It’s time for another first look at Marvel Team-Up! This week, we travel deep into the Underworld. Andrew Yip likes vampires. If you ask him, “Pirate or Ninja?” he will always say, “Vampire.” He even told me once that if he could have one super power, it would be “vampirism.”
I am in the habit of saving my MSN conversations for occasions such as these:
Andrew: “If I was a vampire, I wouldn’t sire anyone.”
Billy: “Sire?”
Andrew: “It’s where you bite a human dude and then feed him your own blood. It’s how you make vampires. Well, it’s one of the ways.”
Billy: “Awkward. Actually, that’s really selfish.”
Andrew: “Dude, I am not letting you drink my blood.”
Believe it or not, this is how you brainstorm design ideas for a team like the Underworld.
History Rewritten
When the Underworld team was first introduced, it was mostly characterized by its creatures of the night and Ghost Rider villains. Well, that just wasn’t going to cut it this time. Forgetting the fact that the rest of the Marvel Knights Encyclopedia consisted of “C” and “D” level monsters, we needed to expand into new territory. Enter the “Lords of the Underworld.”
Unlike most teams in Vs. System, the Underworld team doesn’t have a history in the strictest sense of the word. It’s more of an overarching umbrella we can use to introduce various demons, spirits, mystics, delusional devil-worshipping psychotics, and otherworldly ne’er-do-wells into the game. “Hell Lords” was an idea we had early in development. It was a way to introduce a new direction for the team and justify powerful character effects. Also, we needed a team of baddies that could give the world-class Defenders a run for their money. So basically, the new Underworld consists mostly of your cosmic-class threats confronted by a cosmic-class group of heroes, the Defenders.
Don’t worry, we still have vampires. Andrew likes vampires.
Lords of the Underworld
So, which Hell Lords can you expect to see in Team-Up? Here’s a quick rundown of the most notable demons in the cosmos.*
Belasco, Lord of Limbo: Belasco started life as a thirteenth century alchemist who used the dark arts to contact the Elder Gods in order to gain vast, demonic powers. He had an unfortunate run-in with the poet Dante and was trapped in suspended animation until the modern era. Once freed, Belasco battled Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil and became trapped again, this time in Limbo dimension. Belasco eventually conquered Limbo and captured the sister of Colossus, Illyana Rasputin, who he indoctrinated into the dark arts. She would ultimately betray him and take over Limbo.
Notable associates: The N’Garai, D’Spayre, and S’ym.
Blackheart, Lord of Hell: Blackheart became the undisputed ruler of Hell when he stabbed his father, Mephisto, through the heart. While the ruler of Hell, Blackheart tormented Noble Kale (the Spirit of Vengeance) by confusing his mind with lies and forcing him to marry the wife of Johnny Blaze (Roxanne Simpson), who had been transformed by Blackheart into the demon Black Rose. Kale ultimately defeated Blackheart, decapitated him, and banished him from Hell. It was during this time on Earth when he briefly became the new Black King of the Hellfire Club.
Notable associates: Black Rose, Scarecrow, and Mephisto.
Chthon, Lord of the Darkhold: An Elder god who along with his sister Gaea was one of the first to materialize on Earth shortly before the dawn of humanity. Sensing the end of the era of the Elder Gods, Chthon created the indestructible parchments that would become the Darkhold. Chthon escaped into a new dimension, but not before leaving behind the Darkhold, which could be used as a portal to allow him passage back into our reality. While trapped in his new realm, Chthon created the N’Garai demons and an elemental host called the “Other,” which he could use to travel to Earth and grant power to the Darkhold’s keepers. Anyone foolish enough to use the Darkhold would have his or her soul enslaved by Chthon for all time.
Notable associates: The N’Garai, Modred the Mystic, The Dwarf, and Cagliostro.
Death, Lady of the Dead: Death first came into existence when the universe was created. Death has the power to grant the “gift of death” and also the power to bar from the realm of the dead all those who are unworthy. To be barred from Death’s realm is to wander the cosmos forever, unable to taste the peace that death provides. In the past, Death has had many suitors, such as Thanos, Walker, and Deadpool. Presently, she has been seen accompanying the mad titan, Thanos, during the Annihilation Wave.
Notable associates: Thanos, Annihilus, Eternity, and Marlo Chandler.
Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension: Within the Faltine dimension there lived a pair of siblings of great power: Dormammu and Umar. For reasons lost to time, they were banished from their home dimension and eventually settled in the Dark Dimension. Dormammu and Umar eventually came into conflict with the denizens of our dimension and the heroes of Earth, most notably the Defenders. Dormammu harbors a special hatred for the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange, and seeks to humiliate him every chance he gets (although Dormammu is usually the one who ends up humiliated). Recently, Dormammu succeeded in enslaving humanity and capturing his arch-enemy, Dr. Strange; however, he was betrayed by Umar when she decided to teach her brother a lesson in humility.
Notable associates: Umar, The Mindless Ones, and Baron Mordo.
Dweller-in-Darkness, Lord of Fear: The Dweller-in-Darkness feeds on fear. The more he eats, the more powerful and influential he becomes. He can show you your greatest fear and can affect the sleeping and waking world. From his home dimension, the Dweller employs Shade-Thralls, shadow-like creatures, to do his bidding on Earth.
Notable associates: D’Spayre and the Shade-Thralls.
Madelyne Pryor, Goblyn Queen: Shortly before “Inferno,” Pryor began experiencing nightmares sent to her by the demons N’astirh and S’ym. The nightmares played upon her deep insecurities and tempted her with offers of power. The nightmares awakened Pryor’s latent powers and strengthened the darker side of her personality. After being abducted to the island nation of Genosha, Pryor’s superhuman powers fully emerged and she took on the identity of the Goblyn Queen. Allied with N’astirh, Pryor spearheaded the demonic invasion of Earth during the Inferno storyline. Although both N’astirh and Mr. Sinister attempted to make her their pawn, neither proved capable of controlling her. She was eventually defeated and killed by the X-Men.
Notable associates: N’astirh and Mr. Sinister.
Mephisto, Lord of Hell: Mephisto is creature who was created at the dawn of humanity. He rules a dimension of “Hell” in order to exploit the human belief in the Christian devil, Satan, and the afterlife. Over the years, as the supreme incarnation of evil in the Marvel universe, Mephisto has come into conflict with many of Earth’s greatest heroes, including the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, and the Infinity Watch. Mephisto has also battled Dr. Doom on numerous occasions, as Doom has tried to save the damned soul of his dead mother. Mephisto was briefly deposed by his son Blackheart but eventually retuned to Hell more powerful than ever. To this day, he continues to be a thorn in the side of all those who are “good and decent.”
Notable associates: Blackheart, Death, and Zarathos.
Noble Kale, Lord of Hell: Noble Kale, the Spirit of Vengeance, once bonded to the human Danny Ketch (forming the Ghost Rider), decapitated Blackheart, and apparently claimed the throne of Hell. He tried in vain to harness the power of Hell for good and was eventually deposed when Mephisto returned from the grave.
Notable associates: Johnny Blaze, Black Rose, and Danny Ketch.
Shuma-Gorath, Lord of the Hyborian Age: Shuma-Gorath commanded the creatures of the Earth long before the arrival of the First Host of the Celestials. His power increased during the Hyborian Age, where he was worshipped with human sacrifice. Eventually, Crom imprisoned Shuma-Gorath within a mountain, where he lay in wait until Crom finally banished him back to his home dimension. Centuries later, Shuma-Gorath tried to return to Earth once again using Dr, Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One, as his conduit. Strange was forced to destroy his master to prevent the one-eyed monster from taking over the world.
Notable associates: Shuma-Gorath doesn’t socialize.
Surtur, Lord of Ragnarok: Surtur is the Asgardian god of the apocalypse. He is the keeper of the sword called “Twilight” and is a being of vast and incalculable powers. He is the mortal enemy of all Asgardians, most especially Odin and Thor. During the final Ragnarok, Surtur succeeded in killing Odin and bringing an end to the age of the gods, but he apparently did so at the cost of his own life when he was hurled into a dimensional rip in the fabric of space.
Notable associates: Ymir, Loki, and Malekith the Accursed.
They Pretty Much Do Everything
So, what does this new interpretation of the Underworld actually do? Basically, they do everything the old team did but better.
- Depleting your deck to pay the cost of effects? Check.
- KO’d pile manipulation? Check.
- Ridiculous alternate recruits? Check.
- Endurance gain? Check.
- Bonuses tied to the number of stunned characters in play? Wait, that’s a new one.
Look for cards like Dark Bargain, In Limbo, Netherworld Gift, and Undead Legions as splashy enablers for this new theme.
Didn’t get enough Thanos in Heralds of Galactus?
The guy killed half the population of the universe by snapping his fingers (which I think also explains the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline)—how much more “Underworld” can you get?
“Death’s Embrace”
Remember, Death comes for us all.
Additional Reading:
- Defenders: Indefensible TPB
- Essential Doctor Strange Volume 1 TPB
- Essential Doctor Strange Volume 2 TPB
- Ghost Rider Resurrected TPB
- Ghost Rider & Spider-Man: Spirits of Venom TPB
- Rise of the Midnight Sons TPB
- Spider-Man: The Other TPB
- X-Men: Inferno TPB
* Special thanks to Ben Kalman and Wikipedia.