Marvel's Weirdest Super-Teams

Who Are They:A villainous super group of jugglers.

How'd They Form:TheDeath-ThrowsDeath-Throws are the brainchild ofCharles Last, AKA the Ringleader. When you realize you and your talented juggling friends can commit crimes with high hand-eye coordination, you just have to do it. They use clever, tossable-item names likeOddball, Tenpin, andKnicknackThe Death-Throws really stand out as one of Marvel's most singular groups.

Greatest Moments:This bizarre group of villains has gone toe-to-toe withCaptain America and Hawkeye, Union Jack, and evenLoki. They lost every fight, but they still played.

Who Are They:An evil group formed because they are all head-based characters?

How'd They Form:TheHeadmen, who have nothing to do with the deceased villain theHeadsman, first joined forces in 1975'sDefenders#21They were "ostracized" by colleagues and society. Their leader isArthur Nagan, AKA Gorilla Man, who put his head on a gorilla's body. The rest of the crew includesRuby Tuesday, who replaced her head with an orb-like computer;Jerold Morgan, who shrunk his entire skeleton; andChondu the Mystic, whose head was removed from his body.

Greatest Moments:Though the Headmen fight theDefenders, they also clashed with Spider-Man and, they have also tussled with Spider-Man andShe-HulkThese weirdos are not all famous for one thing, but their headquarters were in Oklahoma. Ruby Tuesday's real name is Tuesday Rubinstein, which might be their best feature.

Who Are They:Marvel's poster children for weirdo supergroups.

How'd They Form:A running joke in Marvel Comics since they appeared in 1989'sWest Coast AvengersVol 2 #46, theGreat Lakes Avengersformed afterMr. Immortalput outan ad in the local personals"seeking men and women of action" to "join forces and form a team of Super Friends." After catching the attention of Avengers members Hawkeye and Mockingbird, the Great Lakes Avengers were trained by the duo; the rest is history.

Greatest Moments: Since the Great Lakes Avengers are just a comedy team, they did not achieve much outside of making people laugh. Their best member, the awesomeUnbeatable Squirrel Girlleft the team. The main thing about the GLA is constantly changing their group name. They use names like the Lightning Rods and the Great Lakes X-Men; why not?

Who Are They:A circus-themed group of evil-doers.

How'd They Form:The modern Circus of Crime came about in the '60s under the command ofCircus of Crime, AKA the Ringmaster. Many members joined the Circus of Crime later, fromMaynard Tiboldt, AKA the Ringmaster. Numerous members of the Circus of Crime joined later decades, fromFire-EatertoFire-EaterThe through-line is always Tiboldt and his mind-controlling.Ringmaster's Hat.

Greatest Moments:Using the Ringmaster's hat, the Circus of Crime took control of many heroes' minds, from Thor to Spider-Man. The group's biggest claim to fame is its attempt to ruin Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne's wedding in 1969.Hank Pymand Janet van Dyne in 1969'sThe Avengers#60.

Who Are They:The name is in the title; they are mercenaries for hire.

How'd They Form:When Deadpool became the hottest thing since sliced bread in 2016 with the Ryan Reynolds feature film, the character entered Marvel Comics differently. Once the crazed mutant became famous, Marvel published many Deadpool books. They published his ongoing series andSpider-Man/Deadpool, fromDeadpool: Back in BlacktoDeadpool & the Mercs for Money, the guy was everywhere, including forming his own team.super-team. Deadpool leading his own team after years as a bit player or partnered with Cable is inherently funny.

Greatest Moments:The Mercs for Money fought many villains like Taskmaster and Radioactive Man.TaskmasterandRadioactive Man, but their most important Marvel moment happened in the 2017 limited series Inhumans vs. X-Men.Inhumans vs. X-Men,when theInhumanswere pushed forward before their television show aired.

Who Are They:A street-level group hunts down Skrulls.Skrulls.

How'd They Form:The initial Skull Kill Krew formed after eating burgers made from Skrull Cows.Skrull Cows(thank you, Reed Richards). Eating the Skrulls gave these humans "Skrullovoria Induced Skrullophobia" and created intense hatred for Skrulls. The tainted meat eventually killed each member over time, but they focused on slaughtering Skrulls with their remaining lives.Skrullovoria Induced Skrullophobia" and instilled an intense hatred of Skrulls. The tainted meat eventually ended each member of the Krew over time, but they focused on slaughtering Skrulls with what life remained.The second 3-D Man, Delroy Garrett Jr., would join the Skrull Kill Krew during the events of "Secret Invasion"."Secret Invasion.

Greatest Moments: The Skrull Kill Krew played an important role during "Secret Invasion," with 3-D Man leading the attack against the hidden, implanted Skrulls in the ongoing 50 State Initiative.50 State Initiativeteams across the United States. They also fought Captain America in the mid-'90s.they went up against Captain Americain the mid-'90s.

Who Are They:A multinational corporation run by evil, immortal board members.

How'd They Form:The people at the top of Mys-TechMys-Techwere granted power and immortality byMephistoin 987 AD in exchange for a constant stream of human sacrifices. How no one notices the same board members have led a major corporation for centuries is anyone's guess.

Greatest Moments:The two biggest Mys-Tech moments in Marvel Comics are the Mys-Tech Wars of the early '90s and the 2014 "Mys-Tech Warsof the early '90s and the 2014 "Revolutionary WarMys-Tech operates out of London, not New York. This location probably explains why the group sees little use.Latveria.andWakanda.orAtlantis.Your non-American country likely gets little play.

Who Are They:A group of old scientists aim to "radically depopulate humanity" to save Earth.

How'd They Form:These scientists, aged 64 to 81, give certain X-Men members a purpose in the 2019 X-Men issue.X-Men.#3.These women formed to return the world to nature: "...an Earth with seven billion fewer people on it." They just "love the s-word out of flowers." Their words, not ours.

Greatest Moments:They beat the snot out of powerful mutants like Sebastian Shaw.Sebastian Shaw.andCyclops.Cyclops is the highlight of this group's short time. See people eligible for Social Security put the beat-down on major Marvel names in that X-Men issue.X-Men..

Who Are They:Marvel's superhero team from France that appeared in only one issue.

How'd They Form:We don't know how they formed. They have been unused since the 2007 Fantastic Four.Fantastic Four.#541.That issue does not mention their origins. Some members of Les Heroes de Paris look similar to characters from DC's stable of characters.Les Heroes de Paris.are similar to DC's stable of characters: Comte de Nuit.Comte de Nuit is clearly a play on Batman.Le Vent.Le Vent is an obvious Flash analog.La Lumière Bleue.La Lumière Bleue even looks a lot like the Green Lantern.

Greatest Moments:The group appeared once, teaming up with the Fantastic Four's Thing.They fought L'Empereur du Monde Souterrain.They also thwarted a cell of Hydra terrorists.L'Empereur du Monde Souterrain.This group has rock monsters and a quick trip to stop a Hydra terrorist cell. It takes less than 20 pages of Marvel Comics.

The Pennsylvanian superhero team was short-lived.The Pennsylvanian superhero team of the short-lived50 State Initiative.How'd They Form:

After the events of "Civil War," Tony Stark became S.H.I.E.L.D. director.Stark created the 50 State Initiative, calling for a superhero team to protect every state in America.The project failed; many states lacked a team. Some states got groups like New York's Avengers and Colorado's Thunderbolts., Tony Stark became the director ofLiberteensand created the 50 State Initiative. This project sought a superhero team to protect every state in America. Many states never got a team. Some states got known groups, like New York's Avengers and Colorado'sThis group of superpowered teens was based on the WWII-era team, the Liberty Legion., while others got new teams, like Pennsylvania's..This group of superpowered teens was based on the WWII-era team known as theThey also helped with the "Youth in Revolt" tie-in to the 2011 Marvel crossover event "Fear Itself."

"Youth in Revolt" tie-in to the 2011 Marvel crossover event "Fear Itself."Who Are They:A group of villains were manipulated by Shroud.Shroud made them fight other criminals.Liberty Legion." tie-in to 2011's Marvel crossover event "This was the original idea behind Night Shift.

Who Are They:A group of villains manipulated byShroudinto fighting other crooks.

How'd They Form:Convince villains they haven't. This was the original idea behindNight ShiftDescription of 'Night Shift' in the list 'Marvel's Weirdest Super-Teams' is: and its initial leader, Shroud. The group has more or less remained faithful to this idea - not exactly good or bad guys, really - since its introduction in 1987's Captain America#330Many popular Marvel canon members joined the group over the years, including theSuperior Spider-Man, Mockingbird, and Werewolf by Night.

Greatest Moments: Teaming up with Captain AmericaThis pairing is a highlight for any Marvel character, and Night Shift proves it. The time they fought the West Coast Avengers ended in a stalemate; that was not an easy job.they fought the West Coast Avengersto a stalemate, which was no easy task.

Who Are They:This group of powered individuals first tried to take over theYoung Avengers' mantle before becoming villains.

How'd They Form:This teen group formed because Lisa Molinari, also known as Coat of Arms, brought them together for an artistic statement about superheroes after she left juvenile detention. This explains why the group included non-heroic members like the openly racistBig Zeroand the homicidalExecutioner (who later became the son of the evil Princess Python), but it was strange to see these people call themselves "Avengers." The group chose the name Young Masters.and the homicidalExecutioner(who also turned out to be the son of the evil Princess Python), but it was odd to see those kinds of people calling themselves "Avengers." The group decided to call themselves the Young Masters.Young Mastersand the lineup changed many times. This included an incarnation of theBlack Knight, as well as Alex Wilder and Chase Stein, who are best known for being members of the fan-favoriteRunaways.

Greatest Moments:Besides facing the Young Avengers and theDark Avengersduring the events of "Dark Reign", they also fought Lady Bullseye and Doctor Octopus. They eventually worked for theMasters of Evil.

Who Are They: A mind-controlled groupof heroes chosen for aMojo Worldtelevision show.

How'd They Form:Stay with us here... inUncanny Avengers Annual#1, X-Men villain Mojo mind-controlled a group including Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, and Blade to capture theUncanny Avengers(AKA Avengers Unity Division) and force them into a TV show calledMartian Transylvania Super Hero Mutant Monster Hunter High School.If that title is weak, the show also had Thor become a football-playing jock.

Greatest Moments:If forced intoMartian Transylvania Super Hero Mutant Monster Hunter High Schoolisn't enough, the final panel of the group's only issue shows a huge pool party. It looks fun.

Who Are They:A group of mutants initially formed to followMagnetoas the "mutant messiah."

How'd They Form:After appearing in 1991'sX-Men#1, the originalAcolytesThe Acolytes formed because they believed Magneto's idea: mutants are better than mankind. They should dominate Earth.

Greatest Moments:They played big roles as antagonists in Quicksilver'sself-titled series.They appeared from 1997 to 1998. They also appeared in two Magneto comic books volumes.MagnetoandMagneto: Dark SeductionThey recently reappeared in Jonathan Hickman's 2019 X-Men relaunch, which was well-received.Powers of X, so the group might return.