Let’s start with the main question we all want to know: How does this differ from Disney Villainous? The biggest difference is that the Fate Decks, while personal and separated for Disney Villainous, are combined into one communal Fate Deck in Marvel Villainous. So with Disney, if you wanted to target a player who was running away with the game, you could activate their Fate Deck for a specific hero working against them, slowing down their progress. In Marvel, while you can play cards from the Fate Deck on any Villain, there is a chance you draw a card that hurts you, affects everybody (Global Events), or potentially can’t be played at all. And while you could choose the best of 2 fate cards in Disney, you are confined to just one card draw with Marvel. Because of this, it can be harder to pull back opponents with a heavy lead, and each Fate Action seems much more random or chaotic (which might be appropriate for villains like Thanos or Hela).

That said, there are some great improvements the communal Fate Deck provides. The global events affect all players, and provide rewards for those who help complete it. This simple addition creates an extra element of strategy and player interaction than the predecessor. And because each villain exists within the same Marvel universe, the overlap of heroes/events in the fate deck help engage the theme in a much stronger way than Disney Villainous could.

Lastly, Marvel Villainous was able to take one of my cons from Disney Villainous and turn it into a pro. At 2 players, Marvel Villainous shines. It no longer has the push/pull tedium of 2-player Villainous, but works as a fast-paced quasi-engine-builder, which I love.

I low-key can’t wait for the Loki expansion (assuming expansions are in the works).

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Information for this review is based on my plays with 2 and 4 players. Review copy provided by Ravensburger.