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Masters Of Evil I Formed: Avengers Vol.1 #6 (1964)
  Status: Disbanded Avengers Vol.1 #16 (1965)
Baron Zemo: (Leader) Evil Nazi scientist with a grudge against Captain America.
The Executioner: The son of a Frost Giant and an Asgardian goddess, exiled to Earth for attempting to kill Thor.
   
Black Knight II: A descendant of Sir Percy of Scandia, the heroic Black Knight. He has a grudge against Giant-Man.
The Melter I: A former industrialist who lost his Government contracts to Tony Stark (Iron Man).
   
The Enchantress: Asgardian sorceress exhiled from Asgard and secretly in love with Thor.
The Radioactive Man: A Chinese expert in radiation and its effects on humans with a grudge against Thor.
Formation:
 
After seemingly slaying Captain America and Bucky during World War II, the Nazi scientific genius Heinrich Zemo withdrew to South America, where he subjugated a native tribe, carving out his own private kingdom. Zemo lived in seclusion until recent years when he learned that the Avengers had found and revived Captain America. Determined to destroy his old enemy but unwilling to face the Avengers alone, Zemo recruited the super-criminals Black Knight, Melter, and Radioactive Man (foes of Avengers members Giant-Man, Iron Man and Thor, respectively). The team dubbed themselves the Masters of Evil.
Thor falls under the Enchantress's spell!
 
Baron Zemo returned to his South America kingdom and formed a new alliance with Thor's foes Amora the Enchantress and the Executioner. While Captain America was lured by the Executioner to Zemo's South American hide out, the Enchantress enthralled Thor, and sent him to battle the other Avengers. Zemo lost his battle with Captain America and was chased back to America. Thor regained his senses, and cast Zemo, The Enchantress and Executioner into another dimension!
Wonder Man created!
 
Guided back to Earth by the Enchantress, the Masters Of Evil and Baron Zemo came up with a new scheme. Zemo had the Enchantress recruit Simon Williams, an industrialist rival of Tony Stark who had embezzled funds when Stark’s inventions made his patents worthless. Zemo used an ion-ray machine to transform Simon Williams into the powerful Wonder Man, keeping him under control by providing him with an antidote to prevent his death from the ion-ray treatment.
A noble death!
 
The Masters Of Evil launch yet another attack on the Avengers in which Wonder Man seemingly came to the Avengers' aid in order to infiltrate the group. Wonder Man then sprung the trap leading the Avengers to the Amazon jungle and defeating the entire team by himself. However, unable to bear to see the Avengers killed, Wonder Man freed Thor from the Masters' custody. As the Avengers rallied, Zemo, the Enchantress and the Executioner fled, and Wonder Man, deprived of Zemo's antidote, dies a noble death!
The Avengers get a history lesson!
 
The Enchantress received a mental probe from the Avengers time travelling foe Immortus, who offers to assist the Masters Of Evil against the Avengers using armies of people taken from the past. Immortus then trapped Captain America in the past but after Captain America overcame Immortus' men, he returned to the present, just in time to help save the Avengers from the Masters of Evil. The Enchantress helped the Masters Of Evil to escape by travelling back in time to just before Immortus' mental probe. This time, she does not respond to the probe.
Zemo's final scheme!
 
The Masters Of Evil final scheme began with Zemo capturing Rick Jones and bringing him to his base in the Amazon Jungle. Zemo then Sends the Executioner and Enchantress to break out the Melter and Black Knight to help oppose the Avengers. While Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man and the Wasp fight the four Masters Of Evil, Captain America sets off to the Amazon to rescue Rick. When Captain America finally confronted Zemo , his shield temporarily blinds Zemo who accidentaly causes a landslide that crushes him.
New York almost comes to a sticky end!
 
The gathered Masters of Evil were sent by Baron Zemo to New York City outfitted with devices to spray the streets of New York with Zemo's Adhesive X in order to engage the Avengers in combat. The city and the Avengers were freed by Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade who replaced canisters of Adhesive X with a solvent created by Paste-Pot Pete.
  Key Issues:  
     
Avengers Vol.1 6 Avengers Vol.1 9 Avengers Vol.1 15
The Masters attack New York Zemo creates Wonder Man Zemo dies in an avalanche
| Apokolips | | Masters Of Evil I | | Masters Of Evil II | | Red Lantern Corps |
The Final throw of the dice!
 
Unaware of Zemo’s death, the final battle between the Masters Of Evil and the Avengers continues. In order to prevent further damage to New York's streets, Thor teleports the two teams into another dimension, although the Enchantress and Executioner are able to flee. In the new dimension the remaining two villains' technology does not work and they are quickly defeated ending the threat of the first Masters Of Evil!