Most villains simply act as foils in both the comics and the comic based movies. A villain in a film, as in a comic script, is usually a one and done affair. The trick to speculating about villain centered books, therefore, is getting ahead of the game. In this post I’ll list three Marvel villains who may eventually make MCU appearances.
In general, we can say that villains are a tricky proposition in the comic book world. A good villain makes a good comic even better; with some villains even becoming as popular as their superhero counterparts and occasionally gaining a fan following of their own. When this happens we see the phenomenon of a villain first appearance gain in value, sometimes to the point where it can command premium prices and even become a collector’s item.
Unfortunately for every Doctor Doom there are ten Paste-Pot Pete's. As Marvel enters Phase 4 of its films however, and after ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ comes and goes - which itself may hint at upcoming villains to spec on very soon - we can bet that new appearances of villains will affect the comic market.
What villains are likely to appear soon? Which of comics should you track down now to get ahead of the curve?
Fantastic Four #22 (January 1964) – Second appearance of the Mole Man
The other week I wrote about Doc Doom as the undisputed major enemy of the Fantastic Four. But Marvel may decide to save the best for last after they bring their first family to the big screen. Also, chronologically, the first villain the FF faced was not Doom but this near-sighted fellow, Mr. Harvey Elder- commonly known as Mr. Mole or is that Mr. Man? His first appearance is, of course, Fantastic Four #1 – – an out of reach key for most people, but if the former Ruler of Subterranea makes a big screen appearance it’s possible that his lesser known second appearance, in FF #22, may take off in value. With 410 copies on the CGC census, returns over the last three months show slightly negative figures. Stepping back one year, we see that the numbers are actually mixed. 9.2 grades are positive +20% over the last year, but sales on 9.0 and 8.5 are negative at, respectively, 15.6 and 15.9 per cent. That gives FF #22 a FMV in these grades of: 9.2 = $875.00, 9.0 = $425 and 8.5 =$350.00. Currently a 5.0 can be bought for under $100.00; seems like a good time to buy.
Sub-Mariner #6 (September 1968) - First appearance of Doctor Dorcas; First appearance of Tiger Shark
Although there are issues relating to who owns the rights, as happened with Hulk and Spider-man, if Marvel/Disney want it, they can and may very well secure an appearance of Namor in a future film (my money’s on 'Black Panther 2', but we’ll see). If Namor appears, Marvel may decide to also bring a Sub-Mariner villain along. If that happens keep your eye on this book. SM #6 is the first appearance of Tiger Shark or Todd Arliss. Attaining his powers after Dr. Lemuel Dorcas blended his DNA with that of the Sub-Mariner and a tiger shark, you gotta love a Frankenstein villain who has a monster like appearance. Apparently many people do because this comic has a FMV of $3, 600.00 in 9.8 grade. 275 total copies are currently listed on the CGC census and returns over the last twelve months are as follows:
Positive on 9.2 grades with the strongest performance showing a +130% rise after 4 sales. The last sale was on Feb. 19, 2019 on eBay for $649.99. Negative returns, however, can be found on all grades between 8.5 and 7.0
Giant-Size Defenders #3 (January 1975) – First Appearance of Michael Korvac
Born on an alternate Earth in the year 2997, this man from the future would cause enormous problems for the Marvel heroes. Betraying the human race he worked with the Brotherhood of Badoon who made him a cyborg – he then arrived in our universe where he downloaded the computer files in Galactus’ satellite, conferring upon him the Power Cosmic. Think of Ultron times a million, in terms of the trouble he can create. Basically, if Korvac appears, it is no exaggeration to say that the MCU will witness Giant-Size thrills and excitement that will probably be paralleled only by the values on this comic. 190 copies on the CGC census, GSD #3 already has a FMV of over $1, 000.00 on one of the few 9.8’s out there. Lower grades are still more affordable but some are moving upwards in value. Although best return over the last year, on 8.0 copies, show very strong rise (positive + 284.6%) after however only two sales, this positive is mixed with negative roi on 8.5 negative –50% after 2 sales, and 7.5 negative -61.2% after 2 sales. This is again balanced by a positive return on 9.2 and 9.6 grades (98.7% and 28.9% after 4 total sales). Returns are definitely mixed as of this writing.
