The Council of 13 are a group of super-villains who are the leaders of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and are well experienced in the laws of the Guild. Their main purpose is to judge their peers and make sure every villain abides the Guild's laws. They also have major influence over Guild policy. Emissaries in the Council were responsible for signing the original Treaty of Tolerance and its renewal at the Treaty of Tolerance Summit II some 50 years later.[1] Following its failure to reconstitute its full 13 members lost in a purge by The Sovereign and his subsequent death, the superannuated council reformed itself as the governing body of the Guild, though all its members were required to give up their roles as active individual villains.[2]
Background
The inner circle of The Guild of Calamitous Intent formed after the original Guild from the Gilded Age splintered into separate factions lead by Colonel Lloyd Venture and Fantômas.[3] In its earliest iteration the guild was ruled by the council as a committee. As the group consists of super-villains that are the top echelon of the Guild's hierarchy, they wield immense individual power and are all extremely dangerous individuals. They seem to act as judges within the Guild, and were seen judging The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, providing video footage, which was secretly recorded by them as evidence. They quite literally move as a group, are only seen in shadows, and constantly argue with each other. Despite this, when they are presiding over trials and passing judgment on Guild members the Council can only be viewed through separate monitors, and they don't seem to know where each member's individual chamber is located.[4] They presided over the marriage ceremony of Dr. Girlfriend and the Monarch with Dr. Henry Killinger acting as a priest.
The Original Council
The Sovereign
The Council was presided over by a councilman who took the title of Sovereign. Prior to the shapeshifter known as The Sovereign holding the position, it was held by Force Majeure. The position has been dissolved under the new Council.
Councilmen 3 and 8
In The Revenge Society, Councilmen 3 and 8, being the eldest of the group, are kidnapped by the deranged Phantom Limb under his alias "Revenge". 3 is revealed as an old, thin man named Red Mantle who wears a costume similar to that of a Mongol warrior mixed with a monk's habit. 8 is revealed as a fat, elderly man named Dragoon who visually resembles Silas Greenback from Danger Mouse but is a white Caucasian male who wears a supervillainous variant on the uniform of his namesake. His voice resembles that of Greenback and his silhouette bore a resemblance to the Rhino.
Dragoon loses his body during the assault and, in order to keep him alive, Revenge forces a kidnapped Master Billy Quizboy to attach his head to Red Mantle's neck. Now they share one body, each controlling half. The two are implied to be Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper in a flashback, recruited or abducted prior to their fateful plane trip by an elderly Fantômas in 1959. They were the first two council members to have their identities revealed.
Councilman 4
In O.S.I. Love You, Monstroso reveals that Boggles the Clue Clown is a member of the Council. In Bot Seeks Bot he is revealed to be Councilman 4 by Vendata, after dying from alleged heart failure, and is replaced by Dr. Phineas Phage as revealed by other Council members.
Councilmen 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 12
Also in Bot Seeks Bot, Councilmen 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, and 12 are revealed to be Vendata, Wild Fop, Dr. Z, Don Hell, Steppenwolf, and The Nerve although their specific numbers are not revealed until All This and Gargantua-2. Councilman 10, unofficially called "Bug Samurai", is also revealed but no name or info is given.
Councilman 1 was missing in action as of Bot Seeks Bot and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch has taken his place on the council. As of Arrears in Science his identity was confirmed as the cyborg Vendata, formerly Venturion, and before that The Blue Morpho (a.k.a. Don Fitzcarraldo, father of The Monarch.)
Councilwoman 11
In All This and Gargantua-2, when The Sovereign is killing all the council members, Councilwoman 11 is revealed to be Mommy Longlegs. Councilwoman 11 appears to have been killed by The Sovereign's slaughterbots while trying to escape from him.
Councilman 6
Councilman 6 has yet to be revealed, but his voice, silhouette, and subjects he talks about, correspond to Monseñor. Councilman 6 was apparently killed when Sovereign used poison gas on all the members' chambers.
Attempted dissolution of the Council of 13
The OSI had been watching Vendata at Don Hell's club where they were able to get the identities of most of the Council and began tailing them. Due to this, in All This and Gargantua-2, The Sovereign began eliminating the members of the Council. He killed The Nerve, Wild Fop, Don Hell, Steppenwolf, and Councilman 10 before he called a meeting of the rest of the Council. Dr. Z and the combined Dragoon/Red Mantle turned themselves over to OSI in hopes of escaping The Sovereign. At the meeting of the Council, since the rest of the members of the Council would not follow The Sovereign's lead, he released poison gas into their chambers. Councilman 6 was killed, but the rest escaped with the help of Watch and Ward.
During the escape, Mommy Longlegs was killed by The Sovereign's slaughterbots and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch was shot but survived. After their escape Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and Dr. Phineas Phage appeared to be the last members of The Council remaining. Phage decided to go into hiding to escape The Sovereign and it appeared to be the end of The Council of 13. The Council's base appears to also have been destroyed which led to OSI agent Headshot accidentally shooting The Sovereign (who was in eagle form).
Members of the Original Council of 13
| # | Member |
|---|---|
| Councilman 01 |  (Deceased, killed fighting Jonas Venture Sr.) |
| Councilman 02 |  (Deceased; Killed by dogs) |
| Councilman 03 |  (Alive) |
| Councilman 04 |   (Deceased; heart disease) |
| Councilman 05 |   (Alive) |
| Councilman 06 |   (Deceased; Killed by toxic gas) |
| Councilman 07 |   (Deceased; Killed by drinking acid) |
| Councilman 08 |   (Alive) |
| Councilman 09 |   (Deceased; Killed in car explosion) |
| Councilman 10 |   (Deceased; Killed in car explosion) |
| Councilman 11 |   (Deceased; Fatally shot by slaughterbots) |
| Councilman 12 |   (Deceased; Killed, body found in dumpster) |
| Councilman 13 |   (Deceased; Killed by Headshot) |
The New Council of 13
At the end of All This and Gargantua-2, it appears Dr. Henry Killinger was countering the machinations of his brothers in The Investors, ultimately resulting in the elimination of both the old Council of 13 and The Investors themselves. Having apparently succeeded, Dr. Killinger took on an advisory role and formed a new Council aboard Meteor Majeure, made up of Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Phantom Limb, and Radical Left. The Monarch however, was not permitted to be on the new Council, nor were Watch and Ward or Henchman 21, though all four were present during the Council's reformation.
In Hostile Makeover, the Council of Thirteen is shown trying to rebuild itself. At this point it consists of six members: Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Phantom Limb, Dragoon, Red Mantle, Dr. Z, and Radical Left (who was initially counted as two members). Killinger declined to become the new Sovereign, leaving it to Watch and Ward to deliver the news as well as the Guild Charter, telling the reformed Council everything they needed to know is in there. The Council later gather the other villains to inform them of the original destruction and The Sovereign's death. They tell the other villains they are conducting interviews to fill in the vacant spots on The Council and inform them that The Guild will still be strong. In an effort to keep the various Guild branches from seceding, the new Council decides to reach out to powerful New York villain Wide Wale by offering him a seat on the Council. After meeting with Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Wide Wale accepts on the condition that he receives sole arching rights to Dr. Venture.
In Faking Miracles, Wide Wale was officially inducted into the Council and along with the rest voted to invite Phineas Phage back onto the council. Vendata was also considered as a possible Council member but due to the fact that nobody had seen him since Bot Seeks Bot they decided to move on without him.
During a Council meeting in Tanks for Nuthin', it is shown they acted on their word and officially re-instated Dr. Phineas Phage and ponder over what they should do about the vigilante who has become the new Blue Morpho. While tending to some unrelated Guild business, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (incorrectly) comes to believe that Dr. Venture is The Blue Morpho, not realizing it's actually her husband The Monarch.
In It Happening One Night Dr. Mrs. The Monarch takes her conclusion to the Council, who immediately disbelieve her theory due to some of them thinking that Dr. Venture was too lazy to be a costumed vigilante and the others thinking she was overworking herself, requesting she take time off. At the end of the episode, as a result of the destruction of the super-villains in The Doom Factory at the hands of The Blue Morpho, they come to believe her. Phantom Limb then contacts Dr. Mrs. The Monarch apologizing for his stubbornness and asking what her plan is for getting rid of this new growing menace.
In A Party for Tarzan, the Council discuss the growing Blue Morpho problem, causing some of the veteran members to describe their past with the previous Blue Morpho and decide to speak with Thaddeus Venture to discuss their suspicions. From the balcony of Wide Wale's penthouse in Tophet Tower, a majority of the Council spot Dr. Venture wearing the Blue Morpho's costume (unaware that he is throwing a party) and assume he confirmed their theory, deciding to assassinate him. The Council allow Dr. Mrs. The Monarch to kill him and give her a sniper rifle to use. After some hesitation she fires at Venture, who collapses to the ground (later revealed to be unharmed due to bullet proof fibers in the costume.) As she pulls the trigger she receives a message from the villain The Wandering Spider, telling her that The Blue Morpho has him captured in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Council realize that Dr. Venture could not be the vigilante they were searching for and the majority of them leave Tophet Tower.
Following their failed assassination and mistake in Blue Morpho's identity the Council decide to set a trap for the latter. In Red Means Stop, the council temporarily forms a truce with the Office of Secret Intelligence, who also see the vigilante as a problem. When Venture's current archvillain Red Death arrives they put the trap into action, but when Blue Morpho doesn't appear most of The Council decide to have a pool party with the Ventures. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, on the other hand, decides to go after the vigilante and personally kill him herself.
In The Rorqual Affair, Red Death agrees to bring in The Blue Morpho in exchange for a seat on the Council. He is shown sitting on the Council in The Terminus Mandate. In the wake of their failure to recruit a full 13 members, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch invoked the Guild Charter which would allow the superannuated Council to rebirth itself as the governing body of the Guild, though at the cost of its individual members giving up active supervillainy after one last arching of their old nemeses. Most of the members, including Red Death, accepted this mandatory villainy retirement. The only exceptions were Wide Wale and possibly (and ironically) Dr. Mrs. The Monarch.
Following the resolution of the Blue Morpho killings, the Council has found the Guild butting heads with The Peril Partnership. After Council representatives met with Blind Rage, a representative of the Partnership, the Council voted to continue paying kickbacks to the Partnership to keep them out of Guild territory. The message was to be delivered by Red Death, but any potential agreement was scuttled when Red Death attacked Blind Rage, tied him up to some railroad tracks, and left him to die in the face of an oncoming train. Red Death told Blind Rage that if he escapes alive to tell the Partnership that the Guild "doesn't fear punks".[2]
Members of The New Council of 13
| # | New Council (post All This and Gargantua-2) |
|---|---|
| Councilwoman 1 |   |
| Councilman |   |
| Councilman |  |
| Councilman |   (Reinstated) |
| Councilman | |
| Councilman |   |
| Councilman |  |
| Councilman |   |
| Position | Council Liaisons and related roles |
|---|---|
| Ambassador |   |
| Attendant |   |
| Attendant |   |
Notes and Trivia
- After The Sovereign killed most of the members of the Council of 13, the remaining members went into hiding. Dr. Killinger began a new Council of 13 aboard Meteor Majeure in All This and Gargantua-2, which is still being rebuilt as of Season 7.
- In Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros. it is revealed that--with the exception of Boggle the Clue Clown and Councilman 10--the silhouettes were re-used (Mommy Longlegs and Wild Fop) and modified (Red Mantle, Dragoon, Steppenwolf, Monseñor, The Nerve, and Don Hell) versions of preexisting character designs whom the show creators transformed into the characters who populate the Council. Dr. Z would have been a new character based on his silhouette having pointy ears and a mustache but they ultimately decided that he was in fact merely a Council member wearing a disguise.