The Best Marvel Team Never Had a Name

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Marvel is renowned for creating some of the most iconic teams in comic book history, and it’s easy to see why. The Fantastic Four built on the superhero sci-fi pioneered by DC in the 1950s, adding a strong focus on character development. The Avengers offered a unique take on the team dynamic, similar to DC’s Justice Society and Justice League, but with Marvel’s distinctive style. The X-Men stand out as the most thematically rich team, allowing writers to explore complex issues through the superhero genre. However, these are just a few examples – Marvel boasts a wealth of other fantastic teams as well.

Marvel is known for its villainous teams, but one particularly interesting group from the late 2000s doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. It’s unique because it’s never actually been given a formal name! Though it shares some members and similarities with the Masters of Evil, it’s not simply a different iteration of that group. This team was central to several important storylines, and it’s time we acknowledged its impact – and finally gave it a name.

The Hood Created Marvel’s Greatest Villain Team by Borrowing from Other Groups

Parker Robbins, also known as the Hood, began his criminal career seeking more wealth. He connected with superpowered criminals and eventually acquired a magical cloak granting him teleportation and demonic powers. He starred in his own comic series and appeared in Beyond!, a fantastic modern update to the classic Secret Wars storyline by the late Dwayne McDuffie. At the time, New Avengers was Marvel’s top-selling title. The series launched with the Skrulls hiring Electro to break villains out of the Raft prison, flooding the streets with lesser-known criminals. This chaos coincided with the fracturing of the superhero community during Civil War, and it sparked an idea for Robbins.

The Hood united a group of villains, convincing them to collaborate. With the heroes weakened, he promised them wealth and power if they worked together. This alliance became known simply as the Hood’s gang. They fought the New Avengers and even assisted during the Skrull invasion, later joining Norman Osborn’s Initiative after he took charge of national superhero security. Initially, I thought Marvel was building them up to be the next Masters of Evil, but the more I learned about the team, the more it became clear they were inspired by a similar group from DC Comics.

It’s common for villain teams in Marvel and DC to fall apart due to infighting, but the Rogues were different. The Flash’s enemies understood they couldn’t beat him alone, so they formed a surprisingly cooperative team. They shared the rewards and always had each other’s backs. Later, the Hood’s crew learned from this example. Having been defeated repeatedly due to a lack of trust, they decided to prioritize teamwork. The Hood enforced this by quickly dealing with anyone who caused trouble or couldn’t cooperate.

This group was essentially a large team of lesser-known Marvel villains, including characters like the Wrecking Crew, Madame Masque, and Blackout, to name just a few. Because modern comics focus on longer story arcs instead of individual issues, these villains hadn’t been used much. The Hood brought them together and gave them a purpose. The team functioned mostly as a unit, with few members having significant individual moments, but that actually worked to their advantage. What made this group special was that they seemed to have learned from past failures – a refreshing change for villain teams – and it made them effective for the time they existed.

The Hood’s Group Was the Last Important Marvel Villain Group

It’s rare to see truly powerful villain teams in comics today, especially at Marvel. Most of the time, we get groups meant to be temporary challenges for heroes, lasting only a few issues. Classic villain teams have largely disappeared because their stories often fell into predictable patterns – villains would betray each other or deliberately lose to prolong conflict. However, the team assembled by The Hood was different. He fostered a genuine sense of teamwork, ensuring everyone worked together. This approach is a smarter, more modern way to write villain groups, moving away from tired clichés.

It’s strange this team never officially got a name. Many longtime Avengers readers thought they were similar to the Masters of Evil, a concept introduced by writer Brian Bendis, but that didn’t pan out. Still, they were a fantastic group and easily rank among the best teams Marvel has ever created. As a fan of the Hood, I’d really like to see them return sometime – hopefully Marvel will bring them back and finally give them a proper name.

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2025-11-23 18:13