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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #2! Marvel Comics has no shortage of super-villain teams, from the Masters of Evil and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, to the Serpent Society and the Cabal – just to name a few. Each super-villain team has proven itself to be a thorn in the sides of their respective superhero foes. But, out of them all, which super-villain team was the first? Well, after 86 years, Marvel Comics has finally answered that very question.
In a preview for Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #2 by Frank Tieri and Michael Sta. Maria, readers are given an insight into the structure of villainy in early 1900s New York City. For the most part, Marvel’s history is similar to that of the real world, with a number of gangs popping up that controlled certain areas of the city. However, it wouldn’t be long before these fairly realistic gangs were joined by teams of super-villains, including the first-ever super-villain team: the Sons of New Amsterdam.
The Sons of New Amsterdam claim the title of Marvel’s first super-villain team for the simple fact that they were the first gang in New York to wear masks along with matching uniforms. The masks were used to hide their identities, while the uniforms were to let everyone know who they were. This aesthetic choice transformed the Sons of New Amsterdam from a normal gang into a team of super-villains – though this gang was far from the last to undergo such a metamorphosis during this time period.
The Sons of New Amsterdam Isn’t Marvel’s ONLY ‘First Super-Villain Team’
Marvel Names the First ‘Masked’ AND ‘Super’ Villain Teams
The Sons of New Amsterdam is technically the first super-villain team in Marvel Comics, but it isn’t the only ‘first’. This gang was the first to wear masks, that much is true, but the Sons of New Amsterdam wasn’t the first super-villain team to have members with actual superpowers. The first gangs with superhuman members were: the Frankengang, the Street Sorcerers Supreme, the Shockers, and the Night Flyers.
So, does this mean the Sons of New Amsterdam actually isn’t the first super-villain team in Marvel Comics? Absolutely not. Sure, the members didn’t have superhuman abilities through supernatural or technological means, but their existence opened the door for such teams to rise. The Sons of New Amsterdam ushered in an era of super-villain squads in Marvel Comics, and because of that, the group firmly holds the title of Marvel’s first super-villain team.
Marvel Reveals the Origin of Classic Fantastic Four Criminals: the Yancy Street Gang
The Yancy Street Gang as a History of Bugging The Thing
Not only is the origin of Marvel’s first super-villain team revealed in this preview, but also the origin of a gang that has long-been a thorn in the Fantastic Four’s side (especially the Thing): the Yancy Street Gang. The Yancy Street Gang is nothing more than a bunch of low-level thugs who claimed Yancy Street as their territory. Their biggest ‘claim-to-fame’ is that they would regularly bug the Thing, pulling pranks on him constantly and just generally annoying – and even tormenting – the Fantastic Four member.
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Now, fans know that the Yancy Street Gang’s origin dates back to the era of the first-ever super-villain team in Marvel’s history, which is an interesting little tid-bit regarding a pretty forgettable gang. While that’s interesting, the biggest takeaway from this preview is the identity of Marvel Comics‘ first super-villain team itself, as fans now finally know who it is after 86 years.
Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #2 by Marvel Comics is available January 29, 2025.
“}]] Marvel Comics reveals its first super-villain team. Read More