Game Night: Masters of Evil

The Masters of Evil were a team of supervillains. There have been eight incarnations of the Masters of Evil, accumulating dozens of members in total. The Masters of Evil were primarily opposed to the Avengers, although they also battled the Thunderbolts (ironically consisting of former Masters of Evil) and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The fourth, and arguably most effective, team was organized by Baron Helmut Zemo, the son of the previous Zemo. Inheriting his father's hatred of Captain America, the new Zemo sought to assemble the most formidable Masters of Evil ever. Rather than follow past practice with a team roughly the size of the active Avengers roster, Zemo decided to organize a veritable army of superhuman criminals, to assure victory over the Avengers. Zemo's long-range design for the largest assemblage of costumed criminals is not at present known, though he stated his intent to defeat the West Coast Avengers and the Fantastic Four as well.

This reformed version of the team took over Avengers Mansion, causing considerable damage in the process. Zemo, a master strategist, was able to play on the Avengers' relationships to pick them off one by one. Zemo sent several of his minions on scouting missions, performing various tasks in preparation for the assault on the mansion. Meanwhile he maintained his command by preventing subversion from Moonstone and giving his more physical recruits their promised action without striking too soon