ORIGIN: After the death of Mar-Vell (Captain Marvel), his lover Elysius decides to have a son. As one of the Eternals living on Titan, she uses the advanced technology of her race to impregnate herself with some of Mar-Vell's genetic material. Elysius seeks to protect her new son, Genis-Vell, from Mar-Vell's powerful enemies by taking him to a distant planet. There, she artificially ages him and implants false memories in his brain, making him believe that he had a natural childhood and that he is the son of Starfox. Genis eventually learns his actual heritage and was granted his birth father's Nega-Bands and began his super-heroic career as Legacy. Eventually Genis claimed the name that was his birthright as Captain Marvel and just like his father, Genis ended up bonded to Rick Jones via the Nega-Bands during the DESTINY WAR.

ORIGIN: After Genis-Vell, then known as Captain Marvel, previously destroyed and recreated the universe, the "new" version was subtly altered with Phyla-Vell's existence being one of the changes. It is revealed that she is the second artificially created offspring of Captain Mar-Vell who was created by her mother Elysius in the "new" universe because her first attempt (Genis-Vell) had been so successful. She fights her brother Genis-Vell, who was insane at the time, in the process helping to restore his sanity. She then tries to lay claim to the "Captain Marvel" title, though her brother refuses to give it up. Eventually, Phyla finds herself taking up the mantle of Quasar after he was killed in the Annihilation War.



ORIGIN: Rick Jones was born in Scarsdale, Arizona. He lost his parents at a young age and grew up at an orphanage. He gains notoriety when he accepts a dare to drive out to a bomb testing ground in New Mexico. As luck would have it, the gamma bomb designed by Dr. Robert Bruce Banner is being tested. Banner pushes Rick into a trench, saving his life but absorbing the gamma rays that first transform him into the Hulk. Rick jones would go on to be the consumate sidekick whether it was with Hulk, Captain America, Captain Mar-Vell, or Genis-Vell. He is perhaps one of the most important non-super heroes in the Marvel universe having played an integral role in both the Kree-Skrull War and the Destiny War.

ORIGIN: At first, little is known about Hulkling. All this changes when the Super-Skrull appears, stating that Teddy is a Skrull. The Super-Skrull is surprised to learn that Teddy has super strength and wonders "perhaps the rumors about his father are true." The Super Skrull follows the Young Avengers to Wiccan's house, where Teddy's mother is waiting for him. The Super-Skrull releases a device designed to turn Teddy into his true form in an attempt to prove his Skrull heritage. While the device does not change Teddy's physical appearance, Ms. Altman, who is also caught in the device's beam, turns into a Skrull. When the Super Skrull accuses her of being a traitor to her race, she responds by saying that the Empress ordered her to protect Teddy, even from the likes of him, pulling out a gun. The Super-Skrull responds by killing her, though it was unintentional. The Super-Skrull reveals that, years ago, during the Kree-Skrull War, he kidnapped Captain Mar-Vell, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, presenting them to the Skrull Emperor. Though the heroes later escaped, the Emperor's daughter, Princess Anelle, conceived a child with Mar-Vell. At birth, the child was marked for death. However, his nurse smuggled him to Earth and raised him as Teddy.



sv079 R Legacy
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 8
Points: 81
Keywords: Kree

8 9 16 3

8 9 16 3

8 9 15 2

7 8 15 2

7 8 14 2

6 7 14 2

6 6 13 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: There is something elegant in his simplicity. Shoot...keep on shooting...run, and then shoot some more. Pick up an object and then you have the option to shoot or bash the object into someone in close combat. Though he only has move and attack options for less than half of his dial, Legacy (The name Genis first adopted) is a prime example of a character that can be a primary attacker in a low point game or a solid secondary attacker in slightly larger games. For 81 points, his dial is decent in length as well. He can serve a purpose on ever click even if his latter clicks are better at tie-up than attacking. It should also be noted that an eight range is kind of hard to come by these days. Older figures such as Legacy have that going for them and can out-range newer pieces quite often.

CONS: His stats aren't the greatest stats of all time. I wouldn't expect great things from a rookie level of experience, but perhaps a bit more from an 81 point figure. He may out-range newer figures, but his average attack and damage values aren't going to be likely making that much of a difference. There are figuers floating around in modern age that are half the points and can do more damage. Energy explosion on the latter half of his dial seems wasted to me as well. When comparing your attack roll against the average defense value of modern age figures, you would need a critical hit just to hit some of today's defense values. (A good strategy if you have figured out the magical formula for making that happen consistently! )

THEME: All that Legacy offers up for keywords is Kree. It is definitely not a bad keyword to build around. There are now five different Ronan dials to choose from to aid him as well as all the Mar-Vells and his sister Phyla. Of course there are the numerous Kree generics that are a personal favorite of mine to build with too. The SHIELD team ability that the generics have can go a long way into turning Rookie Legacy into a Kree Cannon giving him a max 11 range and six damage. It's just too bad that they can't do much to help out his attack. Not fully embracing his Kree heritage at this point, the Kree keyword doesn't seem to quite fit what I would want to use him for personally, though. I would probably opt to play him in a DESTINY WAR theme team. I wouldn't get bonuses, but it's a fun group of characters to choose from.

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sv080 E Captain Marvel
Team: Avengers
Range: 8
Points: 108
Keywords: Cosmic, Avengers, Kree

8 9 14 0

11 10 16 3

10 10 16 2

9 9 15 2

12 8 15 3

6 11 16 2

9 9 17 3

8 8 14 2

8 7 14 3

7 7 13 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: I love the way this dial is layed out. It showed a lot of innovation for it's time. He starts out as Rick Jones (essentially) and then has to "Bang the Bands" (activate) to become Captain Marvel. He has about three clicks after that where he is operating normally and to represent his early adventures with Rick Jones and throughout the Destiny War. It's shortly after this point where Genis gets a little...crazy. His dial perfectly illustrates his struggle with sanity at this point in the comic books. Wizkids had done similar things with the Joker's dials to represent his pyschosis...however, the Joker isn't cosmically powered. A good player can be on any click along this chaotic dial and find something of use. It's not easy, but the raw materials are there.

CONS: You won't find a lot of players outside of strictly fun games investing 108 points in a dial that they can't rely on. As I said, the raw materials are there, but the raw stats just aren't. Yes, I absolutely want a four natural damage with pulse wave on the last click of a figure. I would just hope for a little more than a seven attack. On clicks 5-10 of Genis' dial a lot of attacks that you will be making are going to seem like "Hail Mary" shots. On a whole different subject, one of my biggest regrets of this piece is that it existed in an era without character cards. Surely his running shot would have been called "OHWHATAGOOSEIAM!" had they existed during Supernova.

THEME: I'm about as torn as Genis' psyche at this point. I chose him as my number one pick for Avengers teams to play him on simply because he is the only Genis to have the keyword. The front half of his dial works really well to represent him around the Destiny War period of his career. The back half of his dial (the crazy part) better represents him when he was embracing his kree heritage. He donned the costume of the Kree military and set out on his mentally disturbed path. If anything, I would put this version more with the Kree theme if for no other reason than the costume choice of the character (Even though the sculpt doesn't reflect the great costume design).

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sv081 V Photon
Team: Avengers
Range: 10
Points: 138
Keywords: Cosmic, Kree, Thunderbolts

10 10 17 3

10 10 16 3

8 9 15 3

8 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

7 8 14 2

6 8 13 3

6 7 13 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: Everything has been given a boost on his stats and his powers. This is the very experienced and confident version of Genis that existed at this point in time in the comics. He had control of his powers and his psyche at this point, and the dial reflects that. He also serves his team a lot better with probability control and outwit covering 3/4 of his dial. If you were going to make a "Kree Cannon" as I suggested with the Rookie Legacy, this would be my first choice amonst the original REV Genis-Vell figures if points allowed. It should also be noted that he has the Thunderbolts keyword. It may be viewed as "Cheese" but I don't know many players that wouldn't do everything possible to make room for those eight points needed for the T-Bolts ATA.

CONS: It's too bad that he doesn't have an additional target. I think his opening energy explosion power would see a lot more use if he did. I'm just not a fan of single target EE, and I don't know many who are. It is definitely a case of two (Or More) being better than one every time. Another gripe is the fact that the Veteran dial has less damage reducers than either the rookie or the experienced versions. I know sacrifices had to be made to make him cost effective, but even one more click of toughness would have gone a long way. I would have gladly given up either click of energy shield/deflection or allowed that last click to have a defensive power for it. Aesthetically, I've never been a fan of the solid black with a star field as a "Costume Design" either. At least it's not the one with the off-set white starburst collar.

THEME: As I've already said, he makes a really good "Kree Cannon" but I think the best bet for theme team for this version of Genis is the Thunderbolts. Everything about this version represents that period of his life when he first joined the team. This is not to say that this is the best Genis for that job, but it's the best job for this Genis (say THAT ten times fast).

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sv215 LE Genis-Vell
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 10
Points: 138
Keywords: Cosmic, Kree

10 10 17 4

8 9 17 3

8 9 16 3

9 9 16 3

9 8 15 2

9 8 15 2

8 7 14 2

6 7 14 3

6 7 13 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: One of the things I love about this LE version of Genis is that he is the same exact points as the veteran. If you happen to have both versions and you are playing either a Kree or Cosmic team (or foregoing theme) you can kind of have a choice of Genis depending on your needs. If you don't think you're going to be attacked from close combat, this might be the version you want providing an essential 19 defense from range. He also has a larger inital starting damage output than his veteran counterpart. He is a much more range-oriented piece having two more clicks of running shot, double the es/d, and the majority of his attack powers are range intensive. If you choose him over the veteran, try to keep him from getting based!

CONS: Though it is nice to have his probability control easier to get to consistently, it isn't as easy as starting with it like the veteran. The quake on this version is about as effective as the energy explosion that the vet starts with, and the eventual energy explosion that it gives way to is no better either. You may want to push him to get to his invulnerability if you are going to get based, but you're only going to be starting down the path of what is essentially disappointing stats. They are extremely similar to the stats of the veteran, but because of the position of powers, they are less likely to cause much damage. Finally, it is nice to have the Hulk-like upswing of damage at the end of the dial...too bad his last three attack values are sevens. If you do manage to hit something, it is likely not something that you'll need that four damage for.

THEME: He is pretty much interchangeable with his veteran version, so for the most part the teams that he would be good for are the same. The only exception is the Thunderbolts as the LE Genis doesn't have that keyword. As always, it doesn't mean you can't play him on that team, you just wouldn't get any bonuses for doing so. All things being equal, though, I don't know why you would play with this version if the veteran is available unless you need specific powers/stats for something that you have in mind.

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cw027 Genis-Vell
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 8
Points: 200
Keywords: Cosmic, Eternal, Kree, Thunderbolts

10 11 17 4

9 11 18 3

9 10 17 3

8 10 17 3

10 9 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 9 16 2

6 9 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Damage) A Touch of Insanity: Genis-Vell can use Perplex. When he does, instead of the normal effects, choose +2 or -2, and roll a d6 that can't be rerolled. Based on the result, modify the following value on the target character by the chosen amount:

1 = Speed	4 = Damage
2 = Attack	5 = Range
3 = Defense	6 = All combat values

PROS: Though not the most reliable game mechanic ever, the "Touch of Insanity" special power is perhaps one of the most FUN game mechanics I've ever used. The rush you get when you roll the stat that you want to perplex is amazing. What's even more amazing is when you roll that six and get all stats modified by +/-2. Don't forget that this power can be used just like normal perplex, so there is a chance that you could modify an opponent's entire stats! One of the things that I like most about this dial is that it seems like the 200 point price tag is worth it even if you can't get the perplex to work in your favor. It's like a cherry on top. I also very much enjoy the fact that if you bring him in via the Alter Ego mechanic with Rick Jones that he starts with outwit and then that gives way to his uber-perplex power and finally the click with hypersonic speed, pulse wave, and probability control. Pound for pound, I think he is one of the best AE options available.

CONS: There aren't many. This is really a phenomenal piece whether played at 200 or via the alter ego mechanic. If I can put on my power gamer hat for a minute, though, I do have a slightly difficult time spending 200 points for an uncertain support power and defensive stats that are, for the most part, average. Amongst those clicks are only half a dial of damage reducers. He does something that not a lot of characters do which is transition from impervious straight to toughness. Some invulnerability splashed in there would have made him feel a little more effective. Though you may dodge some attacks via supersenses, if you're anything like me that seems like less of a likely thing to happen than what the odds ACTUALLY are. Just like his perplex, it is unreliable.

THEME: The old Veteran Genis has been dethroned as my favorite Genis to play on Thunderbolts teams. In fact, this Genis has dethroned all of my previous choices available to him except for the Kree theme. He would have taken over that spot too, but 200 points isn't enough to mix in other bigger Kree characters and Kree generics in a low point game. My number one pick for this Genis as far as theme goes is Thunderbolts, though. Slap the ATA on him and a whole new plethora of options and combinations are open to him. Plus, the Thunderbolts have enough low-mid point options available to them to make for a very effective and offensively capable team.

Other players' comments/reviews


ha042 R Phyla-Vell
Team: Power Cosmic
Range: 10
Points: 138
Keywords: Cosmic, Guardians of the Galaxy

10 11 18 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 17 3

9 9 16 3

8 9 16 4

8 8 16 4

6 8 15 2

6 7 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: Phyla is the same amount of points as her older brother's veteran and LE versions. I can only assume that this was no accident. Drawing from personal experience in my MANY times of using this figure, she's totally worth every point too. Super Senses may not be the most reliable of powers, but when it can't be outwitted and you have a high defense value like hers that can be perplexed even higher, you might not even ever need to roll for it. Her middle clicks are amazing as well. Hypersonic and attack to get into position and then follow-up next turn with a pulse wave. Not a lot of figures in her weight class can deal out the punishment that she is capable of. Her last three clicks are still offensively very capable since she can do high damage in both ranged and close combat attacks. On the whole, her attack and damage output are phenomenal.

CONS: My complaints on Phyla are very few. Firstly...I don't understand why she doesn't have the Kree keyword. I've read most if not all of her comic appearances and I just don't get it. I really would have like at least a little more damage reduction capabilities from her. Three clicks of toughness just don't seem like enough for a character of her point value. I realize that most of her point cost is coming from her hypersonic speed, pulsewave, and power cosmic team ability, but a special power up front granting invulnerability AND super senses would have been fair.

THEME: Wait, she has other options besides Guardians of the Galaxy? I have been missing out on opportunities! Oh, wait. No I haven't. GotG is the BEST option for her. Even though she doesn't benefit nor help share her defense like most of her teammates will be able to do via their Defenders team ability, she will still have a vital role on the team. She almost acts like a lightning rod for the team since your opponent might be too damaged to deal with her if they save her for last.

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svB001 Rick Jones
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 8

8 9 14 2

KO KO KO KO

PROS: As with most bystander tokens, they aren't really going to have much effect on a team. Rick doesn't cost a ton and will add a little flavor to your team. He might even be able to get a cheap shot in on a character or tie somebody up long enough to set up an attack. He actually is a little more capable than a lot of the bystander tokens that had existed when he was made. Very few of them had any decent attack and damage value at that time, and having powers at all was a rarity. Though combat reflexes is not going to be incredibly helpful to Rick let alone his team, it might keep him in the game long enough for you to get your eight points worth.

CONS: In most games I can come up with better things to do with eight points. Granted, at the time bystanders were being made the concept of 3D objects that had a point value was still several years away. This was one of the best ways to fill points in the absence of feats. Flash forward to the modern game and bystanders just seem antiquated. So many characters that were given the bystander treatment back in the day have been remade and are now available as a sculpted figure...sometimes even as a figure who should have NEVER been made into a bystander to begin with (Mera anyone?) Now...if I could just get Wizkids to make Misty Knight and Colleen Wing!

THEME: Bystanders neither hinder nor help theme teams, so that is one thing that the bystander version of Rick Jones has going for him. Play him on any team where Rick would be applicable and it's not going to hurt your team if they already had a theme going on.

Other players' comments/reviews (N/A)


ih025 Rick Jones
Team: Avengers|Spider-Man
Range: 0
Points: 48
Keywords: Avengers, Cosmic

6 9 16 1

6 9 15 1

5 8 15 1

5 8 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

(Speed) Alter Ego: I've Led an Interesting Life: Give Rick Jones a power action that deals no pushing damage and replace this character with IH #40 A-Bomb, GG #031 Captain Marvel or CW #027 Genis-Vell on its orange starting line. Existing action tokens on this character and action tokens for this action are applied to the replacement. This power can't be countered.

PROS: At 40 more points than his previous bystander incarnation, it is quite obvious that Rick Jones needed to be made as a 3D figure with a dial. He brings so much to your team and the options that he presents seem almost endless. He has two team abilities which allow you to get him into position without counting against your team actions, and on top of that he has the Spider-Man team ability to copy any friendly team abilities that you may have handy (That are copyable). He is even capable of dishing out some pain via close combat expert as well as aiding his team with his couple of clicks of perplex. The biggest trick in his arsenal is his options. As Rick Jones is the perennial favorite sidekick and has led an extremely interesting life, you can bring in three different characters from three different sets via his alter ego mechanic. At your disposal are A-Bomb (IH), Captain Marvel (GG), or Genis-Vell (CW).

CONS: When the option to use the alter ego mechanic comes up, you have to weigh your options carefully. Which are you going to get more use out of...the wildcard team ability and perplex combo?...or whichever of his three AE options you choose? A wise choice could be game changing. A poor choice could be game changing in a completely different way. It may not seem like it, but to an inexperienced player, this Rick Jones might be too much.

THEME: Rick has arguably the best named keyword available in the modern age game. It is SUPER easy to build an Avengers team using him, and the options that he has can only help said team. He also is one of the cheaper figures to have the Cosmic keyword, so he can open up options that were previously unavailable with that keyword. For my money, though, he is going to end up on more Avengers teams.

Other players' comments/reviews


av009 R Hulkling
Team: Avengers
Range: 0
Points: 72
Keywords: Kree, Skrulls, Teen, Young Avengers

8 9 16 3

7 8 16 3

7 8 16 2

6 8 15 3

6 8 15 2

8 7 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: He's got some power for a character less than 75 points. He's not going to be your MVP by any means, but he is unassuming enough that he should be able to get a shot or two in since your opponent will likely be going after bigger fish. Hopefully you can get at least a few shape change rolls should your opponent decide that Teddy is the fish that they want to go after at the time. Regeneration is nice since he might be able to get to go through most of his dial multiple times. When you add in the lower point value, the almost full dial of damage reducers, and then top it all off with regeneration, he will make good mastermind fodder at the VERY LEAST!

CONS: His stats are only average at best, so he is going to have to rely on a hot streak of dice to do any damage. He also is going to rely on that shape change to keep him out of harm's way. Should you fail to do that, though, he should not be hard points for your opponent to get. Though the earthbound/neutralized power could come in handy if you want to taxi him, you will have to forego him holding an object should you choose to use that option. It's really unfortunate that he doesn't get his flight or his charge until he's largely useless.

THEME: Well...Young Avengers, of course! He may have the Kree and Skrull keywords, but he wouldn't really fit in really well there just as he wouldn't really fit in with either race in the comics. He grew up not really knowing about his heritage, so he only naturally fits in with his adopted family. He isn't going to be the team's all-star, but he should be able to get a hit in or two. It's a fun team to play. (And NOW it's complete!)

Other players' comments/reviews:



KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

Now that we have had a little glimpse into the aspects of all the different Vell Family figures, let's take a quick look at their keywords and I will tell you my number one picks to use for each keyword theme available. Since Phyla and Rick only have one version, this section will be about Genis only:

(Named Keywords are bolded)

Kree: sv080 Captain Marvel
Avengers: sv080 E Captain Marvel
Thunderbolts: cw027 Genis-Vell
Eternal: cw027 Genis-Vell
Cosmic: cw027 Genis-Vell

WHO NEEDS KEYWORDS?!

In this section, I'm going to list some possible theme teams that you could play that are definitely comic accurate but don't require keywords and provide links using Comic Vine and Wikipedia to tell you more about them. Unfortunately, using these teams means you are going to forego keyword bonuses, but every once in a while, Judges might let you slip by with one of these teams:

Genis-Vell:

Titans
Destiny War/Avengers Forever
Negative Zone
Microverse

Phyla-Vell:

Titans
United Front


Rick Jones:

Bannervengers
The Teen Brigade
The Galactic Avenger Batallion
The Light Brigade
Kree/Skrull War
Destiny War/Avengers Forever

Hulkling:

Captain America's Resistance

This wraps it up for Deep Dish Themes: The Vell family edition. Thank you to Baron Impossible for the inspiration! Feel free to post what you think about the article and feel free to nominate a character for the next edition of Deep Dish Themes. Join me in two weeks when I begin part one of a three part article that features the covert couple that have earned their place amongst Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Hawkeye & Mockingbird (As requested by and with a special dedication going to daemiendrake)

Wasn't hulkling his son?

Awww, crap! (I LOVE the young avengers! How could I forget?!)

Wouldn't Ms. Marvel be as valid a Vell-related character as Rick Jones? Powers, inspiration, purpose, now even her name!

You also forgot...ME!


My powers don't translate well to clix, though.

Yeah well with the lackluster dials the majority of young avengers have it's easy to forget. Maybe we even try to forget. I just thought an honorable mention might have been in there.

I just played this team last week!

Captain Marvel 141
Genis-Vell 200
Phyla-Vell 138
Hulking 72
Rick Jones 48
599 Total

Hulkling issue fixed!

As far as Ms. Marvel goes, she certainly has her place amongst Mar-Vell's legacy, but she is not one of his progeny nor did she essentially "Share Bodies" with him (No dirty joke intended)

no love for mera? what are you, diana prince?

nice article and thanks for the vell double feature. i appreciate you highlighting Avengers Forever, one of the greatest miniseries about the mightiest heroes of earth. it is the sole reason i need, nay, demand Libra gets made, so i can field the team from the Destiny War
i was totally about to post this team. Vells ftw!

riiiiiiight......

Genis Vell is a great figure and Rick Jones can be fun. What's with this advance tech to impregnate just from dna? That seems to be a too common occurrence in the comics.

Thanks for the write-up, I enjoyed reading it

Nothing BUT love for Mera. That's why I'm against her being made as a BYSTANDER!

Ah. i gotcha. re-read your op in light of this post and the ambiguity evaporates.

im with ya on the daughters of the dragon btw

Fantastic Article, but why not include Mar-Vell himself?