a ring means a player gets closer to victory. But you’re making yourself weaker, because you have fewer rings. Brilliant! There’s a reason the GIPF Project is the highest regarded abstract game series. And Yinsh earns its place among the best.

2: Amun-Re (2003)

The top two 2003 games could be flipped. I went back and forth with these two titles. Both are great, but in the end, I chose the 2003 Spiel des Jahres winner as number one. Amun-Re was up for the Spiel as well. I’m telling you, it was close. Amun-Re is yet another Reiner Knizia board game to make one of these lists. It’s like Knizia makes a heap of great board games. In Amun-Re, each pharaoh wants to build the most pyramids. To accomplish this, they must first acquire a province where they can trade and farm. With their profits, they can buy new provinces and building-stones to erect pyramids. For all their actions, players must make clever use of their power cards and always offer appropriate sacrifices to Amun-Re.

Love the theme. Evidently, Reiner Knizia loves an Egyptian-themed game, because Ra also made one of these lists. I believe Amun-Re may be the only pyramid game Knizia ever designed. To be fair, I’ve lost track of every Knizia game. The man has forgotten more about board games than I’ll ever know. But Amun-Re holds another distinction; it’s one of Knizia’s more complex games. The two games on this list may be the polar opposites of what Knizia can do as a designer. Amazing Flea Circus is one of Knizia’s least-complicated games. Amun-Re is one of his most complicated. Both can be a lot of fun. And both came out the same year. Crazy!

1: Alhambra (2003)

In Alhambra, players are acquiring buildings to be placed within their Alhambra complex.

The money in Alhambra comes in four different currencies (of different suits) and is available in the open money market. The 54 buildings of six types become available for purchase in the building market four at a time; one building is available in each of the four different currencies. On a player’s turn, a player may 1) take money from the open money market, 2) purchase a building from the building market and either place it in his Alhambra or reserve, or 3) engage in construction and re-construction projects with buildings that have been placed in the player’s Alhambra or reserve. The game rewards efficiency, as when a player purchases a building from the market for the exact amount of money, the player may take another turn.

I don’t always agree with the Spiel, but I like Alhambra’s combination of set collection (yay, another set collection game), tile laying, and area majority. Alhambra marks the second time Dirk Henn made one of these lists. Wallenstein made the 2002 list. While I like Wallenstein more (in large part because of the cube tower), Alhambra does enough to take the top spot in a weaker year for tabletop games. That may sound harsh, but you haven’t seen 2004’s list. It’s a doozy. Still, I enjoy the heck out of Amen-Re and Alhambra. I struggled with which one to place at number one.

That’s our list of the Top 5 Tabletop Games of 2003. Let us know which game you like best. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

5 Comic Book Villains Who Could Be The Main Character

5 Comic Book Villains Who Can Be the Main Character

Published on September 14, 2026September 15, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Monday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another list of five. Today’s Top 5 list centers around comic book villains who could be the main character in a television series or movie. The DCU and DCEU have been better showcasing their villains. Penguin, Black Adam, Joker, Clayface, and even Harley Quinn have all had television shows or movies featuring them as the main characters. Marvel has been less prolific. This may be a Marvel-heavy list of five, but I’ll try to sprinkle in some DC Comics characters who haven’t yet seen the limelight. Let’s get started with our list of Comic Book Villains who can be the main character in a movie or television series.

Honorable Mentions

We have multiple characters who could claim an honorable mention spot, so we’ll run through a few here. Darkseid can and should get the Thanos (in Avengers: Infinity War) treatment, and Kingpin could have his own series akin to HBO Max’s Penguin. None of them make this list because this is more of an inevitability. While we won’t shy away from obvious choices (more on that with our top spots), we don’t want to include characters who are all but assured a movie or show. With that said, we’ll give a shout-out to anti-hero and sometimes villain Lobo. I’m writing this post early and haven’t yet watched Supergirl, but if Lobo captures fans’ hearts, he could easily get his own movie or show. Consider this the Penguin effect. Fans loved Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the character and demanded a show.

5: Vermin

Vermin is a strange choice, especially when he’s the only Spider-Man villain who made this list, but his inclusion makes some sense. I’d love to see a Marvel show, film, or special presentation of the Spider-Man story, “The Child Within.” Vermin is the main character in that story. Geekly has mentioned “The Child Within” in the past, but we’ll give you a quick breakdown. Vermin encounters a nine or ten-year-old child in the sewer. The child asks Vermin to help take him home. Vermin reluctantly agrees. He leads the child to a mansion (his home), but the boy is too scared to enter. We learn the child is Vermin’s inner child. This mansion is his family’s home.

“The Child Within” tells Vermin’s backstory. Vermin is one of Marvel’s most tragic villains, so what this show portrays may not be for everyone. But “The Child Within” explores identity and the power of acceptance. Both of these topics have a strong pull in today’s climate. This story is long overdue for a live-action telling. Make it happen, Marvel.

4: Poison Ivy and Bane

My head tells me Bane should take this spot. My heart insists Poison Ivy claims the fourth spot. I went with both. Let’s begin with Bane.

Bane seldom gets a fair shake on the big screen. Ironically, he was little more than Poison Ivy’s mindless pawn in Batman and Robin, and he served as an underboss in The Dark Knight Rises. Neither one of these versions does Bane justice. Heck. Bane often gets sidelined in his own stories. “Knightfall,” the storyline where Bane builds a Gotham empire, breaks Batman’s back, and arguably Bane’s most well-known story, pushes Bane aside to focus on Azrael (the replacement Batman), midway through its arc. Not everyone likes Tom King’s run on Batman, but I thought it did a great job showing Bane at his conniving best. “City of Bane” could showcase this underrated villain like no other big screen project has.

Simply put, Poison Ivy is a fan favorite. She co-stars in the Harley Quinn Animated Series, but has rarely seen the limelight on the big screen. Poison Ivy is more of a sure thing. I could easily see her featured in a future movie or show.

3: Atrocitus

Wonder Woman and Superman villains don’t lend themselves to solo movies too well. I can’t really see Lex Luthor outside the context of a Superman movie. I’d love to see that, but I question if it could work. I also didn’t want to include multiple Batman villains on this list, and Flash hasn’t landed as a big-screen superhero…yet. That leaves Green Lantern villains. Several could’ve made this list. Star Sapphire is more of a hero at this point. Nekron and Black Hand could certainly headline a film, but we may need to wait several years for the DCU to set up those characters. Sinestro is Green Lantern’s longest-running foe, but Atrocitus serves a specific purpose in Green Lantern lore. The Guardians of the Universe (the ones behind the Green Lanterns) make mistakes and can commit atrocities.

Hey! Atrocitus sounds close to atrocities. Coincidence? I think not. The Guardians destroyed Atrocitus’s home world and murdered his people. He gains the red power ring, fueled by rage (part of the emotional spectrum, with green meaning will and yellow fear), and goes on a revenge tour. Atrocitus has a clear goal. Fans could even root for him to succeed. This can make Atrocitus as compelling a villain as Thanos for a solo movie. Sure, Sinestro recruits his army of yellow lanterns, but his goals reek of selfishness. Atrocitus believes in a righteous cause. And I like the idea of the Guardians owning a checkered past.

2: Apocalypse

Ever since his first appearance forty years ago (1986), Apocalypse has been one of the X-Men’s most consistent villains. As the oldest known mutant, Apocalypse’s origin stretches back to Ancient Egypt. He has a simple philosophy: Survival of the Fittest. Apocalypse embodies this philosophy. And it’s this philosophy that makes Apocalypse a great villain with which to focus a movie or show. Funny how having clear goals makes a villain a good candidate as a main character. While I could see several Apocalypse storylines translated to the big screen, “Age of Apocalypse” may be the most fun.

“Age of Apocalypse” asks what would happen if Apocalypse got his way, where only the strong survive. This storyline contains some of the bleakest storylines in X-Men lore. There are too many to count, but believe me, they can tug at one’s heartstrings. And “Age of Apocalypse” hasn’t graced the big screen in earnest. I’d love to see A Pair of Lips, I mean, Apocalypse headline a Marvel movie or show.

1: Doctor Doom and Magneto

Doctor Doom and Magneto had to top this list. They’re the obvious ones. They’re two of the most recognizable villains in comic book history. They have compelling backstories, and I don’t believe Marvel has plans to give either one their own movie or show–at this time. Sure, Avengers: Doomsday includes Doctor Doom’s name in its title, but this team-up movie will include so many characters I can’t imagine Doctor Doom will get significant screen time. We need a Doctor Doom and Magneto story like Avengers: Infinity War had with Thanos. These are two of the most complicated villains in comic books. Both could single-handedly carry a movie.

That’s our list of comic book villains who could be a movie or show’s main character. Which comic book villain would you like see get their own movie or show? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Another 5 Games To Secretly Play At Work

Another 5 Video Games to Secretly Play at Work

Published on September 7, 2026May 28, 2026 by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Labor Day, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. To celebrate this holiday, we’ll continue with what could become an annual tradition: 5 Video Games to Secretly Play at Work. Yes! Not all of us get Labor Day off, so for those of you who have to work, you may want to blow off some steam. Last year’s list included some games that got delisted. I wonder if video games of this ilk get taken down frequently. I’m writing this post far in advance, so fingers crossed that these games (and their links) still work in September. Enough yapping. Let’s get to playing. Here is another 5 Video Games to Secretly Play at Work

5: 868-HACK

868-HACK (here’s the link) would be much higher on this list, but I gave preference to free games. Yep. You’ll have to pay a little something (around $6) on iOS or Steam to play 868-HACK, but it’s worth it. Australian game designer Michael Brough produces systems that devastatingly mix apparent simplicity with incredible depth. You can find most of Brough’s designs on iOS, so iPhone or iPad users will have no problem playing Brough’s entire catalogue.

868-HACK is a turn-based roguelike that casts players as a “hacker” investigating a heavily corrupted system. The graphics are rudimentary, and the sound isn’t the best. But why would you play this game at work with the sound on? 868-HACK is addictive. At first glance, it looks like you may need to call IT or an Apple Genius to fix your device. Brough regularly updates 868-HACK, so it’s less likely this game will get delisted.

4: Initium

Initium (here’s the link) is another game that could easily top this list. It falls to our fourth spot because it could be difficult to hide. Initium looks like a game from a distance. With that said, how many MMORPGs can one play at work? Most MMORPGs require you to pay near-constant attention to the game world if you want to succeed, which can’t happen if the boss walks by your desk. Initium uses turn-based exploration and combat, which means you can shut it down if you need to go into stealth mode.

While Initium is still in development, it already features PvP, an economy, player-created areas, and even global events like the ones you might find in any other MMORPG. You even have the option of logging in with your phone and computer, so you can take Initium on the go. And Initium is free. Kaching! Initium may just be a game-changer.

3: CyberCode Online

A video game in disguise, CyberCode Online (link here) may look like a regular line of Visual Studio Code, but in reality, it’s an epic real-time MMORPG that’s easy to pick up but hard to put down. Yes! We have two MMORPGs on this year’s list. CyberCode Online does more to disguise itself as something other than a game, but it doesn’t climb any higher than number three on our list because it is a real-time MMORPG. You may need to give up a battle or two…or even three. But I love the theme. We need more Cyberpunk video games.

2: Kittens Game

On the surface, Kittens Game (link here) is a simple game about growing a village of cats in a forest, but fans call it one of the most complex builder incremental games available. Kittens Game changes a lot in short order, going from a relaxed text-based idle experience to, as the original website puts it, “a Dark Souls of incremental gaming.” Keep in mind that players can’t really lose at Kittens Game. While getting stuck is possible, the game has an active community and plenty of wiki entries and tutorials for beginners.

Yeah. Kittens Game is one of those experiences you can sink a ton of time and effort into playing well. However, Kittens Game’s easy-to-read and follow UI makes it a purr-fect game to play at work. I had to throw in at least one cat pun.

1: Torn

We love our browser-based games with these lists. Torn (link here) is yet another one, but Torn is set in a modern-day dystopia. What? The games on this year’s list have some fun themes. The screenshot above was taken straight from Torn’s website. Tens of thousands of concurrent players participate in Torn daily. Those numbers back up Torn’s claim as the “world’s largest text-based multiplayer game.” When you first create a character, you’ll begin at the bottom of the ladder as a petty criminal. Through committing crimes like robbing others, you’ll grow in power and influence. Torn may be a great way to blow off some steam.

Those are our games for 2026’s 5 video games to secretly play at work. There are plenty of others. Let us know which ones you like to play in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Marvel United Villains

Published on September 5, 2026March 7, 2026 by KyraLeave a comment

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.