DC Completely Reinvents Superman’s Lamest Villain

Possibly the least scary villain to ever go after Superman is back, and he’s reinvented himself for a new era. Over the years, the Man of Steel has faced off with a lot of different villains, from Brainiac to General Zod. And generally, most of Clark Kent’s foes are pretty intimidating (you kind of have to be if you’re going to go toe-to-toe with Superman). But not every villain can achieve the same greatness as foes like Lex Luthor, especially when it comes to possibly the lamest villain in Superman’s history. That’s right, I’m talking about the Prankster.

If there’s one thing that Oswald Loomis loves more than money, it’s pulling gags. As his name implies, the Prankster is a criminal who has a penchant for comedic crimes, incorporating elements of classic pranks into his various stunts. Despite being mostly harmless compared to other foes, Loomis has carved out a place for himself among Superman’s collection of villains. But the truth is, the Prankster has never been much of a threat. However, he’s returned after an extended absence, and he’s passing the torch to a new Prankster who just might be the upgrade the criminal has needed.

DC Comics Debuts New Metahuman Prankster to Face Off with Superman

In Superman Unlimited #9 by Dan Slott, Mike Norton, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe, Clark Kent is out having a drink with several other reporters, and there’s one thing on their minds: a series of strange deaths throughout Metropolis. Several high-profile people have all died, and the one thing that connects them is that they all died as a result of twisted gags, from a pie to the face that triggers a deadly allergic reaction to a falling piano that kills a famous musician. Unbeknownst to the reporters, these deaths are all connected to the Prankster.

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Yes, it’s Loomis behind these deaths, as he’s become a hitman for him. For enough money, the Prankster makes sure that targets not only die, but that they die utterly humiliated. However, Loomis is merely a facilitator behind these deals, as seen in the one he strikes with small-time crime boss Minnie Mannheim, who orders a hit on Perry White. The person who actually does the deed is the Prankster’s new protegee, a metahuman who has unique shape-shifting abilities. Loomis provides the new Prankster with all the necessary info, who heads out to take care of the unsuspecting mayor.

The new Prankster makes several attempts on White’s life. First at a baseball stadium, then at a ceremony honoring Superman. Prankster is good at what he does, anticipating the Man of Steel and his new ability to withstand kryptonite for up to three minutes. However, Superman successfully protects his old boss and digs deeper into who’s responsible for all these demented deaths. In his professional life, Superman issues a report crediting the Flash’s rogue Trickster for the numerous assassination attempts to bait the Prankster, which works as the metahuman vows to kill Clark Kent.

Prankster is Finally a Real Threat to Superman

Let’s be real, the Prankster has never been a real threat to Superman. By the time he was a recurring nemesis, Superman had grown strong enough that Loomis was more of a nuisance than a serious foe. To DC Comics’ credit, various creators have attempted to rework the Prankster to make him fit in modern Superman canon, most notably Kurt Busiek, who had Prankster act as a distraction-for-hire. Loomis would pull outrageous and dangerous pranks to distract heroes, allowing other criminals to commit crimes while heroes, including Superman, were too busy to notice.

And while that worked, what’s been done with the Prankster is far more interesting. Superman Unlimited makes Loomis way more sinister, having him arrange hits and happily have people killed for the sake of a profit. And the book gives us a Prankster that can actually pose a threat to the Man of Tomorrow. A normal guy can only do so much, but a metahuman is far more insidious, especially since this new Prankster is a shape-shifter and we’ve already seen him nearly kill Superman. For the first time, the Prankster is a villain worthy of being called Superman’s enemy.

Now, I do not doubt that Superman is going to wipe the floor with the new Prankster eventually. But it’s way more satisfying when Clark’s villains pose actual threats. It’ll be interesting to see what else this Prankster has up his sleeve now that he’s been personally slighted (especially since he’s unaware that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person). Hopefully, the follow-up chapter will really show us what the Prankster can do and continue to make him way more intimidating than Oswald Loomis ever was.

What do you think of the new Prankster? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!