The Avengers, Vol. 5: Masters of Evil

The Avengers (2023)

by Jed MacKay, Valerio Schiti (Artist), Andrea Broccardo (Artist)

The rise of the all-new, all-different Masters of Evil! While the Avengers are busy dealing with Doctor Doom taking over the world, the new Masters of Evil seize their moment to strike - and the Impossible City is under siege! Who will be left to defend Earth while Doom remains in power? And can even the mighty Avengers fight a war on multiple fronts? Perhaps the Black Panther's return will help turn the tide! The Avengers continue their hunt for the "Missing Moment" - but what does Reed Richards have to do with cracking the code? When their quest takes them to the last place anyone expected - the ruins of SECRET WARS - the relentless Marvel Zombies await! But while Earth's Mightiest Heroes are away, someone needs to protect the world in their absence. Luckily, they know just the group of misunderstood the X-Men! Collecting AVENGERS (2023) #25-30.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

144 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2025

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 stars

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Starts out so freaking cool with a story of Sam fighting the Masters of Evil alone in the City. We get a cool team up with T'Challa that contrasts how the 2 heroes work and it ends with a kinda hammy, kinda cheesy conclusion, but it was so much fun!

Then this devolves into more of the Kang/Myrddin (sp?) plot that I didn't maintain all the details of. Timey Wimey, universe endy, magic mumbojumbo stuff that reminded me a bit of Hickmanvengers with the abstract concepts. Reed is involved and I'm sure I probably needed to have read more of Secret Wars and other series released around the time of this Avengers comic to truly glean the whole concept. I didn't and I most likely won't - after the chore that was Hickmanvengers, I just came to understand that its better for my sanity to just allow myself to not know the entirety of Marvel's arcs. It's not the 50 or so issue ordeal that Civil War was. Now, it's like a 100+ type of thing and I simply don't have the time or fucks to give.

All that to say that I was having so much fun at the start of this volume and then I was having significantly less fun. Unlike the Avengers comics of old where you got more of the team hanging around base in their own clothes and talking about their personal lives, most of this series takes place with them never getting out of uniform, so it makes less sense to complain that a cool plot that focused on the teamwork between two heroes on the team was immediately followed by yet another mission. I was still bummed though. A T'Challa and Sam team up was the dream! I'll never see it in the MCU.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first four issues chronicle an attempt by the newly-reformed Masters of Evil to take over the Avengers flying city. The last two deal with the search for the "Missing Moment" and the anti-climactic reveal of who exactly Myrddin is (saw that from miles away). There's nothing connecting the two, just a sudden, jarring shift from one story to the next. The Masters seem particularly inept this time, never a real threat at all, even for Captain America, who's feeling sorry for himself since he's not a superhuman and has been injured in the fight against Doctor Doom. It also doesn't help that there are 3 very different, very distinct artists at work through these 6 issues. It's really not a terrible collection, just not especially well tied together. I'll echo another critique--I, too, think maybe MacKay is better off focusing on individual characters rather than writing a team book.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the Impossible City comes under siege by a brand new Masters of Evil, lead by the Mad Thinker. And then the mystery of the Missing Moment comes to light at last, as the Avengers face off with Kang in the ruins of Battleworld!

You know what I like by now - and it's pretty much whatever Jed MacKay writes. The first Masters of Evil story showcases exactly how well he understands the characters he writes, from the heroes to the villains to the Impossible City itself, while the Kang story that begins in the second half of the book turns up the heat on continuity references and the big culmination of a lot of plot threads from before.

Excellent, as always.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few issues of this trade are fine. They feature Captain America and Black Panther trying to hold the fort down while the rest of the team tangles with Dr Doom. The villains are a new iteration of the Masters of Evil, and they are intentionally kind of lame, but they are also boring.

The last two issues return to the larger mystery of Myrrdynn and the team of analogue antagonists. There are some big reveals that tie all the way back to Hickman’s Secret Wars and Ewing’s Ultimates. These issues are worth the price of admission. They are setting up the end game of this run, which feels a little cut short unfortunately.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "One World Under Doom" story isn't very good and it's the first 4 issues. This iteration of the Masters of Evil is more like the Losers of Evil. They try and take over the Forever City while the Avengers are on Earth dealing with Doom leaving Sam Wilson to fight them. Then we find out what the "missing moment" is and who Myrridon is behind the mask. The more this and X-Men go on, the more I think Jed MacKay is better off doing solo characters than team books because this is the first time I can recall not loving a Jed MacKay book.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do if almost your entire cast has been hijacked by a company cross-over. You produce an entirely derivative storyline one part stolen from the Masters of Evil attack on the Avengers mansion in the 90s and one part stolen from Die Hard, except it has none of the shock value of the first and none of the cleverness of the last.

MacKay gets things back on track with the last two issues returning to his main plot, but then he cliffhangs us rather than completing the storyline.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Masters Of Evil story just didn't work. Jed MacKay does a really good job with lone Avengers trope but this Masters team was laughably bad. I loved Sam and T'Challa working together. The big buildup to Kang/Myrddin's blowout is here and its odd. There is a swerve and it feels like there were editorial decisions that changed the original plan. I still think this story can work but I'm less convinced. The art here was very good. I especially liked the work of Farid Karami. Overall, the book is solid but its trending the wrong direction.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was weak. Everyone runs around announcing what they’re doing and why … all the time. It’s like a Silver Age comic in all the worst ways.

Mackay’s worst, and a rare miss from him. I hoped that after Aaron’s weak and patchy run that this would be a breath of fresh air, but it’s just more weak tea. Lame. Lame. Lame.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

T challa goes inside of meridian diadem to avoid talking with Storm. Helps a revolution.
The city is overtaken by mad thinker, dread knight, Mr hyde, madcap and exterminatrix while the avengers except Sam are fighting against emperor doom.

Then there is an explanation of what the missing moment is, how we are in the eigrh universe not the seventh. Abd why Reed is responsible.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75
A competent run. But also just kinda there and forgetable. Some excellent art.

But Avengers books should be eff yes awesome each month.

This approach is killing Marvel. Too much great stuff out there. Why pay for something so...OK if there are much MUCH better books out there.

[Jack Morelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read the one world under doom/masters of evil part. Mackay writes these characters well and Sam and tchalla were a fun team up even if I didn’t care about the masters really and it didn’t tie into OWUD like at all

[Mateusz Nowowiejski · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 - 2025

[Andres Pasten · Rating 2 out of 5]

6 numeros en que avanza muy poco la historia central, a pesar del tie in con Doom que es como si no fuera tie in, ya que no aporta en nada a dicho crossover

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good graphic novel.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts as all hitting all the time and ends with it being tied to the big story with a callback that I love.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid stuff, but I don't think the story will ever meet the expectations that I had after MacKay's first volume.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's official...
The Masters of Evil still suck (HARD)

Their roster:
- Mad Thinker (he smart)
- Mister Hyde (he brutal)
- Exterminatrix (daughter of Doctor Midas [Grant Morrison creation...don't ask])
- Madcap (crazy healing factor and just plain crazy)
- Dreadknight (armored baddie that hates Doom. Shadey type of Black Knight)

They decide they can steal the Impossible City while the Avengers are out...

Also, the Myrddin Quest comes to an apex point. Moments are explained. Characters are thrown under the bus. Backstage universal creation is dusted off and explained.
--
Bonus: The Captain America/ City hybrid suit is very much Blue Beetle from DC
Bonus Bonus: Several plot twists in this make me question the WHOLE RUN
Bonus: Kang? Cmon, now...