The Avengers have faced down hundreds of menaces throughout their almost fifty years of adventures. One of the earliest recurring threats they went up against were the Masters of Evil. The brainchild of the twelfth Baron Zemo, the group was originally comprised of frequent enemies of the individual Avengers but as time went on it came to include various bad guys from all corners of the Marvel Universe.
With a roster that changes almost as frequently as that of the Avengers, the Masters of Evil have seen a wide range of villains join their ranks. From mad scientists and super-powered hoods to mutant burglars and spiteful robots, these are some of the most (and least) powerful members the MoE have had.
10 Powerful: Baron Helmut Zemo
It's true that Helmut Zemo, the thirteenth Baron Zemo, may not have any powers but that doesn't mean he's not dangerous. He's a sociopathic master strategist with hyper-competence in hand to hand combat and excellent marksmanship skills.
Under Zemo's leadership, the Masters of Evil have taken on some of the strongest heroes in the Marvel Universe. There's a reason why much more physically powerful villains follow his orders. Zemo's ruthlessness and tactical brilliance should never be discounted.
9 Not: Tiger Shark
Todd Arliss was a former Olympian who after being paralyzed in a swimming accident, signed up for an experimental treatment that spliced his DNA with not only that of Prince Namor but also (in a true act of overkill) a shark. The experiment turned Arliss into an amphibious being, with enhanced strength and a high healing factor.
It's hard to believe Tiger Shark posing that much of a threat to the Avengers (or even the Champions) unless he was involved with a group of similar aquatic-themed baddies like the Deep Six in some kind of water-based caper. When he's out of his element on land, he doesn't offer the Masters of Evil much other than a little bit of extra muscle.
8 Powerful: Radioactive Man
Radioactive Man (no, not that one) is one of the most deadly villains the Masters of Evil have had on their roster. Even though his powers, given to him by heavy exposure to radiation, are incredibly strong all on their own, he's also a scientific genius and has the advanced tech and weaponry to prove it.
What makes Radioactive Man so dangerous is the wide range of ways he can utilize his powers. He can fire blasts of radioactive energy, create force fields, and even give his enemies deadly cases of radiation poisoning.
7 Not: The Melter
One of the original members of the Masters of Evil, the Melter posed a reasonable threat in his early appearances. Since he had the power to, you know, melt different metals (and later any substance) of course he would be a decent villain for Iron Man.
As Iron Man's technological abilities have advanced through the years, the Melter really poses no threat greater than any other super-crook with a disintegration ray would. When seen in a lineup among some of the heavy hitters on this list, he seems a little out of place.
6 Powerful: Enchantress
Amora, the Asgardian witch known as The Enchantress, was recruited by Baron Heinrich Zemo (Helmut's Dad) to join his original Masters of Evil way back in Avengers vol . 1 issue #15, along with her lovesick partner Skurge the Executioner. Together they added a ton of mystical firepower to an already lethal team.
Enchantress is one of the more skilled spellcasters in the Marvel Universe, and while her powers are diminished when she is away from Asgard, they're still enough to cause a hero like Thor a world of trouble.
5 Not: Egghead
Egghead, the criminal genius (and sort of archenemy of Ant-Man,) always seems to be out of his league whenever he goes up against Marvel's heroes. When you think of the evil masterminds in the Marvel U, Egghead usually isn't one of the bad guys who spring to mind.
Before he formed the third incarnation of the Masters of Evil, he ran a second-tier team of villains known as the Emissaries of Evil, which included the Rhino and Cobalt Man, to battle the Defenders. No matter how truly Machiavellian he may be, Egghead just doesn't have a track record that inspires fear.
4 Powerful: Ultron
Under the alias of the Crimson Cowl, the rogue android Ultron's first-ever appearance saw him form a new Masters of Evil which included Klaw, Radioactive Man, and the Black Knight (This Black Knight was the heroic Dane Whitman, who had joined the group intending to take them down from the inside.) It's a pretty spectacular debut for a character who would become one of the Avenger's most notorious enemies.
With his AI being based on the brain waves of his creator Hank Pym, Ultron's grudge against the Avengers is a particularly personal one. The fact that he constantly rebuilds himself, housing his considerable intellect in more and more deadly vessels, he is one of the most dangerous members the Masters of Evil have ever had.
3 Not: Whirlwind
Originally known as the Human Top, the criminal who would become Whirlwind used his mutant abilities to move with super-speed to begin a career as a jewel thief. After his activities were foiled by Giant-Man and the Wasp, he tried to get revenge by posing as the chauffeur of Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp's alter ego.
While he was a member of Ultron's version of the Masters of Evil, he was always a small-time crook in the larger world of super-villainy. His super-speed was never fast enough to make him into a true threat, and lacking a keen intellect himself, was always best utilized as a part of a larger team by tacticians like Zemo or Count Nefaria.
2 Powerful: Moonstone
Moonstone has become a staple member of various evil super-groups over the last several decades. The reason? She's incredibly powerful and brutally relentless, which is a pretty great personality combo for someone in her line of work.
She's powerful enough that she was able to believably pass herself off as Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) when Norman Osborn recruited her as a member of his Dark Avengers. That kind of power-level puts her head and shoulders above many other former Masters of Evil.
1 Not: The Beetle
The early Spider-Man villain the Beetle is one of those super-criminals you feel a little bad for. He's not out to hurt anyone really, he just wants to get ahead in life and isn't averse to taking illegal shortcuts to get there. He wasn't out to hurt anyone, and because of that, he never made much of a name for himself in the supervillain community. At the end of the day, he was just another crook with a jetpack and power armor.
He was a member of Egghead's Masters of Evil, and then (under the name Mach-5) joined with Zemo's crew of villains masquerading as heroes known as the Thunderbolts. He, along with several others in the team, decided they liked being heroes more than villains and decided to make their act a reality.