Once upon a time in the Marvel Comics universe, there was a dark embodiment of evil known as Mephisto. Initially introduced in the late 1960s, this character would occasionally appear as an antogonist for several major Marvel characters. In 1987, Mephisto was given the chance to star as the title character in his own limited series.

To see a 500-point force of Mephisto-manipulation from the first issue of that series, follow the link.

Synopsis: This mini-series was nominally about Mephisto's quest to obtain the souls of some major players in the 616 Marvel Universe, but ultimately it showcases his ability to manipulate just about any character. The first issue has him easily dominating the Fantastic Four, as he ends the issue with the soul of Susan Richards in his possession.

If a force is built around the F4 that Mephisto pretty much has complete control over, it can look like this:

145 Unique (Secret Invasion 055) Mephisto
+ 10 Immortal Contempt
100 Unique (Secret Invasion 112) Sue Storm
82 pre-promotion (Marvel 10th Anniversary) The Thing
81 Experienced (Fantastic Forces 071) Human Torch
78 Veteran (Fantastic Forces 081) Mr. Fantastic
+ 4x1 Additional Team Ability Newer Fantastic Four

= 500 points

This issue had appearance by several other Fantastic Four regulars, including She-Hulk, Alicia Masters, and Franklin Richards...and even a character channeling John McEnroe...but only Franklin Richards was present during the Mephisto's claiming of his mother's soul.

It's no secret: the only existing HeroClix version of Mephisto, a Super-Rare from Secret Invasion, is one of the most disappointing figures ever made. In the comics, the character has served as a foil for the Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, Thor, et al. but in HeroClix he's regarded as an over-priced chump. I think you can overlook the deficiencies of the dial if you try the figure on some comic-inspired forces, so let's see what we can do...

The main problem with Mephisto is that the figure is essentially an over-priced pure-support piece that is too easy to shut down (or ignore). He's got no reliable damage dealing potential, and most of his offense if coming from a version of Incapacitate. If you want to get the most out of this character, you pretty much are going to have to try to use the 8 and high attack values as much as possible. That being said, because of his Mystics team ability, the figure is likely to be ignored, so don't be afraid to put him in harms way where he can use his Outwit as well. The Phasing keeps him mobile, and with a , he can be carried vy the Human Torch.

U Mephisto Points: 145 Range: 8
Team: Mystics
Keywords: Deity, Mystical

8 11 17 1

8 11 17 1

8 10 16 1

7 10 15 1

7 9 15 1

7 8 15 1

6 8 14 1

6 8 14 1

KO KO KO KO

Dark Bargain: Mephisto can use Incapacitate. When Mephisto successfully hits a target with Incapacitate, the controller of the target can choose either to give an action token to the target normally, or to roll a d6; on a result of 1-4, deal the target 1 unavoidable damage.

Prince of Lies: Mephisto can use Leadership and Outwit. When Mephisto successfully uses Leadership, only he can be given the extra action.

I don't often recommend feats with the Longbox force builds, but I really like the simple (if over-costed, in my opinion) Immortal Contempt when assigned to comic characters that really do look down on other characters. Unfortunately for this force build (500 points), it is likely that Mephisto will be facing at least one character above his 145-point value, so these points may be better spent elsewhere.


The guest stars of this issue were the classic Fantastic Four lineup. We HeroClix players are pretty lucky to now have a reasonable selection of characters to choose from when building forces. For the team from this comic, I wanted the Invisible Woman to be the highest point value figure and I was shooting for a 500 point limit, so that is how the rest of this force came together.

I opted to use the Limited Edition Sue Storm from the Secret Invasion set because I think this dial emphasizes the character's defensive potential, but still allows for some offense. The offers a modicum of defense for her Fantastic Four teammates, but I think her real utility is to be positioned to use both her and her Get Away... power. Note that the HeroClix versions of Invisible Woman go back and forth between and ...this version is not a flier!

U Sue Storm Points: 100 Range: 8
Team: Fantastic Four
Keywords: Fantastic Four

8 10 18 2

8 9 17 2

7 9 17 2

7 9 16 2

7 8 16 1

7 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

Sue Storm and friendly characters with the Fantastic Four keyword 6 or fewer squares from Sue Storm to which she can draw a clear line of fire can use Super Senses if they can't already, but evade attacks only on a result of 6.

Get Away From Him!: Sue Storm can use Quake. She can use it normally, or can use it as if she occupied a square occupied by a friendly character 6 or fewer squares away to which Sue Storm can draw a clear line of fire, ignoring the effects of opposing characters on line of fire.

Soapbox: Barrier has been an under-rated power for years...although this single top-click barrier means that Sue can push herself off of barrier by constructing a barrier...one of the most disappointing aspects of the rules. It would take very little to fix this, but as near as I can tell... no one cares.

I really like the dials in the new Marvel HeroClix 10th Anniversary sets: I think they are very playable figures at very force-friendly point values. I'm taking advantage of that to add a rather low-cost The Thing to this build. This 82-point dial is a very classic ground-pounder, with the possibility of a "Battlefield Promotion" lurking in the background.

V The Thing Points: 82 Range: 0
Team: Fantastic Four
Keywords: Celebrity, Fantastic Four

8 11 17 4

8 10 16 3

7 9 16 3

7 9 17 3

8 8 16 3

6 9 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Battlefield Promotion: Thing: When The Thing hits one or more opposing characters, after actions resolve, place a Promotion Token on his character card. You may then roll a d6 that can't be rerolled and add 1 for each Promotion Token on his character card; on a result of 8 or higher, you may replace this character with M10A #003 Thing on the same click number.

If The Thing promotes, below is the dial he will have. You can try to maximize Promotion Tokens by having The Thing throw objects at characters in the open! The promoted Thing is a better dial, so it is probably worth promoting no matter what.

E Thing Points: 128 Range: 0
Team: Fantastic Four
Keywords: Avengers, Brute, Celebrity, Fantastic Four, Soldier

7 11 16 3

7 10 17 4

8 10 17 4

8 9 16 3

8 9 16 3

7 10 17 3

7 9 17 3

7 9 18 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Lemme Grab Somethin': Thing can use Super Strength. Give Thing a move action when he has no action tokens and is not holding an object; after actions resolve, give him a standard light object from outside the game.

To fit within my self-imposed build limits, I'm using a pair of Fantastic Four figures from the Fantastic Forces booster set. These figures are "old reliables" for me...despite newer versions coming along, there haven't been ones that are as economical. You will notice that the attack and defense values of these figures tend to be embarrassingly low towards end-dial, but there are still enough tricks to make use of them.

The Human Torch is a character that for whatever reason cannot seem to be made at a point cost below 100 points that has consistently good attack values. The Limited Edition Johnny Storm is probably my favorite dial for the character, but for this force I am using the Experienced version from Fantastic Forces. My advice is to use the figure in such a way that opponents cannot tell if the Human Torch or the Thing is going to be bringing your alpha strike.

E Human Torch Points: 81 Range: 8
Team: Fantastic Four
Keywords: Fantastic Four, Teen

10 9 16 3

8 8 15 3

7 8 15 3

7 7 14 2

6 6 14 2

6 8 13 4

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

The Veteran Mr. Fantastic is a favorite old-school dial of mine. It is highly mobile, with a solid ranged attack, and a very useful Perplex. The single click of Enhancement is not something you can rely on having, but if it appears the rest of the force can make use of it. What I like best about this dial is that it has a lot to offer the team of a thinking player, which is pretty much how Reed Richards is at his best.

V Mr. Fantastic Points: 78 Range: 6
Team: Fantastic Four
Keywords: Celebrity, Fantastic Four, Scientist

10 9 16 2

9 9 16 2

8 8 15 2

8 8 15 2

7 7 14 1

7 7 14 1

6 6 13 1

KO KO KO KO

With the leftover points, I'm opting for an additional team ability that gives a slight attack bonus against certain characters. The symbol is quite common, and figures with it are typically high priority targets, so I think it is worth the points.


If you pass on Immortal Contempt, you can add both Alicia Masters (5 points) and Franklin Richards (2 points), both had significant roles in this comic.

I hope you do the other 3 issues too. I greatly preffered the x-men vs Avengers 4 parter from around the same time but this one wasn't bad at all and it was a ton better than than the FF vs x-men crappy one.

I read this series.

As always a great article!

Agreed about barrier. I can't count how many times I've pushed to barrier and then been very disappointed... (twice in one sealed b/c I forgot what the dial looked like)

Also- the sue LEs dial looks awesome. I don't think I'd ever really looked at it before.

Also- mephisto's getting remade soon. Check out 3:42 of this.

An interesting use of the older Fantastic Forces figures. Too bad I put all of those into storage.
A great read!

It's almost as if I knew....

That Mephisto really doesn't live up to his potential in the comics. I remember one game where one guy used 1 Perplex and 1 Outwit to render Mephisto impotent. I didn't really like the kid playing Mephisto, so I thought it was kind of funny at the time.

Also, that Thing looks like he could really make the Fantastic Four even better. Too bad I don't play them . . .

Mephisto and Diablo both need remakes. Glad to see Mephisto is getting one.

Nice team!

That Mephisto sucks really bad. I just used a modded Mephisto giant toy (sitting on a black bone throne) on a colossal Dormammu. Basically they are the same anyway.

I remember reading this when it came out. I think I was as disappointed by this series as I was Mephisto's dial. Great review, and I have to give kudos to anyone who makes an attempt to use that click.

I hope his next dial is playable....

The mini-serie was great (it was published in french in a single TPB-like album), and Mephisto as a Clix figure is disappointing...yet really shines in this team you've posted.

Now if someone could do the same thing with another disappointing mystical figure from the other side...The Phantom Stranger...

I remember winning a sealed with Mephisto, 50 point Spider-Man x 2, and a 49 pnt Captain America. It was the only time I've ever used Mephisto, but it worked.

I think I'd rather give Mephisto Armor Piercing if I was going to put a 10 pt FEAT on him.