DC has some of the biggest-name villains to ever grace the superhero genre. There’s the definitive cosmic threat in Darkseid, the pettiest man to ever exist in the Reverse-Flash, and the most iconic rogues gallery of all in Batman’s many criminals. Ever since the introduction of the very first supervillain with the Ultra-Humanite, DC has been hitting it out of the park, but there have been thousands of comics and thousands of villains. With that many characters, not all of them can get recognition, even the ones that deserve it. Sometimes, even the best villains fly under the radar and are never seen again.
Videos by ComicBook.com
So today, we’re going to be diving deep into DC’s history and digging out seven of the best villains that never appeared more than once. Specifically, we’ll be counting one appearance as the conclusion to the story they appeared in, so characters that show up in multiple issues that are a part of a single story are fair game. With that established, let’s get right into talking about villains with a low appearance count, but very high storytelling potential.
7) Imperiex-Prime
Imperiex-Prime debuted in Superman (1987) #153, which directly led into the event the villain headlined, “Our Worlds At War.” Imperiex was the living embodiment of entropy and was obsessed with destroying the universe and restarting it to eliminate a perfection he detected in it. Imperiex presented a threat so massive that the Justice League had to team up with Lex Luthor, Doomsday, and Darkseid. Although he only fought once, Imperiex left a scar on Superman and the Earth, killing over eight million people. He’s a cosmic threat on a level that is very rare, even in DC, and that alone makes him a very interesting villain, considering how much his presence drives even hated enemies together.
6) Heretic
Heretic is a man-sized clone of Damian Wayne that debuted in Batman and Robin (2009) #12 as a test-tube baby. He appeared a few times in background shots guarding Talia, but his only major role was when he killed Damian and was subsequently beaten by Batman. Heretic is a zealot driven to make his mom proud and become the new Batman, taking all of Damian’s worst traits and mixing them with the mind of a child and the power of a genetically engineered assassin. He has the potential to be a true archenemy to Damian, a perfect mirror image of what he could have become, should he ever return. Interestingly enough, it was thought he did return in Teen Titans (2016) #38, but that was a different clone.
5) Anarchist
Anarchist was a political fanatic who appeared in Justice League of America #127. What makes him so special is that he was nearly able to defeat the entire Justice League on his own, all thanks to his oddly specific but no less dangerous power. Anarchist was able to manipulate the yellow impurity of Green Lantern’s ring to continuously drain energy from it. With this power, Anarchist was unstoppable, only beaten after they forced Hal to stop charging, and he ran out of power. He was taken to jail and never seen again, but this character clearly has the chops to go further. He has a unique power and wasn’t even killed off, leaving him primed for another appearance.
4) Solaris
Solaris was an evil artificial sun that served as the enemy in DC One Million. It dedicated thousands of years to trying to eliminate all life in Earth’s solar system, but was repeatedly held at bay by Superman’s descendants. A living, maniacal sun is exactly the kind of threat that superheroes should face in extreme stories, because where else are you going to find ideas like this taken seriously other than comic books? Solaris offers a very unique perspective, as not only was it millennia old, it served as a power source for the solar system, alongside legitimately attempting to save people. It is a nuanced being unlike anything else, and is literally a living sun, which is just cool.
3) Microwave-Man
Lewis Padgett fought Superman in Action Comics #487 and #488, and his backstory and powers make him really stand out. He traveled the universe with a group of aliens for forty years, being granted the power to control microwaves. Upon arriving back on Earth, he asked the aliens to restore his youth, knowing that it would reduce his lifespan to hours, all so he could attempt to claim glory by battling Superman. The Man of Steel let Microwave-Man win to fulfill his last request, after which he died. A villain fully dedicated to only wanting to fight is rarer than you’d think, especially ones that are this powerful, as while Superman threw the fight, Lewis gave him a run for his money.
2) Paper-Man
Wonder Woman’s roster of villains is filled with characters that are perfect for this list, but the one we focus on today is Paper-Man, a one-off villain who appeared in Wonder Woman (1942) #165. He fell into a vat of chemicals that turned him as thin as a sheet of paper, and while that might not sound all that impressive, he was practically a two-dimensional Mister Fantastic, able to fold himself any which way. His powers beg to be used in creative and imaginative ways in new adventures. Paper-Man has the potential to evolve from a villain of the week to a legitimate threat if his powers are explored, and that’s exactly the type of villain you want to see come back.
1) Brotherhood of the Monkey-Fist
The Brotherhood of the Monkey-Fist were the main villains for the “Brotherhood of the Fist” arc, which began in Green Arrow (1988) #134 and crossed over with several Batman titles. The Brotherhood is an elite group of some of the best martial artists in the world, and while those are a dime a dozen in DC, the Brotherhood is set apart by its traditions and code. They shun modern weaponry and devote themselves to seeking out the best fighters in the world to either kill or be killed by. Their ultimate goal is to be left with only one member, who has climbed to the absolute peak of martial skill. The Brotherhood’s dedication is a fantastic setup for plenty of future confrontations.
So there we have seven great DC villains that only ever appeared once, but definitely deserve to appear more often. Which underrated, one-time villain do you think deserves a comeback?
What do you think of Impulse? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Focus Features.
