| Super-Villain Team-Up | |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up: Quarterly Super-Villain Team-Up: Bimonthly (#1–14) Irregularly (#15–17) Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11: Monthly |
| Format | Super-Villain Team-Up: Ongoing series Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11: Mini-series |
| Publication date | Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up: March 1975 – June 1975 Super-Villain Team-Up: August 1975 – June 1980 Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11: July 2007 – November 2007 |
| No. of issues | Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up: 2 Super-Villain Team-Up: 17 Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11: 5 |
| Main character | List
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| Creative team | |
| Written by | List
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| Penciller | List
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| Inker | List
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| Collected editions | |
| Essential Super-Villain Team-Up | ISBN 978-0785115458 |
| Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11 | ISBN 978-0785119920 |
Super-Villain Team-Up is the name of twoAmerican comic book series published byMarvel Comics. Both series featuredsupervillains as the protagonists.
The first series started in 1975 with two giant-size issues[1] before launching as a regular series,[2][3] and was mostly bi-monthly during its existence. It initially teamed upDoctor Doom and theSub-Mariner, who had lost his own series, from which it picked up the unresolved plots, especially that of the comatoseAtlanteans. After a succession of writers and artists and a crossover withThe Avengers, the plot gets resolved in issue #13 when Doctor Doom revives the Atlanteans, thus dissolving his alliance with the Sub-Mariner.
Issue #14 (Oct. 1977), which featuredMagneto and Doctor Doom, was billed as the final issue of the series[4] and its plotline was resolved inTheChampions #16. The following year,SVTU continued with issue #15 (Nov. 1978), a reprint ofAstonishing Tales #4–5. Issues #16 (May 1979) and #17 (June 1980) featured theRed Skull and theHate-Monger. The irregular publishing frequency of the final three issues was due to a legal maneuver to prevent DC Comics from trademarking the term "super-villain".[5]
The series saw the death of the Sub-Mariner's 1940s sweetheart Betty Dean and the death of her murderer,Doctor Dorcas.Steve Englehart createdThe Shroud,[6] a character partly inspired byBatman,[7] shortly before he started to work forDC Comics onDetective Comics.[8]
| Issue | Cover date | Character | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant–Size #1 | March 1975 | Doctor Doom | Sub-Mariner | new framing story by writerRoy Thomas and artistsJohn Buscema andJoe Sinnott. ReprintsSub-Mariner #20 (December 1969) andMarvel Super-Heroes #20 (May 1969). |
| Giant–Size #2 | June 1975 | vs. the Doomsman | ||
| #1 | August 1975 | vs.Attuma,Doctor Dorcas, andTiger Shark | ||
| #2 | October 1975 | |||
| #3 | December 1975 | |||
| #4 | February 1976 | |||
| #5 | April 1976 | vs. theFantastic Four | ||
| #6 | June 1976 | vs. the Fantastic Four and theShroud | ||
| #7 | August 1976 | vs. the Shroud | ||
| #8 | October 1976 | vs. theRingmaster | ||
| #9 | December 1976 | vs. Attuma. Crossover withThe Avengers #154–156 (Dec. 1976–Feb. 1977) | ||
| #10 | February 1977 | vs. theRed Skull | ||
| #11 | April 1977 | Red Skull | ||
| #12 | June 1977 | |||
| #13 | August 1977 | Sub-Mariner | vs.Warlord Krang | |
| #14 | October 1977 | Magneto | crossover withTheChampions #16 (November 1977) | |
| #15 | November 1978 | Red Skull | reprintsAstonishing Tales #4 (February 1971) and #5 (April 1971) | |
| #16 | May 1979 | Red Skull | Hate-Monger | |
| #17 | June 1980 | also featuringArnim Zola |
In 2007 Marvel publishedSuper-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11, a five-issue miniseries featuring 11 supervillains in the manner of the movieOcean's Eleven.
This 2009 miniseries features Doctor Doom working with other villains.
After two giant-size issues,Super-Villain Team-Up switched to a thirty-two-page format in August [1975].
The revival and annual publication ofSVTU was part of the legal maneuvering on Marvel's part to keep DC from trademarking the term 'Super Villain' as in 'Secret Society of'. For that, annual publication was enough, and by the second year, the legal tussle was resolved.
My creation of the Shroud in #6, to be a third force somewhere between the villains and the heroes. He was a combination of the Shadow and the Batman, both favorites of mine, and since I was a Marvel writer I was never going to get a chance at the real Batman...
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