Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum Fin Fang Foom!

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #5: Fin Fang Foom

~A comparative scale of Fin Fang Foom. Excerpt from Invincible Iron Man #271 (1991).

As old and antiquated as Tony Stark and the Iron Man adventures are to us, one of his greatest villains had his own beginnings even earlier. Created by none other than Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby, Fin Fang Foom, a gigantic dragon of ancient origins, would eventually join the pantheon of super-villains attempting to crack the invincible shell.

Most of the experts will tell you Iron Man's first beginnings were from Tales of Suspense #39 (1963); that's where you'll first meet the inventor and read the origin. What many of them don't know, though, is that Fin Fang Foom is actually older. First appearing in Strange Tales #89 (1961), this sleeping behemoth is awakened by Asian youth attempting to protect his homeland from invading Communist forces. That's when Mr. Foom shrugs off centuries of sleep, destroys the invaders, and heads back to its resting place. A friend to none, he is then lulled back to sleep with a special herb.

And there you go: Fin Fang Foom had already established comic book history before Stark ever assembled.

But let's get to the truth about this ancient Chinese dragon. Beating Iron Man thoroughly, "Triple F" first battled him in Invincible Iron Man #271 (1991). It seemed like a long time coming, but it was actually a meeting in the making; both were manipulated by otherwise malevolent forces (which you'll learn about later.) And once they did clash, it turned out Fin Fang Foom wasn't a dragon at all, but a draconian alien navigator from an elder race. Put in an eternal slumber by other members of his race bent on conquering our planet, he cultivated as one of the great myths of legend.

Ironically, Iron Man and Fin Fang Foom haven't had many encounters; while they fought in 1991-1992 in the Dragon Seed story arc, there's been little else except a stint in Iron Man #15-18 (1991). For some reason, though, he's a real popular pick when it comes to Iron Man cartoons and video games. To date, this villain has appeared in nearly every animated Iron Man series, including The Invincible Iron Man DVD from 2007. Maybe is because he's huge, maybe it's the legendary status. Who knows; it's probably because everybody loves a dragon.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

The X-Termination Reading Order

CROSSOVER EVENT: X-TERMINATION

Nightcrawler Heads Home, And Upsets the Multiverse

Kurt Wagner is Nightcrawler, the demonic-looking mutant with the powers of teleportation. But he's not our Nightcrawler. Brought here from an alternate universe, meet Kurt Darkholme, the ruthless version, a vengeful swordsman mutant from the Age of Apocalypse. Willing to betray others and murder, he came her to hunt down his enemies. And having achieved his goals in our universe, he wants to go home.

It started in March 2013 with the X-Termination event, involving two of the vast Marvel Universes. Nightcrawler wants to return home; how he gets there doesn't matter anymore. Our world, our mutants and heroes, better get out of his way!

This is a Landing Page for the X-Termination event. It will entail a Reading Order and Summary with some artwork. You'll also be able to get up to speed on the event if you're jumping in for the first time.



What You Need To Know First
Background Info 

Above: In Uncanny X-Force #11 (2011), Wolverine and his team follow "Dark Beast" to his universe, a place we know of as Age of Apocalypse.

What we know of as the "Prime" Universe is called Earth-616; this is where most of our favorite superheroes live and adventure. In this reality, Nightcrawler, once a member of the Uncanny X-Men, died in X-Force #26 (2010) while battling a villain known as Bastion. The Nightcrawler that resides here now was brought to this reality in Uncanny X-Force #17 (2012) and is actually from a reality called the Age of Apocalypse, also known as Earth-295, where Apocalypse launched a human extinction event and attempted to rule. In this land, the mutants have taken over. Age of Apocalypse was first detailed in a 1995 crossover and later it's own 2012 series (also called Age of Apocalypse).

If you're interested in learning the history behind the Age of Apocalypse, this Nightcrawler's homeworld, the following book will assist you:

X-Men: Age of Apocalypse
Charles Xavier is dead - killed twenty years in the past during a freak time-travel accident - and the world that has arisen in his absence is dark and dangerous indeed. The Darwinian conqueror Apocalypse rules with an iron fist, ruthlessly enforcing his dictum that only the strong shall survive - and in Apocalypse's long shadow, hidden among a downtrodden humankind, are a group of ragtag freedom fighters led by Xavier's oldest friend, Magneto: the Amazing X-Men! When Bishop, last survivor of the true Marvel Universe, locates the X-Men and explains how the world went wrong, these embittered mutants and their tenuous allies must risk everything - and undertake a dangerous and multi-pronged quest - to put things right! The comics event of 1995 is collected in one deluxe oversized hardcover! Collecting Uncanny X-Men #320-321, X-Men #40-41, Cable #20, X-Men Alpha, Amazing X-Men #1-4, Astonishing X-Men #1-4, Factor X#1-4, Gambit & The X-Ternals #1-4, Generation Next #1-4, Weapon X #104, X-Calibre #1-4, X-Man #1-4, X-Men Omega, Age of Apocalypse The Chosen, and X-Men Ashcan #2.

What you'll be reading here is the beginning conception that formed this alternate reality.

If your interested in reading how Kurt Wagner, the original Nightcrawler of this reality died, you'll want to read: X-Men: Second Coming

And if you want to learn how the latest version of Nightcrawler, Kurt Darkholme, appeared in our reality, read: Uncanny X-Force, Vol. 3: The Dark Angel Saga, Book 1 and Uncanny X-Force, Vol. 4: The Dark Angel Saga, Book 2


Reading Order
The Basic List for The X-Termination Event

Final Update: 04/24/2013

Prelude
000 Age of Apocalypse #13
001 X-Treme X-Men #12

Main Event
002 X-Termination #1 Alpha
003 Astonishing X-Men #60
004 Age of Apocalypse #14
005 X-Treme X-Men #13
006 Astonishing X-Men #61
007 X-Termination #2 Conclusion<--Released: 04/17/2013


Summary Order
The Details on The Issues

000 Age of Apocalypse #13 (Begins the event. With Weapon Omega having been defeated nine months ago, The Age of Apocalypse is now neutral between humans and mutants. Lady Penance is now their ruler, having given the islands of Hawaii to non-powered race. There are still clashes with remnant forces, but the closest thing to peace has been in acheived. In Buffalo, New York, Logan is now battling for survival. tracking Cyclops, he and his former Minister of Famine, fight to the death. By the end, he stabs Summers in the throat. Jean finds him, though, and attempts to make amends. Unfortunately, Logan is no longer the same person and rejects her. The real plot, though, begins in Earth-616. Kurt Darkholme is no longer satisfied staying in this reality. Having finished his mission here, he determines that it's time to return home. On the last page, he finds the Dark Beast, a version of Hank McCoy in Manhattan, and threatens to kill him unless he sends him back.

001 X-Treme X-Men #12 (This issue has no official ties by the cover, but feeds directly into the X-Termination event and is based placed here, before Allison and her team appear in X-Termination Alpha #1. On a world on the other side of the Multverse, Dazzler and her team have been on a mission to kill ten evil versions of Charles Xavier threatening the universe. They are at the final three on this world, coming to a Sphinx-like monlith where a dimensional rift has grown. The Xavier's have been feeding it slaves to become more powerful. Dazzler and her team strike, but as the battle wanes, the rift becomes increasingly unstable. They cover the disembodied Xavier and he tells them that he never betrayed them, but was forced to comply with the other two. As the rift prepares to destroy this version of the universe, Xavier then teleports them to another universe. On the last page, though, we see three strange figures appearing the place they left behind.) 

002 X-Termination Alpha #1 (Officially begins the event, but follows from Age of Apocalypse #13. Wolverine, leading a team hot on Nightcrawler's trail, tracks Kurt and Dark Beast to the Dreaming Celestial in San Francisco. It's Hank's theory that the Celestial exists in all dimensions at the same time, so if they can get in, getting out to their reality should be much easier. Using Kurt's power, they teleport in, but as they prepare to cross over, something goes terribly wrong. Down below, Shan uses her mind control to stop Dark Beast; Kurt teleports down to fight until there is an explosion above. Somehow, Dark Beast and Kurt end up in Age of Apocalypse, but Hank keeps saying it went terribly wrong. Wolverine and his team (from Astonishing X-Men) follow them through; shortly after, Dazzler and her team (from X-Treme X-Men) appear. Clearly there's a dimensional rift as the denizens from multiple realities argue. But suddenly three beings appear as Xavier attempts to close it down. They disintegrate him, leaving these X-Men to figure the rest out.)
003 Astonishing X-Men #60 (Continues immediately from X-Termination Alpha #1. The fight continues, but the mutants are losing. The three figures are feeding off energy and growing. Karma invades their minds and they learn that all of the dimension traveling and teleportation has freed them, enemies of the Celestials. Iceman manages to freeze them, but once they break free, one of them goes through the portal to Earth-616. Fearing and end to his world, Wolverine jumps with Hercules, Northstar, and his counterpart, Howlett, through the portal after it. The last two break off where one feeds on the portal and the other heads towards the Age of Apocalypse city. Prophet finally reveals his counter-plan: The Apocalypse Seed, which should have enough power to get rid of them. He breaks the team into two, keeping AoA Nightcrawler, Dazzler, Iceman here with Jean, but going through with the others to close the gate.)
004 Age of Apocalypse #14 (Continues from Astonishing X-Men #60, where Wolverine and his team have followed the dimensional eater through the portal. Back on Earth-616, Wolverine, Northstar, Hercules, and Howlett arrive in San Francisco to watch the dimensional creature attacking the Dreaming Celestial. It has now awakened and is fighting for its life.Meanwhile, back in the alternate reality of New Apocalypse, Jean Grey and the rest are doing everything they can to stop the advancement of another dimension eater on the Apocalypse Seed.  Half of them, with Fiend are attempting to halt it, but the now appear to be dead. Once they arrive where the Seed is hidden, though, Jean and Nightcrawler betray the rest of the team. From Prophet's advice, Jean believes she might be able to harness the Seed and use its power to fight off the dimensional intruders. Unfortunately, before she can use it, the evil Hank McCoy leaps in and steals the canister containing the power. And back on Earth-616, Wolverine and his team have managed to cut the feeder from the Celestial, but it's too late. Somehow, the energies coming off it have latched onto the cosmic deity, drawing out its energies.)
005 X-Treme X-Men #13 (Continues from Age of Apocalypse #14.  Hercules now lays dead, having sacrificed himself for time. Meanwhile, the dimension eater, now Celestial sized, grows stronger. And now, things are worse; apparently part of some species, it summons billions more like it to this world. In the Age of Apocalypse reality, they are fairing no better. One of the dimensional eaters is following them and the source of great power, The Apocalypse Seed. But now Evil Beast has stolen it and it's tearing him apart. Teleporting back to his dimension with Howlett and Young Nightcrawler, who dies during this issue. Prophet learns what has happened and convinces their Kurt Darkholme and Jean Grey to teleport in and grab it. The Dimensional Eater makes a grab for the seed, but it hurts him. Now sensing that this artifact may be the key to killing them, the teams make a ploy to gather all of them together for one final destructive act. Jean must now use the seed and become the ultimate weapon against universal death.)
006 Astonishing X-Men #61 (Continues from X-Treme X-Men #13. The Apocalypse Seed has now been consumed by Jean Grey; although she feels the power eating at her, she brings the fight to the Devourers. Meanwhile, and Earth-616, Sage establishes a link to the Celestial Black Box and learns their origin; they are the anti-life creatures, created by The Celestials, and later imprisoned between dimensions. The only solution is to trap them once more. They are teleported back to the reality of the Age of Apocalypse and all is explained. The Prophet has already figured this out; more dimensional eaters are coming and he warns them to leave this domain. His plan is now set in stone: The Age of Apocalypse will be the new prison for the Devourers. All who want to survive will have to leave this universe now.)
007 X-Termination #2 Conclusion (Continues from Astonishing X-Men #61. With Jean fighting the Devourers and Prophet's plan to let their reality die, everyone else begins to leave. Nightcrawler starts teleporting people, one by one. Suddenly, as he turns to take Iceman, Dark Beast jumps in and ends up with them on Earth-616. All that's left is Alison now, and she pleads with Prophet to come with her. He rejects the notion saying he is the captain and must go down with his ship. Before he can utter another word, though, Jean knocks him out from surprise, telling Alison to take him with her. Back on Earth-616, the group is now assembled; they have to close the portal. Nightcrawler suddenly comes up with a suicide plan. He teleports to the portal and teleports it in on itself, creating a "knot" and closing it off. Unfortunately, he appears to have died in the process. Whatever happened on Apocalypse remains to be written. Many heroes have died, but Earth-616 has been saved with the conclusion of this story.)


Checklist
Issues Involved in the event

Age of Apocalypse #13
X-Treme X-Men #12-13
X-Termination #1 Alpha
X-Termination #2 Conclusion




X-Cellent Points
Your Comments
Greetings! Do you have any information, questions or comments, or would you like to mention something you've seen or heard surrounding the Rise of The Third Army event? If so, please feel free to submit your commits; just please remember to be courteous.

When Ultimo Lives, Iron Man Dies

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #6: Ultimo

In the realm of Science Fiction, there's always one terrible plot that keeps us in suspense. It raises the hairs on the back of our necks and awakens our survival instincts. Ever drawing comic book readers, this happens when aliens, or threats of extra-terrestrial origin, invade our world seeking destruction.

To explain the next great Iron Man villain, therefore, we'll have to take you back to the 1950s. It was a time of the rise of great Sci-Fi classics where movies The Blob (1958), Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956), and The War of The Worlds (1953) gained immediate popularity and fanbase. The alien creature was a figure of horror and mystery in all of them, but one movie in particular, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), where a giant robot called "Gort" goes on a destructive rampage, seemed to have inspired Marvel Comics in a very special way.

~Cover shot of Tales of Suspense #77 (1963), where Iron Man first fought Ultimo.

And this is where Ultimo, an ancient robot created a thousand years ago by an alien race, becomes the next awesome villain of Iron Man to enter the picture. Much like the Gort of that era, he's a 50 foot tall android world-killer with no other purpose than to extinguish life. Ultimo first appeared by visage in Tales of Suspense #76 (1963), and then was fully seen one issue later.

Virtually indestructible, Ultimo is like a battering ram. His energy reserves have caused the earth to crack and earthquakes to rumble across the continent. His strength is uncanny, having shattered Iron Man's armor and nearly killed Tony Stark multiple times. Having proved to be superior to our Golden Avenger in battle, most of the confrontations typically involved shutting the creature down or temporarily halting its movement.

Although he seemed to have no weakness and would have destroyed every living thing on the planet, Ultimo was restrained by one key element: programming. Being an android, mastermind-styled super-villains loved finding the robot and altering its directives for their own purposes. Even though this gave them temporary domination, it usually backfired; Ultimo is self-adapting and self-repairing, and therefore, would fix any coding errors, and turn on its user.

As of last note, Ultimo had been captured and disassembled, but its nano-technology components were turned into a sentient, weaponized virus that controlled people and gave them ultimo-like powers. Only through the efforts of James Rhodes aka War Machine and a Suzi Endo, a woman capable of controlling tech with her mind, did they neutralize it and erase its programming.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

The Requiem of Damian Wayne

MINOR CROSSOVER: REQUIEM

The Fall of the Next Robin

Damian Wayne, son of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne, and wearer of the "Robin" mantle, died in Batman Incorporated #8 (2013). It was not entirely a spoiler since DC Comics began revealing the information in a press release and on their website beforehand. Afterwards, it's been a little divided; fans mourn the loss of another sidekick, and most expect he'll return in some form or another.

Left: The cover of Batman Incorporated #8 (2013), featuring Damian Wayne and "RIP".

What occurs after Damian's death, though, is the focus of this Summary Page. Known as "Robin's Requiem" or plainly, Requiem, we're going to go over the issues that are paying homage to the now deceased heir of The Dark Knight.

The Rundown: In Batman Incorporated #8, Gotham City has now been overrun by Leviathan, a villainous organization where Talia al Ghul, Damian's mother, sits at the center and a mysterious figure known as The Heretic, acts as one of its leading agents. Ironically, he is a clone of Damian with an altered physiology that aged him to adulthood. At the time of the issue, Batman has already been captured and tortured by Talia, with Red Robin, Nightwing, and Commissioner Gordon in the field fighting for Gotham's survival.

Damian, ignoring orders to stay out of the battle, armors up and flies into fight, eventually pairing up with Nightwing in a battle against The Heretic. It is a gruesome encounter; Leviathan converts are shooting arrows as they square off. Nightwing is knocked out of commission and it's ultimately up to Damian. Unfortunately, it doesn't go well. Damian even breaks his oath not to kill, shooting an arrow into Heretic's back. But it is no good. Eventually Heretic gets a handhold on him, breaks his back and runs him through with a sword. In the final scene, we see Batman kneeling on the ground with his son in his arms.



The comprised list is not meant to be a Reading Order. Although being called a mini-crossover, they are organized to tie the Requiem story together.

Last Update:  03/27/2013

The Reading List

Batman Incorporated #9<--Released: 03/27/2013
Teen Titans #18<--Released: 03/27/2013
Batgirl #18
Batman and Robin #18
Batman #18
World's Finest #10
Red Hood and The Outlaws #18
Nightwing #18
Catwoman #18

Summaries
Including Spoilers

Batman Incorporated #9 (This is the best issue to start the Reading Order based on the relationship it has to Damian's death. Starting out with Bruce Wayne and the rest of the Robins at Damian's funeral, the story then goes into past and present shots of Batman's fight against The Heretic. The issue also cover's Knight's death and the new team of Ranger and Squire, (where Ranger becomes the new Knight) as well as the Incorporated's move to hide underground while Leviathan controls the city.)

Teen Titans #18 (Tim Drake starts out the story arriving in Batman's Cave in a black suit, so he probably is going to Damian's funeral. He has some words with Alfred and then the story cuts to the Teen Titans story arc. Tim then tricks his team into invading Belle Reeve where he sets up a deal with Amanda Waller. They fight the Suicide Squad briefly, until Waller and Tim reveal their agreement. At the end of the issue, though, is the surprise, and that's when Trigon appears over the skies.)

Batgirl #18 (Barbara Gordon's story barely intertwines with the Requiem, except that she's been notified. In The Mask of Ashes, her brother James is playing a cat-and-mouse game; he's psychotic and even attempted to deal with The Joker in the past. After surviving a fiery building collapse, Barbara is notified by her father that Robin has died. She calls Dick Grayson, but he tells her that now is not the time and he'll call her back. Afterwards, she continues on the hunt for her brother, who leads her to an abandoned house where he plants a cell phone. When she opens the door to see it, there is also a bloody bat nailed to the wall and a message "Hello Barbara, Nice Try". James is actually in a house on the other side of the street. He calls their mother and threatens to kill Batgirl if she doesn't meet with him.)

Batman and Robin #18 (A powerful issue, the entire comic book is printed without words or dialogue. Bruce Wayne starts off brooding over the loss of his son, wandering through the house. He finally decides to patrol as Batman, all the while having images of Robin next to him. He goes on rampage of sorts, even accidentally wrecking a light post with the Batmobile, and finally returns home to find a message in his son's locker. On it, Damian tells his father how he helped him live a better life. This causes Bruce to scream out in rage. He lashes out as Robin's clothing and effects are scattered throughout the cave.)

Batman #18 (Centering on a girl named "Harper", the daughter of a thug Batman put away. She's been tracking The Dark Knight attempting to fit herself into his lifestyle, much in the way of earlier Robins. After visiting her dad with her brother, she goes out on the hunt and realizes that something is eating away at Batman; he hasn't slept in days and he's getting sloppy. Finally after one encounter with Venom-infused dogs, she intervenes and helps put them down. Batman, though, doesn't take it kindly, lashes out at her, and leaves. The next day, she heads to Wayne Enterprises and leaves a message for Bruce Wayne, telling him she fears that Batman may need help. Later, Batman finds Harper and gives her his version of an apology. He tells her he's going to take care of himself. On the last page, we learn the message is "Resolve".)

Detective Comics #18 (Batman, having survived the Death of The Family event, faces threats in the form of The Penguin and Victor Zsasz. He stops briefly during the issue at his son's grave. The rest of the issue deals with him attempting to find a way to incarcerate Penguin. For the most part, Oswald Cobblepot is untouchable, but Batman manages to acquire surveillance video showing Osward breaking into a secreted weapon's cache. Normally Oswald would have lawyers to get him out of this mess, but Zsasz has murdered them at the behest of Oswald's former assistant, Ogilvy, now calling himself the Emporer Penguin. He's betrayed Cobblepot and take over all his assets.)



World's Finest #10 (While Kara is causing what appears to be "natural" disasters to Holt Industries resources, Helena is attempting to break into Holt's computer network.  During the issue, though, Kara tells her that Damian didn't make one of their rendezvous checks and she learns that he has died and is buried on the Wayne Manor grounds. She almost encounters Batman, but is not ready; Kara flies her off before the unfortunate meeting can occur. The story then resumes and someone, clearly an imposter, posing a Holt appears and tells officials that everything is fine, even though his labs are getting destroyed. By the end of the issue, though, Helena reveals what she's learned: Power Girl was having an affair with Michael Holt.)

Nightwing #18 (Dick Grayson starts this issue at Damian's grave, reminiscing his affection for the young Robin. After leaving, he meets with Sonia to help cool his demeanor. It doesn't help much, and he later runs into Batman, who is waiting for him. The Dark Knight tells Dick to suit up and leads him to a location where "The Dealer", an auctioneer of illegal superhero merchandize, is selling his dad's Flying Grayson outfit. Dick breaks into the event and disrupts it, causing a fire. The Dealer escapes, but no one is harmed. Later, Dick returns to Damian's grave and leaves a special token - a video game - by the tombstone. He resumes meeting Sonia again, and suddenly learns that Tony Zucco, his family's murderer, is still alive.)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #18 (Jason Todd's story really has little to do with the Requiem, and more to do with the after events of The Death of The Family. Nursing him back to health from an acid wound left by The Joker, Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne wait by bedside as Jason works with his All-Caste teacher "Ducra", fighting against the visages of his coma. At the end, Jason wakes up and it is believed he may be changed person inside.)

Catwoman #18 (While driving through Gotham, Batman catches up to Selena and threatens her to return paintings she stole from the Gotham Museum. She says it's a done deal, but is surprised when Batman starts forcibly breaking her motorcycle helmet. She doesn't know the reasons, but can sense that he's upset about something. They briefly talk, but eventually he pushes her away and leaves. Meanwhile, the story then goes into Selena checking up on her friend. She disguises herself and gets into the Gotham Police Department as a mug victim. While there, she places a bug on Detective Alvarez's desk.) 

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SHIELD Is Taking Applications For Secret Avengers

SUPERFUNNIES

Let's Just Hope Your Qualified

~Excerpt from Secret Avengers #2 (2013), part of Marvel NOW!

In a move much in the fashion of DC's Suicide Squad, the agency known as SHIELD is expanding their resouces and rebuilding their assets. How does it work? They bring you in...or else! And after every mission, they remove your memories.

Fortunately for Taskmaster, he's perfect for the job.

Are heroes and villains smart? Naw. #SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List. Here are the bloopers, flip-flops, and all-together moments of levity during exchanges of humor and snapshots of utterly ridiculous decisions in comic books.

Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #7

~Excerpt from Iron Man Legacy of Doom #1 (2008)

One concept of Iron Man that captures his readers is the capability of his armor. We always wonder how good he is compared to other armored foes. We also want to see his technology pitted against other geniuses of the age. This is a very old, but consistently updating argument because, year by year, technology and science have brand new innovations. Stark, therefore, has his work cut out for him; to stay the top dog "iron man" superhero, he has make sure his suit is cutting edge.

You'll notice that many of Iron Man's foes are likewise armored. You've already met The Ghost and Crimson Dynamo; and this same argument explains why jaws dropped when Doctor Doom, one of Marvel's greatest super-villains, shifted his gaze to Stark Industries, and became one of his greatest enemies.

Typically known as the Ruler of Latveria, Victor Von Doom is also armored, iron-grey is color with swathes of green. Doctor Doom and Iron Man first faced off in the Doomquest Saga, beginning with Iron Man #149 (1981). It was a simple fight over Stark processors, fairly purchased, to the tyrant. Tony, however, cancelled the shipment, fearing what the ruler might do with his technology. And since then, it's been bad blood.

Besides being a quintessential of Marvel, Doom shows up only occasionally to face the Avenger; after their first meeting, it was a hundred issues later (Iron Man #249) before the rematch. And it's not frequency that puts him on this list, but the popularity of the two powerhouses when they battle. Comic Book fans love it. That's because Doom is perfectly-positioned to oppose Stark on many levels. Both have suits, both are brilliant, and where Tony is a billionaire, Victor is a wealthy monarch with his own kingdom. Perhaps Doom's edge is his mastery of Sorcery, but one thing is certain, when the two come to blows, there's certain to be sparks flying.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

The Age of Ultron Has Begun!

VILLAINOUS MOMENTS

It's The End of The World As We Know It

~Excerpt from Age of Ultron #1 (2013)

The releases and snippets have been ongoing since 2011, but finally it's happened; Ultron has taken over the world.

Think this is premature? Heck no! It's already unfolded in Marvel's newest 10-part event Age of Ultron. Issue #1 starts with the earth razed and heroes on the run. They've already lost. And it makes you wonder if there's anything left worth saving.

What's the plot look like? Well, a super-villainous artificial intelligence has staged an attack across the world and obliterated the human race to scant groups vying for survival. The superheroes still alive seem to be forming a Resistance, but are currently at the mercy of killer robots.

Anyone else wondering if Time Travel will be part of the plot? Someone call John Carpenter.

Villainous Moments is a column from of The Superheroes List, updated weekly (usually Tuesday). What are the bad guys doing this week? Macabre and unthinkable, grotesque and unbearable; here's your answer! Look for #VillainousMoments on Twitter.

H'el On Earth?

SUPERFUNNIES

H'el Boards For Krypton Past

~Superman #17 (2013)

The villainous Kryptonian "H'el" makes his final bid before leaving earth's defenders. Will he succeed in destroying this planet to save his home?

A minor-crossover involving Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy, H'el On Earth features this lost Kryptonian from the planet's past. All he wants to do is blow up our solar system; what's the problem?

Are heroes and villains smart? Naw. #SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List. Here are the bloopers, flip-flops, and all-together moments of levity during exchanges of humor and snapshots of utterly ridiculous decisions in comic books.

From Russia With Love: The Crimson Dynamo

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #8: The Crimson Dynamo

~The Crimson Dynamo. Excerpt from Iron Man #229 (1988).

When Tony Stark first appeared in comics books, it was Tales of Suspense #39 from 1963. There were already super "men" about and costumed crusaders in the comic books, but no one - until him - was armored and calling himself hero or villain. His story was original and believable: an American Inventor-Genius who built a high-tech suit with lots of gadgets, super-strength, and nigh invulnerability. His presence therefore, attributed to "The Greatest Generation" and "American Exceptionalism", where the USA was a powerhouse of ingenuity and had a diehard spirit.

But out of the 50's and into the 60's, specifically in the John F. Kennedy Presidency, we began to witness the rise of another superpower, one symbolized by a government of communism and the soviet red flag. Having a diametrically opposed strength to American Ideals, it was only proper that Iron Man have a fight of equal scale.

Enter: The Crimson Dynamo. His first appearance being Tales of Suspense #46 (1963), a Communist Inventor named Anton Vanko who built his own special armor for the service of Mother Russia. (And if that name sounds familiar, it's because the main villain in the Iron Man 2 movie is Ivan Vanko, the inventor's son bent on revenge. Don't use the movie as a reference, though, there are serious discrepancies between it and the comic books.) Tasked with defeating Iron Man, one-on-one, Anton fought a great battle and was stopped when his Russian Overseer betrayed him. In one quick swoop of American Capitalism, Tony offers him a job at Stark Enterprises and he's now working for us.

Of course, that's not the end, though. Ever since Anton was neutered, the Crimson Dynamo has been alive and well in numerous iterations with countless different forms of technology, facing our Crimson Avenger time and time again. There have been 13 variations and wearers of this armor at this point in research, and much like the metamorphing of the Russian Government, so too is he. Call these versions "upgrades" or just representatives of their era, but the most prominent and noted wearer was Dmitri Bukharin, who had an approximate 12-year run (1978-1990).

One thing is for certain: The Crimson Dynamo will always paint on Iron Man's radar as one of his greatest enemies. This super-villain, in any iteration, is a competing technology that forces Stark to move forward in adaptation or become overwhelmed. And although Russia is a different geo-political beast, it still has the power of The Crimson Dynamo within its grasp.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

The Age of Ultron This Week!

MAJOR EVENT: AGE OF ULTRON

Submit or Perish!

Greetings All! The next Marvel Event is a few days away, called

 Age of Ultron.

See that little twerp in the bottom left of this picture? That's Spider-Man and he's waking up to the start of a very bad day. We've known Ultron was back, but now he's finally shown his cards.


The bad guy wins; that's the premise. After having disappeared from the Marvel Universe for awhile, Ultron shows up with a bang and takes over the world. Now it's Age of Ultron, or A.U., and robots are running the place like a scene out of James Cameron's Terminator.

Follow the Age of Ultron event, which starts on March 6, 2013, by looking for this banner. The years are specifically being written as 2013 A.U.

The first issue to release will be Age of Ultron #1, with a series of cross-overs that will include The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and a host of the "surviving" superheroes.

Spider-Man will be with Hawkeye in New York City; this also appears to be main headquarters of Ultron. Black Panther and the Red Hulk will attempt to survive in Chicago. In San Francisco, the Moon Knight and Black Widow will use their resources to gain the upper hand.

Brian Michael Bendis is the main writer for this story and he has stated that there will be a surprise ending, one that most of the other teams have no clue about.

If you're missing any issues, here's a link to Amazon where you can pick them up:
The Complete Age of Ultron Catalog (Amazon)

The Age of Ultron Reading Order

A Moloid's Greatest Decision, Spidey or The Thing?

SUPERFUNNIES

The FF Needs a Babysitter

~Avenging Spider-Man #17 (2013)

He's still one of the world's greatest superheroes. Unfortunately, he's also inhabited by the mind of Otto Octavius. And today, he's a babysitter for the FF!

The Future Foundation, a consortium of young, brilliant minds, regardless of DNA, villainous backgrounds, or physical disadvantages (such as a floating head). Spider-Man goes in to keep the genius-brats from destroying the world.

And in this issue of Avenging Spider-Man, they almost do.

Are heroes and villains smart? Naw. #SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List. Here are the bloopers, flip-flops, and all-together moments of levity during exchanges of humor and snapshots of utterly ridiculous decisions in comic books.