Ultra-Humanite
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The Ultra-Humanite is a fictional supervillain appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The Ultra-Humanite first appeared in Action Comics #13 in 1939 and is generally considered to be the first comic-book supervillain.
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[edit] Powers
The Ultra-Humanite, a mad scientist, had as his main power the ability to transfer his brain into any body. Various bodies occupied over the years included: Dolores Winters, an actress; a giant insect; a tyrannosaurus rex; a mutated albino gorilla (his most well-known and most frequently revisited form); Justice Society of America member Johnny Thunder; and a glass dome. Some of these events happened only in alternate timelines, however.
[edit] History
[edit] Golden Age
The Ultra-Humanite is the first supervillain ever faced by Superman, and is usually considered as the first supervillain in superhero comics. He was designed to be the polar opposite of Superman: while Superman was a hero with superhuman strength, Ultra-Humanite was a criminal mastermind who had a crippled body but a highly advanced intellect.
Superman first discovers Ultra-Humanite as the mastermind behind a series of crimes with criminals wielding advanced technological weapons. After a series of battles with Superman, Ultra-Humanite is seemingly killed. Superman later encounters Ultra-Humanite alive in the body of actress Dolores Winters. Ultra-Humanite explains that he kidnapped Dolores Winters and replaced her brain with his own.
Shortly afterwards, Siegal and Shuster replaced Ultra-Humanite as Superman's archfoe when Luthor is introduced to the Superman comic. Originally, Luthor was a mad scientist with a full head of red hair. An artist later mistakenly drew Luthor with a bald head and Siegel approved of Luthor's new look.[1] Because Siegel and Shuster didn't need two bald mad scientists battling Superman, they dropped Ultra-Humanite from Superman comics in favor of Luthor. Ultra-Humanite makes his last Superman appearance in Action Comics #21 (1939) and made no further appearances for several decades.
[edit] Bronze Age and the Multiverse
With the introduction of DC's multiverse system, the continuity of Golden Age Superman stories and the Ultra-Humanite were retroactively placed on Earth-Two, the Earth of DC's Golden Age characters. Ultra-Humanite is reintroduced during the Bronze Age as a recurring villain in the Mr. and Mrs. Superman feature in the Superman Family anthology comic. Mr. and Mrs. Superman told stories about the early years of the marriage of the Earth-Two Superman and Lois Lane and featured a number of Golden Age Superman villains of which the Ultra-Humanite was the most prominent. In the annual JLA/JSA teamup in Justice League of America #195-197, Ultra-Humanite would adopt his white albino ape body and have his role expanded as a major super-villain of Earth-Two. Afterwards, the Ultra-Humanite would make regular appearances fighting against the All-Star Squadron in the 1940s and against the Justice Society of America and Infinity Inc. in the present.
[edit] Post-Crisis
After the 1985-1986 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman's continuity was rebooted by the Man of Steel miniseries and Earth-Two Superman was removed from continuity. However, the Ultra-Humanite was excluded from Superman's reboot and his post-Crisis history remains tied to the 1940s and with the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. Previous appearances of the Ultra-Humanite fighting Golden Age Superman in the 1940s in Action Comics #13-21 and in All-Star Squadron were re-told for the sake of continuity (a technique known as retconning) to show him having fought other 1940s heroes.
The first three issues of Legends of the DC Universe feature the post-Crisis Superman, early in his career, battling a scientist who has sworn revenge on Luthor and gained the ability to transfer his "life essence" (called "Under-Light") as the U.L.T.R.A. Humanite. The continuity of this story is unclear.
The Ultra-Humanite was killed by the third Crimson Avenger in the "Stealing Thunder" JSA comic storyline as revenge for the death of the first Crimson Avenger, who was killed in an explosion triggered by the Ultra-Humanite. However, after the Infinite Crisis, another Ultra-Humanite character was mentioned in Justice League of America (2nd series) #1, but so far it's unclear if it's the same Humanite or a new character. It was said Ultra-Humanite tried to buy a new mento-helmet and was mentioned to have established a new (but unknown) identity for himself in order to do that. But, what Ultra-Humanite didn't know, was that his mission was snitched by Signalman who warned the heroes about it, and Ultra-Humanite was stopped once again.
[edit] Elseworlds
In the miniseries, The Golden Age, the Ultra-Humanite placed his brain into the body of the superhero, the Americommando.
In Superman & Batman: Generations, the Ultra-Humanite had transferred his mind into Lex Luthor, highlighting the similarities between the two villains.
[edit] Other media
The Ultra-Humanite appears in his gorilla body form in three episodes of the Justice League animated series voiced by Ian Buchanan. In this version, he is depicted as a cultured intellectual criminal with a deep love for classical music. This appreciation of music becomes a major component of the Ultra-Humanite's character when Batman persuades the Ultra-Humanite to turn over Lex Luthor to the authorities in return for a large sum of money, which Ultra-Humanite then donates to public broadcasting, specifically opera on television.
The Ultra-Humanite's origin in the animated series is questionable since this world did not include an explicit JSA for him to fight, but a passing reference while talking to the Flash during the Christmas episode suggests he once had a more normal appearance.
[edit] External links
- A biography about the Ultra-Humanite
- Supermanica: Ultra-Humanite Supermanica entry on the Pre-Crisis Ultra-Humanite
- Gay League Profile
| Superman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster |
| Characters: | Superman (Clark Kent) • Lois Lane • Jimmy Olsen • Perry White • Jor-El • Ma Kent • Pa Kent • Lana Lang • Steel • Supergirl • Superboy (Kon-El) • Krypto |
| Villains: | Lex Luthor • Bizarro • Brainiac • Cyborg Superman • Darkseid • Doomsday • Eradicator • General Zod • Metallo • Mongul • Mr. Mxyzptlk • Parasite • Toyman • Ultra-Humanite • Intergang • Phantom Zone villains |
| Locations: |
Daily Planet • Fortress of Solitude • Krypton • Metropolis • Smallville |
| Storylines: | Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane • Alternate versions of Superman • Publications • Superman in popular culture |
| Miscellanea: | Kryptonite • Powers • Symbol |
