The Marvel Universe has long been filled with all manner of super teams. From the classic Invaders and Avengers to the menace that is the Multiversal Masters of Evil, fans have never been left wanting more when it comes to superpowered lineups of their favorite heroes and villains. Of course, not every team is made of the same stuff, nor are they all bound for greatness. In fact, some strive for little more than a vague sense of mediocrity, and theirs is exactly the kind of story that the Marvel Cinematic Universe deserves.
First seen in the pages of 2005’s Spider-Man Unlimited #12 in the story “Amends” (by Christos N. Gage and Mike McKone), Villains Anonymous was everything that the name would imply. Originally comprised of Big Wheel, Equinox, the Schizoid Man, Armadillo, and Man-Bull, the group gave these wayward souls a safe space to air their grievances with a cruel and uncaring world. It was also a way to help each other come to terms with their pasts, and to find ways to make amends in the present. For Big Wheel, this meant joining in his former enemy’s fight against evil, though anyone could be forgiven for not recognizing his best attempts as such.
Villains Anonymous Gave Marvel’s Worst Villains a Chance to Be Heroes
When Big Wheel put himself in harm’s way to help Spider-Man bring down another one of his superpowered foes, no one was sure what to make of the situation. At first, it seemed as if he was intent on embarking upon another crime spree of his own. Once he made it clear that he was only attempting to make amends for his past crimes, however, there wasn’t a lot that could be done to stop him from trying. Despite his blunders, Big Wheel managed to help Spider-Man defeat at least one foe, and in the process, he inspired other villains to take up the same cause.
A single appearance would have certainly been enough to cement Villains Anonymous’ place in history, but this wasn’t the last readers saw of the group. Most recently, 2014’s Superior Foes of Spider-Man #11 (by Tom Peyer and William Sliney) gave fans additional insight into what Villains Anonymous could do to help costumed criminals turn their lives around. This time, the issue focused on Grizzly and the Looter, two D-List villains, each of whom had their own story to tell. In the case of the latter, the big takeaway was that Spider-Man had taken a brutal turn, and the impact of those in attendance hearing it from a peer made it palpable.
The Concept of Villains Anonymous is Already Present in the MCU
A handful of appearances across multiple decades may not seem like much, but it is more than enough for Villains Anonymous to have both established and fleshed itself out enough to make the leap to the small screen. Considering the MCU has taken to offering fans lighter fare than the average big-budget, blockbuster superhero movie, Villains Anonymous could easily find a place right at home alongside the likes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
The MCU’s She-Hulk may have even given Villains Anonymous the perfect starting point with Abomination’s sprawling country retreat. On top of the saunas and speeches, he offered those who came to his home a place where they could talk about their issues and commiserate on days both good and bad. For all intents and purposes, that may as well have been a Villains Anonymous meeting, and there is no reason it couldn’t inspire one in the future.
