SUPERMAN- THE MAN OF STEEL

SOURCEBOOK
© 1992 DC Comics Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Mayfair Games Inc.
Author: Roger Stem
Additional Material By: Greg Gorden,
Ray Winninger, Paul Kupperberg,
Jack A. Barker and Andrew Webster
Editors: Jack A. Barker and A. Margaret Goetz
Assistant Editor: Andrew Webster
Editorial Director: Jim Musser
Cover Art:
Pencils: Dan Jurgens
Inks: Brett Breeding
Color: Bob LeRose
Interior Art: DC Artists
Cover and Interior Design: Mike Russo
Art Director: Mari Paz Cabardo

A special thanks to Louise Simonson for her kind

assistance.

All characters, their distinctive likenesse , names,

l o g o s , props a n d a l l o t h e r r e l a t e d indici� are
trademarks of DC Comics Inc. Copyright © 1992 �
Ack ledanfents
DC Comics Inc. Used under license by Mayfair
Games Inc. All Rights Reserved.

is a trademark of DC Comics Inc., used This work · respectfully dedicated to

under license by Mayfair Games Inc. Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster, without
whom there never would have been a

n
v is a registered trademark of Mayfair
Games lnc.
Superman.
In gathering of the data for this
sourcebook, the writer gratefully
acknowledges the use of notes provided by
John L. Byrne, specifically his compilation
No part of this book may be reproduced in any
"Superman- The 'New' History- A
form or by any means, except for the inclusion of
brief quotations in a review, without permission in Guide" (unpublished). He also

writing from the publisher. Permission is granted to acknowledges the wit and wisdom
the purchaser of this book to copy the maps and provided by Byrne, Jerry Ordway, Dan
histories for personal use, provided that no copy is Jurgens, George Perez, Bill Messner­
sold or traded. Loebs, and Mike Carlin, without
All characters in this book are fictitious. Any whose contributions this book would
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is be very empty indeed. He also wishes
purely coincidental.
to thank Peter Sanderson, whose
analytical prose was of
Manufactured in the United States of America.
immeasurable help in sparking the
ISBN: 0-923763-38-4
memory.
258
Finally, special thanks are due
to Ms. Cannela C. Merlo, who
can spot a dangling participle at
20 paces and who kept assuring
me that the work would get
done.
 -* �
Acknowledgments . . . . . . .............. ...... ... .. . 2 ..
_

Introduction . . .. :....................................4
1: The Origin of Superman ...... . . . . . .. . . . ..... 7
II: The Man of Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... . . . . . 16
Ill: Smallville ...... .. . .. . . . .. . . ........... . . . . . . . . 29 E +
II
IV: Metropolis ........ . . . . .. . . ............. ........ 30
V: The Fortress of Solitude . . ........... . . . . . . 38
VI: Superman's Friends ........ ....... ........ 40
VII: Superman's Enemies . .. ........... ...... 59
VIII: Superman's Fellow Heroes ......... 112
X: Classic Bits .......... . . . . . . . . . . . ............. 122
XI: Index ................... ..... . . . . . .............. 127

3
Introduction
"Faster than a speeding bullet! only in the market for those comic strips that
More powerful than a locomotive! were "likely to have the most extraordinary
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! appeal, and we do not feel Superman gets into
Look- up in the sky! that category. "2
It's a bird! So much for the foresight of syndicate editors.
It's a plane! Finally, the feature was assembled into a comic
!
It's... Superman!" page format and published as the lead feature in the
first issue of Action Comics. But even then,
For over half a centu ry, people the world over have Superman' s appeal was not immediately recognized.
been thrilled by the exploits of this "strange visitor It's reported that publisher Harry Donenfeld, upon
from another planet." He has appeared with great seeing the cover scene of the Man of Steel lifting an
success in every entertainment medium. Just two automobile high over his head, e x claimed:
years after h i s debut, Superman became a top "Nobody's going to believe this. It's impossible.''3
attraction of radio's Golden Age. His star shined Superman was not featured on the cover again until
brightly in animated theatrical cartoons produced by issue #7. By that time, sales reports were showing
the legendary Fleisher Studios and in Columbia what the readers already knew. . . Superman was a hit.
Pictures serials during the 1940s . . . in a 1950s In retrospect, it aJl seems so obvious. Superman
television series that continues i n �yndication appeals to our dreams. Who among us hasn't at one
today . . . in a Broadway musical during the 1960s. . . time or another wished for "powers and abilities far
and i n the feature films of the 1970s and 1980s. He beyond those of mortal men?" Who wouldn't want
i s , quite simply, one of our world's most the ability to leap into the skies and fly, free of
recognizable fictional characters. gravity's restraints?
But it all began in a comic book. During the Iranian hostage crisis of the late 1970s,
Superman was the first star of the comic book a New York cab driver, with a touch of melancholy
industry, but he wasn't exactly an overnight in his voice, expressed a desire to "send Superman
sensation. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and over there. He could take care of things." And after
a r t i s t J o e S h u s t e r in t h e m i d - 1 9 30 s, the the space shuttle Challenger exploded, Life magazine
Superman feature had the distinction of being quoted a young boy in Dallas as saying, "I wish I had
rejected by virtually every newspaper syndicate been Superman, so I could have saved them.,4
in the country. One such syndicate dismissed As adults,we recognize that such things are wistful
Siegel and Shuster's creation as an "immature flights of fancy, but the child within us continues to
piece of work." Another sniffed that they were hope and pray that if we ourselves cannot possess
such powers, there might arise a Superman who The six-issue Man of Steel series was published in
would use his amazing abilities to battle for truth the summer of 1986, showcasing the "new"
and justice. Superman, produced by writer/artist John Byrne. But
Everyone knows about Superman ... or at least this Superman wasn't really all that new. As a matter
thinks he does. The fact of the matter is that the of fact, he was a more straightforward Superman
printed history of Superman is not a seamless whole. than had been seen in several decades. What the new
There have been many varied interpretations of the version presented was basically the original Siegel­
Man of Steel over the past half-century, and more and-Shuster creation, combined with the feel of the
than a few contradictions have slipped into the mix. best parts of the Fleisher cartoons, the George
When Superman first saw the light of day in Reeves television adventures, and the Christopher
Action Comics, he could "leap one-eighth of a Reeve motion pictures. Bullets stilJ bounced from his
mile; hurdle a t w e n t y - s t o r y building ... raise chest and he could still bend steel in his bare hands,
tremendous weights... run faster than an express but now there was a new joy as he soared over the
train ... and ... nothing less than a bursting shell streets of Metropolis.
could penetrate his skin!"5 From the groundwork laid in Man of Steel,
By the 1960s, he could exceed the speed of light, Byrne, Jerry Ordway, and Marv Wolfman expanded
leap across time and space, move planets out of orbit, the image in the revamped Superman, The
and fly through stars unscathed. Impressive, yes, but Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics titles.
just a wee bit cosmic for a guy who would - often Somewhere along the line, editor Michael Carlin
in the same issue - turn around and pull some joined the team, along with Dan Jurgens, George
schoolboy prank on Lois Lane to teach her a lesson Perez, Kerry Gammill, Bob McLeod, Dennis Janke,
for being so nosy. Comics in the '60s were not Brett Breeding, and a host of others, including yours
always as enlightened as we might like to remember. truly. We've even worked occasionally with artist
As the years went by, Superman developed a Curt Swan, who kept the visual style of Superman
continuity that was often self-contradictory and strong for more than a generation. Most recently,
sometimes downright silly. No longer was he the sole Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove have signed
survivor of the doomed planet Krypton. Fellow on to produce a fourth monthly title, Superman: The
survivors included a cousin, a dog, a monkey, a city Man of Steel.
in a bottle, and an extra-dimensional Phantom Zone And so, as Superman completes his 53rd year of
full of Kryptonian criminals. One story even publication, he will appear in four monthly titles,
maintained that his natural parents, Jor-El and Lara, with a new issue hitting the newsstands virtually
were still alive in a kind of suspended animation. So every week. True, he's been through some changes.
many tons of radioactive kryptonite fell on Earth that And the biggest change of all - marriage - is
one wonders how our poor little worlq was able to waiting in the wings. But he's still Superman! He
bear up under the added mass. still fights that never-ending battle for truth, justice,
Then there was the cornucopia of parallel worlds and the American way.
and realities, patched together to explain, among And I still want to be just like him when I grow up.
other things, how Superman, Lois, and company . -Roger Stem
existed during the Second World War. While the Ithaca, New York
parallel worlds idea was clever and engaging when
it was introduced, by the 1980s it had become a
puzzle that even many long-time readers h a d fOR MORE INFORMATION •••

difficulty sorting out. The following comic books feature the new

In 1985, DC Comics published a 12-issue series adventures of Superman:

entitled Crisis on Infinite Earths, which merged Man of Steel #J-6

all of the myriad continuities into one. On the Superman (second series) #J-on*
heels of this major realignment, DC decided to re­ Superman Annual (second series) #J-on*
start the Superman titles, establishing a new and The Adventures ofSuperman #424-on
h o p e f u l l y m o r e c o h e r e n t c o n t i n u i t y f o r the The Adventures ofSuperman Annual #J-on
granddaddy of all superheroes. Action Comics #484-600, #643-on

The Origin of Superman 5

 Action Comics Weekly #601-642
Action Comics Annual #I-on
Superman: The Man ofSteel #J-on
The World ofKrypton #1-4
The World ofSmal/vil/e #1-4
The World of Metropolis #1-4
World's Finest (second series) #1-3*
Superman: The Earth Stealers
Superman For Earth
*This sourcebook does not deal with the first series
of Superman and World's Finest, and so from this
point on we will refer to the second series as simply
Superman and World's Finest.

ENDNOTES
I. Opening of the Superman radio
program (Mutual Broadcasting
System), author unknown.
2. The Steranka History of
Comics. Volume One (Reading,
PA. Supcrgraphics, 1970). p. 39.
3. The Mad World of William M.
Gain�s. Frank Jacobs
(Secaucus. J. Lyle Stuan.
Inc.) p. 58.
4. "Voices: Aftushocks."
Life. Volume 10. Number
I (January. 1987). p. 87.
5. Action Comics HI.
January 1938.
1: The Origin ol Superman
THE AMAZING WORLD OF KRYPTON
About 50 light-years from Earth the remains of the avoiding major wars and conflicts. Kryptonian
late, great world of Krypton orbits the red dwarf star scholars divided the history of their people into
Rao. The planetary mass closest to its sun, Krypton seven ages or epochs of varying length. Earthlings
shares a star system with seven other planets, five of know little about the first four ages of Krypton, but
which are gas giants. we do know that a world government emerged
Krypton was once a modest-sized planet, roughly before the end of the Fourth Age, uniting all the
the mass and volume of Earth. Krypton, however, people of Krypton.
had a much greater land mass than our world, most By the beginning of Krypton's Fifth Age, more
of it consisting of a single, gigantic continent. than 200,000 years ago, Kryptonian science had
Unlike Earth, Krypton never had a moon. perfected a system of life extension through cloning.
Over the eons, plant and animal life evolved on Under this system, cell samples were taken from all
Krypton, and a race of sentient humanoids virtually Kryptoruans at birth and were grown into clones in
indistinguishable from terrestrial humans became vast, underground holding chambers. Every man,
the dominant life form. It is only at the sub-cellular woman, and child had three clones at various stages
and molecular levels that the real differences of development.2
between the people of Earth and native Kryptonians Maintained at the peak of physical condition, the
could be determined. Evolving under the intense clones supplied replacement parts whenever their
radiation of their r e d dwarf sun, Kryptonians originals suffered from injury, disease, or aging. The
developed a unique genetic structure that enabled clones, kept in a mindless state, were considered
them to absorb energy from their sun. Although they non-human beings, having no civil rights.
d e r i v e d most of t h e i r nourishment from the During the Fifth Age, the L family rose t o
consumption of animal and vegetable matter, solar prominence in the global society o f Krypton. They
energy supplemented their diets. They were, in were a family of great artists and commentators, of
effect, Jiving soldf batteries. scientists and leaders. Tracing their ancestry t o a
legendary priest-king of the Third Age, they took the
GROWTH OF A WORLD SOCIETY "L" sound (pronounced roughly as we pronounce the
Kryptonians achieved dominion of their world long 'I' in the words laughter or long) as their surname.
before homo sapiens appeared on Earth. The This eventually evolved i.nto the proper name that we
earliest known settlements on Krypton date back now translate as El. It bears mentioning that only
approximately 500,000 Earth years. I Although their male members of the family used the L - and later,
technology often outpaced their mastery of social the El -surname. Through a tradition of unknown
order, for most of their history Kryptoruans enjoyed origins, Kryptonian women are given single names,
a peaceful, highly advanced planetary culture, usually of two syllables, and do not use surnames.

.7
 THE CLERIC- deceased
DISSENT, REBELLION, AND WAR
At the dawning of the Fifth Age, an alien Cleric I)I \ ; .... I k � HI 1111 �
came to Krypton as a missionary and began preaching 1'\1 (1 \\ii � \li\11 �

against the people's cloning practices. As the Cleric 1'\1 • \ , - \1 II , l

acquired more and more followers, government I' II I \ I I\ I II Ill ){I I I., 1) \ I ' �II

leaders began to look on his teachings with alarm.

•Powers:
Krypton's leaders considered the Cleric a fanatic and
Telepathy: 16, Mind Probe: 12
insurrectionist, bent on undermining their world's
Remote Sensing: 13
scientific progress. They caBed on Kem-L of their
•Skills:
Science Council to devise a means to eliminate such
Charisma: 9, Detective: 5, Occultist: 8
alien influences. To that end, Kem-L created a device
Vehicles (Space): 3
that he claimed embodied all the glorious ideals of
•Advantages:
Krypton, a device called the Eradicator. Kem-L
Connections: Krypton (Fifth Age/High),
designed the Eradicator to destroy those of non­
Superman (High), Warworld (Low);
Kryptonian genotype, but it was more than a mere
Scholar (Religion, Kryptonian History)
weapon. Kem-L theorized that the Eradicator's
•Drawbacks:
energies would ultimately bind Kryptonians to their
Age (old); Voluntary Exile (The Commune);
planet by altering his race's genetic makeup and
Guilt; Traumatic Flashbacks
making it impossible for them to leave their world
•Equipment:
and live.3 When a government soldier attempted to
The Eradicator [Body: 20, lnt: 8, Will: 9,
use the Eradicator against the Cleric, he failed to
Mind: 8, Matter Manipulation: 15,
adjust its controls properly, causing a release of
Energy Blast: 15, Ornni-Power: 20]
energies that leveled everything for several square
Miscellaneous Drawbacks: The Eradicator can
miles. All within that zone were killed except the
only be wielded by a descendant of the El
Cleric, who had miraculously survived. In hopes of
family of Krypton; the Eradicator is
preventing further destruction, the Cleric took
programmed to perpetuate t h e heritage o f
possession of the Eradicator, gathered 100,000 of his
Krypton at all costs.
followers into h i s starship, a n d left Krypton.
•Alter E go: Unknown
Tragically, the Eradicator's energy had already
•Motivation:
worked on the Kryptonian genotype, and all who
Upholding the Good, later Unwanted Power
accompanied the Cleric died in agony after leaving
•Occupation: Cleric
their home world.4
•Wealth: Not Applicable
The Cleric's followers who remained behind
•Height: 6' 5" •Weight: 250 lbs.
founded a growing clone-rights movement, agitating
•Eyes: Red •Hair: White
for change within their society. So persistent were
•Quote: "Kal-E!, I have been caretaker to your
they that by the latter part of the Fifth Age, a sizable
inheritance for countless years ... hoping,
segment of the population had begun to look on their
somehow knowing, that someday you would
society's cloning system with distaste. The
arrive to claim it." (The Adventures of
government, however, refused to change its policies.
Superman #455)
Terrorist groups began to proliferate, culminating in
the formation of the extremist cell, Black Zero.
Members of Black Zero dedicated themselves to the began the Sixth Age, the shortest and most awful
destruction of Krypton, believing that destroying their period in Krypton's history. Nearly all traces of the
planet was the only way to atone for what they high culture of the Fifth Age were wiped out in a
perceived as the murder of billions of Kryptonian thousand terrible years of warfare. Kryptonian
clones. When a thermonuclear device was detonated soldiers roamed the ruined planet in massive warsuits,
in the heart of the city of Kandor, Black Zero claimed seeking out and exterminating rebel groups. And yet,
responsibility. After the destruction of Kandor and horrible as the Sixth Age was, enough Kryptonians
the death of its 40 million citizens, Krypton was managed to survive, sowing the seeds of their world's
swept by its ftrst - and last - true world war. Thus Seventh Age.5
THE fiNAL AGE
The Seventh Age of Krypton lasted nearly 100,000 frequent f i e l d trips across the p l a n e t often
years, and although it was a peaceful age, its peace unescorted by ills ro tic servitors. His fascination
was one of sterility. The survivors of the savage Sixth with the workings of the cosmos was so compelling
Age dedicated themselves to creating a world free of that he began a thorough exa ination of planets
discontent. The war had destroyed the Clone Banks, both within and outside the system of Krypton's
and Krypton's remaining scientists looked in new sun. Jor-El actually went so far as to design a
directions for ways to sustain life. From the warsuit prototype star-drive, even though he knew frorq, his
technology of the Sixth Age, they developed the studies that for a Kryptonian to leave ills world was
biostimulator sheath, a skin-tight black garment that to court death.?
preserved Kryptonians and extended their lives Before Jor-EI had undergone his Rite of Passage
centuries past their normal span. Sheathed in this and acilleved full adult status, the rare and untimely
protective garb from birth, the people of Krypton death of another Kryptonian created an opening in
became solitary beings, living apart in their great the world's Register of Citizens. By the strength of
towers, attended only by robots. Physical contact his genetic structure, Jor-El was chosen to father the
became less and less acceptable to the Kryptonian new Kryptonian who would one day fill that opening.
mind, and reproduction was relegated to in vitro To this end, Seyg-El and the lady Nara, matriarch of
fertilization and gestation. The naming of children another high family of Krypton, arranged a union
became so routine that names had little more between Jor-El and Nara's granddaughter Lara, a
significance than numbers. As new births were librarian and illstorian of high rank. Although there
allowed only to replenish the population, the names was no need for Jor-El and Lara to ever meet, Jor-El
o f male and female children were allotted on a asked for and received permission to see an image of
rotational basis.6 the woman who was to be his mate. Jor-El then did
It was into this world that Jor-El, son of Seyg­ what no one on Krypton had done for thousands
El, was born. of years. He fell in love.8
Despite his preoccupation with the sciences, Jor-EI
was in many ways a romantic, a man out of his time.
Not content with tapping of Krypton's central data
banks for information, Jor-EI made

The Origin of Superman 9

 .
.
• .. .

. '

JOR-EL - deceased
1>1 \ I S 11' ; B<�l '' 4
1'-.1 II \\111 111 \11'-1' I�
l'\11 ll \t "\ .;; Sl'll<ll h

·
h l l I\ II\ I �I 1111'" l't'"I'· II()
.

. ..
•Skills:
Gadgetry: 20, Scientist: 20
•Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Krypton); Connections:
.·. Kryptonian Ruling Council (Low); Rich
Family; Scholar (Kryptonian History)
•Drawbacks: .'

Dark S ec r e t (imminent d e s truction o f

Krypton); Married; Miscellaneous: Jor-El,
like all Kryptonians, suff e r s a genetic
. '
flaw that would prove fatal if he left the

. . :
planet Krypton.

. •Motivation: Upholding the Good

..
. ..
•Occupation: Scientist, Historian
... .
•Wealth: 13
•Height: 6' 2" •Weight: 190 lbs.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black
'·
•Quote: "Your mother and I shall face death , ..
together in prayer ... remember us." (Action
. .
.

Comics Annual #2)

.,
\ . .
.
., • t•
. .

deceased
.
. .

:
,\
LARA -

D1 \.
. . .

;
. .
.
SiR: � Bt11n. �
. , • t

. . . . . . ·.
•
1'\1· 10 \\'111: 1! 1\11'\1>. �
·· .... . l\11: (, .\tR\: .'i Sl'll<ll:h
.·.
.. hiII\II\I: II) IllRO l'tJl'\1 '>: _'i()
. . '·
•Skills:
. ·. Charisma: 9
·.•
•Advantages:
·. �·· .
. .·
.'

Connection� Jor-El (High); Rich Family

.. ·.
. . .
. .

.
•
.
•Drawbacks:
.
.

•
Miscellaneous: Lara, like all Kryptonians,
•• t

. '
suffers a genetic flaw that would prove fatal if
. ·'
' "' .

.
she left the planet Krypton.
,: . . . .

•Motivation: Upholding the Good

.
.
. . . .
. \ .

. .
•Occupation: None
.
.
•Wealth: 13
. . . .

•Height: 5' 9" •Weight: 130 lbs .

'
.

.·

... ··.
•
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black
.
•Quote: "Jor-El, if that was truly our Kal, he
.
.
.
will most certainly go mad on that barbarous
.. world!" (The Adventures ofSuperman #461)
 ..
'
. . I;
•

•.
.
.

.
•.

'

Jor-El spent an increasing amount of his time

observing Lara from afar. He began to dream about
•
• •

their intended child and began to hope for its future.

To that end, Jor-EI devised a series of treatments to
eliminate the fatal flaw in his genetic code so his
. .

child would be free to leave Krypton. Sometime later,

when both Lara and Jor-EI were judged to be at the
peak of health, robotic surgeons took cell samples
f r o m each of them. From these samples were
•.
extracted genetic matter that was then injected into a
birthing matrix deep in the Kryptonians' gestation
.•
• .

.. .
chamber. Even before the matrix was prepared, it was
� .
: . .·
determined that the child would be a boy.9
. .
.
.
.
Meanwhile, all was not well with Krypton. A
.
• l ·'
.. .
.

., . ..
. .. doomsday device, set into motion by Black Zer�
. •.

. . . .
. .
.

. . nearly 100,000 years before, was producing a chain . '

.
reaction deep in the planefs core, creating a new
J
super-actinide element, which Jor-El called \

kryptonium. Earthquakes shook the planet as

. '
Krypton's internal pressures built. Deadly radiation
from the new element began seeping through the .,
planet's crust, killing 20 million during that final
year. Discovering the secret behind the forces that ·,

were dooming his world, Jor-EI had the birthing .. ;

matrix of his unborn son removed from the gestation

chambers and brought to his lonely tower.
Learning of Jor-EI's unorthodox actions, Lara
became so distraught that she traveled to Jor-EI's
home, physically confronting him for the first time in
their lives. Jor-El explained to Lara the doom that
they and their planet faced and revealed his plan to
send the protected matrix through hyperspace to the
planet Earth, which he had recently been observing.
Through his studies, Jor-El knew that their son would
grow strong and powerful on Earth as his cells
absorbed the solar radiation of Earth's sun. The
· ,' matrix was affixed to Jor-EI's prototype star-drive
vehicle, and the unborn child was rocketed free of
Krypton. In those final moments, as they watched the
ship disappear into space, Jor-EI at ·last was able to
·
,· .
. ;,
share his feelings with Lara and declare his love for
her.IO Then, the world of Krypton exploded,
transmuting the sum and substance of the dying world
...
into kryptonite, the ore of kryptonium.
.·
Today, the planet Krypton exists as a cloud of .. .
. ..
radioactive kryptonite dust and debris surrounding a
core of molten kryptonium. It has been theorized that
in another 50 million years, the matter that was once
Krypton might condense again into solid mass and
that in a billion years, if Rao continues to bum, life
might return to the planet. Still, it could never be the
. .
same world of Krypton. II
. ..
.
11
.

. . . The Org
i in of Superman
' .
 There is but one survivor of that doomed planet, displayed Clark as their own natural child. Knowing
the child of Jor-El and Lara who was sent across the that Martha had been through two miscarriages and a
void to be born on the planet Earth. Had he been stillbirth, friends readily believed that she might have
born on Krypton, his name would have been Kal­ kept another attempted pregnancy a secret. Friends
EI.l2 But instead, this last son of Krypton was born and relatives were thrilled that Martha and Jonathan
into the arms of a Kansas farm wife and grew up to at last had the family they had wanted.l4
become our world's greatest hero- Superman!
YOUNG CLARK KENT
THE BIRTH OF A HERO As an infant and a young child, Clark Kent
It began late. one night, as Jonathan and Martha exhibited no extraordinary powers or abilities. When
Kent were securing their Kansas farmhouse against he turned 5, Clark was enrolled at Eisenhower
the threat of an early winter storm. As they locked Elementary School in Smallville, where he quickly
the last of the shutters into place, a brilliant light, as made friends of classmates Lana Lang and Pete
if from some sort of comet or meteor, shot across the Ross.l5 He picked up good values from his loving,
sky. Intrigued by the chance of being able to find an hard-working parents, learning responsibility in
actual meteorite, the Kents jumped into their truck helping with chores around the farm. He also
and drove out to the back field, where the object had acquired the Kents' Jove of reading and often derived
seemed to hit. as much pleasure from sitting under a tree with a
What they found was a shallow crater and a n book as he did from a fast game of softball. For all
object that appeared to be a t i n y spacecraft. intents and purposes, Clark appeared to be just
Approaching the craft, Martha thought she saw another normal, healthy American boy.
something moving inside. When Jonathan gingerly But he was not normal. Just as his genetic father,
reached out to touch the smooth, egg-like upper Jor-El, had calculated, Clark's Kryptonian cells
section of the craft, it seemed to melt away, began storing and processing the radiation of Earth's
revealing a newborn baby boy within. Thus was the sun. As he grew older, Clark became increasingly
last son of Krypton born upon the Great Plains of stronger and more powerful. The first noticeable
North America. consequence of this power came when Clark was 8
At the time, the Kents had no way of knowing that years old. Taking a short cut across a pasture, he was
they were witnessing a birth. Jonathan suspected, trampled by an angry bull, but he sustained no
quite correctly, that the baby might be from another injuries. A few months later, Martha Kent was
planet. But the infant looked so completely human astounded to see her son casually lift the back end of
that Martha dismissed her husband's suspicions as their pickup truck to retrieve a ball that had rolled out
fantasy. She concluded that the child was the victim of reach.
of a foreign rocketry experiment and vowed that no As he entered his teens, Clark discovered that he
one would experiment on him ever again. On the ride could see farther and in increasingly greater detail
back to the house, the childless couple discussed t h a n any of his friends and that he could see
what to do with the baby. Martha argue
· d that they through solid objects if he concentrated. In the
should keep him, and Jonathan was hard pressed to summer of his seventeenth year, Clark found that
think of a reason why they shouldn't. By the time he could step off into space and fly. His joy at the
they got home, they had already decided to name him discovery of this power was boundless, as was his
Clark, Martha's maiden name, and raise him as their parents' astonishment.
own son.l3 Throughout their son's adolescence, Martha and
It was then that the storm hit, or rather, that the Jonathan kept his incredible abilities secret and
storms hit. A whole series of storm fronts, always stressed the importance of this secrecy to
collectively recognized as the blizzard of the century, Clark. The Kents feared that if knowledge of Clark's
swept across the plains that winter, effectively powers became public and the truth of his birth were
isolating the Kents from friends and relatives in the known, he might be taken away from them. They
surrounding area. It was five months before they suspected that some people would be afraid of him or
visited the nearby town of Smallville again. Upon consider him a monster and that unscrupulous people
their return to Smallville, the Kents proudly would try to exploit his powers. They knew that at
the very least, the inevitable publi ity would disrupt their'Hv:es
e0..
all tim
Mor� er, the Kl\nts cautioned Clark that wtr� his powers
were a great g i f t , they didn't necess arily m a-'kifli i m a better
p e r s o n. M a r t h a a n d Jo n a t h a n �e s s e d on t h e b o y t h e
responsibilities power ntails. T a-
�y ? taught him that each
individual should strive t o leave tb _ � rld a better place than he
found it. As firm beljevers in the Golden Rule, they told Clark that
he should never use his special powers to set himself up as better
than anyone else or to make other people feel useless.
But youthful exuberance often overcomes the best intentions. During his
senior year at Smallville High School, Clark began to utilize his strength and
speed on the football field, becoming the star of the team. After winning the
final game of the season almost single-handedly, Clark found his
stern-faced father waiting on the sidelines. Jonathan took his
son to the site where the spacecraft still lay hidden and
revealed how they had found him. Jonathan admitted that he
didn't know where Clark came from but told the boy that his
great powers needed a nobler purpose than winning sporting
events. Stunned by these revelations, Clark shamefacedly agreed
with his father. He realized that the time had come to shoulder his
responsibilities.l6
That night, Clark called on Lana Lang, who had become his closest,
most devoted friend. Clark displayed his superhuman powers for Lana,
scooping her up and carrying her off through the heavens. He flew
around the world with her that night, confiding his plans to leave
Smallville the next day, to go out into the world and use his powers for the
good of humanity. Taking Lana home, Clark gave her a last brotherly kiss
and flew off into the night. 17

The Origin of Superman 13

 The Constitution, NASA's experimental space
Clark arr�e(l to gra<h},ate early from high school. plane, was ending its maiden flight with a landing at
Then, fo the next fiv.,e'years, he wandered the Earth, Metropolis International Airport to cap off a month of
maste his azing powers and employing them celebrations for the city's 250th anniversary. Daily
always · secret - to help other people, to save Planet reporter Lois Lane was one of the crew
lives, d to prevent disasters. He traveled, observed, members aboard the space plane as part of NASA's
an learned much about the ways of the world, but Journalists-in-Space program. She had been submitting
fmally he concluded that he needed a more formal daily reports on the Constitution's flight to the nation's
education. He moved to the city of Metropolis and media, and an enormous crowd had congregated at the
enrolled at the renowned University of Metropolis. IS airport for the historic landing. All was going
Clark threw himself into his studies. He decided to according to plan until a small civilian plane slipped
major in journalism, but he eagerly took as many into the secured airspace and collided with the space
additional courses as he could, obtaining a broad plane. Fused together by the impact, the airplanes
base of k n o w l e d g e in b o t h t h e sciences and plummeted earthward, out of control.
humanities. He also found that he could apply many Clark Kent, watching the landing in the midst of the
of his travel experiences for additional credit. Much gathered crowd, realized that he had only moments to
to his surprise, Clark earned his degree in just two prevent a crash and leapt skyward. Grabbing the
years.19 He also acquired an abiding love Constitution, he put all of his strength and his
for Metropolis and its people. It astounding power of flight into righting the crafts and
was in that city, not long bringing them in for a landing. Once the ships were
after graduation, that safe on the ground, Lois immediately disembarked to
circumstances forced question him. Their eyes met, and for a moment,
Clark to use his super- neither of them could say a word.
powers in public for Then the crowd surged past security barricades,
the first time. surrounding the hero-of-the-day. Clark was mobbed by
�ople clutching and pulling at him. They all wanted
't6touch him. Their voices rose in a roar of offers and
demands. To Clark's mind, it was as if they all wanted
a piece of him. Appalled by the crowd's reaction,
Clark fled the scene before he could be identified,
flying halfway around the world before he finally
came to rest on a remote mountaintop in Tibet. Lois
Lane, meanwhile, filed her story of the rescue,
describing as best she could the unknown "Superman"
who had saved the planes and the crews' lives.
Unsure what to do, Clark returned to Smallville,
seeking guidance from his parents. Recalling the
legendary mystery-men of the 1940s, Jonathan Kent
suggested that Clark adopt a costumed secret identity,
in which he could publicly use his powers for good.
Clark and his parents thus devised his new identity as
Superman, taking the name that the Daily Planet
reporter had given her mysterious rescuer. Martha
Kent created Superman's first uniform, employing
Clark's suggestions. She remembered how the only
items of clothing that had survived her son's
developing powers were those that fit most snugly, so
she designed the uniform to be skin-tight. Clark and
o· than together designed the distinctive S emblem
fo� e chest and cape of his uniform.
 Working with his family, Clark devised subtle Though his heritage is that of a dead planet 50
tricks of appearance - glasses, changes of voice, light-years away, Superman remains very much the
posture and body language - by which he could son of Jonathan and Martha Kent.
divert any attention f r o m h i s resemblance to
Superman. Clark reasoned that by appearing ENDNOTES
unmasked as Superman, he would distract most I. Action Comics #652, Superman relates Kryptoniao history to
Ma and Pa Kent.
people from even considering that he might spend
2. The World of Krypton #I
20
part of his time as someone else. 3. Adventures ofSuperman #460
4. Action Comics Annual #2, the full history of the Cleric and
the Eradicator is explained.
LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!
5. The World of Krypton #2-3, this issue describes the events
Returning to Metropolis, Superman quickly made involving Black Zero's bomb.
his presence known. Nothing escaped his attention, 6. The World"ofKrypton #4, Superman relates his origins to
from simple purse snatchings to three-alarm fires to
Lois Lane.
7. Action Comics Annual #2, Superman's memories were
attempted bank robberies. Exhilarated by the received from Jor-El.
opportunity to operate openly, Superman seemed to 8. World of Krypton #3
be everywhere at once in the days that followed. 9. Action Comics Annual #2, Superman's memories from Jor-El.
10. The World of Krypton #4, Man of Steel #1, in WoK #4
Everyone wanted to know more about their city's
Superman relates hi s origins to Lois Lane.
new hero, especially Lois Lane. After a week of I I . Superman #18

fruitless attempts to catch up with the hero, Lois 12. The World of Krypton #4, Superman relates his origins to
Lois Lane.
finally managed to connect with Superman and
13. The World ofSmallville #2
obtain an interview. But she was not quick enough to 14. Man of Steel #1, Pa Kent tells the whole story of how the
beat out newly employed Planet reporter Clark Kent, Kents found Kal-E!.

who had gotten his job by submitting an in-depth 15. Action Comics #655, photos from Ma Kent's photo album.
16. Man of Steel #1
article about Superman.21 17. Man ofSteel #6, Lana relates story about how Clark
Over the next few years, Superman established confided in her about his super powers.

himself as the greatest champion of justice in 18. Superman #12, Clark Kent's college memories.
19. The World of Metropolis #3
Metropolis and, indeed, the world. He is credited
20. Man ofSteel #1, Clark Kent's first appearance as Superman
with inspiring a new generation of crime fighters and in Metropolis; Lois Lane inferred to be author of Superman

superheroes that sprang into existence after his debut, newspaper article.
21. Man of Steel #2
heroes from Aquaman to the Flash. Yet with the
22. Man of Steel #6
exception of a few confidants, the world remained
unaware that Superman had another identity. Since
he does not hide his face behind a mask, people
assumed that, like Wonder Woman,
he is simply Superman.
Roughly seven years after h i s
public debut, Superman learned the
details of his Kryptonian origins.
From an electro-psionic recording
completed d u r i n g K r y p t on's final
hours, Clark discovered that he was the
genetic offspring of Jor-El and Lara, the
sole survivor of that doomed planet.
While this revelation answered many of
his questions, it only strengthened his
sense of responsibility toward the Earth /
2
and its people. 2

The Org
i in of Superman 15
 II: The Man ol Steel

g Q Q Q

Q g

Q Q g g g g 9 9 Q Q 9 9 9

g 9 g g g g
SUPERMAN
D1\: 1:' Sit<. �:' B•>m· IS
1'1: II \\111· �o \li'-1>. !:' developing powers. During the years after he left his
l\11· 10 \11<\ 10 Si'lt<ll: HI parents' Kansas home, he took special care to use his
)\Ill\ II\ I: :'0 IJiiW I'<ll\ I�: �()() powers in a covert manner. Only after he had
•Powers: compromised himself through the public rescue of
Directional Hearing: 8, Extended Hearing: 8, the space-plane Constitution did he resort to the
Flight: 15, Invulnerability: 22, Heat Vision: creation of separate identities that would allow him
15, Microscopic Vision: 15, Sealed Systems: to use his powers for the good of humanity and still
11, Super Breath: 12, Super Hearing: 8, maintain his privacy.
Superspeed: 14, Systemic Antidote: 18, When devising his Superman persona, Clark
Telescopic Vision: 13, Thermal Vision: 13, X­ realized that he would also need to give his true
Ray Vision: 13 identity a make-over. With the suggestions and
•Skills: assistance of Jonathan Kent, Clark devised a new,
Artist (Writer): 4, Charisma (Persuasion): 15, bespectacled style for himself that was
Scientist: I 0 simultaneously a logical outgrowth of his youthful
•Advantages: appearance and a different look from Superman.
Area Knowledge (Metropolis); Connections: This way he would not arouse the suspicions of his
Batman (High), Daily Planet (High), old hometown friends, and with the public unaware
Metropolis Police Department (High), White that Superman even had a second identity, his
House (High), Justice League International resemblance to the unmasked Superman would
(Low); Expansive Headquarters (Fortress of scarcely be noticed.I
Solitude); Free Access; Popularity In his everyday identity, Clark Kent is a top
· investigative reporter for the Daily Planet. He has,
•Drawbacks:
Secret Identity; Fatal Vulnerability: in times past, written a column of opinion and
kryptonite, range of 2 APs; Loss commentary that was syndicated nationwide. In
Vulnerability: magic, range of 0 APs; Loss addition, Clark has written three novels, the first
Vulnerability: lack of yellow sun radiation, two of which were loosely based on his
range of 0 APs experiences as a journalist overseas. The Golden
All of Superman's Loss Vulnerabilities affect Throne, his second novel, dealt with the overthrow
all of his Attributes and Powers. of the Shah of Qurac and was on the bestseller lists
•Alter Ego: Clark Kent, Kal-EI for 17 weeks. His most recent work, The Janus
•Motivation: Upholding the Good Contract, has fared less welJ.2
•Occupation: Reporter, Novelist, former Editor Clark has maintained a modest, one-bedroom
•Wealth: 5 apartment at 344 Clinton Street, just 15 blocks
•Height: 6'3" •Weight: 225 lbs. from the Daily Planet Building, for some years.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black Although he briefly took a position as editor of
•Quote: "I may have been conceived out there Newstime magazine,3 that job was short-lived, and
in the endless depths of space . . . but I was he returned to writing for the Planet, at first on a
born when the rocket opened, on Earth, in free-lance basis. He has since resumed a staff
America." (Man ofSteel #6) position at the Planet.4 Clark has always taken
advantage of his career as a journalist to stay on top
of national and world events, the better to respond
BACKGROUND to emergencies as Superman.
Clark Kent spent his first 2 5 years leading as In his identity as Superman, Clark has become
normal a life as possible for a being with his world famous for his astounding exploits on behalf

The Man of Steel 17

of mankind. He has emerged as Earth's preeminent been worshiped by some of his many admirers, I I
superhero, admired by the public and respected by but he is no god. Although slow to anger, he is not
his peers, if such a man can be said to have peers. without his rages, and he does not suffer villainy
In recent years, Superman traveled to an gladly.
extradimensional duplicate of our universe, where
the Earth had been laid waste by three powerful SUPERMAN AND BATMAN
superbeings. Seeing no other way to stop these In the months that followed Superman's first
monsters from spreading their terror to his' own public appearance, several other costumed crime
universe, Superman was forced to act as their fighters sprang up across America. Most of these
judge, jury, and executioner. 5 The g u i l t he had attitudes toward justice similar to that of the
experienced as a result of this act, combined with Man of Steel, but one seemed too dangerous and
the psychic manipulation of his enemy Brainiac too violent to remain on the loose. Superman
(see page 67-69), caused him to develop a split decided to fly to Gotham City and bring in the
personality temporarily. During this period, he costumed crimefighter known as the Batman.
occasionally assumed the identity of Gangbuster Little did Superman suspect that the Darknight
without even realizing it. When Superman finally Detective would be waiting for him. Branded an
discovered what was happening to him, he feared outlaw by a corrupt city government, Batman had
that he might become a danger to the people of known it would only be a matter of time before
Earth. He temporarily exiled himself to outer space he came into conflict with Superman. Like
until he was able to come to terms with himself.6 everyone else, Bruce Wayne had read reports of
Clark has had many loves in his life, from the high­ Superman's exploits. He knew that Superman
school romance of Lana Lang to his tragic college would pose the biggest threat to Batman's career,
love affair with Lori Lemaris.7 Over the years, he has and so he prepared for the meeting he considered
come to realize that the one true love of his life is inevitable.
fellow reporter Lois Lane. ln the past year, Lois has When Batman finally met Superman amid the
come to a similar realization. Recently, Clark rooftops of Gotham City, he was ready. Evading
proposed marriage to Lois, and to his delight, she Superman's grasp, the masked detective activated a
accepted.8 Clark then spent a fretful week trying to simple electromagnetic field about his person, a field
decide how to break the news to his ftancee that her keyed to detect the denser molecular structure of
husband-to-be was also Superman. When he finally someone such as Superman. Batman warned
worked up the nerve to tell her his secret in private, Superman that if he penetrated the field, a signal
Lois was initially stunned by the revelation. But in a would automatically detonate a bomb somewhere in
way, she was also relieved to have her suspicions, the city, killing an innocent person. Superman was
which she had long denied, finally confirmed.9 shocked, which was just the reaction Batman wanted.
At this writing, Lois and Clark are making plans As the Man of Steel listened, Batman explained how
for their married life together. Gotham City differed from Metropolis, how it
required a different approach to crime. He told
PERSONALITY Superman of one particular psychopath who was then
Superman is the world's greatest champion of on the loose in the city, a mentally imbalanced
truth, justice, and the good embodied in the American woman called Magpie. Working together, Superman
way of life. He lives by the traditional values instilled and Batman tracked Magpie down and helped the
in him by his parents. Superman's high ideals are police apprehend her. Superman reluctantly agreed
sometimes mistaken for naivete, and his steadfast that Batman's tactics did seem well-suited to the
determination for unrealistic optimism, by those who crime of Gotham. Batman then handed over the
do not understand him. When recent machinations bomb, which had been secreted on his person all the
temporarily rendered him as vulnerable as any mortal time. The two men parted as wary a11ies. 1 2
man, he did not hesitate to face his enemies, even Over the next few years, Batman's activities
though it placed his life in jeopardy . 1 0 gained a kind of unspoken legitimacy in the eyes
Superman is a warm, compassionate, courageous of the crime-weary people of Gotham. Although he
man with a wry sense of humor. He has actually remained a mysterious figure, untrusted by many,
he was even invited to
join the fabled Justice
League of America. He
continued to encounter
Superman periodically.
At one point,
Superman entrusted
Batman with a
mysterious scrapbook.
The scrapbook
contained newspaper
clippings dealing
with Superman's
exploits, and it had
been sent without
explanation to
Clark Kent. Not
telling Batman how
he had acquired the book,
Superman asked the great detective to check it out
and learn all he could about it.l3 Three days later, give the
they met in private on a Gotham rooftop. Batman book to Clark Kent,
returned the scrapbook, saying that the only thing he surprising the reporter in his
could glean from it was the deduction that Superman apartment. Thanks to thjs bit o f help, Superman
was actually Clark Kent. The detective complimented learned the secret of the Silver Banshee and was
Kent on the simplicity of his deception and promised able to rescue Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen from
to keep his identity a secret. Superman pledged to the Clan McDougaJ.1 7
return the favor, revealing that he had known that Months afterward, Batman found an old derelict
Bruce Wayne's was the face behind Batman's dead in a Gotham alley. Among the derelict's
cowJ. I4 possessions, he found evidence that the man had
As it turned out, the scrapbook had belonged to recently been in Metropolis, and he found a ring with
Clark ' s own mother. I S It had been stolen by an eerily glowing green gemstone. Batman soon
operatives in the employ of Lex Luthor and had been discovered that the gem was radioactive and bad
turned over to Lexcorp data analyst Amanda McCoy. aggravated the derelict's diseased system,
McCoy had compiled data that pointed to Kent's contributing to his death. Puzzled as to why anyone
being Superman, but Luthor had dismissed her would have made such a dangerous piece of jewelry,
conclusions, refusing to believe that a being as Batman decided to go to Metropolis, accepting one of
powerful as Superman would live the life of an Bruce Wayne's many social invitations as cover for
ordinary man.1 6 McCoy mailed the scrapbook to any daytime activities.
Kent as part of a scheme to vindicate her Arriving in Metropolis at dusk, Batman continued
conclusions. Her scheme failed, but Amanda McCoy his investigation. An intercepted police message led
was later indirectly responsible for bringing him to the city morgue, where an unidentified
Superman and Batman together on a case. homicide victim had shown signs of unusual
Some weeks after the rooftop meeting, Batman radiation exposure. From there, he met with the Man
came across a strange book containing the family of Steel, picking Superman's brain for information.
history of the Clan McDougal, including the story That and a subsequent check of Lexcorp files proved
o f the Silver Banshee's first encounter with hjgbly illuminating: Batman identified the homicide
Superman (see page 102-103), while closing in on victim as Amanda McCoy, a former Lexcorp
an underworld fence who specialized in stolen art employee. Moreover, he now knew that Amanda had
and rare books. Batman traveled to Metropolis to recently confronted Clark Kent with a kryptonite ring

The Man of Steel 19

that had belonged to Lex Luthor and had proven to then produced the lead case, telling Batman that if
herself that he was indeed Supennan. J8 The puzzle that day should ever come, if he should ever lose
was coming together, but before they could find the control and run wild, he wanted a man he could trust
final pieces, both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne had to have the means to stop him. So saying, Superman
to fulfill a social commitment. 19
gave Batman the kryptonite ring for safekeeping.
'That night, as Kent and Wayne put in appearances Some time later, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne met
at the suburban estate of Lex Luthor for the annual at a social function at Midway Orphanage, a home
Zenith Journalism Awards banquet, an Intergang for orphans located halfway between Gotham City
attack squad raided the place with orders to kill Clark and Metropolis. The orphanages in Metropolis and
Kent and Lois .Lane. In all the confusion, Kent and Gotham City that had been shut down and moved to
Wayne assumed their other identities and stopped the Midway were purchased by Lex Luthor and the
attack. It was then that Superma noticed the Joker, respectively. Luthor, however, wanted both
conspicuous absence of Catherine Grant, the central sites to use as tax writeoffs and to gamer good will
prosecution witness in the pending trial of Intergang for Lexcorp, so he made an illicit deal with the
boss Morgan Edge (see page 82-84). Suspecting, foul Joker. The Joker was paid $5 million for his property
play, Superman and Batman left the estate to search and given a month in Metropolis during which he
for Grant. would not be harassed by Luthor's people.
Back in the city, the two heroes discovered that the Meanwhile, Luthor was staying on in Gotham to
building across from Granr's apartment had oversee his corporation's expansion into that city.
collapsed. Checking out the scene, Superman found When Superman and Batman discovered that their
Gangbuster, who had been working as Grant's nemeses had apparently traded cities, they decided to
bodyguard. Just as Gangbuster was explaining how do the same.
he had been waylaid by lntergang operatives Chiller Clark Kent traveled to Gotham City, ostensibly to
and Shockwave (see pages 7 1 and 101), the groggy do a piece for the Daily Planet on Lexcorp's activity
Shockwave emerged from the rubble of the collapsed in Gotham's slums, while Bruce Wayne went to
building. Learning from Shockwave where ChiJJer Metropolis to study living conditions in Metropolis'
had taken Grant, Gangbuster joined Superman and Suicide Slum in anticipation of Wayne Foundation
Batman in Grant's rescue. charity work that had been proposed for the area. In
Superman later met Batman at the apartment of the reality, Superman was in Gotham to investigate
late Amanda McCoy, where the detective had found Luthor's shady business, while Batman was in
the last missing bits of information in McCoy's diary. Metropolis to track down the Joker. Both heroes had
He spelled out for Superman how McCoy had come brief confrontations with their enemies and
into possession of Martha Kent's scrapbook and, uncovered pieces to a puzzle that suggested some
ultimately, Luthor's ring. Batman deduced how suspicious goings-on at the Midway Orphanage.
McCoy had decided to go alone to confront Kent The pair met at the orphanage again on Christmas
with the ring, how after she'd left him, she had been Eve, this time in their costumed identities. There,
kilJed by a couple of muggers, and how the ring must they finally uncovered the truth: Oliver Monks, one
have fallen into a gutter, where it was retrieved by the of the orphanage's directors, had been operating a
unlucky derelict on his way out of town. Finishing juvenile crime ring under the direction of his
his explanation, Batman then produced a lead case tyrannical uncle. Monks revealed that both Luthor
containing the kryptonite ring, turned it over to and the Joker had been blackmailing him. Chaos
Superman, and disappeared into the night. ensued when Monks' uncle, who had been believed
Several days later, back at his suburban Gotham dead, set fire to the building, forcing everyone there
mansion, Bruce Wayne was startled to bear a warning to evacuate. Working together, Superman and
bell, indicating an intruder in his secret Batcave. Batman managed to get everyone out except Monks
Swiftly slipping into his working clothes, Batman and his uncle. In the confusion, both Luthor and the
descended into the cave to find Superman waiting for Joker managed to get away.
him. Superman explained that many of his enemies One week later, Superman and Batman had new
had tried to control him over the years and told of his problems. At midnight on New Year's Eve, the Joker
concern that one of them might succeed someday. He caused a power blackout in Metropolis, calculated to
affect only holdings of Lexcorp, while Luthor's far future. Xotar had mesmerized the League, setting
agents bombed a number of buildings in Gotham City its members against each other. They might have
believed to belong to the Joker. Believing the fallen on the field of battle that day had it oot been
situation in Metropolis to be under control, Superman for the timely intervention of Superman. Employing
flew to Gotham City and helped Batman deal with his remarkable heat vision, the Man of Steel
the fires raging out of control there. Once Gotham destroyed Xotar's illusion-making weaponry and
was stabilized, the heroes returned to Metropolis, single-handedly wrecked his robotic war machine. As
where they found out that one of Lexcorp's nuclear Xotar vanished back to his own era, an admiring
power plants was on the verge of meltdown. League gathered around Superman, introducing
Superman managed to fly the plant's core into outer themselves and shaking his hand.
space just in time, while Batman captured the Joker's With Xotar's threat ended, the JLA invited
henchmen. These events upset the two villains so Superman back to their secret sanctuary, where the
much that Luthor decided to halt his expansion into Flash nominated him for membership. The Man of
Gotham City, while the Joker decided that he had had Steel was suitably flattered but declined the
enough of Metropolis. Superman and Batman parted nomination. Citing personal responsibilities that
knowing that things were, for the moment, back to would make it impossible to devote sufficient time to
20
normaJ. League membership, Superman did promise to lend a
Consult the Batman Sourcebook for more 23
hand in emergency situations.
information on the Caped Crusader and his war Superman was as good as his word, and he became
against crime. a faithful ally of the JLA in the years that followed,
aiding them against such cosmic threats as
SUPERMAN AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE Starbreaker and Kanjar Ro. On one memorable
In the grand tradition of the first great generation of occasion, he joined with members of the JLA and the
superheroes, who had banded together in
organizations such as the fabled Justice Society, the
new heroes who popped up in the wake of
Superman's first appearance joined forces
as the Justice League of America. When
warlords from the planet Appellax
came to Earth to use our planet as
a battleground, five dynamic
heroes - Aquaman, the Flash,
Green Lantern, the Black
Canary, and J'onn J'onzz­
came to Earth's defense. They
defeated the warlords and
formed the charter
21
membership.
While Superman did his part
to defeat the warlords, he did
not meet the nascent JLA at
22
that t;me. It was not

rPffi.
;:��:;£�:::���]n)\J:ijn0l\!\1
\.b
The JLA was battling
for its young
�
life

who claimed to be from the

The Man of Steel 21

 revived Justice Society to battle the threat of Darkseid exhausted as a normal man who had pushed himself
on distant Apokolips.24 beyond his physical limits. Use the standard rules for
Over the years, the membership of the JLA grew and Pushing Automatic Actions found in the Rules Manual
prospered. Green Arrow, the Atom, and many others for these situations.
swelled the ranks. Even Batman was offered Super-breath: The strength of Superman's body
membership. But time did not remain kind to the naturally extends to his skeletal structure and his
League, and the JLA was officially disbanded as the internal organs. After hyper-inflating h i s lungs,
world was swept by a series of anti-hero riots Superman can expel their contents in a sudden release
instigated by Darkseid through the auspices of his that is the equivalent of a gale-force wind, accounting
agent, G. Gordon Godfrey. Still Earth's superheroes for his 12 APs of the Super Breath Power.
refused to succum� to Godfrey's manipulations. The Superman cannot live without breathing an oxygen
mysterious Doctor Fate brought together Superman, atmosphere any more than can an ordinary human being.
Batman, the Blue Beetle, and many others, and together His superhuman lungs process the air he breathes with
they ended Godfrey's reign of terror.25 100% efficiency, and he can survive for over an hour
From the ashes of the old League, there arose a new on a single breath, enabling him to dive to the ocean
·.---....
• • organization, which eventually became known as Justice floor or fly to the moon and back, but eventually he
•
• • League International. 26 With a score of embassies must draw a breath. This ability acts as the Sealed
.•. around the globe, the JLI became a force for justice the Systems Power.

•••
world over. Although Superman declined to join them as Invulnerability: Superman's Kryptonian body ceUs,
• a full-time member, he agreed to be a sort of reserve while superficially similar to human cells, are much
• •
• member, coming to the League's assistance under dire tougher and more durable. The structure of these cells
• •
• circumstances. He traveled with them to the home world after years of exposure to solar energy have rendered
• •
• •
of the Manhunters during the Millennium affair, helped Superman virtually indestructible. This accounts for his
I • • to perform emergency surgery to save the life of the high Boov score. Superman's natural bio-electric aura
• •
I • • heroine Power Girl after she was injured during one of adds to this invulnerability. His aura acts somewhat like
• •
I • • the League's battles against evil , and fought alongside a very thin force-field in that anything in close contact
• •
• • the JLI during the massive alien invasion masterminded with his skin (such as his costume) is, for all practical
• •
• •
by the Dominators.27 purposes, as indestructible as Supe�man. His cape,
• • Finally, after the new Justice League suffered a which extends outside this aura, is not protected. The
• •
• • crushing blow to their membership and UN support, aura does not prevent Superman from making bodily
• •
• • Superman joined the American branch of the team and contact with people or objects.
• • presently serves as its leader. For more information on Superman actually survived a 40-megaton
• the Justice League see the Justice League Sourcebook. thermonuclear explosion, but not easily. We can assume
• •
• that he spent quite a few Hero Points to increase his RV
• •
• SUPERMAN'S POWERS and on Last Ditch Defense in this situation. Superman
• •
Superman's powers spring from the way his body himself has speculated that this must be very close to the
channels the solar energy he has absorbed over the limit of his invulnerability. He would not be able to
years. With a few notable exceptions� most of survive the massive fusion reactions of a star, for
Superman's remarkable powers can be seen as instance. Superman's invulnerability is not absolute; he
extensions or extrapolations of the normal abilities of can be stunned, rendered unconscious, or even killed if
human beings. attacked with sufficient force or energies (see
Super-strength: Although the limits of the force Vulnerabilities, below). His amazing ability to bounce
exerted by Superman's muscles have never been back from these extremely adverse situations i s
accurately measured, Superman is clearly one of the indicated by his APs of the Invulnerability and Systemic
most powerful humanoid beings on Earth. It is Antidote Powers.
believed that he can lift 800,000 tons without undue Flight: Superman is apparently able to defy gravity
strain, represented in his game statistics by his STR of and fly by force of wiU, hence his Flight Power. The
25 APs. Moreover, as with any being, Superman can closest human analog to this power would be in the
strain to exceed even his incredible limits, but the never-well-documented telekinetic levitation by
strain will leave him as proportionately drained and purported psychics. There is obviously more to
 29
Superman's flight capabilities than a simple power of Superman in an around-the-world foot race.
levitation. Superman has been observed flying Superman's Superspeed Power represents his ground
enormous objects, such as yachts and jumbo jets, speed as well as his ability to perform normal actions
• •
through the air with little regard to the mass or (such as typing or cleaning his apartment) at an
•
structural integrity of those objects. He has noticed, accelerated rate. • •
•
once he leaves the ground, any object he is carrying Super-hearing: Although limited by the speed of • •

28 •
seems to become lighter. Superman does not have sound (roughly 1,088 feet per second at sea level), •
•
the Telekinesis Power, since he is not able to levitate Superman' s hearing is far more acute than a normal •
•
objects that he is not carrying. His Flight and STR human's. Through his considerable powers of
account for this phenomenon. concentration, he can block out distracting noises to
Super-speed: Superman can move and react at pick up and zero in on particular frequencies, and
speeds far greater than a normal human being can. His given time, he can locate a single distinctive voice
top speed has never been accurately measured. It is in a city of millions.30 In game terms, Superman's
known that he can fly ·to the moon (approximately a hearing abilities include the Directional Hearing
quarter of a million miles distant) in a matter of Power, which lets him locate the direction of a
minutes, spend some time there, and return to Earth specific sound; the Extended Hearing Power, which
on a single breath of air. This assumes that Superman represents the extra distance at which he can pick
is Pushing his Flight Power when he flies in outer up sounds; and the Super Hearing Power, which
space. In the Earth's atmosphere, gravity, air allows him to hear frequencies not audible to
pressure, and friction reduce his speed somewhat. His normal humans.
top running speed is considerably less than his flight Super-vision: Superman is able to focus his eyes
speed, even given his considerable strength and on objects far beyond the range of normal human
stamina. In recent years, the Flash soundly defeated sight. This ability is indicated by his APs of

The Man of Steel 23

Telescopic Vision. Superman also possesses particularly potent. The GM should use discretion in
Microscopic Vjsion, since he can observe objects in determining the effects o magic on Superman: He
minute detail. Superman's eyes are sensitive to a does not crumple u and wither whenev; magic
much wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum comes up, but b i just as susceptible to its effects as
than are those of average humans. His ability to see any other mo
into the infrared enables him to perceive conditions Solar ..-Energr During his exile in outer space,
around him while in total darkness. Under the proper Superman le ed that when he leaves Earth's solar
conditions, he can also see lingering heat images of system, away from the radiation of ist yellow sun, his
objects and people recently removed from an area. powers begin to fade. The rate at which they do so
These abilities make up his Thermal Vision. depends on how much energy he expends, but within
Superman's ability to sense the natural cosmic a few weeks after his departure from Earth< his
radiation that streams through the Earth is at the powers and strength had become severely depleted.
heart of his ability to concentrate and see through In game terms, it is up to the GM to determine the
solid objects, his X-Ray Vision. Objects as dense rate at which Superman's Loss Vulnerability to a lack
or denser than lead can impede this a b i l i t y . of yellow-sun radiation is exhausting his powers.
Contrary t o some urban myths, lead objects are not It is possible for Superman to "recharge'' his Lost
invisible to Superman's X-Ray Vision; they simply powers more quickly than he loses them. While on
appear opaque to him. Nor do his eyes actually the alien Warworld, the alien Cleric helped him focus
emit X-rays.31 concentrated solar energy into his body,33 and after
Heat vision: Superman can release excess solar having his powers drained by the villainous Parasite,
energy through his eyes as coherent beams of radiant the superhero Starman used his stellar powers to
heat. The beams emitted by his Heat Vision are restore Superman's abilities to full strength.34 Again,
normally invisible, but they may sometimes be it is up to the GM to determine the sate at which such
visible, depending on atmospheric conditions. While recharging restores Superman1s powers.
the temperatures produced by this power have never Kryptonite: Kryptonite is the common ore of the
been measured, Superman is known to have used it to super-actinide kryptonium, an unusually stable trans­
heat steel gun barrels red hot i n a matter of uranic element. whose atomic number is believed to
moments.32 The strength of his heat beams gradually be 126. Kryptonium's half-life is thought to be
diminishes if he uses them continually or to excess. approximately 250,000 years.
Created from the fused elements of the planet
SUPERMAN'S VULNERABILITIES Krypton, kryptonite is a substance that is unique in
Magic: Superman is variably vulnerable to attack the known uni erse. No one has been able to
by supernatural and psionic forces. The effectiveness duplicate the thermonuclear reaction that created
of such attacks depends on the relative strengths and kryptonite. Indeed, all attempts at synthesizing it
weaknesses of the parries making them and on have been unsuccessful.35
Superman's physical condition and his awareness of The explosion of Krypton embedded a kryptonite
the attack. In general. all of Superman's ,J>hysical fragment, approximately two pounds in weight, in the
Attributes (and Powers, if applicable) should be tail section of the star-drive vehicle that carried the
considered 4 APs when he is under attack by magic prenatal Superman's birthing matrix through space.
or magic creatures. This does not affect his Current This fragment was the only true sample of kryptonite
BODY Condition, which still begins at 15 APs. ever to reach Earth. This fragment came into the
Superman also faces this Vulnerability when he tries possession of Professor Emmett Vale, who used it as

to break or move an object that is magical in nature part of the power source for the cyborg called
or that is somehow enchanted. For example, the Loss Metallo (see page 90-9 1 ).36 The fragment was
Vulnerability would apply if he were trying to break removed from Metallo by billionaire industrialist Lex
through a door that had been magically shielded. Luthor,37 who divided it into smaller pieces. Of those
When resolving a magic attack against Superman that smaller pieces,38 one wound up as a gemstone in a
involves his Mystical Attributes, the GM should ring and is now in the possession of Batman. Another
assess a penalty of at least - 1 Column Shift to his was cast into bullets used on Superman by the maniac
OV/RV, perhaps more if the entity in question is who called himself Bloodsport.39 Those bullets are
currently storec:L.. in a lead canister in Superman's kryptonite. However, it i s speculated that a
Antarctic fortress.40 prolonged kryptonite exposure, on the order of
Kryptonite radiation is dangerous to all life forms, but two to three hou-rs, might cause Superman
its effects are felt most immediately by the sole living permanent, irreparable harm or even death.
Kryptonian, Superman. Kryptonite radiation apparently While kryptonite radiation works quickly on
disrupts the normal functions of Superman's cells, Superman, such is not the case for normal terrestrial life
causing him sudden excruciating pain, sapping his forms. The effects of kryptonite radiation are not
strength, and radically reducing his powers. The longer immediately evident for normal human beings, but they
Superman is exposed to the k-radiation, the faster his are cumulative. The damage done to human tissue is
powers are reduced. In 'the first 60 seconds of an irreversible and, if left untreated for too long, can cause
exposure, Superman would experience nearly a 30% death. The radiation poisoning from the k-stone ring
power loss in addition to experiencing incapacitating that Lex Luthor wore for most of a year cost him his
pain. In the next 30 seconds, he would suffer a further hand,41 and would have eventually killed him had a
30% power loss. After two minutes of exposure to plane crash not ended his life.
kryptonite radiation at close range, Superman would be The so-called red kryptonite created by Mr. Mxyzptlk
rendered practically powerless. that Lex Luthor used to strip Superman of his powers
Fortunately, the effects of kryptonite on Superman are temporarily i s not true kryptonite at all. It only
reversible. Once he is out of close proximity to the superficially resembles real kryptonite and would have
radiation source, his weakened cells compensate for the no effect on anyone, Terran or Kryptonian, were it not
damage by absorbing solar energy at an accelerated rate. backed up by the imp's magic powers.42 It remains to
Studies conducted by Professor Emil Hamilton indicate be seen whether or not Mxyzptlk will use the red
that Superman would be able to return to full power no kryptonite again as part of his ongoing game with the
longer than five days after a two minute exposure to Man of Steel.

The Man of Steel 25

 SUPERMAN Possibilities might include wrapping them up in packing

mazingly high Attributes and wide variety of tape at superspeed, spinning them into a whirl with his

pote t'Powers, you might think that role�laying super breath, wrapping a solid steel bar around them with

S�erman would be a snap. After all, there can't be much his bare hands, or sending them flying with just a flick of
�ore than a half-dozen characters in the whole DC his pinky.

Universe who could go toe-to-toe with him and expect to Remember to try to keep it interesting, saving your best
last more than two or three phases. Most characters don't Sunday punch for the truly tough, strong bad guys, who

even have an Iriitiafve that will allow them to move an might have a chance of going the distance.

eyelash before the Marr of Steel wipes them out. Another aspect to role-playing the Man of Steel that is

Now, if you are interested solely in beating up the bad often neglected by those who cannot see past his

guys, more power to you and have fun. But if you are superpowers is his intelligence. Just' because he can bench

planning on seriously playing Superman in an ongoing press a bus does not mean Superman is stupid. While he is

campaign, you will soon find that he can be quite a not the master detective that Batman is or a scientific

handful. After a while, trying to solve every problem with genius like Lex Luthor, Superman's INT of 1 1 APs is

the old DEX/STR physical attack is either going to stop nothing to scoff at. No other hero has the wide variety of

working or become just plain t!ioring. experiences to draw on that Superman has, which gives

Take another look at SuR,erman's long list of powers. him a remarkable amount of "savvy" that criminals and
Each of these represents a variety of ways that Superman ordinary peopl underestimate. Superman has been to all

can go after the bad _ftUys. Using Superman's powers parts of the; Earth, the farthest reaches of outer space, and

creatively and wittu. s(yle is the key to having fun as the even to some parts of the afterworld. It's tough to imagine

Man of Steel. For example, let's say Superman has anytlting that he hasn't run across at least once.

tracked down a villain and his group of thugs to a As the Superman player, it is your re.sponsibility to

de erted warehouse and is ready to bring them in. With make sure that the Man of Steel is thinking with his

his Initiative, Su�rman could roll a one and the bad guys brains, not with his fists. With the proper information

could all roll tens and he would probably still beat them and a little planning, you may find that you can stop the

al\ on total Initia'tive. With his DEx and STR, it's likely villains without having to resort to violence at all. Well,

that Superm,an could simply knock out all of the ttiugs nine times out of ten, you probab)y will be beating up

with a straightforward Multi-Attack before they even the bad guy, but that tenth adventure when you get to

know he's there. One roll and the whole combat ·s over. outsmart Luthor or trick Brainiac into falUng into a trap

This might give you a feeling of smug satisfaction the �ill be much more memorable than simply slugging it

first few times you do it, but pretty soon, this routine will out with Metallo or Mammoth.

become pretty tame. Why not try something with a little For more advice on how to keep in character as

variety instead, like this? Superman, be sure to read the Classic Bits chapter
On his first phase, Superman uses his heat vision to starting on page 122.

melt the firing pins on all of the thugs' guns. (He

wouldn't want any stray bullets accidentally hitting any GAMEMASTERIN6 SUPERMAN
innocent bystanders.) At tfle same time, he might use one Gamemastering an adventure in which Superman is a
of his automatic actions to fly in through the warehouse player's character can be very challenging, but it can also
skyHght and another to announce his presence to any bad be very rewarding if you pull it off correctly. The first
guys who somehow managed to not notice him flying in. step to running a successful Superman adventure or
The thugs will undoubtedly fail their Surprise rolls, and campaign is to not be intimidated by Superman's AP
the GM witt have a few moments to ad-lib some scores. Yes, his abilities are extremely potent, but if
"suddenly terrified thugs" dialogue. comic book writers have been able to challenge him for
Superman might then spend the next phase hovering ·n more than 50 years, surely you can do it in a DC HEROES
place as the thugs try to fire their guns at him (you'd think scenario. How can you challenge a character who can
they'd �ow better) and discover his heat vision sabotage. bend teel in hi-s bare hands and change the course of
Jf. The bad guys' next logical step is to make a break for mighty rivers? There are several ways a good GM can
it, so it will behoove the Man of Steel to spend the- next accomplish this.
few phases discovering new and interesti g ways Naturally, one way to challenge Superman is to throw
to halt them in their tracks and bundling them up adversaries at him who have a level of power that is
into a neat package for the Metropolis police. roughly equal to his own (like Bizarro or Mongul), foes
who prey on one or more of his weaknesses (such as s u g g e s t r e p l a c i n g "Superman is Hero X ' s best
Metallo or Mister Z), or a horde of enemies who might friend" with "Hero X met Superman during the
have a chance against him by Team Attacking (perhaps inva ion" or s0mething). So now what do you do
Intergang Shock Troops). I n adventures such a s with Superman in a campaign with player-generated
these, the M a n o f Steel will really g e t t o flex his heroes?
muscles and show what he's made of. Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen can attest to the fact
A n o t h e r option is to p r e s e n t the player with that having Superman as a close personal friend can
adversaries who pose a tactical or strategic problem. come in very handy when you're in a jam. But if a
Some of Superman's most persistent enemies hav player-created hero is calling on Sllperman for aid all
comparatively low Attributes but excel at these kinds the t i m e , it p u t s the p1ayers-' characters in a
of plots. It may take the player an entire game session secondary role in the adventure. Players should only
just to figure out what Luthor i'S up to this time, or be allowed to call Superman for help if their situation
what the Prankster has done with his hostages, or how is truly desperate, and if they do so, S';!Eerman's role
the Tayman plans to infiltrate the Pentagon and steal should be kept to a minimum. ::Fhe GM should reduce
the defense plans. the Standard A ward for an �dventure by half if tlie
The grand champion at causing tactical problems players unexpectedly call Superman in for assistance.
for Superman has to be Mr. Mxyzptlk. Every time he Another possibility along these lines is to have the
arrives on Earth, he concocts some game that really heroes go to S u p e r m a n ' s r e s c u e . A possible
puts Superman's wits to the test. Before you begin a adventure scenario for a group of elayer-generated
M x y z p t l k s c e n a r i o , be sure to decide on the characters is to discover that one of Superman's arch
condition that he is going to choose for returning to enemies (such as Brainiac-.or Luthor) has managed to
the Fifth Dimension. M�yzptlk adventures c;ln be capture the Man of Steel, and it is up to the players'
very fun, but be careful that you do n o t invent a heroes to track down where he's being held captive
condition that is utterly impossible. You should also <�tt_d set him free. Check out the New Teen Titans
give the Superman player a bit of latitude when it adventure module The Doomsday Program for a
comes to his efforts to try to trick the imp .i!nto good example of this kind of scenario. It's set in the
fulfilling his condition. If the player comes up with pre-Crisis universe, but it should give you plenty of
something truly clever, go with it. ideas.
H a v i n g Superman appear in a campaign a s a n The f i n a l t h i n g to r.emember when d e s i g n i n g
N P C is a n o ther problem altogether. H o w m a n y adventures in which Superman i s a n NFe is that less
times, a s a GM, have you looked a t a newly created is more. If the Man Q( Steel shows up to save the da
character's background and seen something to the every time, the players wiU begin to expect him and
effect of: "Hero X's best friend is Superman, and his presence wilY become routine. An appearance by
they team up all the time"? Or "Hero X knows that Superman can add some s-pice - to a campaign, but
Superman is Clark Kent and frequently visits him at remember that the adventures are mea t to revolve
the Daily Planet' ? OJ e v e n "Hero X" h a s saved around your players' heroes.
Superman's bacon so many times that fie's lost
count"? Of course, Hero X has high-l e v e l
C o n n e c t i o n s to Supe�man, Lois L a n e , the Daily
ENDNOTES
I. Man ofSteel #1 .
Planet and probably Ma and Pa Kent, too. 2. Superma11 # 49, Clark fmds his novel, the Janus Contract, on a
It is only natural for a player who is creating a remainder table at Binder Books.
3, Superma11 #39
character for the DC HEROES Role-Playing Game to
4. Actio11'Comics #665
want to somehow link his hero to an existing DC 5. Superman #22
Comics character. After all, we assume that you are 6. The Advemures of.Superman #450 (story of self -imposed exile
playing DC HEROES instead of Bludgeons & Braggin' begins), Superma11 #33 (story concludes), flashbacks of the death
of Kryptonians on the Cleric'�ark, the Bloodspon murders, and
at least partially because of the appeal of role­
the execution of the Phantom Zone criminals by Superman, are
playing in the DC Universe. It would pretty much in Superman #33.
defeat the purpose of the game to tell the player that 7. SupermanltL2, Supermartrelates the story of�s love witli Lon
Lemaris to Ronal.
Hero X just doesn't know Superman and that's that,
8. Superman #50
try a g a i n . You will probably make YQ,Ur player 9. Action Comics #662.Superman #53
happier by letting Hero X have some connection to 10. The Adventures ojSuperma11 #472, 'Action Comics#659,
Superman #50.
Superman (although it's recommended that you

The Man of Steel 27

I I . Action Comics Weekly #606, 630, worshipers of Superman
cult in the Superman storyline.
12. Man ofSteel #3
13. Action Comics #594
14. The Adventures ofSuperman #440
15. Man ofSteel #1
16. Superman #2
17. Superman #23
18. Action Comics #653
19. Superman #44, The Adventures ofSuperman #467, Action
Comics #654, these three issues contain the "Dark Knight
Over Metropolis"storyline telling of Superman's second
adventure with.the Batman, including the kryptonite ring,
Intergang and Cat Grant.
20. World's Finest #I-3 narrate Superman and Batman's third
adventure, discovering and ending the Joker and Luthor's
schemes.
2 1. Justice League ofAmerica #9, Secret Origins #32, JLA #9
22. Secret Origins #32
23. The Brave and the Bold #29, Action Comics #650
24. Justice League ofAmerica #I83-I85, Action Comics #650,
Sarbreaker and Kanjor Ro incidents recounted in Action
#650, Apokolips story found in both Action #650 and JLA
29 #183-185.
25. Legends #1 -6
26. Justice League International #7
27. Justice League International #10, Justice League Europe
#9, Invasion! #I-3, Manhunter home world in JLI #10,
Power Girl's surgery in JLE #9, Dominators invasion in
Invasion #1-3.
28. Man ofSteel #4
29. The Adventures ofSuperman #463
30. Action Comics Weekly #601,
Superman storyline.
3J.Superman #9, Action·Comics #664
32. Man ofSteel #2
33. Superman #33
34. Starman #14. Action Comics
#645, The Parasite steals pars
of Superman's powers in
Starman #14, and they are
returned to normal by Starman
in Action #645.
35. Action Comics #599
36. Man ofSteel#1, Superman #1, in
MoS #I Clark feels the effects of the
Kryptonite but does not discover it; in
Superman #I, Metallo explains how Vale
used the Kryptonite to create him.
37. Superman #238, Action Comics #654
39. Superman #4
40. Superman #4I
41. Superman #I9
42. Superman #49-50, Action Comics #659,
The Adventures ofSuperman #463, 472,
Starman #28
Ill: Smallville
Smallville, Kansas, was founded in 1826 by Ezra Smallville Consolidated School System lies within
4
Small. Brought up in a Quaker household, the neighboring Lowell County.
rebellious Small left his native England in the late There is no passenger rail or commercial air service
1700s, joining the Royal Navy with the intent of in Smallville. People who are without private
"seeing a bit o' the world," but soon found that the transportation look to the city's bus station as their
harsh discipline of shipboard life was far worse than portal to the outside world.5
life under his father's roof. Ezra jumped ship near The main sources of local news in the area are the
Boston and worked his way across country, Smallville Daily Ledger, and the weekly Small
finally settling on the American Great Plains, County Bulletin. A competing paper, the Smallville
along the banks of a tributary of the Post, also mentioned in Action Comics #655, went out
6
Arkansas River. By the time he was 60, of business four years ago. Downtown Smallville has
Ezra and his wife, Rachel, had brought been wired for cable television for some time, but
up 1 8 children and established the most outlying areas must depend on large antennas or
town that bears their family name. satellite dishes to pull in distant television signals.
Smallville has prospered since that The people of Smallville are, for the most part,
time, but true to its name, it has pleasant folk who keep to themselves. The town
remained a small Midwestern council is dominated by Olivers, Mopes, and Hunters,
town. · as it has been for generations. The current mayor,
Located in Small County ?
Rutherford B . Small, is a direct descendant of Ezra
and on the border of Lowell and Rachel. His wife, Gladys Clark, is a cousin of
l Martha Kent.
County, present-day Smallville
straddles the Elbow River, which is
crossed by the Eisenhower, the Kensington, ENDNOTES
I . Superman #8.
and the Tankland Street Bridges. The town's two
2. The World ofSmallville #2
major thoroughfares are Main Street and Center 3. Superman #8
Avenue, which intersect in the downtown retail 4. Action Comics #655, information n
i ferred from Clark's third
grade report card in Ma Kent's photo album.
district. Fordman's Department Store is just one block
2 5. Man ofSteel #6
from this intersection. Aside from retail shops, the 6. Action Comics #655, Adventures ofSuperman #474, the Small
main business of the area is agriculture. A row of County Bulletin is (shown blowing across the snow) in TAoS

grain elevators along the railroad tracks loom over the #474; clippings from the Smallville Daily Ledger and
Smallville Post appear in Ma Kent's photo album in Action
southwestern part of town. Five miles south of town is
#655.
the old Simonson Quarry, a long-abandoned limestone 7. Action Comics #596
pit. 3 Due to a quirk in districting, much of the

29
IV: Metropolis
N

A
Bakerline

New Troy
0
 l. LexCorp Tower
2. Galaxy Communications Bldg.
3. S.T.A.R. Labs
4. Daily Planet Bldg.
5. Clark Kent's Apt.
6. Prof. Hamilton's Lab
7. Lois Lane's Apt.
8. Cat Grant's Apt. located along the southern border of Centennial Park.
9. Sarah Olsen's Home Founded in 1 8 1 7 , UMet is ranked alongside such
10. Jimmy Olsen's Apt.
prestigious schools as Yale and Harvard and i s
1 1 . Perry & Alice White's Co-op
known worldwide for its School of Journalism.
12. Stryker's Island
As with any large city, Metropolis is not immune
(Maximum Security Prison)
to poverty and squalor. Multimillionaire financiers
13. Suicide Slum
14. University of Metropolis Campus share the city's streets with homeless bag-people. At

15. Centennial Park one point, no more than a single city block separates
16. S.T.A.R. Labs Computing Center the classic brownstones of Bessolo Boulevard from
1 7. Metropolis International Airport the X-rated theaters and adult bookshops of Hob's
Lane. The latter street forms the southern boundary
BRIDGES of Metropolis' biggest embarrassment, the 1 0 square
TUNNELS blocks of Suicide Slum.
Suicide Slum, officially listed in the city registers
as Hob's Bay, was once a prosperous, middle-class
Metropolis, arguably the greatest American city of neighborhood. It began a slide into crime and poverty
the 20th Century, traces its origins to a fort built by dring the Great Depression of the 1930s and never
the Dutch in the early 1 600s. Then called New recovered. Despite numerous attempts at urban
Meppel, the thriving island outpost was turned over 2
renewal, Suicide Slum has remained a hellhole . But
to the British in 1 6 7 5 . Under a new colonial despite its grime, crime, and poverty, the
government, the settlement on the island, renamed neighborhood has produced a Congressman, a
New Troy, grew and prospered, and in the 1700s the Federal Court Judge, at least three baseball greats -
far-thinking city fathers incorporated the city as including Hall of Farner Hank "The Hammer"
Metropolis. Halloran -and Perry White, the city's most
The present city, under the mayorship of Frank renowned and respected newpapermarr.
Berkowitz, occupies three midstream islands as well Another neighborhood which has gained
as the banks of the H o b ' s and West Rivers. recognition in recent years i s the "Little Qurac"
Metropolis is divided into six boroughs - section of Queensland Park. A once down-on-its
Queensland Park, Bakerline, St. Martin's Island, New heels waterfront area, the neighborhood began to
Troy, Hell's Gate, and Park Ridge - and as of the change after refugees from the reign of the late Shah
most recent census, boasts a resident population of 1 1 of Qurac settled there. Today, it has become a tidy,
million, making it the most populous city i n the tightly-knit community of shops, apartments, and
_
United States. l storefront mosques.
Metropolis is a major center of the arts, sciences, Not far upstream of Little Qurac is Stryker's Island.
and education, boasting over a score of colleges and Isolated from the rest of the city by the treacherous
trade schools, as well as the sprawling campus of the currents of the West River, the tiny island is home to
University of Metropolis, locally known as UMet, the Metropolis Maximum Security Prison.

Metropolis 31
THE DAILY PLANET
Unusual in this day of electronic media, Metropolis the building also houses many of Metropolis' older
boasts four daily newspapers: the Daily Planet, the corporations. It w a s , in f act, in the Daily Planet
Daily News, the Metropolis Star, and the Metro Eagle; Building where Lexcorp, the city's most f amous
as well as a notorious weekly tabloid, the Whisper. 3 corporation, had its first offices.
The Daily Planet is the city's m o s t prestigious
newspaper. LEXCORP
Founde d by publisher Joshua Meriwether in 1775, From its humble beginnings a s an aerospace
theDaily Planet began as the weekly periodical Our engineering firm, Lexcorp International has grown to
Planet. A marauding band of British loyalists burned become one of the world's largest, most diversified
down the original Planet offices on New Troy' s old corporations. Under the a s tute (some would say
South End in January 1 7 8 3 . The paper resumed ruthless) management of its founder, Lex Luthor,
publication 10 years later in new office s at the comer of Lexcorp grew and prospered, absorbing scores of
Fifth Street and Concord Lane. President George smaller busine sses.
Washington wrote the first editorial for the new Daily While still in its original offices on the top floor of
Planet, the text of which later became the basis for his the Daily Planet Building, Lexcorp made its first
f arewell addre s s .4 In June 1938, the Planet o f f ices acquisitions of two struggling airlines, InterContinental
moved to the building that now bears its name. Airlines and Atlantic Coast Air Systems (since renamed
Managing editor Perry White has, during his tenure, LexAir). As Lexcorp subsidiaries , the airlines began to
enhanced the Planet's reputation for accuracy and in­ prosper. When fuel shortage s threatened to retard rising
depth coverage of the news. White has ass embled a profits, Lexcorp bought out Southwestern Petroleum,
loyal staff of reporters, columnists, and feature writers now known as LexOil.
who have won numerous Pulitzer Prize s . Under his For a brief period, the Daily Planet itself came under
tutelage, both Lois Lane and Clark Kent developed into the ownership of Lexcorp, but Luthor quickly became
nationally renowned journalists. convinced that newspapers were a relic of the past. 6
The Planet publishes both a morning and an evening Luthor moved Lexcorp's offices into a new high-rise
p
edition, and a good number of Metro olitans while building and began buying up downtown properties in
away their sleepy weekend mornings over the hefty preparation for the day when Lexcorp would construct
Sunday edition. Management maintains several its own corporate headquarters. Lexcorp soon bought
overseas bureaus in Europe and Asia, gathering news out a Metropolis television station and acquired a
for both the domestic paper and the International Daily satellite-transmission company, linking both under the
Planet, the m o s t widely r e a d English-language corporation's new LexCom subsidiary as SuperStation
newspaper on the European continent. WLEX. With a potentially worldwide electronic
The 3 7-story Daily Planet Building, with i t s communications outlet under the Lexcorp umbrella,
distinctive rooftop globe, is o n e o f the m o s t Luthor soon sold the Planet, Building and all, to
recognizable landmarks on the Metropolis skyline. TransNational Enterprises.
5
Originally owned by its builder, Jonas K. McAuley, In time, Lexcorp gained controlling interest in no
the Planet Building and the paper itself are now owned fewer than three banks, the Metropolis Mercantile
by TransNational Enterprises. ln addition to the Planet, Bank, Commerce Bank o f Metropolis, and First
 LEXCORP PERSONNEL:

Metro Security, and moved into all the major financial TYPICAL LEXCORP SCIENTIST/
markets, absorbing new holdings worldwide. TECHNICIAN
Today, Lexcorp dominates the commerce of the city D1\ � S II< � B<>ll1 �
and, indeed, of much of the world from the 96-story L­ hI (l \\II I h l
\11 '\I 4
shaped building that towers above the Metropolis h11 � \t 1< \ � Sl'll<ll �
skyline from the southeastern tip of the borough of New h i ll \ I I \ I Ill llll<t) "' ll'\ I ' �()
Troy. It has been estimated that Lexcorp, either directly •Skills:
or indirectly, employs nearly two-thirds of the city's Gadgetry: 7-10, Scientist: 6-8
people. A majority of local businesses are wholly or •Advantages:
partially owned subsidiaries of Lexcorp International. Connection: Lexcorp (Low); Genius; Scholar
Among those many subsidiaries are such diverse (Scientific Specialty)
businesses as Advanced Research Laboratories and the •Motivation: Mercenary/Unwanted Power
Koul-Brau Breweries , Secur-Corp Armored Car •Occupation: Lexcorp Employee
Service, North American Robotics, Hell's Gate •Wealth: 5
Disposal Services, the Good Foods Group, owners of •Note:
Ralli's Family Restaurants and Bun-N' -Run Fast Foods, The scientists who work for Lexcorp
and Koui-Brau Breweries.? use Luthor's Wealth Rating (see page
Lexcorp operates a security team known as Team 86) to purchase any parts needed for
Luthor, which uses high-tech Lexcorp equipment.8 gadgetry attempts.
Although the public believes that Team Luthor protects
Metropolis during Superman's absences, the security
service is really nothing more than a pawn for Luthor's
TYPICAL TEAM LUTHOR AGENT
obsession with humiliating Superman.
Dl \ 4 s II< ; Btllll 4
Lexcorp conducts much of its scientific and
hI 4 \\II I ; \1 1'\ Il �
technological research in the Lexcorp skyscraper itself.
hII � \I I< \ ; S I'11<1I �
The Lab Ratings of these facilities range from I 0 to 20
h ll l \ 1 1 \ 1 I 0/ 1 � l lll<•l l'•li'\ 1 '- · I O
APs. Even though Luthor is something of a
•Skills:
technological genius himself, he prefers to have his
Military Science:4, Weaponry: 4
underlings develop his ideas. See the box for statistics
•Advantages:
of typical Lexcorp scientists.
Connection: Lexcorp (High)
In addition to its many properties in the greater
•Drawbacks:
Metropolis area, Lexcorp has domestic holdings in Los
Miscellaneous: All members of Team Luthor
Angeles, Denver, Houston, New Orleans, Chicago,
are employees of Lexcorp and may only act on
Gotham City, and Boston. Lexcorp maintains financial
the orders of a senior executive of the
institutions, research facilities, refineries, and/or
corporation, usuaJiy Luthor himself.
manufacturing plants in a score of countries, including
•Equipment:
Australia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Germany,
B ATTLESUIT [DEX: 6, STR: I I , Boov: 12,
Switzerland, France, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Japan,
Energy Blast: 10, Flight: 7 , Sealed Systems:
Singapore, and the free market of Hong Kong.
14, X-Ray Vision: 1 1 , Telescopic Vision: 1 1 ,
The value of Lexcorp stock dropped drastically on the
Hardened Defenses]
world markets following the recent death of Lex Luthor.
Miscellaneous Drawback: The suit must be
Severe cutbacks and layoffs within Lexcorp have had a
recharged after 15 APs of use.
domino effect on the entire city, and there are fears that
•Motivation: Mercenary
the board of directors may never be able to regain their
•Occupation: Lexcorp Employee
investors' confidence. There is an heir to Luthor's
•Wealth: 4
controlling interest in the corporation, but it remains to
be seen what he will do to Lexcorp.
LUTHOR'S BODYGUARDS
Dl\: ) S iR: 3 BOll) : .) Limitation: Enchantment works only on
('..! : � \\11 1: � \11\.ll: � Superman.
hi!: � \1 R\: � SJ•JJ<II: � Note: The satellite channels solar power into
hlll\1 1\1: I I llii«> I'OI\.IS: ) Superman's cell structure, triggering an
•Skills: involuntary increase in his Powers and
Gadgetry: 2, Martial Artist:4, Weaponry: 5 Attributes. Its effects are identical to the
•Advantages: Enchantment Power, but the satellite is not
Connection: Lexcorp (Low) magical in nature.
•Equipment: Klaash was a robotic unit supposedly
BODY ARMOR [BODY: 12, Energy Absorption: 8] designed and constructed by Lexcorp for the
Laser Pistol [B<?DY: 4, AV: 5, EV: 5, Ammo: 10, federal government as part of a top-secret
Range: 6, R#: 3] experiment to test the feasibility of broadcast
•Motivation: Mercenary power. In actuality, it was used by Lex Luthor
•Occupation: Lexcorp Employee in a scheme to discredit Superman.
•Wealth: 3 Klaash was powered and directed by a
MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT: Lexcorp orbital satellite, which also bombarded
PROTOTYPE BATTLESUIT [DEx: 7, STR: 13, half of the United States with certain
BoDY: 15, Energy Blast: 13, Flight: 7, Sealed wavelengths of solar energy.
Systems: 15, X-Ray Vision: 13, Telescopic Vision: This energy bombardment enabled Luthor to
13, Hardened Defenses) make Superman's powers run wild. He then
Miscellaneous Drawbacks: The wearer's Int will directed Klaash against the Man of Steel. The
be reduced to 1 AP permanently if the suit is robot was surrounded by a selective infrared
worn for I 0 APs or longer; the suit must be warping field that rendered it visible only to
recharged after 20 APs of use. Superman's eyes. Thus, as Superman battled
LEXWING AIRCRAFT [STR: 8, BODY: 10, Flight: Klaash within the heart of Metropolis, it
13, Radar Sense: 20, R#: 2] appeared to observers that the city's champion
KLAASH [DEX: 12, STR: 20, BODY: 13, Invisibility: had gone berserk. As a result the city's Special
12, Flight: 13] Crimes Unit assembled to tak"e on Superman
POWER BROADCAST SATELLITE [Body: 7, himself. Superman finally realized what was
Enchantment: 8] happening and incapacitated both the satellite
Bonus: Enchantment may be used to target a and the robot. Unfortunately, as he had so
specific Power or Attribute (controller's choice); many times in the past, Luthor managed to
the subject will not be able to "turn off' the evade prosecution.
Power or Attribute affected.

S.T A R I.Aas
. . . attached a bomb to it to destroy Metropolis and all the
One high-tech corporation that has managed to heroes who had gathered there to fight him. Captain
remain independent of the Lexcorp empire is Scientific Atmon absorbed most of the blast, sending he and
and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories, Monarch back in time, but S.T.A.R. was demolished
better known as S.T.A.R. Labs. With facilities by the shock. A new facility is being planned and will
throughout North America, as well as major laboratory be constructed outside Metropolis.
centers in France and Japan, S.T.A.R. has grown to Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer
become the largest research corporation in the world. Alton Stuart, S.T.A.R. resisted a hostile takeover bid
There were two S.T.A.R. facilities located in by Lexcorp, but only after selling off a Colorado
Metropolis, a laboratory and administrative building in facility and incurring a considerable debt. IO
the heart of the downtown area which was destroyed S.T.A.R. contracts for research in both the public
(Lab Rating: 1 6 APs) and a central computing and private sectors as well as the military. While
complex on the outskirts of Queensland Park (Lab S.T.A.R. does not merchandise or mass produce the
Rating: 1 2 APs). 9 The super-villain Monarch fruits of its labors, it does license its inventions to
destroyed the downtown facility of S.T.A.R. when he others to exploit their commercial potential.
THE CADMUS PROJECT genetic engineering. His next successful experiment
Unknown to the general public, there is another resulted in the creation of Dubbilex, the first of what
great scientific facility with a connection to Donovan saw as a series of new species that he
Metropolis, the top-secret genetic research complex eventually dubbed the DNAliens.14
known as the Cadmus Project. The full story behind Disturbed by Donovan's questionable ethics, the
the Cadmus Project has yet to be told. What is known Project heads placed restrictions on his research.
is that three renowned genetic scientists, Doctors Donovan ignored those restrictions and began to
Reginald Augustine, Dabney Donovan, and Thomas work on speeding the maturation process of his
Tompkins, fdunded the Project some years ago to creations. This led to the creation of the DNAiien
unlock and study the secrets of the genetic code.I I known as Payback, who ran wild throughout the
In his youth, Tompkins had been a member of a Project before literally burning itself out. When the
band of street orphans known throughout Suicide department heads gathered to confront Donovan over
Slum as the Newsboy Legion. As the Project began this incident, they found him in his lab, dead. Dabney
to take shape, Tompkins sought help from his Donovan had apparently committed suicide. I 5
boyhood friends, engineer Patrick MacGuire, Unbeknownst to them, Dabney Donovan had planted
businessman John Gabrielli, and the distinguished a murdered clone of himself in his laboratory and
physicist Dr. Anthony Rodrigues. These four men, secretly left the Project for the adjacent maze of
along with biochemist Dr. Walter Johnson, aided in caverns. There, he continues his strange experiments
the design of the Project's top-secret complex and into the creation of new life forms.16
eventually became department heads of the new In time, the Hairies grew disenchanted with their lack
facility. 12 While searching for a secure site to locate of privacy at Cadmus. Pacifists by nature, they left the
the Project's laboratories, MacGuire remembered an Project and used what they had learned of genetics to
unused tunnel stretching from far beneath the streets create Habitat, a new city literally grown from trees.
of Metropolis to a distant mountain range. Eventually, even the isolated Habitat seemed too
Advance survey teams in a remote section of the limiting, and they constructed the Zoomway, a series of
tunnel found a previously unknown series of caverns. underground super-highways, and a mobile city which
One team, code-named Probe Six, reported finding a they jokingly call the Mountain of Judgment.
strange subterranean jungle in one such cavern,just Working together, Rodrigues and Johnson
before they disappeared, never to be found. 13 Despite eventually perfected Donovan's process of
this tragic loss, the tunnel system was judged an ideal accelerating maturation. When retired policeman Jim
location. Access to the caverns was sealed off and Harper, then the Newsboys' legal guardian in his real
construction of the sprawling underground complex life and the World War IT era superhero known as the
began under the supervision of MacGuire and Gabrielli. Guardian (see pg. 1 14- 1 1 5) in his secret identity,
As facilities were completed, Tompkins, began to feel the effects of injury and age, his "boys"
Rodrigues, Augustine, and Johnson began devoting offered him a chance for renewed youth and vigor. He
their time to research into cloning and genetic accepted, and his mind was transferred into a new,
engineering. Under their guidance, Project youthful body cloned from one of his cells. As the
technicians actually reproduced new human beings Guardian, the renewed Harper became the head of
from single cells. Donovan, by all accounts a rather Project security.
unstable genius, took things much further, producing Sometime later, the five department heads fell
a breed of beings who represented a whole new under the mental domination of Sleez, a malevolent
branch on the evolutionary tree. The first generation being from the planet Apokolips (see page 105).
of these new beings was nicknamed the Hairies, due S l e e z compelled them to use the Proj e c t ' s
in part to their youthful dislike of haircuts. The facilitiesto create youthful clones of themselves.
Hairies displayed remarkable intellects and, as These five clones, called the Alpha Subjects,
toddlers, developed new forms of technology so were brought to full self-awareness by
advanced that Project engineers were hard-pressed to Dubbilex, who aided in their escape from the
understand them. While Project scientists studied the Project. Prowling the streets of Metropo l i s '
Hairies, Donovan forged ahead into new realms of notorious Suicide Slum, the Alphas came to the

Metropolis 35
 THE NEWSBOY LEGION:

attention of Superman, who finally joined forces with the Guardian, TOMMY
the Hairies, and this second Newsboy Legion to free their "fathers" Dl \: 5 Sii<: 3 Bo1n : -l
and the Project from Sleez' s controJ. I 7
·

l"\1: 5 Wil l: ) \li"\1>: 5

The scientists of the Cadmus Project continue to make great strides in the hi!: (1 .\1 R\: ) Si'IRI I : (l
field of genetics under their new director Paul Westfield. When Jimmy Olsen I "\I ll \ 11\1 . I (l II 11m Pol"\ I s : 35
was accidentally infected by an alien virus that caused his body to stretch out •Skills:
of control, 1 8 Superman brought him to the Project for treatment. 1 9 The Charisma: 6, Thief (Stealth): 7
Cadmus scientists were able to create an antidote for Olsen's condition, •Advantages:
although it may take some years for him to be cured completel .20 y Connections: Cadmus Project
(High)
DUBBILEX ANGRY CHARLIE •Drawbacks:
Dl \ : 3 S i R: 3 BrHn : .� D1\: 5 S1 1< ') Bo 1>1 : l) Age (young)
h I: l) \\'III . I 2 \II"\ ll" I () l"\1: I \\111. I '\ll"\1>: I •Alter Ego: Thomas Tompkins II
hi! : -l .-\11<\: 3 Si'll<II: -l hi!: 2 \1 R\: 2 Si'IRII: 5 •Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
) "\ Il l\ 11\1 : I (> l111w Pol"\! s: 35 hill\ 11\1 : I 0 H1Ro Pol"\1s: I 0 •Wealth: 1
•Powers: •Powers: •Height: 4'10" •Weight: 133 lbs.
Mind Probe: 9, Remote Ultra Visi<?n: 5, Jumping: 6 •Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown
Sensing: 10, Telekinesis: 9, •Skills: •Quote: "Great, now we're lost!
Telepathy: 13 Thief (Stealth): 1 0 Who knows what else is down
·Skills: •Advantages: here, and - yeeoww!" (Secret
Gadgetry: 12, Scientist: 1 2 Connection: Newsboy Origins #49)
•Advantages: Legion/Gabby (Low); Lightning
Area Knowledge (The Cadmus Reflexes;Miscellaneous:
Project); Connections: Everyone at the Cadmus Project
Superman (Low), Newsboy except Gabby thinks that Angry
Legion (Low), Cadmus Project Charlie is a figment of Gabby's GABBY
(High); Genius; Scholar imagination. Dl\: 6 S1 1<: 3 Boll): -l

(Genetics) •Drawbacks: I "\I: 5 \\Ill. 5 \li"\1>: 5

•Drawbacks: Strange Appearance; hI I: -l \

, 1 I< \: 3 S I'IRII : (J

Strange Appearance Miscellaneous: Angry Charlie l"\111\ 11\1: 15 ll11w Pol '\ 1s: 35
•Motivation: Responsibility of normally eats only furniture but •Skills:
Power has been known to snack on Thief (Stealth): 7
•Occupation: Scientist bubble gum. •Advantages:
•Wealth: 9 •Motivation: Not Applicable Connections: Cadmus Project
•Height: 5 ' 1 1 " •Weight: 160 lbs. •Occupation: Not Applicable (High); Gift of Gab
•Eyes: Green •Hair: None •Wealth: Not Applicable •Drawbacks:
•Quote: "As odd as it may sound, •Height: 6' •Weight: 300 lbs. Age (young)
Mr. Gabrielli, a giant clone of •Eyes: Yellow •Hair: none •Alter Ego: John Gabrielli II
Jimmy Olsen just burst into •Quote:"Groik? Chomp! Chomp! •Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
flames and escaped down that Chomp! Groik!! Groik!" •Wealth: I
corridor!" (Superman #55) (Secret Origins #49) •Height: 4'6" •Weight: 124 1bs.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black
•Quote: "Yeah, wow, geez... you
were really runnin' off at the
mouth, talkin' a mile a minute . . .
and they call me Gabby!"
(Superman Annual #2)
SCRAPPER FLIP
Dt \: h S11c ; Botn -l ()J \: (J s II< \ BCJJ)). -l
1,,. -l \\ ti l (> \1 1'-ll" 'i "I :'i \\II I 'i \I" I) 'i
l'-1I: h \1 I<\ -l SJ•JJ<JI. h 1\.1 1 . -l \1 I < \ ; Si'll<ll (>
hlll\11\1 IS llll<o P"''-'' ;.;; 1\.11I \II\ I I 'i 1111<11 Pcll'-1' ;:=;
•Skills: •Skills:
Charisma: 6, Martial Artist: 4, Thief (Stealth): 7
Thief: 7 •Advantages:
•Advantages: Connections: Cadmus Project
Connections: Cadmus Project (High)
(High) •Drawbacks:
•Drawbacks: Age (young)
Age (young) •Alter Ego: Walter Johnson Il
•Alter Ego: Patrick MacGuire I I •Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
•Motivation: Thrill of Adventure •Wealth: I
•Wealth: 1 •Height: 4'9" •Weight: 124 1bs.
•Height: 4'7" •Weight: 131 lbs. •Eyes: Brown •Hair: Black
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Red Quote: "They outnumber us, they
•Quote: "Y'ask me, Gabby, Big outweigh us, they got knives -
Words' problem is he don't read and they're ugly!" (Superman
enough comics . . . an' yers is Annual #2)
y'read t0o many!" CADMUS EQUIPMENT:
(Superman #55) WHIZ WAGON [STR: 6, BoDY: 6,
AV: 8, EV: 8, Running: 6, Right:
12, R#: 2)
BIG WORDS
Dt \: :'i S 11c ; Botn: -l ENDNOTES
1\. 1 : (1 \\111 'i \11'-1> :'i I. Action Comics Weekly #60I, Supennan to Augustine found in Action #648,
storyline. Donovan in SO #49, and Tompkins n
i
htl· -1 \1 I<\ ; Si'IRII h
2. Action Comics #592 Superman Annual #2.
hlll\11\l l:'i IIII<IJ PI>i\.1'. ;:=;
3. Action Comics #667 12. Star-Spangled Comics #7, this issue
•Skills: 4. The World ofMetropolis #I, a young contains the first appearance of the

Thief (Stealth): 7 Lois Lane gives a Planet reporter a Guardian and the Newsboy Legion.
history lesson. 13. Superman Annual #2, all the men
•Advantages:
5. Action Comics #653 listed were of the original Newsboy
Connections: Cadmus Project 6. The World ofMetropolis #I Legion.
(High); Scholar (Polysyllabic 7. The Adventures ofSuperman #446, 14. Secret Origins #49, the story of Probe
Superman #9, 13, 30. Advanced Six is told as a scary story by Gabby of
Words)
Research Laboratoriesand Koul-Brau the new Newsboy Legion.
•Drawbacks: Breweries are mentioned in TAoS 15. Superman Annual #2, the Harries
Age (young) #446, Secur-Corp Annored Car explain the Cadmus Project to
Services in Superman #13, Ralli's Supennan including origins of the
•Alter Ego:
Family Restaurant in Superman #9 Harries, and Dubbilex and the
Anthony Rodrigues I I ("Metropolis 900 mi" story) in ONAliens.
•Motivation: Responsibility of Superman #30. 16. Secret Origins #49, Newsboy Legion
Power 8. Superman #31 memory.
9. Superman #30, the downtown 17. Superman #54-56
•Wealth: 1
headquaners is viewed from Lexcorp 18. Superman Annual #2, Supennan's
•Height: 4'11" •Weight: 144lbs. conference room; the comic does not adventure with Guardian and Newsboy

•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown mention the location of S.T.A.R. Labs' Legion, Mountain of Judgment, and
central comput ing complex (part of Sleez.
•Quote: "I suggest we conduct an
"Hostile Takeover" storyline). 19. The Adventures ofSuperman #458
unchaperoned tour of the I0. The Adventures ofSuperman #654, 20. Superman #37
facilities . . . strictly for our Pt. 3 of the "Hostile Takeover''
storyline.
educational enlightenment, of
I I . Action Comics #648, Secret Origins
course." (Secret Origins #49) #49, Superman Annual #2, references
V: The Fortress ol Solitude
During his self-imposed exile in space, l Supennan The Eradicator remained active, however, melting
encountered an alien holy man who had been a out of its containment shell and erecting a huge base
missionary to the planet Krypton 200 millennia ago. station from which it planned to transfonn Earth into
8
This aged Cleric was overjoyed to find Krypton's last a new Krypton. These machinations caused a series
survivor, and he begged Supennan to take an artifact of earthquakes, tidal waves, and volcanic eruptions
2 all over the planet. When Superman eventually
that he had guarded down through the ages.
That artifact was the legendary Eradicator, created determined the source of these disasters, he
during Krypton's Fifth Age by Supennan's ancestor attempted to take control of the device and shut it
Kem-L. Although originally intended solely as a down. In response, the Eradicator transfonned the
weapon, the Eradicator had become much more over underground base into a subsurface fortress, with
the eons, exceeding even the expectations of its chambers that memorialized the seven historic eras
inventor. It had, in fact, developed an artificial of Krypton.
intelligence dedicated to the preservation of The Fortress' many levels held working models
Krypton's heritage. of Kryptonian war suits and robots, drawn to Earth
The Cleric saw that it was his destiny to give across time and space through a transdimensional
Superman the Eradicator. Once the Man of Steel gateway, as w e l l as holographic displays o f
accepted this legacy of his ancestors' world, the Krypton's past. Although the Eradicator had been
Cleric died peacefully, telling Supermap to go forth away from Krypton for 200 m i l l e n n i a , i t s
3 hyperspatial sensors had been "aware" o f the
and fulfill his own great destiny.
The Eradicator's power proved to be little short of many changes on the planet. The centerpiece of
miraculous. Supennan was able to tap its energies to the Fortress, was a gigantic globe of Krypton, held
re-create his costume, and to teleport him across aloft by statues of Superman's genetic parents,
thousands of light-years of interstellar space Jor-El and Lara.9
4 After creating the Fortress, the Eradicator altered
returning to Earth from his exile. Once on Earth,
however, the Eradicator began to present a danger to its plans. Although seemingly under Superman's
Terran life, emitting periodic bursts of explosive control, it began to use its contact with him to
energy,5 and triggering a life-threatening genetic manipulate the Man of Steel with the costume it had
mutation within Superman 's young friend Jimmy created. Over a .series of many weeks, the Eradicator
6 transfonned him into its programmed image of the
Olsen. Deciding that the Eradicator was too
dangerous to keep in any populated area, Supennan ideal Kryptonian. I O
sealed the device in a metal containment shell and Martha and Jonathan Kent, worried by their son's
deposited it in a deep Antarctic crevasse.? apparent moodiness, traveled to Metropolis to try to
 THE ERADICATOR (HUMANOID)
find out what was ailing him. But when they reached l>t \: I� S it< �-- B()tn° �tt
ht. s \\ i t t l) \lt\ll s
his apartment, they found a cold, emotionless being,
ht I l) \t I < \ -+ St•tRII (1
who insisted on being called Kal-El, packing to
leave. Kai-EI took the Kents to the Fortress to show h l l t \ 1 1\ 1 . ;q l l ii < l l l'lll\1'< 1."11

them that his Kryptonian ancestry had become more •Powers:

important than his life on Earth. When the Kents Matter Manipulation: 15, Energy Blast: 15,
pointed out the contradictions in his arguments, the Dispersal: 15, Hypnotism: I 0, Telepathy: 9,
Eradicator retaliated, setting the Fortress' automated Telekinesis: 20, Directional Hearing: 8,
systems against them. Kai-EI sprang to the Kents' Extended Hearing: 8, Sealed Systems: 25,
defense, smashing much of the Fortress in the Super Hearing: 8, Superspeed: I 0, Telescopic
process. Superman then realized what the Eradicator Vision: 1 3 , Thermal Vision: 1 3 , X-Ray
had done to him and with Jonathan's help, he resisted Vision: 1 3
the Eradicator's power. The subsequent collapse of •Skills:
the Kryptonian statuary smashed the device, and Scientist: 13
Superman threw it into the sun. l l Self-repairing •Bonuses:
circuitry within much of the Fortress' computer Miscellaneous: The Eradicator receives a -2
control systems went back on line shortly thereafter, Column Shift bonus whenever he makes any
restoring the holographic displays shut down in the attack against a. Kryptonian (i.e. Superman).
wake of the battle. •Limitations:
The Eradicator, however, was not completely Hypnotism has a range of Touch.
destroyed by its plunge into the sun. Although its •Drawbacks:
material shell disintegrated, its latent energies Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to remaking
merged with those of the sun. Within a few months, Earth into a replica of Krypton.
the Eradicator was able to use the incredible power •Alter Ego: N/A
of the sun to create a new physical form . . . a •Motivation: Power Lust
humanoid form. In this shape, the Eradicator •Wealth: N/A
returned to Earth, once again bent on furthering the
heritage of Krypton. This time, the Eradicator's
reign of terror finally ended deep within the Fortress ENDNOTES
I . Superman #32, Cleric relates his history on Krypton.
that it had created. 12 2. The Adventures ofSuperman 11455
Superman has long since repaired the broken 3. Superman #33
statues of Jor-EI and Lara. l3 As a reminder of his 4. The Ad1•emures ofSuperman 11455-6, Action Comics 643,
Superman returns to Eanh, concluding his exile in Superman
vow to uphold the cause of life, he has also added a
#643.
rough-hewn representation of three superbeings 5. Action 11643
whom he was forced to execute in the pocket 6. The Advemures ofSuperman 11458
7. The Ad1•en111res of Superman 11459
universe. In the Fortress, he now stores the birthing
8. Action Comics #646, The Advenlllres of Superman 11460
matrix and star-drive vehicle that brought him to 9. Superman #38. The Advemures ofSuperman 11461 , Eradicator
Earth, along with a few rare samples of Kryptonite. l4 creates the fonress in Antarctica.

Contrary to some sources, Superman does not keep 10. Superman ll42
I I . Action Comics #652
artifacts or souvenirs of his adventures in the 12. Superman: Man ofSteel#I, Superman lf57, The Advemures
Fortress. Superman sometimes uses the Fortress' ofSuperman lf480. Action Comics #667
Kryptonian computer systems to record a journal of 13. Superman #44
14. The Advemures ofSuperman #468, Superman #41
his activities in Kryptonese. l5 For the most part,
I 5. The Adventures ofSuperman #468
however, the Fortress remains alone in its solitude,
buried deep beneath the ice of Antarctica.

The Fortress of Solitude 39

VI: Superman•s Friends
LOIS LANE BACKGROUND
D1\: � S1R: � Boll): � Lois Lane took her first breath in a United States
I\I: 3 \VIII : -� 1\11'\IJ: 3 Army Hospital outside Wiesbaden, West
hiI: 3 ,\l R\: � Si'IRII : 4 Germany, and grew up as an Army brat on
1\111 \11 \ 1 : I 0 !11Ro Pol\ 1 s: I 5 military bases around the world. 1 The older
•Skills: of two children born to Sam and Ellen
Artist (Writer): 5, Detective: 2, Martial Artist: Lane, Lois often came into conflict with her father. A
3, Weaponry: 2 career military man and strict disciplinarian, Sam Lane
•Advantages: never disguised the fact that he was disappointed to
Area Knowledge (Metropolis); Connections: find himself the father of two daughters and no sons.
Daily Planet (High), Superman (High); When he learned that any further attempts to have
Sharp Eye children would endanger his wife's health, Sam
•Drawbacks: became determined to raise his daughters to be as
Miscellaneous: Lois has a strange knack for tough as the sons he desired.2 Sam drilled Lois and her
getting in trouble, which frequently results sister, Lucy, in hand-to-hand combat and even
from her tendency to rush headlong into extensive survival training. However, as the flrst-born,
-
situations that might better be approached it was Lois who bore the brunt of Sam's rigid
with more caution (treat as a Catastrophic standards and unending criticism.
Irrational Attraction if she tries to overcome Around the time Lois was to enter elementary
her impulsiveness). school, Sam Lane returned to stateside duty at Fort
•Motivation: Upholding the Good Bridwell, on the outskirts of Metropolis. While on a
•Occupation: Reporter, Novelist field trip to the offices of the Daily Planet, Lois
•Wealth: 7 witnessed a heated exchange between then-reporter
•Height: 5'6" •Weight: 130 lbs. Perry White and his editor. 3 This made a marked
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown impression on the young girl. She was impressed by
•Quote: "From what I've picked up, you can the way White stood up to his boss, and though her
fly - you're very, very fast - you can see family moved several times throughout her school
through anything - and you have some kind years, Lois never forgot her trip to the Planet.
of heat-ray zap in your eyes . . . which are The Lanes returned to the Metropolis area when Lois
blue." (Man ofSteel #2) was in her mid-teens. On a trip into the city with her
sister, Lois lied about her age in an attempt to get a job Immediately after graduating from high school, Lois
at the Planet, but Perry White, then the paper's went to work full-time at the Daily Planet, taking
managing editor, saw through her deception and told classes at a community college in the evenings. Starting
the girl to come back when she was older. Lois, out as a research assistant, Lois soon wheedled her way
however, was not so easily dissuaded. Learning of onto the police beat and began making a name for
White's desire to get the inside story on a Lexcorp herself as a crime reporter. Within a few years, she
takeover move, Lois snuck into Lex Luthor's corporate became the newspaper's star investigative reporter.
offices in hopes of obtaining information. She was Drawing on the experience she had gained from
discovered and searched before being judged of little covering crime and corruption, Lois began dabbling
consequence and released by Luthor and his security in fiction. She soon sold a number of mystery
staff. Unbeknownst to Luthor, Lois still managed to novels, including the highly successful Shadows on
smuggle out an important document. Impressed by the the Grass, for which she won an Edgar award. 5
girl's ingenuity, White offered her part-time With a series of successes behind her, Lois was
employment4 ....
..
__...
. . .... ,.:.chosen to be one of the civilian crew members
...
on the maiden flight of the
Constitution, NASA's
experimental space-plane.
All went well with the
flight, and Lois made
history as the first
journalist ever to
file her stories
from Earth
orbit. As the
Constitution
began its
final
approach
for a
landing at
Metropolis
International
Airport, a
small civilian
craft collided
with the space­
plane. Clark Kent,
in the first public
display of his powers,
intervened to prevent a
fatal crash. Once they were
Things did not go safely on the ground, Lois
as well for Lois at home, disembarked and confronted her
however. Differences with her anonymous savior. But then, as her eyes met
father grew into an increasingly tense series of his, the normally brash young reporter found herself
quarrels. During her final year of high school, Lois momentarily speechless. Before she could gather her
fmally had had enough and moved out on her own. As a wits, a crowd moved in, mobbing Lois and the mystery
result, Lois and Sam barely spoke to one another for man, and he abruptly flew away. In the story she
many years. subsequently wrote, Lois dubbed her rescuer

Superman's Friends 41
 "Superman," not knowing his real name.6 Three days owly, Lois began to realize that Clark truly cared
later, using the name she had given him, Superman or her and that he was aMays there for her in times
appeared for the first time in costume over the streets of need. To her own amazement, she found herself
of Metropolis. Neither of their lives was ever the falling in love with him. I I When Clark asked Lois to
same again. marry him, she accepted his proposal. 12
Lois became determined to interview Superman but About a week into their engagement, a nervous
was stymied in her attemytsto catch up with the Man Clark Kent revealed to his fiancee that her old
of Steel. She finalcy. aevised a phony emergency, ,. suspicions were correct, that he was also Superman.
actually driving h{r
car off a pier in order to attract Lois was initially taken aback by the revelation but
his attention. Spotting Lois' apparent danger. as wel,l guickly recognil:ed the truth that she had been
as t e aqualung hidden under- her front seat denying for years.l3
upennan rescued er: ll!)d cpn�nt to give her an Lol'8nd Clark. both. :COntinue to work for the Daily
/ inte
rview. By t�ti J'U>i re
offi�with beF'" :&to , -ho�ver, [e.jo�
e: ttte Plane
t ,a new
�'r
PasCINAI.m
�eym� plans O\_ their future together.

rep&(erby the 11811le- of Clark Kent had arteady filed a

story on s� and that her hard-won "nterv"ew
was already ol<Wlews.? It was se'lerai ears before
LOis forgave Clark for scpqping �r on bat story.

(:::�2I:�:�:::;;�::::::
eeling an. understandable romantic attraction to him.
At one e,oin , a�ossip columnist e en peevishly
ENDNOTES
L.ManI Steel H. Supenna'n mentioi)S tb8t Lois was ooce a
,P
"" muary In . -
2. Actimr COmiCS #597
r �rman's girlfriend," due to the
efeQ"ed 'to he( aS·;s 11. 11� Wor/dtofMetrQpO/is #1

extraordina1;y numb f times that he ha

o escued
( rld ofMeiro)blis #2, (t..os
4. 7Jtt., o j relates t
Q1,
'got h&.jobat the Planet. "-
her. WhQe Superman tontinually re t� coldially . AcJion Comics #597
'

f takin.J' a
to Lois, he rarely displll}'ed any real signs o ( 6.Man ofSteel #I. Action
romantic interest in her. Comics #650. Story repeated (Action
#650 seen through Los
i ' eyes).
It was always_Clark Kent who tr�ed with Hitl 7
. MayfStul #2
initia
l success) to win her affections. Blark di(l not 8. Acti011 Comics#594
realize what her actioq wouJ(rQe to his scooping.__ her 9. S�rma11 #II
. Ation Cmics #597
on the insi�story of Superman until it was too late
� OR.QrtS
r the tory of
but then he did everything he could to make amends. o;:t:'== isLane's t
Unfortunately, his activities as uperman often ·r· ao $n\@1Mlle.

worked against him in this matter. ln timeaJ1f1 often

ll. S�q�er�
12. Suf'llrmmr #50-
in spite of her misgivings, Lois found herself--atttrac ed 13. Actio11 Comics
to her rival's "world's sexiest boy-scOt7t routine.''9 #662, (and

qn her first visit to Kent's hometown of Smallvtlle

Lois discovered Superman with Lana 4:ang. In a
moment, she realized that Supennan might acrualfy
be., Clark Kent. Lois' deductions w�emP.oracily
deraile<\ however, when Jonathan Kent told her that
he and hi wife had raised Supermahas a stepbroth�
to Clark. · ken by this story, L6IS then accused
�---
Superma o c, s��with Clarlf tat i
a":h
' for a
y ner
fool and st rmed'l . Despit
e Cink'$ ater attempts at
fence-mending, she remainedjurious. After all that,
Lois was surpps w:b_en'Lana assured the reporter
that Clark was in love with Lois.IO Even so, Lois
; coming to terms with her hurt.
spent several months
PERRY JEROME WHITE
1>1 \: 2 S11<. 2 B()ln . 2 have Perry cover a brushfire war in Southeast Asia.
l\1' ' \\il l ' 2 \11\ll 2 With his old friend conveniently removed from the
l \11 · ; \1 In 2 Si'll'll � scene, Luthor set out to add Alice Spencer to his list of
1\111 \II\ I 11 111�<<> 1'<>1\1� 'i conquests.
•Skills: During Perry's 18-month absence, Luthor prevented
Artist (Writer): 6, Detective: 3 Alice from knowing White's exact location and at one
•Advantages: point led her to believe that he might be dead. Luthor
Connections: Daily Planet (High), Superman went out of his way to comfort Alice and in time
(Low); Scholar (Journalism) succeeded in seducing her. Ultimately, news of Perry's
•Drawbacks: whereabouts reached Alice, and upon his return to
Age; Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to Metropolis, she broke off her affair with Luthor.
maintaining journalistic integrity; Married From Alice, Perry learned that Luthor was planning
•Motivation: Upholding the Good to liquidate his holdings in the Daily Planet and invest
•Occupation: Reporter, Managing Editor in global television. When Perry confronted him with
•Wealth: 6 this news, Luthor confirmed his plans and offered the
•Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 200 lbs. reporter a job as anchorman of his new television
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown, graying "superstation," WLEX. Perry angrily rejected the offer
•Quote: "Well?! What's everyone standing and set out to guarantee the future of the newspaper that
around for? We have a paper to get out!" had been such a major part of his life.
(Superman #27) After several fruitless attempts at finding financial
backers, Perry finally persuaded an old friend,
international businessman David Ling, to head up a
BACKGROUND consortium to buy the Daily Planet from Luthor. Ling
Perry White was born and raised in Metropolis' agreed, but only on the condition that Perry take over
notorious Suicide Slum. While Perry was still a as the paper's managing editor. Although he clearly
young boy, his father went off to fight in a war regretted giving up his career as a reporter, Perry put
overseas and never came back. Perry began taking his love for Planet first and accepted Ling's terms. I
odd jobs to help his mother make ends meet. In The Daily Planet flourished under Perry's guiding
school, he forged an uneasy friendship with a young hand, growing in both circulation and prestige. A stem
Lex Luthor. When he was barely l 0 years old, Perry taskmaster, White insisted on accuracy while
got a job as a Daily Planet copy boy, and the encouraging his reporters and columnists to find their
newspaper became a second home to the boy. Perry own styles. Perry White hired Lois Lane and Clark
virtually came of age at the Planet, in time rising Kent and helped them both grow into Pulitzer Prize­
through the ranks to become the paper's leading winning journalists. Remembering his own humble
reporter. beginnings, Perry often took a paternal role with
When they were both in their early 20s, Perry crossed fledgling photographer Jimmy Olsen.
paths with Lex Luthor again. Fresh from his success in Perry was less successful in dealing with his own
aerospace engineering, Luthor opened his corporate family. On the very day that Ling's cartel bought the
office on the top floor of the Daily Planet Building and Planet, Perry White and Alice Spencer were married.
soon added the newspaper to his growing business Soon afterward, Alice learned that she was pregnant,
empire. Although Perry lauded his old friend for putting and within a few months, she gave birth to a boy who
the Planet on a firm fmancial footing at first, he soon was christened Perry White, Jr. As the boy reached his
began to have misgivings. He saw early indications of teens, he grew rebellious and insisted that people call
Luthor's unethical business practices and began to him "Jerry," after his middle name. Jerry got into and
make his dislikes known. out of trouble, often estranging himself from his famous
It was about this time that Perry met and fell in love father. He was finally wounded in a drug-related
with Alice Spencer. Alice possessed a striking beauty shooting.2 As Jerry lay dying in Metropolis General
that also caught the eye of Lex Luthor. Aware of the Hospital, Lex Luthor arrived and revealed to the
budding romance between Perry and Alice and tiring of grieving Whites what Perry had long suspected, that
having the reporter on his back, Luthor arranged to Luthor was Jerry's natural father.3 Following Jerry's

Superman's Friends 43
 JAMES BARTHOLOMEW OLSEN
death, Perry became increasingly distraught. He I)! \ ; "I" ' I)< ill) �
finally took a leave of absence from the Daily Planet, h, ; \\ II I ; \II'\' I ;
turning his duties as managing editor over to the hi, ; \ ; \II' '
paper's national news editor, Sam FosweU.4 I'\ I I I \ I I\ ' \I II I ,, ' ' I'• JI'\ ' ' I .;;
Perry and Alice have grown closer while trying •Skills:
to deal with their grief. They recently decided to Artist (Photographer): 3, Thief: 2,
get away from the city for a while to take stock of Gadgetry: 2
their lives. They have embarked on a Caribbean •Advantages:
cruise, for the honeymoon they never had and will Connections: Daily Planet (High),
no doubt return to Metropolis after their much Superman (High)
needed vacatio�.5 •Drawbacks:
Miscellaneous: Jimmy is extremely curious,
PERSONALITY which frequently leads him to investigate
Perry White is a workaholic. He has devoted most things that might better be left alone. (Treat
of his life to the Daily Planet, often to the detriment this as a Serious Irrational Attraction if he
of his family and his health. He does have a tries to overcome his curious nature.)
sentimental side, which he usually keeps hidden •Equipment:
under his gruff exterior. SIGNAL WATCH [Body: 2, Telepathy: 20,
R#: 2]
ENDNOTES Limitation: The watch only allows Jimmy to
l . The World ofMetropolis #I
2. The Advenrures ofSuperman #469 summon Superman.
3. Superman #47 •Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
4. Superman #51 •Occupation: Photographer, Cub Reporter
5. Superman #57
•Wealth: 4
•Height: 5'7" •Weight: 140 lbs.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Red
•Quote: . . . I know one guy who
" could still
save the day... my pal. .. Superman!" (Action
Comics #600)

BACKGROUND
Jimmy Olsen was born in the Bakerline borough
of Metropolis just a few months after his father was
declared missing in action from a secret military
assignment in Southeast Asia. I Raised alone by his
mother, Sarah, Jim was a resourceful, inventive child
whose grades sometimes suffered from his boredom
with the basic public school curriculum. As he
advanced to the upper grades, he often cut classes to
attend lectures at the University of Metropolis.2 A
born tinkerer, Jim built his own computer at age 12.
While still in junior high school, Jimmy became
an intern at the Daily Planet. Reporters Clark
Kent and Lois Lane encouraged Jim to pursue a
job with the paper, much to his mother's
dismay. It was during this period that Jimmy
first met Superman.
Finding a school friend's life in danger, Jimmy
hurriedly cobbled together some spare electronic
circuits to produce a hypersonic signal that he �ging out with Jerry Wfiite who was then working
hoped would attract Superman's attention. Jim's at a rock club called Blaze's. l2 What neither young
desperate plan worked, and his friend's life was man realized was that supernatural forces were at
saved. 3 Impressed with Olsen's ingenuity, work within th lub. Falling prey to those corruptive
Superman at first cautioned the boy to use the forces, Jerry becam �olved in a drug deal. en
signal device responsibly. Superman later allowed rry and Jimmy were shot by
the deal turned sour, Je
Jimmy to refine the circuitry into a microchip that lntergang gunmen and their souls were captured by
Jimmy installed in an old wristwatch. So began a the demonic entity known as Blaze. l 3
long friendship, in which Jimmy came to look on Aided by the mysterious Black Racer, Superman
his super-pal as a combination big brother and entered the Blaze's netherworld to rescue Jerry... and
father figure. Jimmy from Blaze. Beset by demons, unliving rock
Over the years, Jimmy has grown u p at the creatures, and a resurrected Skyhook (see page 103-
Planet, working his way up from office gofer to 104), Superman was sorely tested, but he refused to
.
photographer. He has even tried his hand at surrender. A fter Jerry White sacrificed himself to
reporting, enjoying some modest success. divert Blaze from Jimmy, Superman redoubled his
Recently, after returning to Earth from a long efforts, rescuing Jimmy's soul and saving his Iife. l4
self-imposed exile in space, Superman inadvertently Jim has since renewed his friendship with the Man of
passed along an extraterrestrial virus on contact Steel and resumed wearing his signal watch. I S
with Jirnmy.4 The virus was subsequently mutated To Jimmy's great relief, his mother eventually
by an ancient Kryptonian artifact, altering Jimmy's recovered from her catatonia and returned home. 16
genetic structure to the extent that his body became To his chagrin, he discovered that she had decided to
painfully, uncontrollably elastic.With the help of devote more of her time to him. 17 Feeling somewhat
Professor Emil Hamilton, Superman was finally smothered by this added attention, Jim gingerly broke
able to discover what had happened. s Feeling the news to Sarah that he had rented an apartment of
responsible for Jimmy's predicament, Superman his own. Unfortunately, on the very day that he
arranged to have him treated at the top-secret signed the lease, Jimmy was fired as part of a series
Cadmus Project. Even though the Proje c t ' s of cutbacks at the Planet. I &
treatment was successful, Jim felt abandoned b y his Jimmy is currently looking for a new job.
old pal. With the help of the Newsboy Legion (see
page 36-37), Jimmy broke out of the Project in the PERSONALITY
amazing all-terrain Whiz Wagon before being Despite the hard knocks he has taken, Jimmy
brought down to earth by Superman and the Olsen is stiJl full of youthful exuberance. At times
Guardian. 6 Jimmy blamed Superman for his shy and uncertain, Jim is fairly outgoing. He is
misfortunes and decided to stop using his signal extremely responsible and trustworthy and uses his
watch, locking it away in a safety deposit box.7 signal watch to summon Superman only in the direst
Sometime before this, Sarah Olsen found of emergencies.
evidence that led her to believe that Jim's father
was still alive, and she left the city to find her ENDNOTES White and Olsen are shot
I. Superman ItI7
missing husband. When Sarah herself disappeared by lntergang operatives.
2. Superman Annual #2
8 14. Action Comics #656.
while following up a lead in Great Britain, Jimmy 3. The World ofMetropolis lt4
Superman #47, The
returned to the Project and enlisted the aid of the 4. Action Comics #643
Advemures ofSuperman
Guardian to track her down. 9 Their trail led to 5.T!te Advemures ofSuperman
lt470, Superman, Jimmy
lt458·9
Scotland, where Mrs. Olsen was being held captive Olsen, Jerry White, and
6. Superman #37
Black Racer fight the
by Mokarri and Simyan (two creations of Cadmus 1. Action #650
demonic Blaze in the three­
Project founder Dabney Donovan), who had been 8. Superman lt43, Sarah Olsen
issue storyline, "Soul
explains of her discovery of
using clones of Jim's late father as part of their Search."
James Olsen clones in
15. The Adventures of
illicit genetics experiments. Their so-called "Evil Britain.
Superman lt475
Factory" was eventually destroyed and Sarah was 9. Superman lt4I
16. Superman #50
rescued with the help of Superman. I O
10. Supermanlt43
11.The Advemures of
I I . Superman lt45
Superman lt478
Returning to the United States, Sarah suffered a
18. Superman #57. Superman:
12. Superman lt46
delayed distress reaction to her ordeal and became 13.The Advemures of
The Man ofSteel #I
catatonic. I I Jimmy grew depressed and began Superman lt469, Jerry

Superman's Friends 45
 CATHERINE JANE (CAT) GRANT
Dl\.: .::' SiR: .::' Btllll : .::'
J\ I : .::' \\II I . '
· �I I\ I>· .::' BACKGROUND
l\11 : :; \t R \: :; Si'IRII: .::' Cat Grant first made her mark in the newspaper
I
1\11I\ II\ I : 7 IIIIW l'ol\Is: 5 business as a West Coast gossip columnist. She
•Skills: gained fame through a series of in-depth interviews
Artist (Actor, Writer): 3, Charisma with leading Hollywood celebrities and was
(Persuasion): 3, Detective: 2 romantically linked with several of her male
•Advantages: subjects. I While still quite young, Cat married Joseph
Attractive; Connections: Daily Planet (High), R. Morgan, head of Monarch Studios, and had a son,
Galaxy Bwadcasting (High), Gangbuster Adam. Shortly after Adam's birth, their marriage
(High); Gift of Gab; Scholar (Gossip) ended in divorce, with Morgan winning full custody
•Drawbacks: of the boy.2
Miscellaneous: Cat is a recovering alcoholic Eventually, Cat moved to Metropolis to take a
•Motivation: Thrill of Adventure job with the Daily Planet, writing features and
•Occupation: Gossip Columnist, columns in the same style that had made her the
Television Host talk of Los Angeles. She was strongly attracted to
•Wealth: 8 Planet reporter Clark Kent,3 but it soon became
•Height: 5'7" •Weight: 124 lbs. clear to Cat that their relationship would never be
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Blond more than platonic. Later, she flirted with Planet
•Quote: "Clarkie's in the shower. I was just photographer Jimmy Olsen, despite the fact that he
going to fix him a nice dinner. Lois! That's was nearly 1 0 years her junior. Jimmy took the
not what you're here for, is it?" flirtation for something more serious, and Cat
(Superman #11) finally recognized this, made her apologies, and
broke off the relationship.4
After Cat's move to Metropolis, Joe Morgan was
implicated in a Hollywood drug scandaLS Cat
was then able to sue for and win partial
custody of Adam. Although the sudden
adjustment to being a mother was not an
easy one, it soon became clear that Cat's
love for Adam was a match for her
devotion to her career.
Aware of Cat's fame and reputation,
Galaxy Communications head
Morgan Edge offered her a job as
host of Hollywood Tonight, a
television program dealing with
news about the film and
television industries.6 Having
picked up a few juicy rumors
about Edge, Cat took the
position as much out of
curiosity as for the chance to extend her
exposure through another medium. But once she
was ensconced at WGBS, Cat began to uncover
evidence that Edge was also the secret leader of the
crime cartel called Intergang (see page 82-84). In
oder to gather more information, she allowed Edge
to think that she was romantically interested in him.
Cat then !;Iegan passing that information along to
 JONATHAN KENT
Dl '\: � s I R: � B<lll); �

Clark Kent for use in a series of Daily Planet I'\I: '

· \\'111: � 1\li'\ll: �

exposes of the Intergang organization. As Clark's l'\11 : 3 At R\: 3 Si'IRI I : 3

exposes began to appear in the Planet, Edge finally I\ III\II\ I : (I Ill1<0 Pol'\I s: )

realized what was going on and tried to have Cat •Skills:

silenced.? Edge was captured and indicted on federal Animal Handling: 2, Weaponry : 2
racketeering charges. Thanks to Cat's testimony, he •Advantages:
was convicted and received a prison sentence.& Connection: Superman (High);
After Morgan Edge fired her from WGBS,9 Cat Scholar (Farming)
was soon rehired by Vincent Edge, Morgan's father •Drawbacks:
and the newly reelected CEO of Galaxy Age (old)
Communications. tO She also continues to write her •Motivation: Upholding the Good
column for the Daily Planet. •Occupation: Farmer
She is currently romantically involved with Jose •Wealth: 4
Delgado, a.k.a. Gangbuster (see page 1 1 2- 1 1 3), •Height: 5'8" •Weight: 175 lbs.
whom she met when he was hired to be her •Eyes: Blue •Hair: White, Balding
bodyguard during the Edge trial. I l •Quote: "You know, I don't like to brag, but we
did a pretty good job as parents . . . didn't we,
PERSONALITY Martha?" (Action Comics #655)
Cat Grant is a glamorous, vivacious woman and a
shameless flirt. Often impulsive, she is a borderline
alcoholic. She has become aware of this addictive
side of her nature and is working to control it.
MARTHA CLARK FORDMAN KENT
Dl'\: � Stt.:: I B<Hn : �
Although she often appears to be quite shallow, she
l'\1: 3 \\'ill: � \11'\IJ: �
has a depth of character that has frequently taken
l'\ll: 3 .\lR\: 3 S1'11�11: 3
people by surprise.
I'\I1 1\1 1\ 1 : 6 IllRo Po1'\1 s: )

ENDNOTES •Skills:
I. The Adventures ofSuperman #424 Artist (Cooking): 3, Charisma: 4
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #429, Superman #36, Cat •Advantages:
Grant refers to Joseph Morgan as a fom1er lover, but not as
Connection: Superman (High);
a ex- husband with TAoS #429; in Superman #36, however,
Joseph Morgan mentions to Morgan Edge his Scholar (Rhubarb Pies)
divorce from Grant. •Drawbacks:
3. Superman #19
) Age (old)
4. Superman #19, The Adventures ofSuperman#457
5. The Adventures ofSuperman #42.9 •Motivation: Upholding the Good
6. The Adventures ofSuperman #44� •Occupation: Housewife
7. The Adventures ofSuperman #456
•Wealth: 4
8. Action Comics #654, newspaper headline_;eads "Guilty
Verdic(in Edge Trial."
•Height: 5'4" •Weight: 150 lbs.
9. Supermait#36 •Eyes: Blue •Hair: White
10. Superman #40 •Quote: "Oh, tish tosh, boy! How could any
I I . Superman #
43
normal, healthy woman resist a big huggy bear
like you?" (Man ofSteel #6)

BACKGROUND
� nat
han Kent and Martha Clark were both born and
rai s
� in the modest Midwestern community of
Smallville, Kansas. The Kents owned a family farm
several miles outside of town, while the Clark family
was in retailing, running a local general store. I
Jonathan and Martha knew each other for most of their

Superman's Friends 47
lives, attending the same school and having many of the Fordman's suggestion came as a shock. Jonathan was
same friends. sorely tempted, the ideal of stealing another man's
Jonathan was the younger of two sons of Harold and wife, even at his own request, troubled him greatly.
Eliza Kent. His older brother Harold Jr., known to the But shortly afterward, the decision was taken out of
family as Harry, fell under a thresher and was killed his hands. Dan Fordman died in Martha's arms, asking
'
when Jonathan was still in his teens.2 Harry's widow, her to build a new life for herself.4
.
Sarah, whom everyone called "Sal," continued to live Following her own request, Fordman did not leave
with the Kents, assuming the role of woman of the Martha any of his family's fortune, but bequeathed her
house after Eliza's death. a 10-acre parcel of land that adjoined the Kent family
Martha was the only child of Hudson and Mariah farm. Six months after Fordman's death, Jonathan
Clark. A briglit, cheerful toddler, she became the finally worked up the nerve to propose to Martha, and
unofficial greeter of customers to her family's store. six months after that they were married.
In fact, Martha first met Jonathan when he Jonathan and Martha's marriage was a happy one.
accompanied his mother on a shopping trip to the Sarah left to live with her sister, giving the newlyweds
Clark General Store. more room. When Harold died, Jonathan took over the
It was when they reached their early teens that farm. Although they had hoped to raise a family, they
Martha and Jonathan really started to take notice of found themselves barren. After Martha's third
each other. Both of them were voracious readers, and miscarriage, her doctor advised her against making
they continually ran into each other at both the local any more attempts.5 They had tentatively considered
library and the magazine rack of Malone's Drug adoption when a birthing matrix from the planet
Store. Jonathan, who loved science fiction,3 was Krypton delivered to them the baby who would be
impressed that Martha was the only girl he knew who their son.6
did not dismiss his interest out of hand, and she was Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark to lead a
intrigued at finding a boy her age who read for good life and to believe that people should do their
pleasure. Their friendship blossomed into young love, best to help each other. When he reached adulthood,
and all their friends naturally assumed that they they helped him create the identity of Superman. Ever
would marry one day. since, the Kents have provided emotional support for
But war loomed on the horizon and, after graduating their son. They have always been there to tum to for
from high school, Jonathan enlisted in the Army. He advice and understanding. In Superman's own words,
was reported missing in action, and for a while, the "Jor-El and Lara were my genetic parents ... they gave
people of Smallville feared he was dead, but Jonathan me life. But my Earth parents gave me love."?
had actually been captured and held in an enemy
prison camp. PERSONALITIES
Meanwhile, Nathan Fordman, the head o f The Kents are genuinely good, hard-working people
Smallville's richest family, was putting pressure on with a strong sense of morality and a great love of life.
Martha's father to sell him the general store. Jonathan, especially, has a justly earned reputation as a
Fordman's own son, Daniel, thwarted the attempted storyteller. They instilled in their son a strong set of
takeover. After his father died and Dan took over the moral values, which continue to help him overcome the
family department store, he proposed marriage to temptations to misuse his incredible powers. More than
Martha. Thinking Jonathan was lost to her, Martha anyone else, Jonathan and Martha Kent are responsible
accepted the proposal and married Dan Fordman. for Superman's becoming the greatest hero and
Jonathan was finally freed and returned to champion of justice on Earth.
Smallville after learning of Martha's marriage in a
letter from Sal. Shortly after he returned home, ENDNOTES
Jonathan discovered that Fordman was suffering from I. The World ofSmallville #1, the Fordmans later bought the
store from the Kent family.
lung cancer. Fordman told Jonathan that he knew that
2. Man ofSteel #1, Jonathan Kent tells Clark the story.
the cancer would eventually kill him and that Martha 3. The World ofSmal/ville #2
deserved better than marriage to a dying man. Getting 4. The World ofSmallville #1-2
5. The World ofSmallvil/e #2
to the point of the matter, Fordman asked Jonathan to
6. Man ofSteel #1
take Martha away from him. Although Jonathan was 7. Action Comics Annual #2
still very much in love with Martha and she with him,
LANA LANG
many of his amazing powers. Then Clark brought
I)( \ � " I I\ � B< 1111 �
her home, gave her a last brotherly kiss, and flew
hi � \\ ii i � \li\ll ;
away. As Lana watched him disappear, she felt her
I"I I � \ I I' \ � \I .,' �
whole life begin to unravel. She knew that Clark's
hi l l \ 1\1 � lllk•• l'"l \ 1 > 111
powers made him a major force for good in the
•Skills:
world, and she thought that there could be no place
Charisma: 3
for her in his life.3
•Advantages:
After high school, Lana drifted aimlessly from one
Connection: Superman (High)
meaningless job to another. When Superman made
•Motivation: Upholding the Good
his public debut, she realized who he must be and
•Occupation: former Fanner, Retail Clerk
spent several years living on the edge of society in
•Wealth: 4
Metropolis, secretly following him around.4 She
•Height: 5'7'' •Weight: 120 lbs.
finally came back home, to live alone in her family's
•Eyes: Green •Hair: Red
5
old house.
•Quote: "... you can never belong to one
Lana and Clark were reunited when he returned to
woman, Clark. You're Superman. And
his parents' farm for one of his periodic visits.
Superman belongs to the world." (Man of
During a long talk, Lana revealed her old feelings for
Steel #6)
him, and Clark was chastened to learn how sharing
the secret of his powers had affected her life.6
Just a few months later, Lana's l i fe was
jeopardized by her association with Clark Kent and
BACKGROUND
Superman. An analysis team investigating Superman
Lana Lang grew up on the outskirts of Smallville,
for Lex Luthor discovered pictures of Lana in the
Kansas. After her parents died, she was raised by her
background of a score of news tapes of Supennan in
Aunt Helen. She met Clark Kent at Smallville's
action. When a field team subsequently captured her,
Eisenhower Elementary School. Lana seemed
Luthor had her tortured in order to gather more
infatuated with Clark from the moment they met.
information about his hated enemy. But Lana refused
Despite his boyish dismay over her attention, Clark
to crack, believing that Superman was mbre
grew to like Lana, and they became good friends. I
important to the world than she. After two days,
As they entered their teens, Clark and Lana grew
Luthor allowed her to escape and embarked on other
closer, their youthful friendship blossoming into a
?
plans against Superman.
full-fledged case of young love, at least on Lana' s
Clark saw to Lana's injuries and, as Superman,
part. Lana survived a close call during her junior year
took her home to Smallville. There she remained
in high school when she was involved in a serious
traffic accident along with Clark and classmates Pete
Ross and Scott Brubaker. Luckily, Lana and Pete
suffered only minor injuries, and Clark escaped
unhanned. But Scott, who had been driving drunk,
suffered serious head injuries and remained comatose
2
for years before he died.
As they entered their last year of high school,
Lana began to think more seriously about her future.
She hoped that Clark might eventually ask her to
marry him. But one evening, after the season's final
football game, Clark came to Lana and told her that
he planned to leave Smallville, to go out into the
world and help people with the powers at his
command. Clark revealed his superhuman powers to
Lana, proving them by picking her up and flying off
into the night sky. He carried her around the world
that night, stopping in remote areas to demonstrate

Superman's Friends 49
 PETER ROSS
a close and faithful confidante of the Man of 1)1 \ :2 S:" ; H< 'i ,, :2
Steel. Although she realized that he was in love hi ; \\ il l :2 \li'\,) :2
with Lois Lane, Lana still harbored hopes that hI I :2 \ I 1� \ � S I'II, . I ;
one day she and Clark would be a couple. 8 When h i l ! \ l l\1 � lli l\ll l'lll\ 1 \ .:;
he finally confided in her that he and Lois were
•Skills:
becoming romantically involved, Lana saw her last Detective (Law): 4
hopes dashed.9 She sold the Lang family farm and •Advantages:
left Smallville.IO
Connections: Smallville (High), U.S. Senate
Lana has relocated in the Washington, D.C.,
(High)
area. I I She bas since begun to see her old classmate,
•Motivation: Upholding the Good
Pete Ross, in a new (and possibly romantic) light.
•Occupation: Senate Aide
•Wealth: 6
PERSONALin •Height: 5 ' 1 1 " •Weight: 175 lbs.
Lana Lang is a survivor of both physical injury and •Eyes: Blue •Hair: Blond
personal misfortune. After spending much of her
•Quote: "Hey, Clark-0, are you nuts? . . . You
youth mooning over an unrequited love, she has
want the whole gang to think we're a buncha
fmally begun to make a new life for herself. Despite
nerds?" (The Adventures ofSuperman #474)
all adversity, she remains a warm, friendly person.

ENDNOTES
BACKGROUND
I. Man ofSteel III 5. The World ofSmallville 114
Pete Ross was born and raised on his family's farm
2. The Adventures of 6. Man ofSreelll6
Superman #474 7. Superman #2 south of Smallville, Kansas. On his first day of grade
3. Man ofSteel116, Lana 8. Acrion Comics #597 school, he met young Clark Kent and forged a
confesses this story to Clark 9. Superman 1145
friendship that has lasted throughout their lives. Clark
4. Man ofSreelll6, The World 10. Superman 1149
ofSmallville 114 I I . Superman #57 and Pete became best buddies, whiling away their
free time playing baseball, fishing, and generally
getting into mischief. I
As he entered his teens, Pete was strongly attracted
to Lana Lang, but Lana was hopelessly in love with
Clark and viewed Pete only as a friend. This was a
major disappointment for Pete, but it apparently did
little to dampen his friendship with Clark. In fact,
Pete often joined Lana and Clark on double dates.
The three friends were together so often that their
classmates called them "The Three Musketeers."2
Pete left Kansas after his high-school graduation to
attend college and then law school. He then
returned to Smallville, landing a job
as a county agent.3 It was in this
capacity that Pete began working
with the Bureau of Indian Affairs
to fight for the land rights of a local
tribe of Oto Indians . Pete was
briefly held hostage by some young
Oto hotheads while working on this
project, but he survived no worse for
the experience and was delighted to
discover how worried Lana had been
for him.4 The kiss she gave him upon
his release was all the encouragement he
 MATRIX
needed to hope that there might yet be something Dt '\· :'\ S t t< : � BotJ) : 7
more than friendship between the two of them. (,I. 2 \\Ill 2 \It'll ;
Some time later, hearing that Lois Lane was with htt: .� \i t< \ 2 SI'!Rt l· ;
Clark visiting the Kents over a July 4th holiday, ('iil\ll\1 J(l llitW !'(JI'I" ;11
Pete invited Lana to join him at the Lowell County •Powers:
Picnic and was pleasantly surprised when she Chameleon: 1 0 , Flight: 1 5 , Force Field: 1 0 ,
accepted. When they ran into Clark and Lois at a Invisibility: 1 0 , Mental Blast: 1 5
fireworks display, Pete saw first-hand how close •Advantages:
the two reporters had become. Moreover, he could Connection: Superman (Low)
tell Lana saw it, too. 5 Pete then began pursuing •Drawbacks:
Lana more seriously. Innocent; Miscellaneous: Due to an encounter
Pete's success in handling the Oto problems soon with the Kryptonian artifact known as the
brought him notice in the nation's capital and an Eradicator, Matrix's mind has been linked to
offer from Kansas Senator Caldwell to join his staff. Superman 's, and she/he sometimes believes
Presented with this opportunity to go to she/he is the Man of Steel, mimicking his
Washington, D.C., Pete first discussed the Senator's actions and thought panems.
offer with Lana. He expressed his misgivings, •Alter Ego: Lana Lang, Supergirl, Clark Kent
telling her how much he would miss her if he made •Motivation: Unwanted Power
the move. But Lana told him that she was thinking •Occupation: Not Applicable
of selling her house and leaving Smallville as well •Wealth: 0
and that he shouldn't let her hold him back. With •Height: Variable •Weight: Variable
Lana's encouragement, Pete took the job in •Eyes: Variable •Hair: Variable
Washington, making sure to keep in touch with her •Quote: "I will miss this place. There are so many
by long distance. good memories here . . . some of them are even
Finally, after getting an assurance from Clark Kent my own." (Action Comics #644)
that his old buddy felt Lana was "like a sister" to
him, 6 Pete persuaded her to relocate near
Washington, D.C. BACKGROUND
Pete is currently pursuing both a career in politics The origins of Matrix can be traced to a miniature
and the love of Lana Lang. "pocket universe," an altered copy of the real
universe, created by a mysterious entity known as the
PERSONALITY Time Trapper. I In that altered reality, the counterpart
Pete Ross is a conscientious, compassionate
of Superman was a Superboy, who died heroically,
individual. Raised to believe in the Protestant work
saving the lives of his Legion of Super-Heroes
ethic, he shares the ideals of his boyhood friend,
comrades in the process. That Earth was later
Clark Kent. With his background in law (or perhaps,
attacked and subjugated by three super-beings of
depending upon your point of view, despite it), he has
incredible power, and there were no superheroes to
the makings of a great statesman.
defend it. That world's doppelganger of Lex Luthor
became the leader of resistance forces.2
ENDNOTES
The.alternate Luthor was a scientific genius
I. Action Comics #655, Ma Kent reminisces about Clark and
Peter while looking IJ!rough her photo album. without equal. In time, he managed to create an
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #469, inference based on artificial life form from a substance he called proto­
Clark's statement that Pete, Lana, and he were not 'The
matter. This proto-matter could duplicate the human
Three Musketeers anymore."
3. The Adventures ofSuperman #436, the sign on Pete's office form right down to the molecular level. When the
reads, "County Agent, Small ville County (should read Small other world's Lana Lang was killed in one of the
County}, Peter Ross.
super-criminals' early raids, Lex used the dead
4. Superman #45
5. The Advemures ofSuperman #469
woman's genetic code as a molecular matrix to create
6. Superman #49 a super-being of his own, which he dressed in a
variation of Superboy's costume and dubbed
3 Supergirl could levitate and fly at
Supergir1.

Superman's Friends 51
incredible speeds, capable of generating devastating actions had placed the Kents and Lana in danger, and
psychokinetic blasts and cloaking energy shields, and echoing Superman's previous self-exile, she/he flew
3
could alter her appearance at will. But even her off into space in search of destiny. l
remarkable powers were no match for the super­
criminals who ran roughshod over the Earth of the PERSONALITY
pocket universe. Matri x ' s personality, like her appearance, is

Aware of the existence of the mainstream universe, malleable. Her role models have been Lana Lang
the resistance forces transported Supergirl to the true and the Kent family, so she is basically a good­
Earth to enlist Superman ' s aid in stopping the hearted soul. She is still, however, quite naive and

monstrous super-criminals 4 Superman pledged all easily confused.

5
his might to the resistance effort, but in the end, the
super-crim inal s gravely injured Supergirl and ENDNOTES
I. Action Comics #591
destroyed all other life in the pocket universe. As the
2. The Advemures ofSuperman #444. the doppelganger Luthor
last remaining representative of law and justice in the relates the hislOry of the resistance forces against the

other reality, Superman had no choice but to execute Phantom Zone villains.
3. Superman #22
the super-criminals, lest they repeat their reign of
4. Superman 1121
terror on our world. 5. TheAdwmtttres ofSuperman #444
After the final defeat of the three super-criminals, 6. Superman /122
7. The Advemures ofSuperman #448
Superman found that the injured Supergirl had
8. The Advemures ofSuperm(l/1 #450
reverted to her original proto-matter state and become 9. The Adventures ofSuperman /1453
a sort of humanoid "blank slate." He took her away 10. Superman 1132
from the dead world, returning to reality and I I . Action Comics #643
12. The Ad1•emures ofSuperman #457
entrusting her to the keeping of his own parents,
13. Action Comics 11654
6
Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Under the Kents' care, the proto-matter creature
began developing back to normal, her adaptive body
slowly becoming more and more human in
appearance. Her mind was simple and childlike at
?
first, and she insisted on calling herself Matrix.
When Superman decided that he must exile
himself from Earth, Matrix wanted to go with him.
But he told her to stay with the Kents, to love and
8
protect them. In time, Matrix interpreted this order
9
as a request to take his place, which she did.
In the guise of Clark Kent, Matrix journeyed to
Metropolis, where her/his confused responses upon
meeting Clark's friends were seen as ·evidence of
IO
partial amnesia. When Superman finally returned
to Earth, bringing with him the Kryptonian
Eradicator, Matrix accidentally found and activated
that device in Kent's Clinton Street apartment,
II
releasing explosive energies. Besides causing
physical damage, the Eradicator also created a kind
of mental link between Superman and Matrix. Matrix
began to mimic Superman ' s words and
movements. 1 2 Matrix soon began to believe that
she/he actually was Superman. When she/he took
Lana Lang and the Kents into protective custody,
Superman had to fight his double to show Matrix
her/his error. Finally, Matrix realized that her/his
"BIBBO" BIBBOWSKI
Olsen a hard time by gently pulling them down
1>1\ � StR: � Botn '
2
through a tavern floor!
From these two encounters,
'" � \\Iii' � \]i\11: �
Superman earned Bibbo's undying respect, not only
1\11 · 2 \t R \. 2 St•lf<ll . 2
for himself, but (by association) for Jimmy, as well.
1\ll i \ 11\ 1 ' ') l l t l<t > l't l i \ I S : J ( )
It sometimes seems as i f Bibbo must live a
•Skills:
charmed life. Recently, an errant gust of wind
Martial Artist: 5
brought him a lottery ticket that had been dropped
•Advantages:
and lost by a less fortunate Jose Delgado. 3 The
Scholar (Barroom Brawling)
ticket happened to bear a winning number that netted
•Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
Bibbo a $14 million jackpot. With the first year's
•Occupation: Tavern Owner, Bouncer
worth of his winnings, Bibbo bought out the owner
•Wealth: 10
of his favorite watering hole, a tavern known as the
•Height: 6'3" •Weight: 250 lbs.
Ace O'Ciubs.4
•Eyes : Gray •Hair: Gray
Bibbo presently continues to hold court at the Ace
•Quote: "Superman, yer my fav'rit!"
O'Ciubs, sometimes tending bar and often acting as
(The Adventures ofSuperman #449)
his own bouncer.

PERSONALin
BACKGROUND
Bibbo is a carouser and a hell-raiser who enjoys a
No one knows just where Bibbo came from. There
good fight. Woe be unto those who anger him! While
are those who say he drifted east to Metropolis after
certainly nobody's idea of a good role model, Bibbo
getting into some sort of trouble in Milwaukee. It is
has a good heart and would give a needy friend the
also believed that Bibbo was once a contender for the
shirt off his back.
heavyweight boxing championship. Some folks even
swear that he would have had a serious shot at the
ENDNOTES
title if only he hadn't taken too many blows to the I. Tire Advell/ures ofSuperman #428
head. Whatever the truth, Bibbo has been a fixture on 2. The Advemures ofSuperman #449
3. Superman #51
the Metropolis waterfront for roughly four decades.
4. Action Comics #661
Bibbo is a veteran barroom brawler, respected for
his prodigious strength. While he does not possess
the invulnerability of Superman, he is said to have
the hardest head in Metropolis. Bibbo has been
known to clear a saloon of combatants in a matter of
minutes. On those occasions when he has
participated a bit too enthusiastically i n such
altercations, it has usually taken a good number of
the city's peace officers to persuade him to calm
down and accept their hospitality for the evening.
As a frequent customer of the city's less reputable
establishments, Bibbo has often overheard choice bits
of information, information that he has occasionally'
passed along to others. Bibbo is, however, no
common informant. He will share what he knows
only with people who have earned his respect. One
such individual i s Superman, who ftrst crossed paths
with Bibbo while searching for a kidnapper.
Thinking him to be nothing more than a nosy
costumed impostor, Bibbo attempted to discourage
the Man of Steel physically, only to bruise his own

*
hand. I Some time later, Superman persuaded Bibbo
and some other hooligans to stop giving Jimmy

Supe,man• Friend' 53
PROFESSOR EMIL HAMILTON
D1\: .:' S1R: 2 Rom: 2 New funding suddenly became available from
l\1: X \\111: 10 \li'\ll: h Compucon Services. But Compucon was actually a
I'\1I : 3 :\I R \: 2 S I'I RII: � dummy corporation through which Luthor financed
1'\111 \II\ 1 : I I Hi Ro Pc>l'\1 s: �() a larger scale model of the prototype generator. The
•Skills: generator was subsequently sabotaged in the midst
Gadgetry: 12, Scientist: 1 2 o f a public display for the sole purpose of
•Advantages: discrediting Hamilton. When a supposed investor
Connections: Superman (High), S.T.A.R. (actually one of Luthor's men) was electrocuted
Labs (High); Genius; Scholar (Electronics) during the display, another Luthor flunky accused
•Drawbacks: Hamilton of negligence.2
Age (old) Under the stress of the situation, Hamilton fled the
•Equipment: scene with h i s original prototype generator.
1 0 AP ABCD Omni-Gadget (x4) Wandering the streets, he came upon Superman, who
•Motivation: Responsibility of Power was in the midst of battling the terrorist Freedom
•Occupation: Scientist League. Seeing a chance to vindicate himself,
•Wealth: 6 Hamilton set up his generator to isolate Superman
•Height: 6' •Weight: 180 lbs. and the League, protecting the city from further
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Gray damage. But when the battle was over, bystanders
•Quote: "I'd sooner die than sweat for Lex dismissed him as a crank, and Superman was too
Luthor again." (The Adventures of Superman preoccupied to back up his story.
#451) After all that he had been through, Hamilton
suffered a nervous breakdown. He decided that he
must prove the effectiveness of his generator in a test
BACKGROUND against the power of Superman. Persuading a young
Emil Hamilton i s an inventive genius whose actress to play the part of his hostage, Hamilton
eccentric work habits have made it difficult for him broadcast a public challenge for the Man of Steel to
to work for most commercial research facilities. meet him on a deserted city street. Pretending to
While still a young man, Hamilton briefly worked for threaten his hostage, Hamilton forced Superman to
a company called Hitek. It was then that he hit on the walk a gauntlet of devices within an electromagnetic
idea for a magnetic field generator that he theorized cage formed by his field generator. When Superman
could provide America with protection from nuclear stood up to the gauntlet, Hamilton's mind
attack. He immediately quit his job at Hitek and completely snapped and he set his generator to
devoted the next 20 years to developing a prototype overload. Superman protected Hamilton and the
of the device. Hamilton continually tried to interest woman from the exploding generator with his own
the government in his generator, occasionally invulnerable body.
obtaining meager federal grants to final)ce his work. Hamilton was taken into police custody. He
But, ultimately, bureaucrats dismissed his work as received court-mandated treatment at a mental health
impractical or dangerous and cut off his funding. I facility and later served several months of a sentence
After much struggle, Hamilton was contacted by in a minimum security prison before being paroled on
Lexcorp and was led to believe that he might finally Superman's recommendation. Upon Hamilton's
get the backing he needed to perfect his generator. release, Clark Kent helped him procure funding to set
But when he was finally ushered into the presence of up a small independent laboratory.
Lexcorp C.E.O. Lex Luthor, he was astounded to Grateful for the compassion that Superman had
discover that the industrialist had bought out Hitek shown him, Hamilton has put his genius to work in
and therefore claimed full ownership of h i s helping the Man of Steel. Although an attempt at
invention. Luthor offered Hamilton a pittance i n creating a robotic stand-in for Superman was a
return for his life's work. When Hamilton refused to failure, Hamilton continues to provide Superman
turn over his notes and blueprints, Luthor's thugs with scientific and technical aid. 3 Among other
beat him. Unable to prove the source of the attack, things, he has supplied Superman with a breathing
Hamilton became desperate. apparatus that enabled the Man of Steel to survive a
 4
flight into deep space, analyzed the mysterious
5
Eradicator, constructed an armored suit to allow the
de-powered Superman to deal with a prison break,6
investigated the strange properties of Mr. Z's soul­
?
imprisoning crystal, and helped trace the sources of •Skills:
pollution in Metropolis Harbor. 8 In addition, Detective: 4, Thief: 3, Weaponry: 5
Hamilton helped Jose Delgado win his freedom from •Advantages:
Lex Luthor.9 Area Knowledge (Metropolis); Connections:
Metropolis Police Department (High), Daily
PERSONAUTY Planet (High), Metropolis City Hall (High)
Emil Hamilton is a likable gent. He has a love of •Equipment:
iO
big band music and a burning interest in practically Revolver [Body: 4, EV: 5, Ammo: 8,
all the sciences. Although sloppy in his work habits, Range: 4, R#: 2]
casual i n his attire, and capable of extreme •Motivation: Upholding the Good
concentration, he does not otherwise fit the •Occupation: Police Inspector
stereotype of the absentminded professor. Hamilton •Wealth: 5
is truly one of a kind. •Height: 5 ' 1 1 " •Weight: 170 lbs.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown, Graying
ENDNOTES •Quote: "Hate to see this type of vigilante
I . The Adventures ofSuperman #424
behavior take hold in Metropolis! This
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #425
3. The Adventures ofSuperman #439-40 isn't Gotham City!" (The Adventures of
4. The Adventures ofSuperman #450 Superman #448)
5. The Adventures ofSuperman #459
6. Action Comics #659
7. Superman: The Man ofSteel #1, Superman #57, The
Adventures ofSuperman #480, Action Comics #667 BACKGROUND
8. Supermanfor Earth Inspector Henderson is a veteran Metropolis
9. The Adventures of Superman #451
policeman who came up through the ranks. Although
10. Superman #38
he has met Superman on a number of occasions and
even played host to him at a still-talked-about
Henderson family barbecue, 1 the Inspector is on
much closer terms with reporter Clark Kent. While he
is not adverse to sharing information with Kent,
Henderson always puts his work first.
Henderson does not get along well with Captain
Maggie Sawyer of the Metropolis Police Special
Crimes Unit. Why is unknown. It is apparently a
personal matter between the two of them. Henderson
does not allow their differences to affect any
professional relationships between them.
2

PERSONALITY
Bill Henderson is a private man who, for the most
part, prefers to stay out of the limelight. He takes his
job very seriously. He is a devoted husband and the
father of two children.

ENDNOTES
I. TheAdventures ofSuperman #424. Supennan
mentions that he has been a dinner guest of
Henderson's and knows his family.
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #445,
Action Comics #657

Superman's Friends 55
 MARGARET (MAGGIE) SAWYER
Dt\· 2 S 11,: \ BC)t)�· 2 unorthodox situations, Maggie was chosen to head
,,, . \ \\ii i \ \ll'.f) ' the S.C.U.
('\It \ \11{\ 2 Sl'll{ll \ The Special Crimes Unit of the Metropolis Police
I
hiII\ I I \ I Ill IIi!{<> I'<>I'\I,,. I() Department i s a special city-wide division,
•Skills: answering directly to the Police Commissioner. Its
Charisma: 3, Detective: 4, Martial Artist: 3 , function is to respond to and deal with crimes
Thief: 2 , Weaponry: 4 beyond the bounds of normal police work, especially
•Advantages: those that involve perpetrators who have metahuman
Area Knowledge (Metropolis); Connections: powers and abilities. The S . C . U . often uses
Metropolis Police Department (High), Daily advanced weaponry designed by S.T.A.R. Labs to
Planet (Low), Superman (Low); Leadership; apprehend such perpetrators.
Sharp Eye Under Maggie's leadership, the Metropolis S.C.U.
•Equipment: has been wildly successful and has inspired the
Pistol [Body: 4, EV: 5, Ammo: 8, Range: 4, creation of similar units in other major cities, such as
R#: 2] 2
Washington, D.C.
•Motivation: Seeking Justice In her position, Maggie has become well-acquainted
•Occupation: Police Captain, Special Crimes with Superman, often working alongside him in trying
Unit circumstances. When Jamie Sawyer ran away from her
•Wealth: 5 father's home and came east in search of her mother,
•Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 130 lbs. Maggie appealed to Superman to help fmd her missing
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Light Brown daughter. Working together, Superman and Maggie
•Quote: "She's got a lot of spunk, my little girl. found Jamie in the clutches of Skyhook (see page 103-
But out there, spunk is just one more thing that 104). They were able to rescue the girl, and mother
gets ground out of people . . . . " (Superman #15) and daughter were reunited. Returning Jamie to her
home in suburban Star City, Superman spoke to Jim
BACKGROUND Sawyer, who agreed to consider giving Maggie •
Maggie Sawyer is a top-flight police officer who 3
visitation rights. •
has worked her way up the ladder the hard way, twice.
All three Sawyers were briefly reunited in •
Maggie began her career in law enforcement on the
Metropolis after Jim had to bring Jamie east for
•
West Coast. She was a lieutenant with the treatment of a side-effect of her contact with Skyhook.
Star City Department of Public Safety when
Jamie was cured and Maggie made a kind of peace
she met Captain Jim Sawyer. In those days, 4
with her ex-husband.
Maggie was uncertain what she wanted in
Maggie continues to run the Metropolis S.C.U. She
life, and when Jim proposed marriage,
shares an apartment with Metropolis Star reporter,
she thought perhaps that was the answer. 5
Toby Raynes and two cats.
It proved to be a terrible mistake
instead. Maggie and Jim were two
PERSONALITY
strong-willed people who had nothing On the job, Maggie Sawyer is a hard-nosed, no­
in common except their police work. nonsense cop who is not afraid to strap on armor
Their marriage became one long series herself if that is what it takes to deal with the latest
of quarreling, interrupted only by the birth menace to public safety. Tough but fair, she inspires
of their daughter, Jamie. Maggie fmally came
loyalty in her unit. In her personal life, Maggie has
to terms with her sexual orientation and separated
endured a lot of heartache, but she has learned to
from Jim. Their divorce proceedings were long and
deal with it.
painful, ending with Jim receiving full custody of
their child. ! ENDNOTES
Maggie moved east and started her career all over I . Superman #15
2. Hawk and Dove (mini-series) #4, Hawk and Dove team up
again with the Metropolis Police Department. In just
with Washington D.C.'s version of the Special Crimes Unit.
a few years, she attained the rank of Captain. She 3. Superman #15
was about to be assigned her own precinct when 4. Superman #34
Mayor Berkowitz proposed the formation of the 5. Superman #15, Superman Annual #2

Special Crimes Unit. Due to her ability to handle

DANIEL (TERRIBLE) TURPIN
I>! \. 2 sIJ{. 2 Bill>) 2 Turpin got out of the hospital, the war of the New

(\J. 2 \\ii i . � \(J\J) � Gods had left Metropolis.

(\I I . 2 \lR\: 2 SJ•IJ<I I " ; Turpin had been promoted to Inspector by the time

( \I l l\ I I\ I : S Ill l<tl !>1 >I\ I ' ( "' Mayor Berkowitz floated the idea of the Special

•Skills: Crimes Unit. Hearing about the S.C.U., Turpin called

Detective:-5, Martial Artist: 4, Vehicles: 3, in every favor he had to get out from behind a desk

Weaponry: 4 and into the Unit. As a member of the S.C.U., Turpin

•Advantages: has acknowledged Captain Sawyer as his superior

Connections: Metropolis Police Department officer and carried out her orders even though he

(High); Iron Nerves technically outranks her.

•Equipment: While working with the S . C . U . , Turpin was

Revolver [Body: 4, EV: 5, Ammo: 8, Range: 4, seriously injured by the super-criminal who calls

R#:2] himself Barrage (see page 62-63). After being

•Motivation: Seeking Justice continually visited by Sawyer during a two-month
•
•Occupation: Police Inspector, Special convalescence, he became infatuated with the •
Captain and asked her to marry him. When Maggie • •
Crimes Unit •
gently turned him down, Turpin thought that she • f
•Wealth: 5 •
•Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 195 lbs. would no longer want to work with h i m and • •
•
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown, Balding submitted his resignation. The Captain corrected him • 4
•
•Quote: "King Kong on a rooftop is no more on that count, handing back the resignation and • •
telling him to tear it up.3 •
dangerous than a nervous punk with a pistol! • •
Turpin has put his disappointment behind him and • •
The idea is to give as good as you get!" • • I
(New Gods #8, first series) continues to work closely with Sawyer in the S.C.U. • • •
• • I
He took great delight in fishing a defeated Barrage • • •
• • I
BACKGROUND from Metropolis harbor.4 • • •
Turpin is a widower and lives with a grown • • I
Dan Turpin grew up in the heart of Suicide Slum. • • •
As a cop, he cut his teeth tracking down hoodlums daughter, Maisie.

and petty gangsters on Metropolis' old North Side. • • '

Turpin had advanced through the ranks to Sergeant PERSONALITY •

•
•
•
•
•

•
of Detectives when Intergang started making its A big bear of a man, Dan Turpin graduated magna • •
• • •

presence known in the city. Along with Intergang cum laude from the School of Hard Knocks. He is not • • •
• • •

came the hint of something bigger, a war between the afraid of anybody or anything. Turpin is proud of • • •
• • •
godlike beings of New Genesis and Apokolips (see being a police officer and prouder still to be part of the • • •
• • •
The Apokolips Sourcebook for more information). Special Crimes Unit. He can be stubborn and bull­ • • •
• •
When one of Turpin ' s men, Detective Nolan, was headed and sometimes acts as though he considers
• • •

mauled by an Apokolips terrorist, the Sergeant vowed crime and criminal activity a personal affront. •

to get to the bottom of what he considered to be

nothing more than a fancy gang war. I
ENDNOTES
I. New Gods (first series) #5
Arranging for the procurement of special weapons, 2. New Gods (first series) #8
Turpin commandeered a crack police SWAT unit 3. Superman Annual #2

and tried to break up a fight between Orion and 4. Superman #49

Kalibak, the sons of Darkseid. Although seriously

injured for his efforts, Turpin hung on long enough
to see that the city's entire electrical power grid was
fed through Kalibak. Metropolis was nearly blacked
out, but Kalibak was left stunned, so that Turpin
could order his officers to take the warrior into
2
custody, before he himself passed out. B y the time

Superman's Friends 57
..
LORI LEMARIS
D1 \ � S JJc ; B('''' �
hi: ' ,,,, , . ' \li'\ll � mission, she

1'-.11 · � \lin ; Si'JJ<JJ. � had to return

I '\ JJ I \ 1 1 \ 1 7 I III<( ) J'()J '\J ' ..: 'i to her family.

•Powers: Both Lori and

Speak With Animals: 3, Swimming: 5 , Clark knew

Telepathy: 4, Mind Probe: 4, Water Freedom: 4 that their love

•Skills: could never be,

Charisma: 5 and so they said

•Limitations: good-bye. But Clark

Speak With Animals only works on sea never forgot her.

creatures Years later, after learning of the location of

•Advantages: Atlantis from Aquaman, Clark tracked Lori down

Attractive; Connections: Superman (High), again. But as they embraced amid the pounding surf,

Atlantis (Low) Lori was seriously wounded by a crazed old

•Drawbacks: fisherman. A desperate Superman rushed his

Dark Secret (When Lori first met Clark Kent, mermaid sweetheart to the city of Tritonis in Atlantis.

he was unaware that she was a mermaid); There, the Atlantean doctor Ronal operated on Lori to

Forced Exile (Atlantis, early in her life only); save her from threatened paralysis. Over the

Fatal Vulnerability to lack of contact with subsequent months, Ronal cared for her, bringing her

water after one hour back to the full bloom of health. To Superman's

•Motivation: Upholding the Good dismay, Lori fell in love with Ronal.

•Occupation: Mermaid At first, Superman was furious, but Lori calmed his

•Wealth: 4 rage. She reminded him how their love could never

•Height: 5'9" •Weight: 145 lbs. be. With her telepathic and mind probing powers, she

•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown saw in his mind how he had found another to love.

•Quote: "Don't you see? It is as I said so long Lori told him how she could see that the love he felt

ago . . . this love of ours was never meant to for Lois Lane was as rich and true as the love she felt

be." (Superman #12) for Ronal.

Lori and Superman shared one fmal kiss and he left
sunken Atlantis, never to see her again. I
BACKGROUND Years later, Ronal told Superman Lori died
Lori Lemaris was one of the last surviving defending Atlantis from the shadow demons of a
2
members of a small colony of merpeople that had lost galactic monster called the Anti-Monitor. Learning
contact with the undersea civilization of Atlantis. of her apparent death, Superman mourned for the one
Hoping to find some clue on the surface to the he had loved in vain. On the anniversary of Lori's
location of their lost home, Lori came to America. death, he met with Ronal along a craggy shore for a
Here, she assumed the role of a wheelchair-bound special memorial service, where the story of Lori
paraplegic, hiding her fish-like extremities under a Lemaris was committed to verse by one of the
lap blanket, and enrolled at the University of ocean's great poets. Ronal pledged to the Man of
Metropolis. Steel that her story would be sung across the seas for
I t was as a student at UMet that Lori first as long as the great whales endured.
encountered Clark Kent, long before he created the
identity of Superman. Clark fell deeply in love with
PERSONALITY
Lori Lemaris i s a loving, compassionate person.
Lori, and she with him. But when Clark impulsively
She will live forever in the hearts of those who
asked her to marry him, she had to refuse. Spurred on
love her.
by jealousy, Clark began to investigate, and shortly
learned the truth, that Lori was a mermaid.
ENDNOTES
Her secret revealed, Lori explained why she had I . Superman #12
come to the University, and why, having failed in her 2. Crisis on infinite Earths #12
VII: Superman•s Enemies
AMAZING GRACE
l>i \. (1 S 1 1<: 1 Boll): :) as a revolutionary and fomenting revolt amongst the
hi X \\111: (, \li'\ll. "' so-called Lowlies and Hunger Dogs of Armagetto. It
I'\II: X \If{\ - Sl'lf(ll. "' was Darkseid's intent to have his agent encourage
)'\11 1 \11\1 �� HII\I ! I'I!I '\1 \ : :'S opposition to his rule, to fan the hopes of the
•Powers: underclass, and then to crush their revolt, further
Control: 1 0 breaking their spirit. After Darkseid brought
•Skills: Superman to Apokolips, he altered his plan to make
Charisma (Persuasion): 12, Thief (Stealth): 5, use of the Man of Steel.
Weaponry: 7 Finding himself on Apokolips, Superman disguised
•Advantages: himself as a Lowlie to avoid Darkseid's sentries.
Area Knowledge (Armagetto); Darkseid then had his troops seize Amazing Grace
Connection: Darkseid (Low) and threaten her with death in the fire pits, reasoning
•Equipment: that this would be likely to lure Superman into the
Knife [BODY: 8, EV: 3] open. Sure enough, Superman went to her rescue,
•Motivation: Power Lust battling an armored Pacifier before he himself was
•Occupation: Agent of Darkseid plunged into one of the fiery pits. I
•Wealth: Not Applicable Superman was pulled from the pit alive, but
•Height: 5' I I" •Weight: 137 lbs. unconscious. When he awoke, his remarkable powers
•Eyes: Green •Hair: Red were sapped and his memory was. gone. Amazing
•Quote: "Do you not see in me the face and Grace then spoke to the Lowlie rabble, proclaiming
form of every woman you have walked with Superman to be their savior, the one who would
in your dreams?" (Action Comics #586) overthrow Darkseid and lead them to freedom. With
·
her mind-numbing powers, she suppressed
BACKGROUND Superman's true personality and made him fall in
Amazing Grace is a leading agent of Darkseid, the love with her. Moreover, Grace convinced him that
supreme ruler of the world of Apokolips. (See The he was actually Darkseid's son and persuaded him to
Apokolips Sourcebook for more information.) Like serve Darkseid's cause. Thus corrupted, Superman
her brother, Glorious Godfrey, Grace has the power pretended to lead the Hunger Dog rebellion,
to manipulate the minds of others. betraying them to Darkseid's Para-demons. 2 Only
Under orders from Darkseid, Grace once lived with the intervention of two New Gods from New
among the oppressed workers of Apokolips, posing Genesis, Orion and Lightray, did Supennan finally

59
 ARATHAZA
regain his memory, but not even then was he able to
Dl\: 2 S i R: 2 B1Jin : 2
3
defeat Darkseid.
hi: 2 \\ii i . 2 \li\IJ: 2
Later, Amazing Grace aided Darkseid in a plot
(\II: 2 \t 1n: 2 Si'IRII : 2
against Superman and Wonder Woman. During that
1\iil\11\1 : (l/ ( () "' RIJ Pill\ I S : ()
encounter, Grace masqueraded as Wonder Woman, •Equipment:
playing on Superman's infatuation with the Amazon
Mystical Staff [BODY: 3, INFL: 12, AURA: 10,
princess as part of a twisted plot to turn the two
SPIRIT: 12, Sorcery: 15]
heroes against one another. Superman and Wonder •Alter Ego: Barbara Kowaleski
Woman were able to see through this scheme and •Motivation: Power Lust
4
thwarted Darkseid once again.
•Occupation: Secretary
•Wealth: 2
PERSONALITY
•Height: 5'5" (as Barbara), 5 ' 1 1 " (as Arathaza)
Amazing Grace is thoroughly ruthless. She is loyal
•Weight: 135 lbs.
only to Darkseid, whom she fears more than
•Eyes: Brown (as Barbara), Red (as Arathaza)
respects. Grace appears to enjoy manipulating
•Hair: Auburn
others, finding pleasure in the control she exercises
•Quote: "Superman you may be, and powerful
over lesser minds.
in your own small way . . . but I am power
beyond all knowing." (Action Comics #585)
ENDNOTES
I. Superman #3
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #426
3. Action Comics #586 BACKGROUND
4. Action Comics #600 Barbara Kowaleski was just another 9-to-5 wage
slave when she came into contact with an ancient
staff of great supernatural power. How or where she
discovered the staff is still unknown. Seduced by the
staff's power, Barbara took on the form of an
antediluvian sorceress and assumed the name
Arathaza. In her new identity, she commanded great
mystical forces. Calling on those forces, Arathaza
created an immense flying fortress in the skies high
over Metropolis. From her aerial throne room, she
launched an attack on the city that had ignored her
for so long. When Superman arrived to
"-;�:����--- counter her attack, Arathaza used her sorcery
to drain his life force, radically aging him in a
matter of minutes. With the last of his strength,
Superman wrested the staff from her hand,
smashing it. With the destruction of the staff,
the fortress was destroyed and both Superman
and Barbara returned to normal. 1 It is unknown
whether Barbara will ever regain the power she
once wielded as Arathaza.

PERSONALITY
Barbara Kowaleski is a petty, spiteful person. As
Arathaza, her mean-spiritedness was magnified a
thousandfold.

ENDNOTE
I. Action Comics #585
BARON SUNDAY
Dl \. � sIR 2 B()ll) ' BACKGROUND
I' I ·' \\II I · � \11' I> � Baron Sunday is a minor magician, originally
I 'I I : 'i \t R\" h Sl'll<ll -i from the Caribbean, �here he had a long and
h i ll \ 11\ 1 : 1 2 Ill I\( I 1'< 1 1 ' 1 , . 2." successful career as a hit man. A student of the
•Skills: mystic arts, Sunday learned to channel certain
Occultist: 8 supernatural forces. Disguising his spells with the
•Advantages: trappings of voodoo, he used his fnagic to commit
Connections: Organized Crime (High), murders, thereby gaining a fearsome notoriety in the
Street (Low); Scholar (Voodoo) islands. Despite his familiarity with the ways of
•Magic Rituals: magic, he sti II maintained a taste for material
Baron Sunday frequently employs several wealth. He came to the United States because that
magic rituals (see the Character Handbook, was where the big money was.
pages 60-6 1), derived from his studies of A series of contract killings brought the Baron to
voodoo magic: Metropolis, where he settled in the luxury of a
-Death Ritual Fenton Place townhouse.
Effect: Causes victim to be frightened to The strange, clueless nature of the murders he
death (Phobia: 10, Killing Combat) committed drew the attention of the Special Crimes
Casting Time: One hour {10 APs) Unit. Within a month, five men were dead, and
Necessary Components: Cloth, hair or Superman became involved in one of the
another fragment belonging to the victim; investigations.
straw formed into a doll in the victim's Learning of Superman's interest in the murders,
image; a silver pin never touched by underworld informer Joey Medero passed the
human hands word along to Sunday. The Baron recognized
-Mystic Sphere Superman as a potential source of trouble and
Effect: Creates bands of mystic energy that immediately set out to eliminate him. Procuring a
can be used to crush a victim to death tattered piece of fabric from one of Superman's
(Force Manipulation: 8) capes, Sunday created an effigy of the Man of
Casting Time: Instantaneous (0 APs) Steel and bided his time. I
Necessary Components: None, but certain It was about this time that an alien alliance began
mystic gestures must be made an invasion of Earth.2 When a squad of Thanagarian
-Zombie Ritual Wingmen launched an attack on Metropolis as part
Effect: Causes a victim to appear dead, then of the invasion, Superman sprang to the city's
turns him into a "zombie" under Baron defense. Watching the battle on television, Sunday
Sunday's mental control (Control: 12) took advantage of Superman's preoccupation with
Casting Time: One week ( 18 APs) the Wingmen to launch his mystic attack. Stricken
Necessary Components: None, but certain both physically and mystically, Superman plunged
mystic gestures must be made from the skies, through the pavement, and into the
•Alter Ego: Unknown storm sewers under Metropolis. For a while, the
•Motivation: Mercenary Man of Steel was missing and feared dead.
•Occupation: Contract Killer Superman, of course, still lived. At the time of the
•Wealth: 8 Baron's attack, he had been suffering from a split
•Height: 6'2" •Weight: 170 lbs. personality, brought on by an encounter with
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Black Brainiac (see page 67-69). Because of this
•Quote: "I can be a merciful man. I will grant temporary disorder, Superman had been going out at
you a quick death . . . if you beg for it!" night in the guise of Gangbuster. After this latest
(Superman #26) attack, the groggy Man of Steel made his way
through the sewers to a remote hideaway where he
again donned the uniform of Gangbuster. So attired,
he scoured underworld hangouts, searching for
information about the source of the voodoo murders.

Superman's Enemies 61
 BARRAGE
A tip led the troubled hero to Joey Medero, and an l>t\ � s "' � B"tn �
intimidated Medero led him to Baron Sunday. l '. t � \\it t � \11'-t> �
Breaking in on the Baron, the ersatz Gangbuster I" I � \I ,, ' � s I'll;! I �
was met and held by Sunday's mystic spells. But 1'-'11 \II\ I h I ll 1!11;" 1'1>1'-l� I:'
the spells woven by the Baron were not strong •Equipment:
enough to defeat the disguised Superman. Breaking EXOSKELETON [DEx: 6, STR: 8, BODY: 8,
free from S u n d a y ' s m y s t i c bonds, the hero AV: 6, EV: 6, R#: 3]
captured the surprised magician and left him for •Alter Ego: Unknown
the police, bound and gagged, before slipping off •Motivation: Mercenary
into the night. 3 •Occupation: Small-time Crook
Tried and convicted, B aron Sunday was •Wealth: I
incarcerated in the maximum security prison on •Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 160 lbs.
Stryker's Island, in the middle of Metropolis' West •Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown
River. There, he slowly recovered from the shock of •Quote: "Take a hike, you morons! Barrage is
his first major defeat, gathering his strength. back in town . . . and I don't like waiting in
Finally, Sunday silently struck again, this time long Jines!" (Superman #49)
apparently killing six fellow inmates who had given
him trouble. But the six convicts were not really
dead; the Baron had, by mystic means, taken his
revenge upon them, placing them all into comas so BACKGROUND
deep that they were believed dead. After the six No one knows where Barrage got the exoskeleton
were transported to the city morgue for examination, body armor or its weaponry, but it is a good bet that
they all arose from their slabs like zombies. Under he did not design it himself.
Sunday's mental domination, they broke out of the During his first recorded outing, Barrage was
morgue and set out to procure a boat in preparation holding up a small retail store when he was
for freeing their new master. Again, Superman confronted by the Metropolis Police Department's
entered the picture, stopping the zombies with an Special Crimes Unit. Using his suit's built-in cannon,
electrical shock that returned them to normal and he fired a blast that left Inspector Dan Turpin
caused a kind of mental feedback, rendering the seriously injured. Captain Maggie Sawyer saw her
Baron catatonic.4 old friend gunned down and ordered immediate
Sunday remains in the hospital ward of retaliation. I The ensuing gunfire set off an explosive
Stryker's Island Prison, an immobile prisoner of charge in Barrage's cannon, destroying most of the
his own body. criminal's right arm. After a brief hospital stay,
Barrage was sentenced to a somewhat longer
PERSONALITY engagement as a guest of the state.
Baron Sunday is a cold, ruthless killer. Respectful Barrage later managed to escape and acquire a new
only of power, he is a basically amoral. person who suit of armor with a new blaster to replace his
cares only for his selfish interests. He loves comfort missing arm. He then foolishly held up a convenience
and luxury and considers killing a perfectly store and was again challenged by the S.C.U. Seeing
legitimate means of acquiring wealth. a chance to get his revenge on Captain Sawyer,
Barrage opened fire on the unit leader. Superman
ENDNOTES intercepted the blast, however, and quickly
I. Superman /120, 26
2. lm•asion! Ill apprehended the escaped felon.
3. Superman /126 While flying Barrage back to Stryker's Island, the
4. Action Comics 11665
Man of Steel was suddenly weakened by a joint
machination of Lex Luthor and Mr. Mxyzptlk (see
page 93-94). Superman abruptly lost the ability to fly,
and both he and Barrage fell into Metropolis harbor.
Taking advantage of his captor's dwindling strength,
Barrage was in the process of tackling Superman
underwater when he was fished out by none other Luthor's control, but the bio-matrix rejected
than Inspector Turpin. In desperation, Barrage Superman' s alien DNA and its cell structure began
pulled a small gun, but Turpin was quicker on the to crystalize. Realizing his failure, Luthor ordered
draw. 2 Barrage was subsequently disarmed and the "bizarre" creature destroyed.
returned to prison. The Duplicate was not destroyed, however. The
pseudo-Superman flew around Metropolis helping a
PERSONALITY broken down ambulance, saving a blind · and
Beneath that high-tech suit, Barrage is just another despairing Lucy Lane as she tried to jump out of her
petty criminal. His idea of a master crime is holding apartment window, and finally heading to the Daily
up a branch bank or knocking over a liquor store. Planet Building, disguised as a version of Clark Kent.
When Superman confronted his doppelganger,
ENDNOTES Bizarro attacked in full force. A powerful battle
I. Superman Annual #2
2. Superman #49
ensued between the two super-be ings until the
creature, seeing Lois Lane, captured her and flew off
to Lois's apartment where Lucy Lane waited on the
balcony.
BIZZARE IMPERFECT DUPLICATE
D1 \: 15 S i R: �5 Boll) : 1 -t
Lucy explained that after she was saved by
"Superman," her vision partially returned. Upon
l '- 1 : I \\111: � �11'-ll: <J
l '- 1 1 : 3 .\lR\: 2 Si'!Ri i : lJ
further exposure to the Duplicate her sight continued

I ' 1 1 1 ' 1 1 \ 1 : ·' ' 111 1w Po 1' 1 s: X5

to improve. In a final confrontation, the Duplicate
and Superman collided at full speed. The Duplicate
•Powers:
disintergrated in a cloud of dust which covered Lucy
Directional Hearing: 8; Extended Hearing: 8;
Flight: 1 5 ; Microscopic Vision: 1 5 ; Heat Lane and allowed her to see clearly once again. I

Vision: 1 5 ; Invulnerability: 22; Sealed

PERSONALITY
Systems: 1 1 ; Super Breath: 1 2 ; Super
Although it seems to have little mind of its own,
Hearing: 8; Superspeed: 14; Thermal Vision:
the Duplicate showed a range of strong emotions
13; Systemic Antidote: 18; Telescopic Vision:
during its short existence, including love for Lois
13; X-Ray Vision: 1 3
Lane, anger towards Superman, and possibly even
•Drawbacks:
compassion towards Lucy Lane, sacrificing its own
Strange Appearance; Serious Physical
warped existence for her. The Duplicate seemed to
Restriction: Bizarro cannot speak; Serious
have some instinctive memories based on
Psychological Instability: Bizarro is easily
Superman s causing him to act as Superman would
confused.
•Alter Ego: None
under different circumstanef {>-;:�uch as saving lives if
possible, and tttking an identity as a pseudo-Clark
•Motivation: Nihilist/ Upholding the Good
Kent. The Duplicate acted adversly towar<f his
•Occupation: None
double, Superman, and attacked him vio1ently
•Wealth: 0
without provocapop.
•Height: 6'3" •Weight: 225 lbs.
•Eyes: Yellow •Hair: Black
I. Man o
f-Steel #5
•Quote: "RRAHHR! !" (Man ofSteel #5)

BACKGROUND
The Duplicate was another i n the line o f
creations designed by L e x Luthor t o defeat
Superman. Luthor and his assistant, Dr. Teng, used
information they had gathered on the Man of Steel
during a previous encounter to develop a )�­
matrix that would replicate his cell structure. From
this they created a second Superman, one under

Superman's Enemies 63
BLAZE
J)j \ - sII� 'i B()JJi - 1880s, when she tempted and beguiled the British
hI l) \\ I I I - \Ji'-1>. - physician Aleister Hook (see Skyhook page 1 03-
h11 Ill \I J; , - Si'lkll. - 104). 1 Blaze has at times bestowed certain mystic
h i l l \ l l \ l 21l ll ikll l'(>!'\1'> -+'i powers on a select few of her captive souls, but
•Powers: whatever power they might enjoy, they remain her
Mystic Link (Chameleon): 8, helpless pawns.
Dimension Travel: 10, Sorcery: 13 Recently, Blaze manifested herself in human form
•Skills: in the city of Metropolis. Using the name Angelica
Occultist: I0 Blaze, she gained title to the abandoned and
•Advantages; deconsecrated St. Christopher's Church, which had
Attractive (as Angelica only); Connections: already become an earthly nexus for her power
Hell (Low), Street (High); Scholar through her manipulation of Skyhook. As Angelica,
(Damnation) she converted the church into a hard-rock nightclub
•Drawbacks: and began using it as a base from which she intended
Catastrophic Rage; to corrupt the entire world.2 Jerry White, the son of
Strange Appearance (as Blaze only) Daily Planet editor Perry White, applied for a job at
•Alter Ego: Angelica Blaze the club and soon fell under Blaze's influence.
•Motivation: Nihilist Through her machinations, Jerry became involved in
•Occupation: Demon drug trafficking and was set up to be shot by
•Wealth: 7 Intergang gunmen. Jerry's friend Jimmy Olsen
•Height: Variable •Weight: Variable attempted to intervene, and both young men were
•Eyes: Variable •Hair: Variable shot and seriously wounded. As they lost
•Quote: " I do love to see a strong spirit consciousness, Blaze seized their souls and spirited
crushed!" (Superman #47) them away to her netherworld) On Earth, their
mortal bodies were rushed to Metropolis General
Hospital, but their conditions worsened and both
BACKGROUND hovered near death.
Blaze is a demonic entity of great
supernatural might who claims to be
the supreme and absolute ruler of an
extradimensional netherworld.
Although there has not yet appeared
any evidence to the contrary, Blaze is
also, by her own admission, "the eternal
deceiver," so the full truth of any of her
claims may be questionable. However,
within the confines of her dimension, her
power does appear to be virtually
limitless. The very substance of that
realm is hers to control. Blaze can animate
the rock and lava of her domain, and those
mortals who fall victim t o her power
become her pawns, tortured souls bound to
do her bidding. Blaze is also capable of
transporting herself between dimensions
and altering her size and appearance,
seemingly at will.
While little is yet known of Blaze's origins,
she is apparently very old. The earliest verified
case of her corruptive influence dates to the late
 BLINDSPOT
Aided by the mysterious Black Racer, I)j \ ' s II; ' B·Ill\ '
Superman entered the netherworld to rescue the hi � \\ i ' � \11'.11 '
young m e n ' s souls. Blaze instantly sensed the hi I � \ 1 � \ '1 �
Superman's presence and began to play with him, as hI I I I I I\ I II I I' j,II p,I' ' ' �
a cat would with a mouse. Beset by demons, unliving •Skills:
rock creatures, and a resurrected Skyhook, Superman Martial Artist: 5, Weaponry: 3
was sorely tested. It appeared that he might succumb •Advantages:
to Blaze's power, but he refused to surrender. After Connections: Street (Low), lntergang (High)
Jerry White sacrificed himself to keep Blaze from •Equipment:
consuming Jimmy's soul, Superman redoubled his JUMPSUIT [BODY: 3, Invisibility: 5, R#: 2]
efforts, rescuing Jimmy's soul and causing Blaze's Limitation: The OV/RV to detect a character
realm to erupt in a cataclysmic explosion.4 wearing the jumpsuit is decreased by - I
Just a few weeks later, Blaze again made her Column Shift whenever he is moving rather
influence felt in Metropolis when she sent the Silver than standing still.
Banshee ro kill Superman (see page 1 0 2 - 1 0 3 ) . •Alter Ego: Unknown
Superman eventually managed to counter the •Motivation: Mercenary
Banshee's attack, but was left with the knowledge •Occupation: lntergang Operative
that Blaze continues to work. her wiles against an •Wealth: I
unsuspecting humanity. 5 •Height: Unrevealed •Weight: Unrevealed
•Eyes: Unrevealed •Hair: Unrevealed
PERSONALITY •Quote: "Look over your shoulder all you want,
Blaze is a temptress who delights in corrupting
Chico . . . . remember, everybody's got a
mortal beings and stealing their psychic life essences,
Blindspot!" (Superman #44)
which some would call souls. She takes great delight
in toying with the emotions of her victims. Blaze is a
master of deception. BACKGROUND
The criminal known as Blindspot first made his
ENDNOTES presence known when he attempted to kidnap Daily
I. Superman #34, The name Blaze does not appear, nor s
i the
demon seen but only heard in this issue. Planet columnist Catherine Grant. Outfitted in a
2. Action Comics #655 light-bending jumpsuit that enabled him and anything
3. The Adventures ofSuperman #469
or anyone he grabbed to disappear into the
4. Action Comics #656, Superman #47, The Advelllures of
Superman #470, Superman's battle with Blaze appears in the
background, the Lntergang agent snuck up on Grant,
three-issue "Soul Search" storyline. her son Adam, and her bodyguard Jose Delgado (see
5. Action Comics #662 page 1 12-1 13) as the three of them left a theater.
Practically invisible, Blindspot captured Grant and
might very well have gotten away with her if it not
been for the timely intervention of Delgado. Jose
helped Cat and Adam escape to safety, and Superman
arrived on the scene, deactivating Blindspot's suit by
ripping out its power pack. I
Blindspot is currently in custody.

PERSONALITY
Your guess is as good as ours.

ENDNOTE
I. Superman #44

Superman's Enemies 65
¥ BLCHlDSPORT
l) I \ "' \ I I� l B<Jil\ l BACKGROUND
l '-. 1 . � \\ iii ) \li\11 � During the fmal years of America's involvement in
I'-. I I � \I ], I � \I )o 0 ;
the war in Vietnam, Robert DuBois received his
hlll\ll\1 I� 111 1'" 1'"1'- , 1 � Army induction notice. Although he had no particular
•Skills: moral opposition to the war, DuBois had no desire to
Martial Artist: 7, Weaponry: 7 risk his life, so he fled to Canada.
•Advantages: For reasons known only to himself, Michael
Connection: Lexcorp (Low) DuBois, Robert's younger brother, reported for
•Drawbacks: induction, passing himself off as Robert. Michael
Catastrophi<;: Rage; Catastrophic DuBois eventually wound up in Vietnam and
Psychological Instability returned home a quadruple amputee.
•Equipment: When Robert found out that his brother had lost
WEAPONS TRANSPORTER [BODY: 4, Bomb: his arms and legs while fighting in his place, he
12, Teleportation: 15, R#: 2] suffered a mental breakdown. In the years that
Limitations: Teleportation can only be used to followed, he was in and out of psychiatric hospitals
transport weapons from Bloodsport's hidden all over Canada. The Vietnam War became an
cache to his present location; Bomb can only obsession for Robert, and he began to fantasize an
be used to self-destruct the mechanism and existence in which he and his brother were
everything around it. constantly at war with the enemy.
Pistol [BODY: 4, EV: 5, Ammo: 8, Range: 4, Robert's case was ultimately discovered by a
R#: 2] man named Kimberly, who was working for
Bonus: This pistol has been specially industrialist Lex Luthor. Luthor sought a pawn
modified to fire kryptonite pellets. When used whom he could use to assassinate Superman. Under
against Superman, treat the gun as though it Kimberly's supervision, special operatives made
had an EV of 20. contact with Robert DuBois and, playing on his
Submachine Gun [BODY: 4, AV: 5, EV: 5, fixation with the war, began psychologically
Ammo: 5, Range: 5, R#: 3] conditioning him to see Superman as the enemy.
Grenades (x5) [BODY: 6, Bomb: 8, R#: 2] They equipped DuBois with an experimental device
Heavy Machine Gun [BODY: 4, AV: 8, EV: 8, that enabled him to teleport weapons to himself
Ammo: 12, Range: 8, R#: 3] from a weapons cache hidden at an undisclosed
Bazooka [BODY: 6, Bomb: 8, Ammo: 1, Range: location. His personal arsenal included rapid-firing
7,
R#: 2] sidearms, high-tech grenade launchers, bazookas,
Smoke Pellets (x2) [BODY: 1, Fog: 12] and a special gun that could shoot needle-like
•Alter Ego: Robert DuBois bullets made from Luthor's small sample of
•Motivation: Psychopath kryptonite. Kimberly then had DuBois released in
•Occupation: None the Metropolis area to carry out his mission.
•Wealth: 0 On the loose in Metropolis, Robert assumed the
•Height: 6'1" •Weight: 231 lbs. name Bloodsport and set out to lure Superman into
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Black the open. To that end, he began indiscriminately
•Quote: "Go climb your thumb, superhero! killing innocent people. Superman's young friend
You got in one hit! If we'd knuckled under Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane's sister Lucy narrowly
when Charlie did that, you'd be eatin' rice escaped with their lives when Bloodsport attacked a
cakes today!" (Superman #4) fast-food restaurant where they were eating.
Tracing Bloodsport to a Metropolis bowling alley,
Superman confronted the psychopath and was
seriously wounded by a kryptonite bullet. The Man of
Steel was saved from a certain death only when
Olsen arrived and managed to get the drop on
Bloodsport with one of the killer's own high-tech
weapons. B loodsport made a cautious retreat,
 BRAINIAC
covering his escape with a miniature gas grenade. I)I \ � " II� ' B·>I,, s
After emergency medical treatment to remove the k­ hr 1 1, \\ 11 1 I' \11'-1' I�
bullet, Superman again confronted Bloodsport, this -
I '\II s \ I I� \ ...,I'I" I I (\
time on the streets of Metropolis. Meanwhile, Luthor h I I I \ I I\ I �- I l l I�" I'"I'\I ' .:;II
had become aware of Bloodsport's murderous •Powers:
rampage. Outraged by the loss of life in what he Control: 10, Illusion: 20, Mental Blast: 16,
considered his city, Luthor sent a Team Luthor Mind Blast: 14, Personality Transfer: 7,
commando unit after the mad killer. Bloodsport, Spirit Travel: 12, Telekinesis: 1 5
unaware of his own connection to Luthor, tore into •Skills:
the unit. Superman, however, was able to disrupt Gadgetry: 9, Scientist: 8
Bloodsport's teleportation device, cutting off the •Advantages:
killer's supply line. Facing defeat at the hands of his Connections: Lcxcorp (High),
designated enemy, Bloodsport threatened to Colu (Low); Genius
detonate his teleporter's power pack and level 1 0 •Equipment:
square miles of Metropolis. STARSHIP lSTR: 15, Boov: 20, AV: 13,
Fortunately, Jimmy Olsen had spent the EV: 1 3 , Flight: 35, Sealed Systems: 25,
intervening time running down Bloodsport's true Radar Sense: 30, Force Field: I 0]
identity from an F.B.I. fingerprint check. J i m •Alter Ego: Vril Dox, Milton Fine
managed to locate Michael DuBois and bring him to •Motivation: Power Lust
the scene of the latest attack. There, confronted by his •Occupation: Scientist, would-be Conqueror
wheelchair-bound brother, the grief-stricken •Wealth: 10
Bloodsport suffered a second mental collapse. 1 •Note:
Robert DuBois is in custody. These statistics represent Brainiac's
abilities after his metamorphosis in Action
PERSONALITY Comics #649. Prior to that time, he had the
Bloodsport was a self-centered individual who attributes l i sted on page 76 of the
suffered such guilt over his brother's injuries that he Background/Roster Book.
became an obsessive/compulsive. •Height: 6'6" •Weight: 300 lbs.
•Eyes: Green •Hair: Blond
ENDNOTE •Quote: "Your surface thoughts have ever
!.Superman #4
been mine to read, Kryptonian! Only your
inner secrets have eluded me . . . " (Action
Comics #649)

BACKGROUND
For most of his adult life, Vril Dox was Scientist
Prime of the planet Colu, a world approximately
100,000 light-years from Earth. Colu's green­
skinned inhabitants were then ruled by an
artificial intelligence, whose
mobile units were dubbed
the Computer Tyrants by the
rare Coluan who rebelled
against them. Units monitored
and manipulated the native
population from cradle to grave,
subjecting most Coluans to an
electronic education that was little
more than brainwashing.

Superman's Enemies 61
 The Tyrants recognized Dox ' s genius in his funeral.
infancy and allowed him to reach adulthood without
the psychological conditioning applied to the
majority of Coluans. In return for retaining his free
will, Dox served the Tyrants as their chief of science consciousness fought the possession, a massive tumor
and technology. But as Dox's skill and knowledge developed in his brain. Dox, now in complete control
grew, so did his ambition. He began scheming to of the body, experienced excruciating pain from the
subvert his masters and become Colu 's supreme tumor. He stalked and killed several homeless men,
authority, but the Tyrants discovered his plan. After drawing off samples of their spinal fluid in hopes of
Dox's experimental teleponation apparatus proved developing a serum that would bring him relief. This
faulty, they pronounced him guilty of scientific reign of terror finally ended in a psychic struggle
failure and prepared to dispose of him. Dox was with Supennan, which left Brainiac comatose.5
subjected to his own flawed teleponer, and the atoms Unknown to either Superman or Brainiac, this
of his body were dispersed, but somehow, Dox's psychic encounter played on the guilt the Man of
mind managed to survive his disintegration. I Steel was suffering from perfonning his duty in the
Reaching out across the void of space, Dox 's execution of three super-criminals (see page 51-52).
consciousness made contact with the mind of Milton As a result, Supennan temporarily developed a split
Fine, a circus sideshow mentalist billed as the personality, and for a time he stalked the city streets
Amazing Brainiac. Dox discovered that Fine, unlike by night in the guise of Gangbuster.6
others of his profession, actually possessed latent Industrialist Lex Luthor arranged for Fine to
mental powers. Slowly, Dox began to possess Fine's undergo an operation to remove the tumor,7 but the
mind. As Dox's hold strengthened, Fine experienced surgery involved much more than the removal of
excruciating headaches, and his powers began to dangerous tissue. Seeing Brainiac as a powerful tool
awaken. This release of mental energies seemed to to use against Superman, Luthor saw to it that the
transfer Fine's pain to the Kryptonian brain of Clark tumor was replaced with a special bionic implant that
Kent, who happened to be nearby at the circus. Kent would boost Fine's mental powers. In one respect,
assumed his identity as Supennan and sought out the the operation was a success: Brainiac's telepathic and
source of his pain, locating Fine just as Dox took psychokinetic powers increased significantly, and he
complete control of the mentalist. In possession of discovered that he could generate his own force field
the body, Dox found he could levitate himself and by sheer will. However, the last vestiges of Milton
other objects. Intoxicated by this power, Dox Fine's mind vanished with the tumor's removal, and
attacked Supennan, assuming the name Brainiac for Brainiac soon turned the tables on Luthor, assuming
the first time. With the aid of Fine's common law control of Lexcorp. By making himself Lex's silent
wife, Janet Jones, Superman was finally able to partner, Brainiac ran Lexcorp's business for many
render Brainiac unconscious.2 weeks, and Luthor could only rage impotently.8
The authorities thought Fine's story of alien Brainiac then had a chance encounter with
possession was a psychotic fantasy, and he was Supennan while the latter was in his Gangbuster
confined to the psychiatric ward of Metropolis guise. Thinking himself up against an ordinary
General Hospital, drifting in and out of catatonia as human being, Brainiac was unprepared for the power
he tried to resist Dox's hold. 3 Following Jones' death and resistance he encountered, and he fell into a
in a traffic accident,4 Fine was allowed to attend her coma again. Luthor had him heavily sedated and
 t
law-enforcemen
tives Netw ork, a galactic
for Opera
research facility
to a specia l psionics organization.12 .l.O.N . on Earth
,
moved encoun tering the L.E.G
briefly an
further study.9 his
After planet Colu in
wasting away, but eyed to the
n body began Superman journ There , he
Brainiac's huma cs scout craft.
ring the psioni
doned L.E.G .l.O.N . father,
e free and began explo aban murdering his
mind brok
. \ 0 Finally,
Brainiac nted the junior Dox from ged
his next move
preve ct, Brainiac mana
facility to plan his ath of the confli
scheme to save but in the afterm
to carry out a outer space once
again. 1 3
rejoined his body mind was
to escape into
failing, but his
al form was
life. His physic Lexcorp
cing several
stron g. Mentally entran
still himself, PERSONALITY
even Lutbor and totally ruthl
ess.
nicia ns and eventually ce highl y intelligent
tech to enhan Braini ac is
ized a team of
cybemeticists the rule of the
Brainiac organ Cadm us living under and observ ing
the top-secret From subjugate
thrall was sent into ed well how to
his body. A g Metallo, ter Tyrants, be learn
the cybor Compu as a new
the guidance
of ac sees himself
Project under schem e. to procure and domin ate others. Braini humans
bad enlisted in
his either Terran
whom Brainiac rearr ange the form, more advanced than
enate and life over
ials to rejuv and control
special mater ans. He considers power
n body. or Colu
Brainiac's huma to be his destin
y.
genetic matter of ment s, Brainiac other living things
inatio n of treat
From this comb structed
ever, his recon
powerful than
emerge d more
than that of any
normal ENDNOTES recounts his history
to
cally stronger #649. Brainiac
body now physi domi nate Action Comics
could mentally
I.
an. Now he Lelt Luthor.
human or Colu ut the #438
severa l people at once witho Th� Adventures
ofSuperman
mani pulat e these
2. an #441
and His hold on 3. The Adven
wres o f Superm
al electronics.
necessity of extern the numb er of 4. S11perman #20
with
varied inversely
#445
ofSuperman
thralls still 5. The Ad\·entures #26-7.
and the strength of their ofSuperman
#446-50. Superman
his contr ol 6. Th� Ad\•entures
isrevealed
people under to go ster
identity as Gangbu
enabled Brainiac Superman's dual
s. New bionic implants ofSuperman
#450.
mind wres
ter system. in The Ad\'en
any compu n #447
virtually 1. The Ad\·entures
of Superma
on line with iac's rebirth
too
n disco vered Brain 8. Superman #25
Su perma retr eated to the
iac 9. Superman 1133
it, and Brain #646
late to stop stars hip, there to 10. Superman
#35. Action Comics
e in a new
depth s of spac
#647-4 9
II. Action Comics
r. I I Annual #2
ue his search for powe ificati on 12. The Ad\'en
wr�s ofSup�rman
contin an ampl '90 Ill
ac employed 13. L£.GJ.O.N.
Annllal
Recently, Braini
device to project
s
his mind acros
space, wreak ing

havoc on the
Cadmus Project.
His apparent
motive for this
attack was to
taunt Superman
U,
and Vril Oox
Braini ac's own
son and the
leader of the
L.E.G .l.O.N.,
the Licensed
Extra­
Governmental
Interstellar es
69
Superman's Enemi
CERBERUS
Dt\ I() s II< .:'I
I BlI f)) I :' Superman first learned of Cerberus by his terrorist
1'1 :-; \\iii s " " ') s auacks on Lexcorp facilities that usually left cryptic
h11 � \lin I II St•tt-:11 · 10 messages burning in the sky. After disposing of an
1 ' 11 1 \ 1 1 \ 1 .::' ' I l l kiJ PI!" I <
' )(1(1 explosive device placed in an industrial park outside
*Note: Initiative changes with different heads Metropolis, he faced a cyborg sent by Cerberus whom
•Powers: Personality Transfer: 50, Telepathy: 6 he managed to subdue. As he took his prisoner into
•Limitations: Telepathy and Personality Transfer custody, however, the cyborg was vaporized by the
only work with his collection of heads (see Eradicator, which had returned in humanoid form. I
Equipment below). Cerberus then sent two more henchmen to terrorize
•Skills: Charisma (Intimidation): 1 1 the Lexcorp, Rorc, a cyborg, and Sergeant Belcher, an
•Advantages: Connections: Underworld (High) ex-army sergeant who spewed acid. Superman
•Drawbacks: Serious Irrational Attraction to managed to track these two to a warehouse and
collecting new heads, Strange Appearance. discovered during their confrontation that they went
2
•Equipment: *Linked unconscious when interrogated.
C.E.O. Head: [/NT: 10, WILL: 10, Telepathy: 6, Meanwhile, Cerberus went to collect his payment
Leadership, Scholar: Finance & Business] from Tattamalia. When the country was unable to pay,
Note: Each head's Telepathy is only functional Cerberus had it napalmed. Superman arrived in time to
for contact with the other heads. save most of the tiny country.
DRAGON LADY HEAD: [W1u: 15 , MIND: I1, After the Man of Steel foiled his plans, Cerberus sent
!NFL: 10, Telepathy: 6 , Charisma: 12, two more henchmen, Jolt and Blockhouse to kidnap Lois
Detective: 7 , Military Science: 8 , Leadership) Lane, reasoning that if she were taken, Superman would
HOMICIDAL MANIAC HEAD: [DEx: 16*, be sure to follow. When Superman managed to rescue
Telepathy: 6, Acrobatics:l6*, Martial Arts: Lois, Cerberus took more drastic actions. He procured
16*, Catastrophic Psychological Instability, the cyborg Metallo and altering him to certain
Catastrophic Rage] specifications, sent him to lure Superman into his trap.
MACHO MAN HEAD: [DEx: 14*, SrR: 23, /NT: But Superman found the location of Cerberu s '
4, WILL: 4 , MIND: 4, Telepathy: 6, headquarters much quicker than expected, and the
Weaponry: 14*, Martial Arts:
14*, Minor Rage] mercenary was not prepared. After braving the
PHYSICIST H E A D : (/NT: 1 4 * , Recall: 20, headquarters' defenses, Supern1an met Cerberus face to
Telepathy: 6, Scientist: 14*, Gadgetry: 14*) face and was repulsed by the villain's collection of
Energy Whip: Body: 8, Power Drain: 20 living heads, which Cerberus endangered with no hint of
Limitation: The whip only Drains the remorse. After a lengthy fight, in which the Man of Steel
opponent's STR. was distracted by Cerberus' head switching as well as
•Alter Ego: Unknown his abuse of the heads, the base was destroyed, leaving
•Motivation: Mercenary the origin and fate of this odd villain a mystery.3
•Occupation: Mercenary
•Wealth: 1 0 PERSONALITY
•Height: Variable •Weight: 200 lbs. Cerberus is a calculating and ruthless being of
•Hair: Variable •Eyes: Variable immense power whose personality changes with each
•Quote: "Superman has recently become an head he wears. With the Dragon Lady head, he i s
inconvenience..." (Superman: Man ofSteel #7) calculating and devious. She i s the planner and schemer.
The Physicist is the nonaggressive intellectual. The
BACKGROUND Macho Man is aggressive and unintelligent. He fights
Cerberus, named for the dog with three heads who with strength rather than tactics. The Homicidal Maniac
guards Hell, is one the most formidable of Superman's is just plain crazy and will fight with anything he can get
villains. The Man of Steel encountered this enigmatic his hands on. These, of course, are not the only heads he
villain when his organization (also called Cerberus) owns; he has many more. Without his armor, Cerberus'
was hired by the island country of Tattamalia to own face is on his chest and it appears to be demonic in
terrorize Lexcorp and force the corporation to pull its nature. He takes great pride in creating elaborate plots
holdings from the country. and does not take their being foiled lightly.
 CERBERUS' HENCHMEN:

JOLT
D1\: 6 S1fC I fl B<>In : I0 D1 \ : 10 Sil{: (, Botn (>
hi: -t \\/111: ) \li'-1>: -t I '\I: (1 \\Il l: ) \11'\1>. -f
hi I : 6 ,\lR\: � Si'll{ l l : -t l'\11 : (1 .\lin: � Si'IRil: -t
hill \il\1: �() Ill IW 1'< Jl'\ I \ ' -f() I'\ I ii\II\ I: �� Ill R<
l l'ol'\I \ : -f()
•Powers: Claws: 1 0 , Telescopic Vision: 6, •Powers: Flight: 8 , Telescopic Vision: 6,
ThennaJ Vision: 6, Systemic Antidote: 7 ThennaJ Vision: 6, Systemic Antidote: 7
•Bonuses: Claws: Rorc's left arm is a metal •Skills: Acrobatics: 14, Martial Arts: 8
crab-like claw. It can be used as a Grappling •Advantages: Connections: Underworld (Low)
Attack as well as a Sharp Edged Attack. •Drawbacks: Strange Appearance
•Skills: Military Science: 5 •Equipm�nt:
•Advantages: Connections: Underworld (Low) Energy Whip: Body: 8, Power Drain: 20 I

•Drawbacks: Minor Psychological Instability, Limitation: The whip only Drains the .......
...-.�·-.·
--·-··.
Strange Appearance opponent's STR. •
• •• •
•Motivation: Mercenary •Motivation: Mercenary • • • •
• • •
••• • •Occupation: Mercenary •Occupation: Mercenary • ••• •
• • •
•Wealth: 5 •Wealth: 5 • • • •
·=·=· • • •
• • • •Height: 6' •Weight: 180 lbs. •Height: 5'9" •Weight: 160 lbs. • • • •
• • • • •
•Hair: Brown •Eyes: One brown, one •Hair: Brown •Eyes: One blue, one • • • •
• • •
• • • mechanical (red) mechanical (white) • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • •Quote: "Groovy! An' now m'man, we're gonna •Quote: "Cerberus has very decisive ways of • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • show Metropolis that Cerberus has more than dealing with our enemies. The trick is to make • • • •
• • • • • • • •
one head!" (Superman: Man ofSteel #2) sure you don't become one of them." • • • •
• • •
• • • • (Superman: Man ofSteel #7) • • • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • • BELCHER BLOCKHOUSE • • • • •
• • • Dl\ (, SIR: �() B<>l>) I" • • • • •
t • • • D1\· -t StR: S B<H>): S • • • • •
• • • l'\1 -t \\Ill: ) 4 • • • • •
' . . .
hi: � \\'111 . ' \ll'\1> .t \11'\11
• • • • •
• • • l'\11 : -t AlR\: � 'il'll < l l � l'\1 1 -f \lR\' � 'il'll{ll -f • • • • •
' . . . • • • • •
• • • hill\ il \1 : I ( ) I l l [{( ) p, )I'\ I \ : -f() l'\l il \ il\1 1 -f llll<<l i'lll'\1\ -f() • • • • •
• • • • • • • • •
• • • •Powers: Acid Touch: 12, Flame Projection: 1 2 •Powers: Flight: 8, Invulnerability: 1 6 • • • • •
• • • • • • • • •
•Limitations: Belcher spews acid and flame •Advantages: Connections: Underworld (Low) • • • •
• • •
• • •
from his mouth only. •Drawbacks: Strange Appearance • • • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • •Skills: Military Science: 4 •Motivation: Thrill Seeker • • • • •
• • •
• • •Advantages: Connections: Underworld (Low) •Occupation: Mercenary • •

•Drawbacks: Catastrophic Psychological •Wealth: 5

Instability •Height: 6'2" •Weight: 240 lbs .

•Motivation: Nihilist •Hair: Blond •Eyes: Blue

•Occupation: Mercenary •Quote: "You sure I haven't died and gone to
•Wealth: 5 hell? I thought the villainous life was

•Height: 5'8" •Weight: 230 lbs. supposed to be exciting!" (Superman: Man of

•Hair: Blond •Eyes: Blue Steel #7)
•Quote: "I coulda been fryin Quraccis in the '

Gulf 'stead o ' skulkin' in alleys if them ENDNOTES:

I. Superman: Man ofSteel, #1
stinkin' pencil pushers hadn't section eighted
2. Superman: Man ofSteel, #2
me!" (Superman: Man ofSteel #2) 3. Superman: Man ofSteel, #13

Superman's Enemies 71
 THE CIRCLE
(Includes Charger, Concussion, Deuce,
Prana, and Zahara)

CHARGER DEUCE
Dl\ -l sIIC -l Bt ill) -l Dt\· " S t t<: � Botn . -l
l\1 � \\iii" -l \11\11 � hi: � \\iii -l \li\11 �
1\ II � \I I<\. -l S I'If(! I -l l\11 " � \IR\ -l St•lf<fl -l
hlll\11\1 IO lltk<d'tll\ 1 , �" 1\11 I\11\1. I I Illf{() I'<II\I" ;(I
•Powers: •Powers:
Chameleon: 5, Energy Absorption: 12, Chameleon: 5, Illusion: 13
Lightning: I 0 •Limitations:
•Bonuses: Miscellaneous: Deuce can only cast illusions
Miscellaneous: For each AP of electricity that that alter her targets' perceptions of her. For
Charger absorbs, he may add 1 AP to his instance, she may cast an illusion that makes it
Lightning Power. appear as though there are more than one of her
•Limitations: or that she has grown to a gargantuan height.
Power Restriction: Energy Absorption may •Advantages:
only be used to absorb electrical energy. Connections: The Circle (High), The
•Advantages: Fearsome Five (Low)
Connections: The Circle (High), The Fearsome •Alter Ego: Unknown
Five (Low) •Motivation: Responsibility of Power
•Alter Ego: Unknown •Occupation: Villain
•Motivation: Responsibility of Power •Wealth: Not Applicable
•Occupation: Villain •Height: 5'6" •Weight: 130 lbs.
•Wealth: Not Applicable •Eyes: Blue •Hair: Unknown
•Height: 6'2" •Weight: 170 lbs. •Quote: "Excellent - now I can enter your
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Unknown mind and rip it out." (The Adventures of
•Quote: "Just need me a little power charge an' I Superman #430)
can make a 'lectric chair turn green with
envy." (The Adventures ofSuperman #430)

CONCUSSION PRANA - deceased

Dt\ s sII<. .::o B<Ill) I' Dt\· � S ii< � Botn ;
l\1 � \\iii: -l \11\11 ' 1\t: 7 \\iii . -l \ll\11 l)
1\11. � \1 k\: -l St•ii<ll. -l l\11 : � \11n. -l Si'llm: \
1\ II I\ II\ I : 1-l IIiIW 1'<II \1 �: ;5 hlll\11\1: I ; lltlw Pol\ I\: 50
•Advantages: •Powers:
Connection: The Circle (High) Chameleon: 5, Mind Probe: 12
•Drawbacks: •Limitations:
Strange Appearance Miscellaneous: Prana suffers 4 RAPs of
•Alter Ego: Sthula Mental Killing Damage whenever he uses his
•Motivation: Responsibility of Power Mind Probe Power.
•Occupation: Villain •Advantages:
•Wealth: Not Applicable Connection: The Circle (High); Leadership
•Height: 7' •Weight: 325 lbs. •Alter Ego: Unknown
•Eyes: Gray •Hair: None •Motivation: Responsibility of Power
•Quote: "We are scorned, but we are the •Occupation: Leader of the Circle
superiors." (The Adventures ofSuperman #429) •Wealth: Not Applicable
•Height: 5'8" •Weight: 148 lbs.
•Eyes: Yellow •Hair: Unknown
•Quote: "I have to enter his mind . . . learn who
Superman truly is." ( The Adventures of
Superman #427)
ZAHARA
l>i \. ; SiR: ; B()il) ; Prana 's mate Zahara blamed Superman for her
hi. () \\iii. ' \li\i) 7 husband's death. Now viewing the Man of Steel a
l\l i ; .\ t t< \: 1 Si'll(i i : ; renegade from their group, Zahara demanded that the
hlli\11\ i : l� l liR(l P()i \ 1 \ . l:'i Circle eliminate him. Another member of the Circle,
•Powers: the massive Sthula, agreed to do that deed and,
Chameleon: 5, Mind Probe: 8 taking the name Concussion, set out to track down
•Advantages: his chosen prey. After much searching, Concussion
Connection: The Circle (High); Leadership finally found Superman and brutaJly attacked him.
•Alter Ego: Unknown Superman, however, was more than a match for his
•Motivation: Responsibility of Power opponent. Concussion was knocked out and handed
4
•Occupation: Leader of the Circle over to the Metropolis Police Department.
•Wealth: Not Applicable Not long 'afterward, two more members of the
•Height: 5'5" •Weight: 128 lbs. Circle assumed new identities as Deuce and Charger.
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Unknown Joining the group of super-criminals known as the
•Quote: "Superman - we prayed you were one Fearsome Five, they soon manipulated the group into
of us, but you are not." (The Adventures of a series of encounters with Superman, who ultimately
Superman #435) defeated them. Deuce and Charger subsequently
escaped from police custody.5
A disguised Charger later slipped into the
BACKGROUND Stryker's Island prison facility and helped
The Circle was a small group of super-beings Concussion escape. Once they had rejoined the
whose history remains confused and in question. Circle, Zahara admitted that she had been wrong to
Although their appearances would seem to indicate blame Superman for Prana's death, just as Prana had
that they were not all of the same species, the Circle been to mistake the hero for their Chosen One. She
claimed to be descendants of an ancient race that then declared that Earth no longer held a place for
predated humanity and remained superior to human them. Zahara convinced the Circle that they must
beings. At some time in the distant past, a member of seek out Superman and persuade him to help them
the Circle known only as the Chosen One left the achieve their destiny by taking the place of the
group, weakening its power. In legend, it was Chosen One. The Circle pooled its psychic strength,
foretold that the Chosen One would return to the channeling its energies through Zahara to reach
Circle one day and lead them to their destiny. ! Superman. Superman followed the psychic message
In recent years, a gray-skinned, cat-like being called to a Metropolis building secretly owned by the
Prana became the Circle's leader. Prana was Circle. Again, Superman found himself the victim of
convinced that it was the Circle's destiny to rule torturous hallucinations. Eventually, the images
Earth's inferior human race. To this end, he supplied faded and an apologetic Zahara appeared to him,
Qurac ' s President Marlo with super-weapons, begging for his assistance. Unsure of how to help,
weapons that the Quracis had used on terrorist Superman took Zahara's hand. The next instant, the
2 building was reduced to rubble, and the Circle was
missions to the United States. Presumably, Prana
6
hoped that this would further destabilize world order, gone from the face of the Earth.
easing the Circle's rise to power. Just who or what the members of the Circle
When Superman flew to Qurac, bent on ending these actually were remains a mystery.
terrorist activities, Prana sensed his coming and
believed him to be the Chosen One. Again and again, ENDNOTES
I. The Advemures ofSuperman #427, 435
Prana tried to merge his mind telepathically with
2. The Advemures ofSuperman #424-5. 427
Superman's, causing the Man of Steel to suffer 3. The Advemures ofSuperman #427
disorienting, debilitating hallucinations. This telepathic 4. The Ad1·emures ofSuperman #429
5. The Ad1•emures ofSuperman #430
contact proved to be too much for Prana's weaker
6. TheAdvemures ofSuperman #435
mind, and he succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage.3

Superman's Enemies 73
lf DEATH-RITE
I>1 \ I� \'' I- H' 'I,, I� Krypton ian's head. Sensing the power of h i s
"' � \\ ' � \1''.,1 .:; opponent, Superman tried to reason with Draaga,
I,, ' l \ "' ; \I II, I -1 suggesting that they join forces to liberate the other
hl l l \ 1 1 1 1 �' 1 111,11 1'"" ' ' ll" gladiators and depose Mongul. Draaga acknowledged
•Skills: Mongul's cruelty but felt honor-bound to obey him,

�artiru Astist: 1 5 , VVeaponry: 12 and so he responded by striking Superman a mighty

•Advantages: blow. Superman came close to being defeated by
Connections: VVarworld (lligh), Draaga, but he refused to give up and ultimately
K'Raamdyn (Low); Lightning Reflexes knocked out the champion. Again, he refused to kill
•Drawbacks: his opponent, this time openly challenging Mongul to
4
Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to face him in combat. Furious, the tyrant fought
killing Superman in combat; Superman and battered him into unconsciousness. But
�inor Rage; Strange Appearance to his dismay, Mongul found that his blows had failed
•Equipment: to kill the disobedient gladiator.
AR�OR [Body: 1 5 ] Mongul had Superman and the revived Draaga
•Alter Ego: Draaga removed to an internment chamber, where he planned
•Motivation: Nihilist to administer death by torture. Superman broke free
•Occupation: former Gladiator of his bonds and briefly overcame Mongul, saving

•Wealth: 3 Draaga's life in the process. Finally, Mongul

•Height: 7'2" •Weight: 500 lbs. attempted to disintegrate Superman, but as he fired a
•Eyes: Black •Hair: Black killing blast, his intended victim was teleported to
•Quote: "You cheated me of my death-right . . . safety by an ruien Cleric.5
you owe m e a return match - t o the death!" Meanwhile, revolution broke out on �ongul's vast
(Superman #42) VVarworld colony ship in response to Mongul's
inability to kill Superman in combat. The artificial
world's Council of Overseers withdrew support from
Mongul, choosing Draaga to be their figurehead

BACKGROUND leader. Draaga 's first command from the Council

Draaga was originally a soldier of a world was to eliminate Mongul. Draaga tracked the

conquered by the interstellar warlord Mongul (see deposed warlord to the arena planetoid and nearly

page 92-93. Under Mongul ' s rule, the greatest defeated him. Seriously injured, Mongul was forced
6
warriors of each conquered world were interned on a to flee for his life.

desolate planetoid to train as gladiators and to fight Even with Mongul's overthrow, Draaga still felt

to the death for the entertainment of their new dishonored by his battle with Superman. At the first

emperor and his subjects. I Humbled by Mongul's opportunity, he left VVarworld and began to search for

armies, Draaga performed as ordered._ In time, he Superman, determined to undergo his race's death

rose to become the champion of the tyrant' s Great rite: to hunt down his foe and fight to the death, even

Games, a ranking that he held for many years. at the cost of his own life. Draaga recovered pieces of

One day, a slave ship of Mongul's detected and one of Superman's discarded uniforms, which he

retrieved a humanoid body drifting in space, which wore as a totem of the being that his honor demanded

turned out to be Superman. Although weakened he vanquish. He ruso found evidence that Superman

from lack of oxygen, the Man of Steel yet lived. He had returned to Earth. Finally, on a remote world,

was transported to the arena planetoid, there to be Draaga found an alien transportation speciruist named

entered in the gladiatorial games.2 Even with his K'Raamdyn, who agreed to take him to Earth.7

strength at a low ebb, Superman defeated h i s Landing in New York City's Times Square, Draaga

opponents i n round after round of the Games. His attracted the attention of both the media and

continuing refusal to deliver a killing blow aroused Superman. At that time, however, Superman was

the crowd and angered Mongul.3 under the influence of the ancient Kryptonian

The VVarlord pitted Draaga against Superman, Eradicator, which had numbed his emotional

commanding h i s champion to bring him the responses. In this state, Superman began to oblige
 DOCTOR STRATOS
Draaga's wishes and engaged him in a battle that Dl \ ; \ I I, � ll• 1(1\ ;
rag�d across New York Harbor to Liberty Island. An 1\1 .; \\ i l l � \l•'-1' ;
attempt by Professor Emil Hamilton to teleport the 1\I I ; \I 1; , I \1 11,I I �
combatants away from the island went awry in, h i l l I I II I II l li id l I'"'' I ' 411
transporting Draaga, Superman, K'Raamdyn, and the •Skills:
top half of the Statue of Liberty to the surface of the Gadgetry: 8, Scientist: 9
moon. There, Superman battered Draaga senseless •Advantages:
and nearly succeeded in delivering a killing blow Genius; Scholar (Computer Design,
before Hamilton managed to reverse his process and Meteorology)
return Superman to Earth. K'Raamdyn, fearing the •Drawbacks:
loss of income (Draaga still owed him money for his Serious Psychological Instability (Stratos
services), removed the incapacitated Draaga and believes that he is the offspring of Greek
8
himself from the solar system. Superman later came gods)
to his senses and worked to restore the Statue to its •Equipment:
9
original state. WEATHER CONTROL SATELLITE
The current whereabouts of Draaga is unknown, [BODY: 12, Weather Control: 20, R#: 2]
but if his previous actions are any indication, he will •Alter Ego: Constantine Stratos
not rest until he or Superman is dead. •Motivation: Power Lust
•Occupation: Computer Design Specialist
PERSONALin •Wealth: 9
· Draaga is a highly skilled warrior, well versed in
•Height: 6'6" •Weight: 250 lbs.
the use of a score of weapons. Although not as •Eyes: Red •Hair: Red
physically powerful as Superman at his peak, •Quote: " . . . I am a child of the gods - granted
Draaga's alien physiology makes him much stronger command over the forces of the weather
than the strongest human being, and his single­ itself." (The Adventures ofSuperman #431)
mindedness makes him a formidable threat.

ENDNOTES
I . Superman #32
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #4534 BACKGROUND
3. Action Comics Annual #2 Constantine Stratos was a foundling, abandoned
4. /bid, Superman #32
as an infant at the base of Mount Olympus in
5. Superman #32
6. The Adventures ofSuperman #455 Greece. A s he grew older, Stratos fell under the
7. Action Comics #650 delusion that he was descended from the ancient
8. Superman /142, The AdventureS, ofSuperman #465 Greek gods and that he himself would one day
9. Superman f43
achieve godhood.
Impatient to acquire the power he believed was
rightfully his, Stratos threw himself into a study of
the sciences. Finding that he possessed a talent for
computer work, he concentrated on that field,
eventually acquiring a doctorate in computer science.
Stratos was much in demand and used his knowledge
to build a considerable bankroll.
With his resources, he bought an island retreat in
the Aegean Sea and turned his attentions to his next
goal, control of the world's weather. He exhausted
much of his fortune hiring research scientists and
designing a massive satellite, which was
subsequently launched into orbit around the Earth.
With his satellite in place, Stratos began bombarding
the atmosphere with particle-beam transmissions that

Superman's Enemies 75
 THE EVIL FACTORY
(Includes Kryponite Man, Mokkari, Simyan, and
The Four-Armed Terror)

SIMYAN
drastically affected global weather patterns. After
Dl\: 2 S i R. I Ho1n : I
the first display of his handiwork, he phoned the
hi: 7 \\ii i: 7 \li,IJ: 2
White House and informed officials that he would
1'1 1 : 2 \l R\: 2 Si'IRII: 2
soon be making demands on the world.
1 ' 11 1 \ ll\ 1 . 1 1 ll ll« > l'oi' J s : 25
Learning of Doctor S tratos' part i n the
•Skills: *linked
unseasonable weather, Superman headed for his
Gadgetry: 7*
island to put things right. Along the way, the Man
•Advantages:
of Steel encountered a series of hurricane winds,
Connection: Dabney Donovan (Low);
tidal waves, and. �riving ice storms, which proved
Scholar (Genetic Engineering)
taxi�g even for him. The unstable Stratos finally
•Drawbacks:
adjusted his satellite to lock onto Superman and
Serious Physical Restriction (2 feet tall);
unleash a particle-beam barrage, not realizing that
Strange Appearance
the hero was heading directly toward his retreat.
•Motivation: Power Lust
Superman arrived just instants ahead of the
•Occupation: Geneticist
devastating barrage. He bore the brunt of the blast
•Wealth: 6
and was too exhausted to save Stratos from the
•Height: 23.5" •Weight: 26 lbs.
edge of the beam. His clothing set ablaze, Stratos
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black
dove into the sea and disappeared from sight.
•Quote: "Indeed, after many attempts, we are
Superman dismantled Stratos' castle laboratory and
proud parents!" (Superman #43)
the satellite but could not find their creator's body.
Days later, Stratos washed up along a rocky
Aegean shore, raving that the power he had desired
MOKKARI
now resided within him and that he had at long last
DI\: 2 SIR: I Ho1n : I
achieved godhood. I Nothing more has been heard
hi: 7 \\'iii: 7 \li'IJ: 2
from him since.
'"I: 2 .\lR\: 2 Si'IRII: 2
''11 1\11\1: I I IIIRO I'OI' I -<
' 25
PERSONALITY
•Skills: *linked
Constantine Stratos was a brilliant, if deluded
Gadgetry: 7*
man who thought of humanity as little more than
•Advantages:
potential servants. ·s quest for godhood proved to
Connection: Dabney Donovan (Low);
be his undoing. --1\.
}� Scholar (Genetic Engineering)

ENDNOTE •Drawbacks:
Serious Physical Restriction (2 feet tall);
Strange Appearance
•Motivation: Power Lust
•Occupation: Geneticist
•Wealth: 6
•Height: 27" •Weight: 24 lbs.
•Eyes: Yellow •Hair: None
•Quote: "We are no more than midwives to
this clone. The progeny belongs to
Superman!" (Superman #43)
THE FOUR-ARMED TERROR KRYPTONITE MAN
Dl \: 7 sIR: II H<lll) : l) Dl\: l.'i sIR: .'i B!Jil); IX
l'-1: I \\111: I \ll'-1>: I 1'-1: -+ \\'iii: ' \11'-l>: . _l
hi!: I .\li<\: 2 Si'IR II: X 1'-1 I: 2 .\1 R\: ' Si'il<ll: X
l'-111\ 1 1 \1 : I I l l llw Pol ' 1 s: 20 I' II 1\ II \1 : ' I IIIIW P< ) I" s: .'i ()
•Powers: •Powers:
Extra Limb (x2): I I Directional Hearing: 8, Extended Hearing: 8,
•Advantages: Flight: 15, Heat Vision: 15, Invulnerability:
Miscellaneous: The Terror gives off radiation �
22, M croscopic Vision: 15, Sealed Systems:
that affects Superman in a way that is similar 1 1 , Super Breath: 1 2 , Super Hearing: 8,
to the effects of kryptonite but is more like an Superspeed: 1 0 , Systemic Antidote: 18,
allergic reaction. In game terms, treat it as Telescopic Vision: 1 3 , Thermal Vision: 1 3 ,
Poison Touch: 1 2 , with the Man of Steel's X-Ray Vision: 1 3
OV/RV affected as though he were under the •Drawbacks:
influence of kryptonite (see page 24-25). Fatal Vulnerability: kryptonite, range of 2
Normal humans are immune to this affect. APs; Loss Vulnerability: magic, range of 0
•Drawbacks: APs; Loss Vulnerability: lack of yellow sun
Strange Appearance radiation, range of 0 APs
•Motivation: Nihilist All of the Kryptonite Man's Loss
•Occupation: Not Applicable Vulnerabilities affect all of his Attributes and
•Wealth: Not Applicable Powers.
•Height: 8' •Weight: 450 lbs. •Alter Ego: Number Two
•Eyes: Red •Hair: None •Motivation: Unwanted Power
•Quote: "Aaaruk!" (Superman #40) •Occupation: Clone
•Wealth: 0
•Height: 6'3" •Weight: 225 lbs.
•Eyes: Green •Hair: Greenish
•Quote: "I am here to learn all about you. Then
you will have to die." (Superman #43)
EVIL FACTORY EQUIPMENT:
Z-Ray [BODY: 2, Dimension Travel
(Banjshment): 9, R#: 2]
Limitation: Dimension Travel can only be
used to send its targets to an otherdimensional
void (Travel Value: 6). This is the same void
that is occupied by the Exile named Husque
(see page 79).
Penetrator Beam [BODY: 2, Teleportation: 20,
R#: 2]
Surveillance Equipment: [BODY: 3 , Remote
Sensing: 25, Telepathy: 25, R#: 2]
Limitations: Remote Sensing can only pick
up audio and visual information; Telepathy
can only be used to communicate with Evil
Factory clones and genetic creations.

Superman's Enemies 77
BACKGROUND Olsen arrived. Mistaking young Olsen for one of his
Simyan and Mokkari were miniature DNAliens father's clones, the Terror was momentarily
created by geneticist Dabney Donovan, one of the confused, as were Simyan and Mokkari, who had
founders of the top-secret Cadmus Project. Following been observing the battle through the minicam units
Donovan's apparent suicide, they escaped from the of their Gatherers. Deciding that the Gatherers had
Project and fled the United States, finally settling collected enough tissue samples, they retrieved their
near the shores of Loch Trevor in the Scottish creations with their Penetrator Beam.
Highlands. It was there that Simyan and Mokkari Simyan and Mokkari took the samples of
decided to carry on Donovan's work. Superman' s cells, collected during the battle by the
With the knowledge that they had acquired from tiny Gatherers, and grew a clone of Superman. Due to
their creator, they built an underground installation a radiation imbalance in the growing cells, the clone
that Mokkari coyly dubbed "the Evil Factory." developed a greenish skin tone but seemed to possess
Experimenting with cellular stock taken from the the same amazing powers as Superman. Sirnyan and
local fauna as well as from a few unfortunate passers­ Mokkari transported the "Kryptonite Man" to
by, they began creating a number of bizarre creatures, Metropolis, blithely ordering it to learn all it could
including a squad of Neanderthal-like guards, a about Superman and then kill him. Even as the clone
gigantic aquatic serpent, and an actual living griffin. set about accomplishing its task, the Evil Factory
While Simyan and Mokkari were in the midst of came under attack from a Cadmus Project aircraft
growing their astounding creations, they were tracked manned by the Guardian and Jimmy Olsen.
down by Commander James Jacob Olsen (the father In their search for Sarah Olsen, the Guardian and
o f Jimmy Olsen), who was then the federal Jimmy had stumbled across Simyan and Mokkari 's
government's military liaison to the Cadmus Project. hidden base. The tiny geneticists immediately sprang
Olsen had been assigned to locate and recover the to the defense, unleashing their giant serpent and
escapees and return them to the Project. But Simyan griffin to attack the aircraft. As Jimmy and the
and Mokkari turned the tables on the commander, Guardian countered these measures, Simyan and
capturing him and using him as raw material for Mokkari panicked and recalled their super-clone.
further creations. They created a number of clones of Unfortunately, Superman was also caught up in the
Olsen, which they subsequently sent out into the focus of the Penetrator Beam. As a result, the clone
world on errands. was knocked into an interdimensional void, while
Years later, Olsen's wife, Sarah, believing that her Superman was transported to Scotland. There, he
long-missing husband had been sighted in London, joined Jimmy and the Guardian in defeating Simyan
went to England to find him. Encountering one of and Mokkari's defenders. In the ensuing confusion,
Olsen's clones, she was taken captive and imprisoned Sarah was rescued, the Evil Factory was destroyed,
in the Evil Factory. and Simyan and Mokkari joined the Kryptonite Man
Meanwhile, Simyan and Mokkari had grown in the void. l
weary of experimenting with local gene samples.
They hatched a plan that would provide them PERSONALITIES
w i t h n e w g e n e t i c s t o c k and a l l o w them t o Despite their size, Simyan and Mokkari both
exercise their desire to wreak h a v o c i n t h e possess astounding intellects. Unfortunately, like
Cadmus Project's base city. To that end, Simyan their creator, they are totally lacking in scruples,
an<:! Mokka,ri created a m a s s i v e four-armed morals, or ethics. The Kryptonite Man has a
humanoid that they called the Terror and a rudimentary intelligence but lacks the experience
cluster of insect-sized humanoid cell-gatherers, needed to use his powers effectively. The Evil
transporting them into downtown Metropolis. Factory's other genetic creations are purely mindless,
As the Terror began his rampage through the city, following the orders of their creators without
Superman attempted to subdue the creature. But even question.
the Man of Steel was badly beaten by the Terror's
bludgeoning fists and a mysterious allergic reaction ENDNOTE
I. Superman 39-40, 43, some ofthe history of Project Cadmus,
to the radiation the creature emitted. The four-armed
Simyan and Mokkari is told to Jimmy Olen
s by a clone of
monster had Superman on the ropes when Jimmy Commander Olsen.
 THE EXILES
(Includes The Emperor, Tehra and Husque)

THE EMPEROR - deceased HUSQUE

I)J \ h ..., I, l B· •II\ � Ill \ ; \ 1 1. 11 B''''\ .11

l'\1 - \\ il l " \ 11'\,, ,, hI l \\ I � \ I I'\ ) �

I '\I I l \I J, I " ...,, Jl, II -< hi l _' \ " ; \111,11 _'

hill I II\ I J- I J 1 1; 1 1 J't1J'\ I ' 411 h ll l \ 11\ l II I J , I,I I I'"" ' ' �I I

•Skills: •Powers:
Gadgetry: 7, Scien�ist: 9 Animate Objects: 1 5, Comprehend

•Advantages: Languages: 10
Connection: The Exiles (High); Genius •Skills:
•Drawbacks: Martial Artist: 5
Serious Physical Restriction (paralyzed legs) •Limitatiolts:
•Equipment: Miscellaneous: Husque's Comprehend
I
Languages Power is used to make others
"--e•l
THRONE [BODY: 6, AV: 7, EV: 1 1, Flight: 5,
R#: 2] understand the Exiles' language, and he must r-.�
·-,.
• • •
•Alter Ego: Unknown, occupied body of Henry touch them to impart this understanding. • • • •
Kanfeld •Advantages: • ••••
•
• • ••
•Motivation: Power Lust Connection: The Exiles (High); • • • •
• • •
•Occupation: Emperor •Drawbacks: • • • •
Forced Exile (Husque's body is stranded in an • • •
•Wealth: I I • • • •
•Height: 6' •Weight: 200 lbs. interdimensional void (fravel Value: 6) and can • • •
• • • •
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Red only be freed by displacing it with that of • • • •
• • • •
•Quote: "I want him killed and taken for another being.) • • • •
• • • •
matrix-scanning! I will be melded with •Motivation: Responsibility of Power • • • •
•Occupation: Imperial Agent • • • • •
his powerful form!" (Adventures of • • • •
•Wealth: 4 • • • • •
Superman #443) • • • •
•Height: 7'4" •Weight: 375 lbs. • • • • •
• • • •
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Unknown • • • • •
• • • •
• • •Quote: "I am not supposed to be here . . . " • • • • •
• •
• • TEHRA (Superman #38) •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

1>1 \ .
• • • • • •
• •
; S J I< � B1>1>\ ;
• • • • •
• • hi � \\ il l � \11\ll � • • • •
• • • • • • •
• • hi l � \! !; \ ; \i'll" l � BACKGROUND • • • •
• • • • • •
• • l'\1 1 1 \ l l \ l lJ I IJJ;t i l'l l l ' \ l ' �II The beings known as the Exiles came to Earth from • • • •

•Powers: beyond the stars during the reign of the Egyptian • • • • •

•
Teleportation: 12, Dimension Travel: 7 Pharaoh Seti. For a while, they lived in peace with

•Limitations: the Pharaoh's people. The Pharaoh's eldest son in

Dimension Travel may only be used to travel particular took to the newcomers and enjoyed flying

between Earth's dimension and the Exiles' about in their airships. Tragically, the young man

dimension (Travel Value: 6). became careless and perished in a midair collision.

•Advantages: The Elders among the newcomers felt responsible for

Connection: The Exiles (High) the death of Seti's firstborn and felt that they must

•Motivation: Responsibility of Power atone. To that end, they directed their scientists to

•Occupation: Imperial Agent build a device by which �ey and their colony ship
•Wealth: 4 would be transported into an interdimensional realm.
•Height: 5'6" •Weight: 130 lbs. Thus did they enter their millennia-long exile.

•Eyes: Pale Blue •Hair: White Under a provision agreed to by the Elders, a
•Quote: "We were simply doing as we were dimensional bridge was created that would link the

told!" (The Adventures ofSuperman #443) Exiles with Earth for two days every I 00 years. In

Superman's Enemies 79
 way, th� oped to omtor the progress of their HOST
Terran friendS. But all they found on the ftrst centennial 1>1 \ Iii S l i<. �II B<HI\ I;

of their � re dozens of human bodies, left as a f\.r �� � � r \\ 1 1 'r l l l r \lr"\;1 '< l l l r

acrifice. Appalled at this loss of life, the Exiles' I 'II I I �I \ I I I I 'I I \I I ·� I I\I

scientist attempted to restore life to the bodies. Their I"\ I I I \ I 1\ I I' I ll "I) I'll1"\ I ' ( \ � I

�pts were unsuccessful, but in time they led to the

•Note:
discovery that an Exile's life force could be merged with The attributes in parentheses represent the

a human body, creating a new, more powerful being. combined abilities of the 500 H'v'ler'ni minds

The creation of these hybrid beings spawned a caste contained in Host's body. Host itself has no

system within Exile society, with the new beings Mystical Attributes and i s immune to

becoming the elite. As a result, riots broke out every 100 Character Interaction and Mystical Attacks.

years as lower caste Exiles sought to claim human Any such attacks must be made against the

bodies and gain membership in the elite. minds held in the robot's form.

Finally, one of the Exiles developed a plan to •Powers:

circumvent the dimensional bridge. For devising this Right: 12, Heat Vision: 18,

plan, he was made Emperor of his people. He Personality Transfer: lO

immediately used the melding process to claim the body •Limitations:

of Henry Kanfeld, an American journalist left for dead Power Restriction: Personality Transfer may

in a Mideast desert. Gaining great power, the Emperor only be used to place the consciousness of a

declared himself above even the elite. The Emperor sent H'v'ler'ni into a human host.

a young Exile named Tehra to Earth to procure more •Drawbacks:

subjects for the hybridization process. When she Miscellaneous: For every 20 or so H'v'ler'ni
returned with Jimmy Olsen in tow, Superman followed that are transferred into human bodies, Host

her through the dimensional vortex. Then the Exiles I AP each of STR and Heat Vision.
loses

imprisoned both Superman and Jimmy. •Motivation: Power Lust

Feeling betrayed by the Emperor, Tehra used her •Occupation: Robot
powers to reach the Man of Steel and appealed for his •Wealth: Not Applicable
help in stopping the tyrant. Superman was able to stop •Height: 15' •Weight: 20 tons
the Emperor, and Jimmy was saved from a merger with •Eyes: Red •Hair: Does Not Apply
the Emperor's son at considerable cost to Tehra's •Quote: "Registering reduced metabolic
brother, Husque. Tehra then returned Superman and functions. The primitive i s stunned."

Jimmy to Earth. 1 (Superman #6)

Some months later, Husque made mental contact with
Jimmy while Jimmy was being examined by Professor
Hamilton. A lightning strike affected the professor's
examination apparatus, creating a spatial warp that
BACKGROUND
transferred Husque to Earth and sent Jimmy into a
Host was a massive, nearly indestructible robotic
dimensional void. At first disoriented, Husque broke out
body constructed roughly 500,000 years ago to
of Hamilton' s lab and ran off into the city.
house the minds pf 500 citizens of the ancient city­
Husque took shelter for the night in the cab of a
state of A 'r'ven, which stood in a mountainous
construction crane, and when he was surprised by workers
region of what is now South America. A 'r'ven was
the next morning, he instinctively used his powers to
the home of the H'v'ler'ni, an advanced race of
animate the machine with his own life essence. This
beings who had achieved a high l e v e l of
incident drew the attention of Superman, who calmed the
civilization. While mankind's ancestors were still
confused Husque. With Professor Hamilton's aid, Husque
getting used to the idea of walking upright, the
was exchanged for Jimmy, and the young Exile returned
H'v'ler'ni already enjoyed a level of technology far
again to the void.2
beyond that of present day humanity. The mysteries

ENDNOTES of where the H'v'ler'ni came from and how they

I. The Adventures ofSuperman #443 managed to become so advanced remain unsolved.

2. Superman #38-9 There is one fact about which there is no doubt,
however: the H'v'ler'ni gathered up primitive With Clark temporarily removed as a threat,
humans to use as slaves. A'x'iar's mind took over Lane's body, and other
Living amidst the rarefied air of the Andes H ' v 'ler'ni took over Estevez and his party.
Mountains, isolated from much of the rest of the Regaining consciousness, Kent assumed his other
world, the H'v'ler'ni considered themselves the most identity as Superman and learned the story of the
perfect race ever to live on the Earth. They had H ' v 'ler'ni from A ' x 'iar. Unwilling to let the
developed what, by modern standards, would be H'v'ler'ni take over any more people, Superman
considered perfect physiques. A 'r'ven thrived for I0 began battling Host, forcing A'x'iar and her fellows
centuries as a bastion of the perfect society, and then to leave their new bodies and return to the robot
the plague struck. form. Lois and the others soon revived, no worse for
Within 10 days, 40,000 H'v'ler'ni died from the the experience. Host's power, meanwhile, increased
disease. The city's ruling Science Council soon proportionally to the number of minds it held. With
discovered that the H'v'ler'ni were being stricken by its power thus amplified, Superman had a difficult
germs carried by their primitive slaves. The slaves fight on his hands. He finally pretended to be
had built up an immunity to these germs long before, defeated, and when the many ambitious H'v'ler'ni
but the H'v'ler'ni had not. The masters immediately, minds in Host all tried to assume control of
heartlessly slaughtered all of their slaves, but fear of Superman's body at once, Host's transfer circuits
contagion remained in their hearts. experienced a massive overload. The resulting
It was the decision of the Science Council that explosion destroyed the robot body.2
the H'v'ler'ni should leave Earth to avoid further
infection, and so 20,000,000 of them were put into PERSONALITY
a state of suspended animation and were launched Host itself had no personality, per se. The 500
into space in great starships. But 500 H ' v'ler'ni H'v'ler'ni minds it contained were many and varied,
refused to abandon Earth. They stayed behind, but all were insufferably arrogant and narcissistic.
gathering under the leadership of an individual
named A ' x 'iar. The remaining H ' v ' l e r ' n i
I. Su�1 #6, A'x'iar explains 'the hislory of !he
constructed the gigantic Host and transferred their
H'v'ler'ni to Superman.
minds into its protective shell. It was A ' x ' iar's 2. Supumt��t 115�
plan that Host would monitor the development of
the primitive humans. When the primitives finally
achieved a level of technology comparable to that
of the H'v'ler'ni, Host would emerge from hiding
and transfer its resident minds into the b
mlies of
living humans. In this way the H 'v'ler•n -wou1d ?
acquire new, disease-resistant bodies and again
assume dominion over the world.!
At some point in the past, the Inca civilization
discovered Host's hidden chamber. Not liki g the
looks of their discovery, they sealed it , building a
pyramid structure of their own on the s1f
e.
In recent years, an archaeological team led by Dr.
Jorge Estevez uncovered the chamber. Daily Planet
reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent were there
covering the story when the enshrouded Host
suddenly carne to life, attacking the humans with
laser-like energy blasts. When a cave-in separated
{.
Kent and Host from the others, the reporter tried to r
subdue the robot with his amazing superpowers. But
Host proved to be so powerful, that it was actually
able to render Kent unconscious!

Superman's Enemies 81
 (Includes Morgan Edge, Bruno Mannheim),
"Wall Crawlers" and 'Heavy Metal' Shock Troops)

MORGAN EDGE BRUNO (UGLY) MANNHEIM

D1\ "' S11c ' B<ll>> ' Dl\ (l s II� -+ Bill)) -+
hi (> \\iii. -+ \li'\1> -+ )\.I
. 4 \\II I . (l \11 '\I1 4
)'\II. (> \1 R\. -+ Si'll�ll "' l'\11 : ' \i R\ '
· SI'IRI I " '
l'\1 1 1 \ 1 1 \ 1 17 I I I RIJ I'Ill'\ l'-.. 20 I'\Ill\ I I \I . I .;; Ill I{() P<)" "'. ' .;;
•Skills: •Skills:
Artist (Photographer): 3, Charisma: 8, Charisma (Intimidation, Interrogation): 7,
Weaponry: 5 Martial Anist: 5, Military Science: 5, Thief: 6,
•Advantages: · Vehicles: 6, Weaponry: 6
Connections: Galaxy Communications (High), •Advantages:
Intergang (High), DeSaad (Low); Connoisseur; Connections: Intergang (High), Galaxy
Gift of Gab; Leadership; Omni-Connection; Communications (High), Street (High);
Scholar (Broadcasting) Leadership; Scholar (Crime)
•Drawbacks: •Equipment:
Dark Secret (Connection to Intergang); Serious .45 A u tomatic [BODY: 4, EV: 5 , Ammo: 8,
Physical Restriction (Heart Strain) Range: 4, R#: 2)
•Motivation: Power Lust •Motivation: Power Lust
•Occupation: former CEO of Galaxy •Occupation: Head of Intergang
Communications •Wealth: 1 2
•Wealth: 17 •Height: 5' I I " •Weight: 235 1bs.
•Height: 6' 2" •Weight: 235 lbs. •Eyes: Gray •Hair: Black
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown •Quote: " . . . Edge may yet be valuable to us.
•Quote: "I reiterate, my fellow citizens: a safe We'll employ the kill option only if he tries
Metropolis is a Superman-free Metropolis." selling us out to save his skin!" (Action
(Superman #16) Comics #653)
'WALL CRAWLERS' 'HEAVY METAL' SHOCK TROOPS
D1 ': � S 1 R: -1 Be > I n : \ 1>1 ' : � S1R -1 Bot n · -I
I'- I · � \\III : � \
l t '-I> \ I 'I � \\III · ' \11' Il �
I"' � \tt<\. � St'll<tt � 1"1 � \lR\ � St•ll<ll �
l'-111\ll \ 1 : I I l l tt<c> l'c>l't� � h i l l \II\ I' I I llll<cd 'c>l ' l ' �
•Skills: *linked •Skills: *linked
Martial Artist: 5*, Weaponry: 5* Martial Artist: 5*, Vehicles: 5*, Weaponry: 5*
•Advantages: •Advantages:
Connection: Intergang (Low); Intensive Connection: Intergang (Low); Intensive
Training Training
•Equipment: •Equipment:
BODY ARMOR [STR: 5, BODY: 6, Flight: 8, BODY ARMOR [STR: 7, BODY: 8]
Cling: 4, R#: 2] Energy Truncheons [BODY: 4, AV: 6, EV: 6,
Laser Pistol [BODY: 4, AV: 5, EV: 5, Ammo: lO, Ammo: 10, Range: 6, R#: 2]
Range: 6, R#: 3] •Motivation: Mercenary
•Motivation: Mercenary •Occupation: Hired Muscle
•Occupation: Hired Muscle •Wealth: 5
•Wealth: 4 INTERGANG EQUIPMENT:
HOVERCRAFT [BODY: 10, AV: 7, E V : 7 ,
Flight: 1 3 , R#: 2]
MENTAL REPROGRAMMER [BODY: 5 ,
Hypnotism: 1 0 , R#: 3]
TURMOIL [DEX: 9, STR: 18, BODY: 13, INT: 1 ,
W ILL: 1 , MIND: l , INITIATIVE: 1 0 , Projectile
Weapons: 1 5 , Running: 7]
Miscellaneous Drawback: Turmoil's actions
are directed by remote control. If not given
commands that order it to cause destruction,
it will revert to its Apokolips programming
and run amok.

BACKGROUND
Intergang is a vast criminal organization
run in the manner of a major corporation,
complete with a board of directors, a chief
executive officer, and division vice presidents.
Instrumental in the founding of this crime
corporation was communications magnate
Morgan Edge.
Since childhood, Morgan Edge had followed
the guidance of a being that he believed to be
Darkseid, absolute ruler of A p o k o l i p s . I n
actuality, his counselor was Darkseid's underling,
DeSaad. In the guise of Darkseid, DeSaad aided
Edge in his rise to power as the head of Galaxy

Superman's Enemies 83
Communications. ! Acting on DeSaad's orders, Grant, beginning to fear for her safety, confided in
Edge used his position to contact the leaders of the Lois Lane and supplied her information to finish
small underworld gangs of Metropolis. Using his the expose. IO
own considerable powers of persuasion, Edge then Reacting to Edge's appeals for help, DeSaad
convinced the gang leaders to put aside their transported a robotic war machine called Turmoil into
differences and consolidate as Intergang. the heart of Metropolis to track down and exterminate
For a while, some Intergang subdivisions those responsible for Intergang's woes. Superman
operated under DeSaad's direct command. It was destroyed the giant robot mere minutes after returning
during this period that Intergang, using Apokolips to Earth. Superman then directly confronted Edge,
weaponry, first attacked Superman in an demanding to know the source of Intergang's
unsuccessful attempt to prevent him from making weaponry. Intimidated by the Superman's sudden
contact with the young Forever People.2 Another appearance and feeling betrayed by Darkseid, Edge
subdivision, headed by the rural eccentric Country was on the verge of confessing all when he collapsed
Boy, took orders directly from Apokolips, until it from a heart attack. 1 1
was routed by Orion of New Genesis. 3 Edge was hospitalized l 2 and later tried and
After these setbacks, Edge assumed tighter convicted on racketeering charges. l 3 Mannheim
control of Intergang, running day-to-day seized control of Intergang and began a general
operations through his Chief of Development, reorganization of divisions and operations. The
Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim. Mannheim was chiefly Tayman began using Intergang resources to continue
responsible for organizing Intergang' s specialized his personal vendetta against Lex Luthor but was soon
enforcement divisions: the Gassers, the Shock captured by Superman. 14
Troops, and the W a l l Crawlers. 4 W h e n the Although displeased by Schott's insubordination,
British criminal Winslow Schott, also known as Mannheim still valued his skills and so enlisted the
the Tayman, (see page 108-109) set up shop in services of fugitive scientist Thaddeus Killgrave to
Metropolis, Edge h a d h i m brought to an free the Tayman from custody. Together, Killgrave
Intergang safe house before Superman could and Schott then engineered the reconstruction of
captured him.5 Edge struck a bargain with Schott, the Happyland amusement park for use a s a
and for many months, the Tayman labored in a money-laundering enterprise. IS
secret compound on the grounds of Happyland, In the wake of the recent death of Lexcorp CEO
an old amusement park, studying and adapting Lex Luthor, Intergang has become ever bolder. 16
6 In an attempt to fill the power vacuum in
Apokolips technology for Intergang.
Edge made a serious mistake when he hired Daily Metropolis, they are becoming an even greater
Planet gossip columnist Catherine Grant as host for threat to law and order.
7
Hollywood Tonight for WGBS. Edge deliberately
set out to seduce Grant in hopes of getting a source of
ENDNOTES
I. Action Comics #643, Superman #35, DeSaad's disguise is
inside information at the Planet, but Grant was revealed in Action #35. but Edge does not discover he is not
cannier than he realized. She uncovered evidence of Darkseid until Supennan #35.
Edge's criminal activities, which she supplied to 2. The Forever People #I
3. New Gods (first series) #4
Planet reporter Clark Kent. Kent then used that 4. Action Comics #653
information in a serialized expose. Unaware of 5. Superman #/3, Morgan Edge is heard but seen only
Grant's role in the expose, Edge ordered Mannheim's in silhouette.
6. Action Comics #657
second-in-command, Louis Gillespie, to silence Kent
7. The Adventures ofSuperman #446
permanently, as told. Unbeknownst to all but his 8. The Adventures ofSuperman #450
family, however, Kent left the Earth in his identity as 9. Superman #28

Superman. 8 When a squad of Intergang Wall

10. The Adventures ofSuperman #455-6
I I . Action Comics #643, TheAdventures ofSuperman #456
Crawlers staked out Kent's apartment, they mistook 12. Superman #36
private detective Matt Stockton for the reporter and 13. Action Comics #654, newspaper headline reads
incinerated him.9 For a time, Kent was presumed "Guilty Verdict in Edge Trial."
14. Action Comics #657
dead, but installments of his expose, written before
15. The Adventures ofSuperman #475
his disappearance, continued to run in the Planer. 16. Action Comics #661
KILLGRAVE
power of Psi-Phon (see page 99- 1 0 1 ) , but he
D1'\: � SJR: 2 H<Hn: �
still managed to stop the mechanical juggernaut
1'\ 1 : 7 \\11 1: :"i \11'-ll: �
and apprehend Killgrave. 3
I'\1I : � -\ l 1\ \: � SI'I R I I : �
Months after that failed attempt, Killgrave took
1'\11 1 \ I I \ 1 : I I I 17 Ill R<> Pot'\ 1 s- 6)
over the island prison with a handful of henchmen.
•Skills:
He took Warden Bailey and the prison guards
Gadgetry: 9
hostage and set a diabolical trap for Superman.
•Advantages:
Killgrave assembled the components of his trap in
Genius
the prison exercise yard, then contacted the
•Drawbacks:
Metropolis police, offering to release his hostages
Minor Physical Restriction (dwarf)
unharmed if Superman would land in the designated
•Equipment:
area of the. yard. When the familiar caped figure
GIANT ROBOT [DEx: 8, STR: 12, BODY: 9,
carried out this demand, a huge dome sealed shut
AV: 10, EV: 10, R#: 2]
around him. A massive electrical discharge in the
7 AP AC Omni-Gadget (x3)
dome shocked the breath from the figure as special
•Alter Ego: Thaddeus Killgrave
high-speed pumps created a vacuum all about him.
•Motivation: Mercenary
To Killgrave's considerable glee, the figure fell
•Occupation: Mad Scientist ,
unconscious.4
•Wealth: 4
His victim, however, was not Superman. Superman
•Height: 4' I 0" •Weight: l 00 lbs.
had been rendered powerless through a scheme
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown
involving Lex Luthor and Mr. Mxyzptlk (see page 93-
•Quote: "Superman! Insufferably smug, as
94), 5 and Starman (see page 1 1 8 - 1 19) had been
usual!" (Superman #19)
impersonating the Man of Steel. Superman soon
landed at the prison, however, wearing a suit of armor
designed by Professor Emil Hami I t on and
accompanied by the Guardian and Gangbuster. While
BACKGROUND his allies took care of Killgrave's henchmen and freed
Little has been revealed about the background of the the hostages, the armored Superman tracked down the
dwarfish Thaddeus Killgrave, but it is obvious that he mastermind. Killgrave, however, destroyed
possesses considerable scientific genius. He has Superman's armor and escaped from the heroes in a
constructed high-tech battle machines and once 6
specially prepared rocket.
claimed to have utilized a sophisticated teleportation At loose ends after winning his freedom, Killgrave
system. ! accepted a commission from Intergang to free the
Killgrave gained notoriety when he attempted to use Toyman (see page 108-109) from incarceration and
nuclear missiles of hls own design to extort billions of work with hlm in the reconstruction of the Happyland
dollars from the city of Metropolis. A Daily Planet amusement park.?
column written by Clark Kent exposed his scheme, Killgrave continues to work for Intergang.
even as Superman put an end to it. From his prison cell
on Stryker's Island, Killgrave swore that he would kill PERSONALITY
Kent for writing that column, Sure enough, not long Thaddeus Killgrave is an unstable character,

afterward, Killgrave's last missile rocketed toward the per�aps even more volatile than the destructive

Daily Planet Building, triggered by some remote fail­ weaponry he has designed. When backed up by that

safe mechanism. Superman, however, intercepted the weaponry, he has a bully's bravado; without it, he

missile and saw to its safe disposal in space.2 usually flees in a panic.

Some weeks later, Killgrave attempted to escape

from Stryker's Island prison. At the controls of a
ENDNOTES
l . Superman #19
robotic juggernaut, which had somehow been 2. The World ofKrypton #4
transported into the prison yard, he broke through a 3, Superman #19
solid masonry wall and might very well have escaped 4. Action Comics #659
5. Superman #49
had i t not been for Superman. A t the time, the
6. Action Comics #659
Superman ' s powers were being inhibited by the 7. The Adventures ofSuperman #475

Superman's Enemies 85
LEX LUTHOR - deceased
Dl\: -+ sII<" � BtJ!l\ . -+ heyday of Howard Hughes had a young engineer so
l'-1 14 \\ ii i h \li'-ll h captured the world's attention. Luthor was quick to
h!l :-; \1 I < , . (1 S!'IRII ·"' capitalize on his newfound fame, soon winning a
hlll \ll\1 2h II!R<l l'<il\. l \ : 1)'i huge Defense Department contract for his fledgling
•Skills: aerospace company, Lexcorp.
Charisma: 10, Gadgetry: 15, Scientist: 1 5 Luthor was a shrewd businessman, buying out
•Advantages: lesser companies and diversifying his interests. Many
Connections: Business Community (High), competitors accused Luthor of unethical practices,
Underworld (High), U.S. Military (High), but he was never convicted of any wrongdoing.
Brainiac (Low); Connoisseur; Genius; Indeed, Luthor's wealth and power continued to

Leadership; Omni-Connection; Popularity; grow until his influence was felt in virtually every
Scholar (Business, Robotics, Weapon Design) commercial, financial, and political transaction in the
•Drawbacks: city of Metropolis. He began to fund scholarship
Dark Secret (lllegal Activities); Catastrophic programs and hospitals, always making certain that
Irrational Attraction to destroying Superman; the media were on hand to record his philanthropy.
Minor Physical Restriction (Metal Hand); Some people had reason to fear Luthor, others grew
Public Identity to love and admire him, but no one could ignore him.

•Equipment: Lex Luthor was generally acknowledged as the most

METAL HAND [Boov: 14, EV: 7] powerful man in Metropolis until the public became
16 AP ABCD Omni-Gadgets (x2) aware of Superman.
•Motivation: Power Lust Shortly after Superman made his public debut,
•Occupation: CEO of Lexcorp International Luthor found it necessary to leave the country to
•Wealth: 25 inspect his business holdings in South America. 2
•Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 200 lbs. Wherever he went in his travels, however, he heard
•Eyes: Green •Hair: Red, Balding news of the Superman's exploits and became
(Shaved Head) increasingly intrigued. Upon his return to the United
•Quote: "I run this town, Superman. Metropolis States, Luthor threw a lavish party aboard his ship,
belongs to me. The people are mine, to nurture the Sea Queen, inviting the elite of Metropolis
or destroy, as I see fit." (Man of Steel #4) society. Despite private warnings that terrorists were
planning to hijack the ship, Luthor went ahead with
plans for the party. He even ordered his security team
BACKGROUND to hold back in case of trouble, hoping that Superman
The late Lex Luthor was one of the world's would show up. The terrorists did attempt a
wealthiest men. A brilliant engineer with a creative hijacking, and Superman did intervene, allowing
flair for business, he was the founder, majority Luthor to observe the young hero in action for
stockholder and chief executive officer of Lexcorp himself. When Luthor subsequently tried to hire
International until his recent death. Superman and let slip that he had expected the
Although Luthor never spoke much about his terrorists, Metropolis Mayor Frank Berkowitz
childhood, he was known to have spent part of his became outraged that the industrialist had so casually
youth in Metropolis' Suicide Slum. There, as a boy, placed the party-·goers in jeopardy. Berkowitz
he met Perry White. Luthor's parents died in a car deputized Superman on the spot and had him arrest
crash when he was 13, and he left Metropolis shortly Luthor on a charge of reckless endangerment.3
thereafter. Nothing more was heard of Luthor until he Luthor was jailed like a common criminal. Within
reached his early 20s. l hours, his attorneys had arranged his release and soon
When Luthor was just 21, he gained public notice had the charges dropped, but Luthor had been
as the designer of an experimental suborbital aircraft publicly humiliated. Luthor privately sought out
that he rather immodestly called the LexWing. Superman and, in that confrontation, promised to
Luthor gathered private investors to finance destroy him. Over the years, Luthor devoted much
construction of LexWing, which he then personally time and energy to fulfilling that promise. Superman
flew on a record-breaking, non-stop flight from survived every attempt on his life but was never able
Metropolis to Sydney, Australia. Not since the to prove Luthor's role in the attacks.
 Eventually, Luthor obtained a two-pound chunk of
kryptonite. 4 This glowing ore (the only such
specimen on Earth) was deadly to Superman, and
Luthor had a fragment of the kryptonite rock set in a
signet ring that he wore for many months as a •Skills:
personal defense against the Man of Steel. But the Charisma: JO, Gadgetry: 15, Scientist: 15
kryptonite radiation slowly poisoned Luthor. His right •Advantages:
hand was amputated in an attempt to save his life,5 Connections: Business Community (High),
but even that drastic measure proved to be too late. Underworld (High); Connoisseur; Genius;
Luthor was told he had less than a year to live. Leadership; Omni-Connection; Scholar
Vowing to give the world something to remember (Business, Robotics, Weapon Design)
him by, Luthor announced his intent to set an around­ •Drawbacks:
the-world speed record in a new model of the Dark Secret (Illegal Activities); Catastrophic
LexWing. High over the Andes Mounains,
t however, Irrational Attraction to destroying Superman;
the craft suddenly plummeted to Earth.6 No one is Public Identity
certain whether Luthor's death was accidental or •Equipment:
planned. 16 AP ABCD Omni-Gadgets (x2)
Luthor left no heirs by any of his seven ex-wives. •Motivation: Power Lust
Although it is not public knowledge, he was the •Occupation: CEO of Lexcorp International
natural father of the late Perry White, Jr.? In his will, •Wealth: 25
Luthor acknowledged a son, Lex Luthor, Jr., fathered •Height: 6'2" •Weight: 200 lbs.
years previously in secret with his personal physician, •Eyes: Green •Hair: Red (with full beard)
Gretchen Kelley.8 At this writing, Lexcorp executives •Quote: "Already I have achieved unparalleled
have found Luthor's heir and he is following in his success .... Ail of Metropolis speaks my name
father's footsteps. with awe and reverence...and not even Superman
doubts my sincerity! They bought it! All of
PERSONALITY them! Hook, line, and sinker!" (Action Comics
Lex Luthor was a thoroughly ruthless man who
#672)
considered himself beyond the constraints of law and
ethics. He thought nothing of using people as he
would use a tool or appliance, discarding them once
BACKGROUND
Lex Luthor Jr. is heir to Lex Luthor's empire. He is,
they had outlived their usefulness.
apparently, the unknown progeny of Lex Luthor and his
ENDNOTES doctor, Gretchen Kelley. Raised in New South Wales,
I. Lex Lwhor: The Unauthorized Biography Australia by employees of Lex Luthor, the young man
2. Man ofSteel #2 first invested some of his new fortune into Metropolis'
3. Man ofSteel #4
recovery from a serious blackout. His sincere behavior
4. Superman #2
5. Superman #19 and apparent remorse for his father's history convinced
6. Action Comics #660 Perry White, Lois Lane, and Clark Kent that he is a
7. Superman #47
forthright individual. He has, however, 'information that
8. Superman #53
only Lex Luthor had, which he stated is "part of his
legacy." The true nature of this enigmatic young man
has yet to be seen by the public at large.1

PERSONALITY
Lex Luthor Jr. is strong, youthful, and as sly as a fox.
He has a strong Australian accent, and he has all the
wiles of his father. He also has much of the same
business and science training. Play him as sincere with a
dark underside-a wolf in sheep's clothing.

ENDNOTE
I. Action Comics 11672
Superman's Enemies 87
MAXIMA SAZU
D1 \: - S i i< h B<Jil1 lh 1)1 \ .::' S i i< .::' B<ill1 .::'
1'\ I .:; \\ Il l h \]i'\IJ h hi" (> \\ ii i " \11'\ll -+
I '\1 I h \I I< \ h SI'll<I I h 1'\ I I ; \I I< \ ; S I'll< I I ;
1'\i i l \ 1 1 \ 1 .::'( 1 lli l<<l i>lll'\ 1 � - -; l'-1 1 1 1 1 11 1 : I I I i l l<<' 1'1 11'\1� ;()
•Powers: •Powers:
Control: 8, Force Field: 10, Heat Vision: 15, Extra Limb (x2): 4, Telekinesis: 12,
Invulnerability: 20, Sealed Systems: 1 0 , Mental Blast: 10
Suspension: 10, Telekinesis: 20, Telepathy: 1 0 •Skil ls:
•Skills: Vehicles (Space): 5
Charism� ; 8, Martial Artist: 9, Vehicles •Advantages:
(Space): 7, VVeaponry: 9 Connection: Almerac Royal House (High);
•Bonuses: Sharp Eye
Miscellaneous: Maxima may substitute her APs •Drawbacks:
of Telekinesis for her STR when making a hand­ Strange Appearance
to-hand attack; Miscellaneous: Maxima can •Motivation: Responsibility of Power
only use her Sealed systems when using her •Occupation: Handmaiden
Force Field. •Wealth: 0
•Advantages: •Height: 5'6" •Weight: 125 lbs.
Attractive; Buddy (Sazu); Connection: •Eyes: Brown •Hair: Bald
Almerac (High); Leadership •Quote: "This is Earth's mighty warrior?
•Motivation: Power Lust I cannot believe it!" (Action Comics #645)
•Occupation: Heir Apparent
•Wealth: 1 8
•Height: 6'2" BACKGROUND
•Weight: 145 lbs. Maxima is the firstborn of the royal family of the
•Eyes: Brown planet Almerac and future regent of a galactic
•Hair: Red empire. She represents the newest generation of an
•Quote: "VVe shall grind the armies of whole imperial bloodline that stretches back for untold
star systems beneath our heels . . . and our millennia.
chiJdren will rule the Maxima's ancient ancestors recognized that no
universe until the end single existing race embodied all the many aspects
of time!" (Action of strength and power. Acting on this philosophy,
Comics #650) t h e Almeracans set out to better themselves
through war and conquest. They d e l i berately
sought out and overran worlds o f rich genetic
stock, assimilating only the strongest survivors
who proved capable of interbreeding with those of
their own growing empire. Those judged weak
and inferior were simply eliminated.
Maxima herself i s the end result of many
generations of selective breeding for strength and
power. The quality of her bodily tissue makes her
as strong as I 0 terrestrial women of her size,
weight, and build. Moreover, the power of her
mind is such that she can lift objects far beyond the
limits of even her impressive physical might and
fly through sheer force of will. She is capable of
telepathic communication with other sentient
beings, and she can also control minds of lesser
power.
 In recent times, Maxima's empire began to prepare energy sphere and transported her to an orbiting ship
for war with the forces of the interstellar tyrant to await punishment. As Maxima had hoped,
Mongul (see page 92-93), who had become her Superman arrived in response to her break-in. She led
house's greatest rival. While reviewing Mongul's him on a merry chase that ended in an energy sphere
forces, Maxima happened to view an intercepted at the bottom of the Metropolis harbor. There,
holographic transmission of the tyrant's gladiatorial Maxima told Superman of her heritage, pointed out
games. In these particular games, Superman, then one that no terrestrial woman would be genetically
of Mongul's captives, was an unwilling participant. compatible with him, and offered to bear his children
Maxima was impressed by the Superman's battle if he would become her consort. Superman turned
prowess and intrigued by his refusal to obey down her offer and Maxima flew into a rage,
Mongul's order to slay his fallen opponent. She psychokinetically blasting Superman out of the water.
decided that Superman bore further investigation. I She then followed Superman into the downtown
Maxima ordered the construction of a simulacrum S.T.A.R. Labs facility, where she was able to merge
(a near-perfect synthetic double of herself) and their minds momentarily. Maxima was aghast to find
dispatched it, along with her personal handmaiden, an overriding presence within his psyche, a presence
Sazu, to investigate Superman first-hand. Sazu and brought forth at that time by the Kryptonian
the simulacrum traced Superman to Earth, where they Eradicator, which was completely lacking emotion.
seized Metropolis City Hall in order to draw out the She decided then and there that Superman was
Man of Steel and observe him in action against unworthy of her and turned away from him. He was
armored warriors under their control. Superman not about to allow Maxima simply to leave after all
arrived and subdued the enthralled warriors. of the destruction she had caused, however. After a
Maxima's simulacrum was intrigued by Superman's brief but heated battle, Superman knocked her
restraint in handling them. When Superman sought to unconscious and fitted her with a headband devised
question the simulacrum, a cone of force generated at S.T.A.R. Labs that blocked her from using her
by Sazu held him immobile. The simulacrum, which psionic powers.4
had been programmed to duplicate Maxima's Maxima was placed in the custody of local
emotional responses, found Superman very appealing authorities, but the federal government intervened.
and easily worthy of becoming Maxima's mate. Sazu, Not wishing to risk war with an interstellar empire,
on the other hand, considered the Man of Steel especially so soon after enduring an alien invasion,
unworthy ofjoining the imperial bloodline because of the State Department allowed her to go free and
the mercy he had displayed in sparing the lives of return to her home world.
their warriors. The simulacrum dismissed Sazu 's
concerns and was on the verge of forging a mental PERSONALm
bond between Maxima and Superman when Sazu Maxima is a passionate, fiery-tempered individual.
used her own psionic powers to destroy her mistress' Coming from a long line of barbarian warlords, she
double. Superman finally broke free from Sazu 's can be haughty to the point of arrogance.
force-cone, rendering her unconscious. Sazu was then
taken into police custody.2 ENDNOTES
I . Action Comics #651, Maxima explains to Superman her
Meanwhile, on Almerac, the true Maxima, who reasons for searching him out.
had monitored the whole affair, decided to travel 2. Action Comics #645
to Earth forthwith to punish her handmaiden ' s 3. Action Comics #650
4. Action Comics #651
betrayal and to make Superman her mate. On her
journey across the galaxy, she passed the time by
contemplating holograms of the Man of Steel. A
bio-scan had confirmed that they would be
genetically compatible, and Maxima eagerly,
passionately anticipated their meeting. 3
After arriving on Earth, Maxima broke into the
Metropolis Women's House of Detention to confront
her unruly handmaiden. She encased Sazu in an

89
 I>, , h \ I� ll• ,, , " two-pound chunk of ore that Vale dubbed kryptonite.
hi ; \\ ii i � \I ,, � Vale correctly deduced that the ore's radiations would
l'.i i -+ \' h i � \i'ii. l i � deal a swift death to any Kryptonian.
hiii lii\i I; lli i'" ''"i'- i ' I� Vale happened to arrive on the scene just moments
•Powers: after Corben's crash. He pried Corben from the
Energy Blast: 10, Sealed Systems: 1 1 wreck and rushed to implant the dying man's brain
•Skills: into a powerful robotic body. When Corben regained
Gadgetry: 3 consciousness, the obsessed Vale called him Metallo
•Advantages: and explained how he had been reborn. As Corben
Connection�: Lexcorp (Low), Brainiac (Low) began to realize what had happened to him, Vale
•Drawbacks: began to rave that Metallo must kill Superman, and in
Strange Appearance; Miscellaneous: Metallo order to give him the ability to do so, the scientist
must be repaired like a gadget i f he is installed the kryptonite in Metallo's metal chest
damaged. (He may not make Resting or cavity. Energized by the kryptonite and believing that
Desperation Recovery Checks.) he no longer needed Vale, Metallo snapped the old
•Alter Ego: John Corben scientist's neck, killing him instantly.
•Motivation: Mercenary After spending a few weeks learning to accept his
•Occupation: former Confidence Man predicament, Metallo fmally decided to make use of
•Wealth: 2 his newfound power by breaking into the main
•Height: 6'5" •Weight: 600 lbs. branch of the Commerce Bank of Metropolis. When
•Eyes: Green •Hair: None Superman tried to stop him, Metallo punched the
•Quote: "You see, Superman? You see? I said I Man of Steel through the side of the building.
was more powerful than you. I said I would Although puzzled by his sudden weakness, Superman
kill you. And now, I am going to do it!" fought back. Metallo responded by bringing the
(Superman #1) entire bank building down on their heads. Emerging
from the rubble, Metallo exposed $uperman to direct
radiation from his kryptonite "heart."
Superman might have died there and then had
BACKGROUND Metallo not been spirited away by agents of Lex
John Corben was once a small-time con man, but Luthor. Determined to bring about Superman's death
that was before the victim of one o f his scams himself, Luthor secretly had Metallo held captive in
rammed his car off the side of a narrow mountain one of his research facilities. Luthor personally
road. I Corben's body was crushed in the wreckage, removed the ore from Metallo's chest cavity,
and he would have died within minutes had Professor deactivating him.2
Emmett Vale not found the wreck. Unknown to Luthor's cyberneticists, however,
Vale was an eccentric scientist who had spent much Metallo possessed a backup power source and a
of his life scanning the skies for signs of alien separate life support system. After a few days of
invaders. Decades before, he had spotted the flare of playing possum, Metallo broke out of the Lexcorp
Jor-El's star-drive vehicle as it brought Superman's facility. Determin�d to recover his fuel of choice,
birthing matrix to Earth and had calculated that it Metallo raided Lexcorp installations around the
would land somewhere in Kansas. After years of world, searching for the kryptonite.3 While his search
searching, Vale eventually found the vehicle in the proved fruitless, it brought him into contact with a
field where Jonathan Kent had hidden it, and Vale man in a state similar to his: Cliff Steele, the Doom
removed it for further study. Translating part of a Patrol's Robotman. Metallo attacked and was beating
message that Superman's genetic father had left in the the Patrol when Superman intervened. In the ensuing
matrix, Vale learned of the destruction of Krypton, the battle, Metallo ' s body was blown apart. H i s
home world of Superman's ancestors. In his paranoia, components were recovered by a Lexcorp team under
4
Vale erroneously concluded that Superman had been the authority of Dr. Sydney Happersen.
sent to Earth as a scout for a Kryptonian invasion. Happersen was later put in charge of studying the
Embedded in the side of the star-drive vehicle was a captive Brainiac, during which time he had Metallo's
remains shipped to him, hoping to salvage some of ENDNOTES
the circuitry. But Metallo's brain still lived, and I. Action Comics #648, Metallo's memories as told to Brainiac.
2. Superman #1-2. Superman's fist
r encounter with Metallo.
Brainiac, taking mental control of Happersen, had
3. Action Comics #648. The Adventures ofSuperman #441,
Metallo reassembled. s Under Brainiac's orders, Metallo is shown only in silhouette in TAoS #441; the
Metallo captured geneticist Dr. Reginald Augustine infom1ation from Action #648 is Mettalo's memories.

and gained entry into the top-secret Cadmus Project. 4. The Doom Patrol (second series) #10, Superman #20
5. Action Comics #648. Metallo's memories.
When his presence was discovered, Metallo
6. Action Comics #647-8
attacked the Project's security forces. Superman
soon arrived and neutralized Metallo by detaching
his arms and legs. 6
Metallo is in federal custody.

PERSONALITY
John Corben suffered a major psychological
trauma on discovering that he had become a
disembodied brain in a robot body. As a result, he
is very unstable and at times, homicidal. Given the
incredible strength of his metallic form, he
highly dangerous.

91
MONGUL
I> I \ Ill s II\ I" H I )I ,, I -+ With the superior firepower and armaments
hI .;; \\ t I .;; \1,\1 • ll produced by Warworld, Mongul ' s forces swept
I' I ' ; - -
\ ., ' s II I across the galaxy like a juggernaut. Everywhere he
I"\. I I I � I\ I �� Ill hI ) p,fI'\ ' '..; found sentient life, h i s demand was the same:
•Skills: unconditional surrender. Any worlds that dared to
Charisma (Intimidation, Interrogation): 10, defy him were rendered lifeless. In time, the
Martial Artist: 15, Weaponry: 13 survivors of a score of star systems acknowledged
•Advantages: him as their master. On each world, the conquered
Area Knowledge (Warworld); Connection: armies were interned. Those who were the strongest
Warworld (High); Iron Nerves; Leadership; of back and weakest of mind became slave labor for
Lightning Reflexes; Scholar (Conquest) Mongul ' s growing empire. The literate were
•Drawbacks: generally put to death, but those who proved to be the
Authority Figure; Serious Irrational greatest warriors were transported to a desolate
Attraction to conquest; Serious Rage; Fatal planetoid for training as gladiators. Over the years,
Vulnerability: If the life-support device thousands fought and died in gladiatorial combat, all
Mongul wears on his chest is removed, he for the entertainment of the emperor and his
will begin to die. subjects.2
•Motivation: Power Lust In recent years, one of Mongul 's slave ships
•Occupation: former Emperor detected and retrieved a drifting humanoid body from
•Wealth: 23 deep space, which turned out to be Superman.
•Height: 7'9" •Weight: 785 lbs. Weakened from lack of oxygen, the Man of Steel was
•Eyes: Red •Hair: None thrown into the ship's slave hold and transported to
•Quote: "When your world of Krypton died, I the arena planetoid, where he was entered in
was cheated of my right to conquer it!" Mongul's great games.3 Although his strength was at
(Superman #32) a low ebb, Superman defeated his opponents in round
after round, arousing the crowd and angering Mongul
by his refusal to deliver a killing blow. Mongul
finally pitted his champion, Draaga, against
BACKGROUND Superman, commanding the gladiator to bring him
Mongul's exact origins are unknown. Over the past the Krypton ian's head. Draaga sorely tested
century, he has become one of the most ruthless Superman, but the Man of Steel would not give up
tyrants the stars have ever seen. and ultimately knocked out his opponent. Again,
Early in his conquests, Mongul discovered a vast Superman refused the order to kill and challenged
artificial planet that had been created eons before by Mongul to face him in combat.4 Enraged by this act
an ancient group of engineers. The descendants of of defiance, the warlord fought Superman and
those engineers still ruled the planet under a loose savagely pummeled him unconscious. However, to
technocracy until Mongul arrived. The engineers his dismay, Mongul found that his fists were not
lacked the willpower to repulse Mongul's forces, and enough to kill the disobedient gladiator.
he occupied their world within hours. Mongul Mongul had Superman removed to an internment
quickly realized that he did not have the resources to chamber, where he planned to torture the hero to
keep the planet functioning, but he was loath to death. But Superman broke free of his bonds and
abandon such a useful base. So Mongul forged an briefly subdued the tyrant. Regaining consciousness,
alliance with the engineers' Council of Overseers. Mongul tried to disintegrate the Kryptonian, but even
H e assumed command of the planet, which he as he fired a killing blast, Superman was teleported to
renamed Warworld, and the engineers continued to safety by outside forces.5
maintain the world and its day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Mongul had lost face amongst his
They agreed to turn their technology to the armies due to his inability to kill Superman in
development of advanced weaponry for Mongul's combat, and revolution broke out on Warworld.
armies, and in return he supplied them with raw The Council of Overseers broke its alliance with
materials and cheap labor. I Mongul and chose Draaga as a figurehead leader,
ordering him to eliminate the deposed warlord. D1 \ ' 10 S "' � B()ll\ 10

Draaga tracked Mongul to the arena planetoid hi � \\ ii i i \li'\1> ')

and seriously injured him. Mongul had to flee for 1'-. I I h \I 1\ \ � S I'11\1 I I\)
6 1'-. I II \ II\ I �I l IIII\" 1'1>1'\ I � II II l
his life.
Mongul remains at large somewhere in the galaxy, •Powers:
plotting his return to power. Animate Image: 20, Animate Objects: 20,
Dimension Travel: 12, Sorcery: 25
PERSONALITY •Limitations:
Mongul is a ruthless tyrant who would not think Power Restriction: Dimension Travel only
twice about exterminating an entire race if it would allows Mr. Mxyzptlk to enter the Earth
serve his ends or provide him with a moment's Dimension every 90 days. Every time he
entertainment. visits, he must establish some absurd
condition for his return to the Fifth
ENDNOTES Dimension, and when this condition is met,
I. The Adventures ofSuperman #455, Council of Overseers Mxyzptlk immediately returns himself to the
gives a history of Mogul and Warworld.
Fifth Dimension (Travel Value: 10).
2. Superman #32
3. The Adventllres ofSuperman #453-4 •Advantages:
4. Action Comics Annual #2 Connection: Lex Luthor (Low)
5. Superman #32
•Drawbacks:
6. The Adventures ofSuperman #455
Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to practical
jokes
•Alter Ego: Untranslatable
•Motivation: Thrill Seeker
•Occupation: Troublemaker
•Wealth: 0
•Height: Variable •Weight: Variable
•Eyes: Variable •Hair: Variable
•Quote: "You see, I'm a gamester, Superman. A
gambler, and I think you can provide me with
some of the challenge my own world has
lost!" (Superman #11)

BACKGROUND
Mister Mxyzptlk is the name used on Earth by a
devilish being from another plane of reality, which he
calls the Fifth Dimension. Despite his gnome-like
appearance (the closest humans can come to
perceiving his actual form), Mxyzptlk wields
awesome power derived from a science so far beyond
anything known on Earth that it appears to be magic.
His "magic," however, is unrelated to any kind of
supernatural force. Moreover, it is uncertain to what
extent Mxyzptlk himself possesses superhuman
powers. However he does it, Mxyzptlk can do
virtually anything, from animating objects to creating
matter, seemingly from nothingness.
Through means known only to him, Mxyzptlk
entered our reality, assuming the appearance of a

Superman's Enemies 93
distinctly handsome Earthman. Calling himself Ben Ninety days later, Mxyzptlk chose to invade a
DeRoy, he first used his powers to entrance Daily different plane of reality. Not wishing to miss a
Planet reporter Lois Lane and then to terrorize the chance to torture Superman, however, he created
people of Metropolis, all in an effort to lure his own crimson-hued version of kryptonite and
Superman out into the open. When Superman transported it to Lex Luthor. The red kryptonite fell
appeared to deal with his deviltry, DeRoy confronted into Luthor's possession with the message that the
the Man of Steel, transforming himself into a bizarre rock would make the businessman and Superman
little gnome-like being. In this form, he introduced physical equals as long as Lex did not reveal
himself as a gamester and gambler, a superior being Mxyzptlk's involvement to the Man of Steel.
who had come to Earth specifically to match himself Luthor accepted the terms and was delighted to
against Metropolis' champion. Taking the name discover that Mxyzptlk's gift transformed
Mxyzptlk (pronounced mix-yez-pitel-ick), he issued Superman into an ordinary man. In a confrontation
a challenge to Superman: Mxyzptlk would use his with Clark Kent, unaware that the reporter was
powers to throw Metropolis into a state of utter chaos Superman, Luthor gloated that Mr. Mxyzptlk had
and would leave only if Superman could somehow created the red kryptonite. With that revelation, the
induce him to speak, spell, or write his chosen name process was automatically reversed, and Kent
5
backwards. Unable to stop Mxyzptlk by physical regained his powers.
means, Superman finally presented him with a The unpredictable Mxyzptlk continues to plot and
gigantic typewriter and dared him to type his name. scheme in his home dimension, waiting for his next
When Mxyzptlk did so, the letters K-L-T-P-Z-Y-X­ opportunity to bring terror and confusion to an
M (pronounced ke l -tipz-yex-im, by the way) unsuspecting world.
appeared on the machine, which had been rigged to
work in reverse. Infuriated, Mxyzptlk left for his PERSONALITY
native dimension. I Although he looks humanoid, Mxyzptlk i s an

Ninety d a y s later, w h e n the dimensional extra-dimensional being whose own twisted logic

interfaces were next i n alignment, Mxyzptlk bears no similarity to any earthly ethic. Although

returned to Earth, appearing in southern California often glib, he does not seem to understand human
t h i s time. W h e n Superman confronted M r . interaction or mores. Mxyzptlk has nonchalantly left

Mxyzptlk again, the gnome announced that he was scores of people injured and emotionally scarred.

changing the rules of his game. Under the new

rules, he would leave only if he could be induced ENDNOTES
I . Superman #II
to paint his own face blue. Once again, Superman
2. The Adve"Lures ofSuperman #441
managed to tum the tables on Mxyzptlk and send 3. Superman 'ff3{_
him on his way.2 4. The Adventure
sof! Superman H"J_f�
Mxyzptlk returned for a third time during 5. Superman 9-5 ·
'\j
Superman's period of self-exile in space. Unable to
find his old opponent, Mxyzptlk confronted Lex
Luthor, who flatly refused to play by the imp's rules.
Instead, Luthor embarked on a plan of lies and
deception that so offended Mxyzptlk that he left
Earth; vowing never to return.3
Eventually, Mxyzptlk changed his mind, returning
to engineer an around-the-world footrace between
Superman and the Flash. In an attempt to emulate
Luthor's lying ways, Mxyzptlk told the runners that
he would leave if Superman won the race while
promising himself that he would leave only if the
Flash won. To his astonishment, the Flash did �­
Caught up in his own twisted logic, Mxyzptlk
,
departed in a cloud of smoke.4
MISTER Z
Ill \ � \•1 � I\"''' � mental powers, enthralling a customs official and
hi � \\ 1 - \1 ' ' ' ; persuading a limousine driver to transport him into
l'-1 1 • \1 I, , I> \, • the city. While walking about the streets of
I ' I I : ' I '\ ' I I Ill ' ' I>, ' ' ' ;' Metropolis, Mr. Z was accosted by two petty thieves.
•Powers: He quickly seized one of the thieves, holding the
Hypnotism: 8, Invulnerability: 9, Mystic youth immobile in one hand. When the other thief
Freeze: 7, Telepathy: 10 fled, Mr. Z killed him in his tracks by simply
•Skills: visualizing his heart stopping.
7, Scientist: 7
Occultist: Mr. Z then mesmerized the security guards at the
•Advantages: Metropolis Museum of Modern History,
Connoisseur; Gift of Gab; Omni-Connection; commanding them to admit him and close off the
Scholar (History) building to all others. With the museum firmly
•Drawbacks: under his control, he reached out with his mind,
Serious Irrational Attraction to collecting the telepathically contacting Superman. So great and
souls of individuals he finds interesting unexpected was this contact that Superman, at the
•Equipment: time in his guise as Clark Kent, temporarily blacked
Mystic Gemstone [Boov: 2, SPIRIT: 6, Mystic out. Mr. Z let Superman know where he was and
Link (Personality Transfer): 12] tauntingly invited him to come visit. Changing to
Limitation: Personality Transfer can only be his identity as Superman, Kent flew to the museum,
used to siphon Mr. Z's victim's minds into where the entranced guards had been instructed to
the gemstone itself. Unless the gem is admit only him. Entering the museum's auditorium,
destroyed, this transfer is permanent, and the Superman was greeted with a visual presentation of
victim's body eventually dies. a train derailment from the Second World War and a
Miscellaneous Drawbacks: The gemstone mental message from Mr. Z reminding him that they
only works on terrestrial life forms. had met on the day the photograph depicted.
•Alter Ego: General Zeiten, Perez, George Superman protested the impossibility of such a
Bailey (real name unknown) meeting since it would have occurred long before
•Motivation: Thrill Seeker his birth. Mr. Z took advantage of Superman's
•Occupation: former Nazi Officer confusion, approaching him from behind and
•Wealth: 13 drawing his life essence into the mystic gemstone
•Height: 5' 10" •Weight: 240 lbs. atop his cane.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Black, Graying W i t h i n the gemstone, Superman's psyche
•Quote: "You ought to be flattered, Man of encountered the metal essences of countless
Steel, for in my many years, I have met few others, some of whom had clearly inhabited the
like you . . . Of course, they too wound up stone since the days of the Roman Empire. One
within my crystal." (Superman #51) such spirit told Superman that, over the ages, Mr.
Z had collected scores o f people w h o h a d
interested him, trapping and preserving their souls
in the gem. Superman's alien psyche, however,
could not long be contained within the stone. The
BACKGROUND jewel exploded, releasing all who had been
The origins of the man known as Mr. Z are trapped, including Superman. The force of its
unknown, as is his true name. Mr. Z has apparently explosion knocked Mr. Z back through a glass
used many names, and from his ghastly hobby of display case, where he was impaled on a World
collecting souls, there is evidence that he i s War I bayonet. With his mind back in his own
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years old. He may body, Superman and the arriving guards found
very well be immortal. Mr. Z ' s apparently l i feless body. The Man of
Mr. Z made his first recorded arrival in Metropolis Steel retrieved the shards of the shattered
on an overseas flight from Rumania. From the gemstone for future study, and the body was
moment he left the plane, he exhibited impressive removed to the city morgue.

Superman's Enemies 95
 THE PARASill
Later that day, Mr. Z suddenly came back to life Dl \ - ..., II\ 'I 1�111 )\ -

and slipped away from the morgue. A man answering h1 I \\ 11 1 ; \li'-1> :-;
his description was later seen departing from the I '\1 I () \I I� \ � ..., I'll� I I 'I
Metropolis International Airport on a flight bound for l '\1 1 1 \ 1 1 \ 1 1-1 I I !!�II I'<J!'\ 1 \ .;; .:;
the Middle East.l •Powers:
A few days after his mysterious encounter with Mr. Mind Drain: 25, Power Drain: 25,
Z, Superman was sent ricocheting through time in the Vampirism: 1 6
wake of an altercation with the time-traveler called •Bonuses:
the Linear Man.2 Toward the end of a three-month Miscellaneous: Power Drain also works on
sojourn in 194�, Superman again encountered Mr. Z, Attributes and Skills; Vampirism has a Range
who was working as an officer of the Third Reich. of 1 AP.
Superman immediately recognized him, but Mr. Z •Limitations:
had never seen the hero before. Knowing what to Power Restriction: Vampirism cannot be
expect, Superman avoided his gemstone and thwarted used on a victim until the Parasite has
Mr. Z's efforts to develop an atomic bomb for the drained the victim's Powers, if any; Power
Nazis before being blasted on through time. 3 Drain and Mind Drain each have a Range
The current whereabouts of Mr. Z is unknown. of 1 A P and d o not affect Gadgets o r
Mystical Powers.
PERSONALITY •Drawbacks:
Mr. Z apparently finds great value in intellectual Catastrophic Rage; Strange Appearance;
discourse. He is quite willing to draw the minds and Fatal Vulnerability: The Parasite must use
spirits of people who interest him into his gemstone. Vampirism on some living creature once per
In this way, he was able to partake of their day or he will begin to die.
"companionship" whenever he desired. •Alter Ego: Rudy Jones
During the Second World War, he was also quite •Motivation: Nihilist
willing to exterminate a ghetto full of people to test •Occupation: former Janitor
his bomb, proving his total lack of concern for the •Wealth: 0
lives of others. •Height: 6'4" •Weight: 310 lbs.
•Eyes: Red •Hair: None
ENDNOTES •Quote: "This is madness! How does he 'see'
I. Superman #51
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #476 anything, when he can see. . . everything!"
3. erman#54 (Starman #14)

BACKGROUND
Rudy Jones was a ne'er-do-well who wandered from
one menial job to another, occasionally supplementing
his income through petty theft. He finally wound up as
a janitorial assistant at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility in
Pittsburgh. While cleaning up one day, Jones came
across a stack of metal drums marked with radiation
warnings. Somehow, he got it into his head that
S.T.A.R. was secretly transferring cash in the drums,
ae_d so he opened one. Before he rea ized what was �
.
JuiPpening, Jones was exposed to radiOactive wastes
tbat ormed him into a human parasite. 1
As the ite, Jones found that he needed to drain
the eaergy of living beings on a regular basis just
to survive. Often, be . ained his victims of their life
"es, leaving notbin ut desiccated bodies. The
Para "te .soon discovered hat the life force of
metahumans was much more satisfying to him than
THE PRANKSTER
Dl \: 3 S 11�: 2 B()ln: 2
normal humans. Moreover, he found that he absorbed the
)\I: ) \\II I. � '\11\IJ: �
powers and abilities of his metahuman victims as well,
°
l\1 1 ' -+ \II�\ 3 Sl'll�ll. �
although they faded in time.
l\111 \ll\1: I� lllt<<� l'<�l\1�.-+'i
After a number of encounters and battles with Firestorm
and Firehawk (see page 64 of the Background/Roster Book),
•Skills:
Charisma (Persuasion): 5, Gadgetry: 7
the Parasite was confined to Pittsburgh's Institute for
Met.ahuman Studies. He eventually broke out of the institute
•Advantages:
Connection: Galaxy Broadcasting (Low);
and made his way to a nearby air base, where he
Genius; Popularity; Scholar (Practical Jokes,
commandeered a military jet. Absorbing the life force of the
Children's Television)
pilot, the Parasite flew west until the plane ran low on fuel,
and he made an emergency landing in the Arizona desert.
•Drawbacks:
Serious Irrational Attraction to humiliating
Finding himself just 43 miles away from Phoenix, he
and killing Morgan Edge;
hitchhiked into the city, slaying more victims along the way.
Minor Psychological Instability
The Parasite blamed S.T.A.R. Labs for his
transformation, so he broke into their Phoenix installation
•Equipment:
under cover of darkness, killing two security guards. When
1 5 AP ABCD Omni-Gadgets (x5)
S.T.A.R. administrator Dr. Karen Lou Faulkner discovered
•Alter Ego: Oswald Loomis
these killings, she assumed her identity as Rampage (see
•Motivation: Thrill Seeker
page 1 1 5 - 1 16) and confronted the Parasite. Shortly
•Occupation: former Kiddie TV Show Host
•Wealth: 5
afterward, Starman (see page 1 1 8 - 1 1 9 ) arrived and
attacked the gigantic Rampage, mistaking her for an old
•Height: 5' •Weight: 125 lbs.
enemy of his. With Rampage distracted, the Parasite was
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown
able to leech off part of her power and grow to giant size
•Quote: "I intend to bring the greatest city on
Earth to a grinding halt! And when I'm done
himself. Recognizing his error, Starman quickly made
and you've written my story, people will
amends, following Dr. Faulkner's directions to irradiate the
know Oswald Loomis is not a man to be
villain with solar energy. The Parasite had taken on
trifled with!" (Superman #16)
Rampage's ability to absorb solar energy, so Starman
force-fed him more power than he could handle. Since the
Parasite lacked Rampage's control harness, he literally
melted into a mass of amorphous protoplasm.2
S.T.A.R. technicians scooped the liquefied supervillain
BACKGROUND
Oswald Loomis is a baggy-pants comic who was
into a containment vessel, where he remained unti 1
born too late to enjoy the heyday of vaudeville. After
Superman paid a visit to the Phoenix S.T.A.R. Labs to meet
an early, impoverished career spent touring county
with Starman. The Parasite, who had been playing possum,
fairs and carnivals, Loomis finally hit it big as the
took advantage of this visit to absorb approximately half of
host of The Uncle Oswald Show, an early-morning
Superman's power. It took the combined resources of
children's program on the Galaxy Broadcasting
Superman and Starman to subdue the Parasite. The Parasite
System. As the years went by, the T?tings of Loomis'
was then returned to the S.T.A.R. installation, where he was
show began a gradual decline, although it retained
placed into a state of suspended animation. 3
a certain cult status among older viewers.
Convinced that the day would come when his
PERSONALITY
show would be canceled, the erratic Loomis
The Parasite seems to have grown intellectually since the
became paranoid. He had already begun
accident that gave him his powers. Perhaps he has retained
stockpiling vast amounts of his sponsors' products
some common sense from the minds of his victims. In
as a hedge against both poverty and inflation.
other respects, the Parasite remains as selfish and amoral as
Now he began to see them as tools in a bizarre
his original human self.
scheme to guarantee his continued fame and

ENDNOTES fortune and as a means to get back at his audience,

·
I. Firestorm #58 should they ever prove fickle. Loomis sat back on
2. Starman #13 this stockpile and planned for the future.
3. Starman #14

Superman's Enemies 97
 Twenty-five years. later, Morgan Edge, the Prankster ·escaped from WGBS security guards
president of W G B S -TV and head of Galaxy with the aid of a tear-gas lapel flower and went
Communications (see page 82), looked at the i.nto hiding.
ratings and decided to replace The Uncle Oswald After Morgan Edge's connection with the
Show with cheaper animated cartoons. Learning Intergang crime syndicate was revealed, Edge
of Edge's plan by r�ading about it in the trade suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. Unable
papers, Loomis saw his worst fears realized and to resist a chance to torture his former employer, the
set out to execute a series of twisted, attention­ Prankster infiltrated the staff of Metropolis General
getting prank,s. Hospital by posjng as an orderly. Loomis gained
The MondaY..before Christmas, Loomis triggered access. to Edge's hospital room and began exacting
an interruption in elec;trical sen�i<;;.t} that s.topped his revenge, threatening Edge with a chain saw as an
80% of the clocks in Metropolis for up to an hour. example of how he could adapt to "today's standard
He then inundated several blocks of downtown of humor." Superman intervened, again sa,;,ing
with a mass.ive wave of soap suds, rendering the Edge's life and preventing the Prankster's escape.
avenues slippery and bringing rush hour traffic to a As Loomis was led away by police, he reveled in his.
standstill. He oho.ked off the main subway tunnels 2
media coverage.
from the outer borough with huge quantities of The Prankster is currently contemplating future
popcorn. As Superman tried to get the city mo¥ing pranks from behind bars.
again, Loomis routed much of the city's water
supply through a gigantic trick flower;, unleashing PERSONALITY
a devastating stream of water. With Superman thus Although he appears to be little more than a low­

occupied, Loomis (by then calling himself the brow slapstick comedian, the Prankster should never

Prankster) kidnapped Daily Plane€ reporter Lois be underestimated. He is a demented s.chemer with a

Lane, holding her priso,ner in WGBS's Studi<>, C. truly devious mind.

As station personnel tried in vain to break into

the barricaded studio, the Prankster explained to ENDNOTES
I. Superman #16
Lane how he planned to bring the city to a halt in
2. Superman #36
a spectacle that w o u l d ensure h i s fame and
fortune for genexraHons to come. Alerted to
troubles in the studio by his staff, Morgan Edge
himself came pounding on the door, demanding
that Loom.i,s open up. Loomis was delighted to
see E. dge standing o u t s i d e the s t u d i o and
activated: a secret trap door he had prepared
y,e. ars before for j u s t s u c h an oppo,r t u o i t y ,
s. eoding E.dge t u m b l i n g from the G
Commuoie�Hons Buildjog 30, stories
�·ity st(eets. Spotting E�ge' s
. d.anger, .... u.1vmm
(to.ve to the rescue, s.aving the man's life.
Disco-verili1g what Loomis was up to, Su.perma!'\
. o.i.s Jo.o.ked on, the
t>rok� ioto Studio C. The!), as L
�raukster boldly stepped up
, to the astonished Man
of Steel and su.rren.d�J.'ed. I
L.oo.mis,. as it tume<;l o
, ut, had intended from the
�tart to b.e ca.ugbt and jailed. He had expected to
spen.d a fe� years i.n jail and then cash in on his
Jil0Jtodety with a
. bo,o.l<. and speaking tour. But
LPOlll\s, b.a<l gone tQ.Q far In kidnapping Lois Lane
..

and at.tewpting to mUFder Morgan Edge, he faced] a

long stret.c h in pris.o.n. Re�,t.lizing b(s mistake, the
 PSI-PHON AND DREADNAUGHT

PSI-PHON DREADNAUGHT
Dt x: ' StK: 3 Boll)· � DIX. .'i Sit<. 6 B<>l>) . :'
hI: -l Wilt. ' \11'\ll. 3 ht 2 \\til I \lt'\1> 2
htl. 2 AI I<\: 3 SI'IKII. 2 hti 2 \1 1<\ � St·tt<II 2
h i l l\ I I\ I 9 I l l I<O Pot'\ I '> : -l() hill\11\1 <) llti\<J !'<JI'\1'> 2:'\
•Powers: •Skills:
Power Drain: 15 Charisma (Intimidation): 7
•Bonuses: •Advantages:
Power Drain may be used to drain APs Connection: Psi-Phon (High); Miscellaneous:
of Physical Attributes as well as Powers. Dreadnaught is the recipient of any Powers or
•Limitations: Attributes obtained by Psi-Phon's use of the
Power Restriction: Any APs of abilities that Power Drain Power.
c
Psi-Phon drains with Power Drain are •Drawbacks: .
transferred to Dreadnaught rather than to Strange Appearance •
•
himself. •Motivation: Thrill Seeker -- •.• ••
-••
- •
•Advantages: •Occupation: Henchman - •- • •
. • •
Connection: Dreadnaught (High) •Wealth: Not Applicable • • •
• •
•Drawbacks: •Height: Variable •Weight: Unknown • • •
Strange Appearance; Miscellaneous: If Psi­ •Eyes: Black •Hair: None • •
• ••
Phon drains more than 12 different abilities •Quote: "Enough talk! Pray to your gods for • •
• • 4
with his Power Drain Power, he must begin acceptance in the next life!" (The Adventures • • •
• • • 4
making Action Checks every phase, using his ofSuperman #469) • • •
• • • 4
INT/WILL as the AV/EV and his INT/MIND as • • •
the OV/RV. Once he has accumulated RAPs BACK&ROUNO • • • •
• • •
that equal or exceed his MIND, his Power Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught are two h i g h l y • • • •
• • •
Drain Power burns out, and all his victims sophisticated artificial life forms who, after crash­ • • • •
• • •
regain any lost APs. (They do not have to landing their scout s h i p in Metropo l i s ' West • • • •
l • • •
make Recovery Checks to regain them.) River, claimed to be an advance team for an alien
• • • I

•Motivation: Thrill Seeker invasion of Earth. • • •

•Occupation: Henchman From a place of hiding, Psi-Phon began observing • • •

• • . '
•Wealth: Not Applicable Superman in action and began placing mental blocks • • •
• • • •
• •Height: 3'6" •Weight: 98 Ibs. in his brain, preventing the Man of Steel from using • • •
•
• •
• • •
•Eyes: Orange •Hair: None h i s powers. When he was nearly powerless,
• • • • •
• • • •Quote: "Better to be captured by the Hunters Superman was attacked by Dreadnaught, whose • •
• • • •
• • and dragged back than face the wrath of one energies simulated Superman's stolen powers.

so powerful!" (The Adventures of Superman Superman was forced to flee for his life.
#469) Superman eventually deduced Psi-Phon and
Dreadnaught' s deception and reasoned that the way
to defeat their scheme was to force Psi-Phon to block
the powers of more super-beings than he could
handle. Superman called the Justice League for help.
Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, the Elongated
Man, and Captain Marvel responded, each falling
under Psi-Phon's power.
Meanwhile, Superman assumed his other identity
as Clark Kent and sought out the help of Professor
Emil Hamilton. Hamilton supplied Kent with an
experimental force-field device that allowed Kent to

Superman's Enemies 99
 trade blows with Petlin's ship did not leave the Earth, however.
Dreadnaught without Instead, it proceeded to a secret staging area beneath
having to rely upon a remote U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming. 3
his blocked Thousands of years before, a massive alien ship
powers. With crashed in that area, and over the centuries it had
Dreadnaught become buried under thousands of feet of earth. After
thus taken by the air base was buill and had gone into operation,
surprise and Psi­ electromagnetic emanations from the installation
Phon in pain from awakened the ship's Pilot from suspended animation.
maintaining the blocks on so many The Pilot, an armored being nearly 75 feet tall, seized
super-beings, the pair were quickly mental control of the base's commander, General
defeated. The heroes all regained the use of their Fisk, and began seeking ways to re-energize his ship.
powers, and Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught appeared to To that end, he had apparently created Psi-Phon and
2 Dreadnaught and sent them to acquire a power
self-destruct. Actually, however, they had teleported
away to lick their wounds. source. But away from the Pilot, the two became
Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught next appeared on the increasingly independent. The Pilot was forced to
outskirts of Smallville, Kansas, during a July 4th create Petlin and send her to collect his errant scouts.
weekend, apparently determined to have their Back under the Pilot's direct control, Psi-Phon and
revenge on Clark Kent. Their plans were interrupted Dreadnaught soon located and captured a new power
by the appearance of another alien craft bearing two source for their master: Green Lantern Hal Jordan.
energy beings and an alien who called herself Petlin. With Jordan secured in the alien ship, the Pilot
Petlin claimed to be the mate of Dreadnaught and began to tap the Green Lantern's Oan Power Battery.

::�:�:::��:;:���: �������?�[�����
told Superman that she had come to Earth to find her
husband. Petlin dismissed as fabrication the story
that Psi-Phon and Dreadn ught wer
e the vanguard of
an invasion force. Superman allowed Petlin to
collect the two and de part.
�!

-
- =-
- -
 SHOCKWAVE
Jordan sent off a call for help with the last bit of Dl \. 3 sIR � Bl )il) . -1
energy in his Power Ring, which was ultimately ,,,. � \\ ii i � \li'-ll �
answered by Superman and Green Lantern Guy ''II : � \l i< \ � Si'ii<ii �
Gardner. Together, Superman and Gardner .
l'-l i i \ i l \ 1 .., I � llil<ll l'ill' l \. 1 :'
discovered the alien ship, incapacitated Psi-Phon and •Advantages:
Dreadnaught, and freed Jordan. Superman managed Connections: Organized Crime (High),
to make peace with the alien Pilot, and the three Intergang (Low), The 1000 (Low)
heroes then helped him free his ship and sent him on •Equipment:
his way. ARMOR [DEx: 8, STR: 10, BooY: 10]
Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught departed in the •Alter Ego: Clarence Schiffel
company of the Pilot.4 •Motivation: Mercenary
•Occupation: Professional Criminal
PERSONALITIES •Wealth: 2
Psi-Phon appears to be the brains of this duo, •Height: 5'9" •Weight : 280 lbs.
directing the more powerful Dreadnaught in action. •Eyes: Red •Hair: Red
Psi-Phon can be outrageously arrogant when things •Quote: "Outta the way, blue boy . . . got me a
are going his way. By the same token, he can be a contract to fill!" (Action Comics #654)
sniveling coward when his plans backfire.
Dreadnaught is a blustering, bullying brute who
enjoys a good fight, as long as he's the strongest BACKGROUND
combatant. Although Shockwave is not a regular Superman
villain, he fought the Man of Steel on one occasion.
ENDNOTES Wearing an impressive suit of battle armor (the origins
1. Superman #19
of which remain unknown), he enjoyed a brief, but not
2. The Advemures ofSuperman #442
3. The Advemures ofSuperman #469 very successful, career as a strong-arm man for
4. The Adventures ofSuperman #473 organized crime on the West Coast. Despite his
considerable strength, he was defeated by the hero
called Blue Devil, I and was incarcerated. Shockwave
was broken out of prison by the Metropolis-based crime
syndicate called the I 000 and brought east, where he
was unleashed against the brash young hero Booster
Gold. Booster survived Shockwave's attack and
defeated the criminal.2 While being transferred back to
California, Shockwave escaped and made contact with
the Intergang organization.
lntergang hired Shockwave to act as muscle for their
agent, Chiller, in the kidnapping of Daily Planet
columnist Catherine Grant. During this mission,
Shockwave managed to bring an entire building down on
his own he-ad.3 Investigating the building collapse,
Superman was surprised to see Shockwave emerge from
the rubble.4 Shockwave is behind bars once more.

PERSONALITY
Shockwave is clearly no rocket scientist.

ENDNOTES
I. Blue Devil #2
2. Booster Gold #1 1
3. The Advemures ofSuperman #467
4. Action Comics #654

Superman's Enemies 1 01
� THE SILVER BANSHEE
I)! \ ; \ ' - B< ,, I\ h , for a th'<5U'sand generations. On that island stands
1\: � \\ • ! ' \],,,, ; Castle Broen, the clan's ancestral home. Throughout
1\i i (, \I !, \ (, -.,, 'ill (, the ages, frrst-born McDougals had descended into a
I\' i l i l \ 1 J i ll! iii i1<J' \ I ' '" grotto beneath the castle and had undergone a ritual
•Powers: *Mystic Link to prove themselves worthy to lead the clan.
Skin Armor: 4*, Sonic Beam: 10*, Siol5han had a restless spirit and left Castle Broen
Superspeed: 6*, Teleportation: 1 1 *, at an early age to travel the world. When she had
Weather Control: 7 been gone six years, she received word of her father's
•Skills: death. She returned home, only to discover that her
Occultist: 3 Uncle Seamus had taken control of the clan. Seamus
•Limitations: was determined that no woman would ever lead the
Power Restriation: Sonic Beam can only clan. Moreover, he planned to keep control by having
be used to declare Killing Combat i f Siobhan's easily manipulated brother, Bevan,
Silver Banshee can see her victim an� undergo the ancient ritual.
knows who he is. By disguising his true Siobhan, however, would not be denied what she
identity, a potential victim can treat a considered her birthright. Taking up the tools of
Killing Combat attack as Bashing Combat. the ritual, she entered the grotto and called on the
•Advantages: spirits to grant her power. As Siobhan was in the
Area Knowledge (Castle Broen); midst o f the ritual, Bevan blundered in, having
Connections: Blaze (Low), Clan McDougal been sent by Seamus to stop her. Bevan's
(High); lnsta-Change disruption distracted his sister, causing her to be
•Drawbacks: seized by supernatural forces and borne away into
Miscellaneous: The Silver Banshee is under an infernal netherworld. There Siobhan languished
a curse that she can only remove hy until an entity known as the Crone took pity on her
recovering a mystic tome that contains the and granted her the power to return to Earth in the
history of the Clan McDougal. form of the Silver Banshee. I
•Alter Ego: Siobhan McDougal As the Silver Banshee, Siobhan found that her
•Motivation: Nihilist strength was equal to that of I 0 normal men, that
•Occupation: None she was invulnerable to gunfire, and that her eerie
•Wealth: 4 wail could kill mortal beings in her sight. The
•Height: 6' (as Siobhan), 6' 1 1 " (as Silver Banshee's wail did have a limitation: it was
Banshee) effective only on victims that she could clearly
•Weight: 135 lbs. (as Siobhan), identify. By having their identities mistaken, or by
180 lbs. (as Silver Banshee) adopting disguises, potential victims had a chance
•Eyes: Blue (as Siobhan), 6f resisting her power.
White (as Silver Banshee) The Silver Banshee wanted revenge on her brother
•Hair: Blond (as Siobhan), and uncle, but the Crone had commanded that she
Silver (a:s Silver Banshee) first had to retrieve a certain book that had belonged
•Quote� "You have resisted me before, to her father. The greedy Seamus had already shipped
Superman, but this time I swear - you shall Garret's books off for sale in the United States. The
die from the Banshee's wail!" (Superman #23) Silver Banshee's quest for the book brought her to
Metropolis. In her search, the Banshee coldly killed
anyone who stood in her way, which brought a swift
reaction from Superman. At their first meeting, it
BACKGROUND appeared that the Banshee had killed the Man of Steel
Siobhan (pronounced shee-vaughn) McDougal was with the strange power of her voice. Actually,
the first-born child of Garret McDougal, the patriarch Superman had fallen into a deep coma.
of an old Gaelic clan. Members of the Clan The Martian Manhunter, arriving in Metropolis to
McDougal claim to have occupied a foreboding avenge Superman's death, sensed Superman's true
island located midway between Ireland and Scotland state and used his mental powers to begin bringing
Superman out of his coma. While Superman was ll< \ ' '" '; l\<•1• I
recovering, the Manhunter used his shape-changing h ; \\ I I ; \1 ' ' '
powers to alter his appearance, assuming a ghost-like h1 1 () \1 1, \ � \1 11.11
image of Superman. Finding herself unable to defeat 1'1 1 1 \11\ ' I� 111 �;, 1'"•' ' ' h
this "Ghost of Superman," the Banshee used her •Powers:
sonic powers to disappear from sight.2 Flight: 10, Invulherability: 4
The Silver Banshee later returned to Metropolis •Skills:
to continue her search for her father's book. Occultist: 7
Superman opposed her twice again, resisting her •Magic Ritual:
power e a c h t i m e . The Banshee w a s then Mutation Ritual
confronted by her brother, who had traveled to Effect; Causes victim to grow bat-like wings
America to stop her. She used her powers to out of his arms (Mutatiort: I 0)
disappear again, and in the ensuing confusion, Casting Time: Three days (17 APs)
Bevan also departed. 3 Necessary Components: The ritual works
Batman fmally found the book of the McDougals only on children. The child is placed in a
among some stolen goods in Gotham City. He pod and emerges with wings and the Flight
discovered that the book was a history of the Clan Power of 6 APs.
McDougal and that the book seemed to grow new Note: All effects of this ritual vanish when
pages, recording events even as they happened. the caster dies.
Batman turned the book over to Clark Kent, who •Advantages:
learned from reading the newest pages that Lois Lane Connection: Blaze (High)
and Jimmy Olsen were being led into danger at •Drawbacks:
Castle Broen. Superman flew to the rescue of his Serious Irrational Attraction to kidnapping
friends, again confronting the Silver Banshee. This children and mutating them into copies of
time, the ancient Crone manifested herself in the himself.
castle grotto and, with an enigmatic warning to the •Alter Ego: Aleister Hook
Man of Steel, carried the Silver Banshee, Bevan, and •Motivation: Psychopath
Seamus off to her netherworld, destroying the castle •Occupation: Minion of Blaze
and much of the island.4 •Wealth : 0
Silver Banshee has since returned to Metropolis •Height: 7'4" •Weight: 140 lbs.
under the guidance of the entity known as Blaze. •Eyes: Red •Hair: None
Superman once again overcame the Banshee's •Quote: "I am your friend, little Jamie. A
power, and she was ultimately dispatched by the friend to all the lost lambs of the world."
power of the Crone.5 (Superman #15)
T h e p r e s e n t s t a t e o f the S i l v e r B a n s h e e
remains a mystery.

PERSONALITY BACKGROUND
Siobhan McDougal was a prideful, arrogant
In the late 1880s, Aleister Hook ran a children's
woman. Her ordeal in the underworld and her
clinic in London. Although sincere in his desire to
subsequent empowerment did nothing to change
cure his patients and lead them out of poverty, Hook
those qualities. If anything, as the Silver Banshee,
eventually fell under the influence of the supernatural
she is more arrogant and self-important than ever.
entity known as Blaze. Tempted and beguiled by the
The lives of others matter nothing to her.
deceitful demon, he became obsessed with the
children's welfare and began abducting them from
ENDNOTES their parents. When an angry mob caught Hook in
I . Superman #23, Seamus McDougal tells the talc of Clan
McDougal's and the Silver Banshee. the act, they chased the doctor to an old chapel where
2. Action Comics #595 he had been housing his captives. Removing the
3. Superman #17
children from harm's way, they hung him by his
4. Superman #23
5. Action Comics #662 ankles from the rafters and torched the chapel. As the

Superman's Enemies 1 03
fire roared up around him, Hook prayed for In all, 23 transformed children were found in St.
deliverance. Blaze reached out across the dimensions Christopher's, including seven children still in their
and transformed him: his limbs stretched and twisted, pods. Following Superman's recommendation, they
and great leathery wings sprouted from his back. were transferred to the Cadmus Project for further
Then, with flames licking from his tortured body, observation.3
Hook flew up and out of the inferno, soaring into the Several months later, Jamie Sawyer began to
night sky toward sanctuary aboard a cargo ship exhibit signs of partial transformation as a result of
bound for America. I her contact with the pod, and so she was brought to
After a long Atlantic crossing, Hook made his way Cadmus, where Project geneticists were working on
to Metropolis, then a small city. Keeping a low a cure. Unknown to all, Skyhook had survived his
profile for many decades, he eventually made a home plunge into the harbor and had started a new set of
for himself in the long-abandoned, deconsecrated St. pods i n the Metropolis sewer system. After he
Christopher's Church. Much later, the transformed recovered from his wounds, he reached out
physician (now calling himself Skyhook) fell back telepathically to his scavengers, calling for them to
into his old habits, this time gathering a large number join him. Jamie and a young bat-child named Oliver
of runaway children about him. He placed these managed to escape from the Project through a
children in large pods that caused each one to labyrinth of tunnels and made their way to the
undergo somatic changes, giving them batlike wings sewers, pursued by Maggie and Jim Sawyer. The
that actually enabled them to fly. Skyhook would Sawyers and Superman finally traced Skyhook,
send his young changelings out into the night to Jamie, and Oliver back to St. Christopher's. There,
scavenge for him. during a brief but heated battle, Skyhook was
Captain Maggie Sawyer of the Metropolis Special accidentally impaled on a statue, and his physical
4
Crimes Unit was drawn into this case for a personal form perished.
reason. She and her estranged husband, James, had a The spirit of Skyhook, which had long been under
young daughter, Jamie, who ran away from her the influence of Blaze, was drawn to her infernal
father's home. Jamie traveled across the country to domain. In that unearthly realm, he was called forth
Metropolis, where she knew Maggie lived. Before to battle Superman again. Backed up by Blaze's
Jamie could contact her mother, she fell under the spells, Skyhook wounded the Man of Steel, who
sway of Skyhook. began to transform into a demonic form himself.
Learning only that Jamie had run away and was Superman fought off the corruptive spell,
missing, Maggie appealed to Superman, who had maintaining his free will. Angered by Skyhook's
often aided her unit, to help her find her daughter. failure to overcome his foe, Blaze consigned him to
The next morning, Superman apprehended one of the lava pits once more.5
Skyhook's young scavengers. Although the child
refused to divulge who had altered her or where she PERSONALITY
had come from, police scientists were able to find Skyhook had an unhealthy fixation on "his"
clues from her clothing that led Superman and children, which Blaze easily exploited. As he became
Maggie to St. Christopher's. There, they surprised more and more corrupted, he lost all sense of right

Skyhook in the act of sealing Jamie into a pod. and wrong. Skyhook became a latter-day Fagin,

Calling for his scavengers to create a diversion, teaching his charges to steal to support him.
Skyhook scooped up Jamie and fled. As Skyhook
flew from the church, Maggie made a desperate grab ENDNOTES
1 . Superman #34
for her daughter and was also pulled aloft. As
2. Superman #15
Superman flew after them, Skyhook dropped his 3. Secret Origins #49, Superman #34
hostages. Maggie squeezed off three shots at 4. Superman #34
5. Superman #47
Skyhook as she fell, seriously wounding him.
Superman caught the Sawyers before they could be
harmed, but Skyhook sank beneath the waters of the
2
Metropolis harbor and disappeared.
SLEEZ
I)I \ I> s II< � Bt >I)\ .:; Two days later, Superman, investigating a
,,, - \\ i l l -l \11'-1> :-; mysterious form of radiation emitted by Sleez, also
('.I I -l \I 1\ \ + S I'II� I I .:; fell under Sleez's spell. The empath toyed with his
1 '. 1 1 1 \ l l \ 1 ,, l l l l�tl ('lll '- 1 \ -\() captives' emotions until they were rescued by
•Powers: Barda's husband, Scott Free (also known as Mr.
Control: 1 1 , Empathy: I I , Miracle). Superman pursued the fleeing Sleez into
Invulnerability: 6, Mind Drain: 1 6 the depths of the Metropolis sewer system, where
•Skills: Sleez appeared to perish in a gas explosion.2
Gadgetry: 10, Thief: 4, Weaponry: 4 Sleez survived the explosion, however, and made
•Bonuses: his way through the myriad tunnels beneath the city
invulnerability has an Area Effect of 1 0 APs. to underground laboratories of the Cadmus Project.
•Advantages: There, he corrupted five Project administrators, four
Area Knowledge (Metropolis Sewers) of whom had gained fame in their youth as the
•Drawbacks: Newsboy Legion. Sleez forced them to create young
Forced Exile (Apokolips); Strange Appearance clones of themselves. This second Newsboy Legion
•Alter Ego: Mr. Smith was brought to self-awareness by the Project's
•Motivation: Power Lust resident DNAlien, Dubbilex, who secretly guided
•Occupation: former Aide to Darkseid them in their escape .
•Wealth: 3 Eventually, the young Newsboy Legion joined forces
•Height: 4'3" •Weight: 18l lbs. with Superman, the Guardian, and others to invade the
•Eyes: Black •Hair: Does Not Apply Project and stop Sleez. The empath had managed to
•Quote: "I feed on the emotions of others. The capture Dubbilex and, by means of a mental amplifier,
base emotions. The dark, hidden depravity forced the DNAiien to release massive psi-energy
buried deep in the core of every human soul." discharges against the Man of Steel. The Newsboy
(Action Comics #593) Legion wrecked the amplifier, producing a feedback
effect that seemingly consumed Sleez.3
Some months later, Sleez turned up in the utility
BACKGROUND tunnels beneath the newly-reopened Happyland
Sleez is an empath who feeds on the emotions of amusement park (a secret money-laundering front for
others, and the baser, more depraved the emotions, the lntergang crime organization). Sleez began
the better he likes them. Through the power of his abducting park attendees, which again brought him to
mind, he can dominate his victims, manipulating Superman's attention. This time, he tried to get away
them into performing decadent acts. Only individuals in a rocket ride that was an actual escape vehicle
of strong moral fiber can resist Sleez's corruptive constructed as part of a contingency plan by
influence, but even they can fall under his spell if Thaddeus Killgrave (see page 85). As Superman
they are taken by surprise. closed in, Sleez's rocket exploded, leaving no trace
Sleez first became self-aware in the lowest levels of of him.4 However, considering past occurrences, it is
the planet Apokolips. There, his power brought him to doubtful that Sleez was truly destroyed.
the attention of young Prince Darkseid in the days
before that New God became the master of his world. PERSONALITY
Sleez became servant and aide to Darkseid, but in time, Sleez is a thoroughly vile and loathsome creature.
Sleez fell from favor with Darkseid, and the prince What is more, he knows what he is, and he likes it.
disposed of his depraved aide with a blast of his He takes special delight in forcing his mentally
uncanny Omega Beams. Sleez was transported through enslaved victims to perform morally objectionable
time and space to a past era of the planet Earth. I actions.
Long years later, Sleez crossed paths with Big
Barda, a former member of Darkseid's Female Furies, ENDNOTES
I. Action Comics #592, Sleez relates his origins to Big Barda.
in the sewers beneath Metropolis' Suicide Slum. 2. Action Comics #592-3
Capturing Barda's powerful Mega-Rod, he was able 3. Superman Annual #2
to subdue the warrior and bring her under his control. 4. Tire Advemures ofSuperman #475

Superman's Enemies 1 05
TERRA-MAN
1) I \ � s 1 1, 1 Is• •I•\ _. After a lengthy court battle, Manning was
hi j \\ i i i (, \11,11 � convicted of criminal negligence and violations of
hI I (1 \I k \ � S I'll' 1 I h EPA regulations, was given a heavy fine, and was
"' I I I \ I I\ I I .;; ill I\ II I'I II " ' ;II sentenced to five years in prison. While in prison,
•Skills: Manning became racked with guilt over the death and
Charisma: 7, Gadgetry: 7, Scientist: 8 devastation his projects had caused. Paroled after
•Advantages: serving two and a half years of his sentence, Manning
Genius, Iron Nerves, Scholar (Mechanics, began to devote his life to putting things right. He put
Pollution) his considerable resources to work, investing in
•Drawbacks.� detoxification research and in robotics systems
Guilt, Serious Irrational Attraction to drawing designed to clean up areas too contaminated for
attention to environmental issues; Minor human beings.
Psychological Instability In the midst of these projects, Manning received an
•Equipment: invitation to attend an investment symposium at the
EXOSKELETON [STR: 6, BoDY: 6] Monarch Studio "western ranch" sound stages in
VEST [BODY: 4, Air Control: 13, Joined: 10, central Arizona. The symposium was organized for
Teleportation: 10, R#: 2] the purpose of raising capital for the creation of
Energy Pistols (x2) [BODY: 4, AV: 7, EV: 7, protective enclaves for the wealthy in the event of a
Ammo: 10, Range: 4, R#: 2] worldwide ecological collapse. Outraged by the
Excavation Bazooka [BODY: 5, Digging: 5, hypocrisy of a project that would shield the most
Earth Control: 5, R#: 2] blatant polluters from the products of their own
SECURITY ROBOTS [Dmc 2, STR: 5, BODY: 4, excesses, Manning vowed to wreck the symposium.
Running: 5, Glue: 6, R#: 2] Manning outfitted himself with a suit of body
TERRA-MEN (x5) [DEx: 2, STR: 2, BoDY: 2, armor that functioned as an exoskeleton, greatly
INT: 2] The Terra-men are armed with amplifying his physical strength. The armor
Energy Pistols identical to Manning's. contained devices that produced swirling winds like
•Alter Ego: Tobias Manning those of a tornado. Manning also carried a variety of
•Motivation: Responsibility of Power energy blasters and concussion bombs. Thus anned,
•Occupation: former Industrial Contractor Manning got onto the Monarch lot disguised in
•Wealth: 8 western wear, bringing with him a handful of
•Height: 6'2" •Weight: 195 lbs. humanoid robots, also dressed appropriately.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown Unknown to Manning, the superheroes Jade and
•Quote: "This town was once alive, and I had a Obsidian (see page 59 of the Background/Roster
hand in poisoning it - PCPs, dioxins, the Book) were present on the lot, having been hired to
worst stuff imaginable . . . on the roads and in assist in the presentation. Also in attendance were
the streams. I must atone for it... " Daily Planet reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent.
(Superman #52) When Manning and his Terra-men began to break
up the symposium, Jade and Obsidian countered
the robots' attack, while Kent slipped away from
the crowd and assumed his costumed identity as
BACKGROUND Superman to stop Manning. Manning surprised
Outdoorsman Tobias Manning was a self-made Superman with the power of his body armor but
man who amassed a sizable fortune in industry, realized that he was outnumbered when his robots
mainly through the construction of factories and were destroyed by the heroes. Manning swiftly
power plants. But one of his joint ventures, a departed, creating a tornado-like vortex to cover
chemical plant in the town of Lookout Peak, was his getaway.2
built and maintained so shoddily that local air, soil, Some weeks later, Manning struck again, this time
and ground water became contaminated. The at the Hell's Gate Landfill in Metropolis. Appearing
Environmental Protection Agency had to evacuate during a citizen protest of the landfill, Manning
the entire town. 1 publicly proclaimed himself the Terra-Man.
Scattering personnel in his wake, Manning used his I) I \ (l \I I I Ht II'' l
weaponry to burrow underground and detoxify the I', � \\ : \ 1!',' I :
landfill with his own experimental processes. hi � \ ' ' \ _
'

Unfortunately, Manning's actions liquefied the h ll , l l\ 1 111 1 1 , . , 1• , , , 111

landfill's soil, and some personnel sank beneath •Powers:
the surface. Superman arrived in time to save most Self Link (Bomb): 8
of those pulled underground, but one man could •Skills:
not be resuscitated. During the rescue efforts, Thief: 5
Manning disappeared. •Alter Ego: Unknown
Determined to get a lead on Terra-Man, •Motivation: Mercenary
Superman joined Lois Lane in his Clark Kent •Occupation: Criminal
identity to investigate Manning's background. •Wealth: l
Uncovering the Lookout Peak connection, Lois •Height: 6' •Weight: 220 lbs.
suspected that Manning might be hiding out in the •Eyes: Unknown •Hair: Unknown
deserted town, outfitted herself in a borrowed •Quote: "Blow up real good, don't I?" (Action
containment suit, and went there looking for him. Comics #661)
Discovering Lois' plans, Superman tracked her to
Lookout Peak, arriving in time to free the reporter
from Manning's security robot. Manning
confronted Superman, promising to turn himself BACKGROUND
over to the authorities as soon as he finished his Time-Bomb's origins are a complete mystery,
work in the town. Superman was skeptical, but although it is likely that he received his powers due
Manning eventually proved to be true to his word. to the gene-bomb detonated by the Dominators
Lookout Peak was decontaminated and Manning during the recent alien invasion. By his own
accompanied Lois to a local Sheriff's office. 3 admission, he spent months figuring out his power
Manning is currently in prison for violation of his and working on his timing.
parole and is awaiting arraignment on charges of His power is, indeed, attention getting: he can
reckless endangerment and manslaughter. He hopes explode his bodily substance and then reform it in a
that his trial will bring publicity to the issue of matter of seconds. Time-Bomb can cause either his
environmental cleanup. entire body or select parts of it to explode, evidently
at will. These explosions appear to be chemical in
PERSONALITY nature, involving very little loss of body mass.
Tobias Manning was a ruthless developer until he Time-Bomb was first seen on the Metropolis
realized the true long-term cost of his work to the waterfront, where he ran into both Superman and
environment. Now he attacks the problems he helped Plastic Man (see page 66 of the Background/Roster
cause with all the zeal of a sinner who has found Book). Working together, the two heroes smothered
religion. Unfortunately, Manning has still not learned their opponent's explosive force n
i side Plastic Man's
to look ahead or to think through all the resilient form. Bottling up the explosion in this way
consequences of his actions.
apparently turned Time-Bomb's power against him,
and he was knocked unconscious. I
ENDNOTES
I. Superman 1152
2. Superman #46
PERSONAUTY
Time-Bomb is a nasty, belligerent malcontent.
3. Superman 1152

ENDNOTE
l. Action Comics #661

Superman's Enemies 1 07
THE TOYMAN
I )I \ � sI" � ,�,>I 1\ ' continued, British newspapers began referring to the
( '\ 1 II \\•11 .;; \ I "'' .;; unknown murderer as the Toyman. When the British
('\II � \I 1, , l \1 II,II � heroine Godiva joined the investigation, she soon
('\1 1 1 \ 1 1 \ 1 1- 111 1'11 1'"'"' .;; .;; uncovered Schott's involvement, but she also found
•Skills: the Toyman well-prepared for her. Godiva barely
Gadgetry: 12, Scientist: 8, Weaponry: 2 escaped with her life from Schott's deadly toys.
•Advantages: The Toyman, meanwhile, escaped to the United
Connections: lntergang (High), Toy Industry States, where he planned to kill the man who had
(Low); Genius; Scholar (Toys) initiated the changes at John Bull Toys: Lexcorp
•Drawbacks: CEO Lex Luthor. Establishing a secret lair in
Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to toys and Metropolis, the Toyman began using his dangerous
toy motifs; Serious Irrational Attraction to toys to rob Lexcorp subsidiaries for funds to finance
killing Lex Luthor his vengeful schemes.
•Equipment: Warned of the Toyman ' s activities by British
TOY ROBOTS [DEX: 10, STR: 7, Boov: 7 , Intelligence, Superman thwarted the Toyman's first
lNT: I , Bomb: 9 , Energy Blast: 9 , Flight: 13, attempt on Luthor's life. Evading a squadron of
R#: 2] Schott's explosive action figures, Superman
Limitation: The robots' Bomb Power goes off managed to locate the Toyman's hideaway. He
and the robots explode if their Current Body arrived to find signs of a struggle and the Toyman
Condition is reduced to 2 APs or less. 1
missing.
16 AP ABCD Omni-Gadget Toys (x4) The Toyman had been knocked out and
•Alter Ego: Winslow P. Schott abducted by a team of Wall Crawlers from the
•Motivation: Psychopath Intergang crime cartel. When he regained
•Occupation: Toymaker consciousness, Schott discovered that he was the
•Wealth: 7 guest of Morgan Edge, chairman of Galaxy
•Height: 5'4" •Weight: 155 lbs. Cornrnunications and the secret head of Intergang.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Light Brown Edge struck a bargain with Schott, and for many
•Quote: "My argument has never been with the months the Toyman worked in secret, studying
children, Superman . . . only with the adults and adapting exotic weaponry from the world of
who would neglect or exploit them." (Action Apokolips (brought to Earth through Edge's
Comics #657) contacts with the underlings of Darkseid) for use
by lntergang. 2
With the arrest and conviction of Morgan Edge
3
on racketeering charges, the Toyman began to
BACKGROUND use his position and resources in Intergang to
Winslow Percival Schott, alias the Toyman, is a renew his personal vendetta against Lex Luthor
genius-level inventor with a remarkable grasp of and Lexcorp. Schott arranged for the children of
micro-electronics, robotics, and high-energy high-ranking Lexcorp executives to receive toys
physics. How and where he obtained this expertise of his own special design. These toys started
is not known. For four decades, Schott was one of coming to life for their young owners, spiriting
England's most accomplished toymakers, highly them away to a wondrous Toyland that the
regarded by his peers. Toyman had built amid the ruins o f the old
Unfortunately, when a change in management put Happyland amusement park.
Walter Dunhill in charge of production at the John As more and more children were kidnapped,
Bull Toy Company, Schott was told that his toy Superman began to keep watch over possible
concepts were outmoded and he was fired. The victims and soon tracked the young abductees to
enraged Schon swore vengeance, and over the next Schott's Toyland. Alerting the authorities,
few months, he murdered Dunhill and four other Superman stood up to the Toyman's Intergang
company stockholders, each time using specially guards, and the children were reunited with their
4
crafted toys as his weapons. As the killings parents.
 Soon afterward, Intergang contracted
Professor Thaddeus Killgrave (see page 85)
to free Schott from police custody. Killgrave
and the Toyman then collaborated in the
reconstruction of Happyland.s
The Toyman is still at large.

PERSONALITY
Schott sincerely loves children and
would love to spend his time doing
nothing more than creating toys for their
amusement. However, he has accepted
the greed and corruption of the world
and goes along with it so far as it
allows him to pursue his own goals.

ENDNOTES
I . Superman #13. Sholl's
history is reponed to
Supennan by British
Intelligence agents.
2. Ac1ion Comics #657.
Sholl's memories of his
abduction by lntergang.
3. Aclion Comics #654
4. Ac1ion Comics #657
5. Thl' Adl'l'll/llre.f of
Superma11 #475

Superman's Enemies 1 09
 (Includes Word-Bringer and Eon)

WORD-BRINGER EON
Dl \. ) sII{: ' B()I)) : s Dl\ I () s IIC 2h B<>l>): l l)
(\1: ( () \\11 1 : 7 \11\1>: � I\ I : I2 \\III I' \
1 1 \I
) I2
( \I I : ) \t R \: � SI'IRII: 7 (\II : I0 \t ln . Ill Sl'll{ll: I ()

I \1 I I \ I I\ I · 2() Ill IW ('() 1\I�. 7) I \I l l \ II \ I . '� Il l l<l) ('()I\ I , ,. 2()()

•Powers: •Powers:
Force Field: 15, Telekinesis: 20 Energy Blast: 20, Flight: 1 8 , Growth: 15,
•Skills: Mind Blast: 14, Mind Probe: 14, Molecular
Gadgetr� : 1 3 , Scientist: 1 3 , Vehicles Chameleon: 12, Shrinking: 10, Stretching: 15
.
(Space): 10 •Bonuses:
•Drawbacks: Miscellaneous: Eon may use its Molecular
Forced Exile Chameleon Power to alter its own body
•Alter Ego: Hfuhruhurr composition at will.
•Motivation: Psychopath •Advantages:
•Occupation: Missionary Connection: Word-Bringer (High)
•Wealth: 2 1 •Drawbacks:
•Height: 7'6" •Weight: 260 1bs. Innocent
•Eyes: White •Hair: None •Motivation: Responsibility of Power
•Quote: "Life, as you know it, is an unnatural •Occupation: Personification of the Union
state." (The Adventures of Superman •Wealth: Not Applicable
Annual #1) •Height: Variable •Weight: Variable
•Eyes: White •Hair: White
•Quote: "Our powers are derived from our
infinite knowledge."
(The Adventures of Superman #452)

BACKGROUND
Hfuhruhurr is a demented "holy man" from another great psychokinetic power. Eventually, the Word­
planet who believed that true enlightenment could be Bringer came to Earth, where he "enlightened" the
achieved only through the dissolution of the flesh and entire population of Trudeau, South Dakota.
the union of minds. To bring this enlightenment to When state and federal authorities discovered that
the masses, he set out dissolving the flesh o f the 2,547 people of Trudeau were missing, several
"converts" and collecting their brains i n preservative investigators were sent in. When they disappeared as
fluid tanks. As he often did this against their will, well, the President called Superman.
Hfuhruhurr's proselytizing resulted in his being Superman searched the deserted town, only to be
driven from his home world. attacked by a strange amorphous monster. He resisted
Hfuhruhurr, however, would not be deterred from the attack and followed the monster into the town's
bringing the word to the unenlightened. He journeyed storm sewers. From there, the trail led to a
through the cosmos as the Word-Bringer, finding subterranean cavern, where Superman finally met the
new acolytes and raising them to a state of grace Word-Bringer. Hfuhruhurr held him at bay with the
through mental union, whether they liked it or not. combined mental energies of the former inhabitants
With each new brain he collected, Hfuhruhurr of Trudeau as he tried to sell the Man of Steel on the
became more powerful, for he was able to tap the merits of the Union. The amorphous monster, he
communal mental energy of the Union and wield revealed, had been created from the raw materials left
over after the townspeople had been joined in the Earth. Superman explained to the Union that the
Union. Superman was outraged and set out to avenge people of Trudeau had been disembodied against
the people of Trudeau. Realizing that his new captive their will, and he argued for the value of individual
was too powerful for him to control, Hfuhruhurr set life. The Union considered this argument, and when
the mons.ter against him and abandoned both the Hfuhruhurr arrived and demanded that they kill the
Earth and his newly collected brains. Man of Steel, they refused. The Union decided to live
With the Word-Bringer gone, the brains were able through Eon and keep the Word-Bringer under their
to communicate telepathically with Superman. They control. They swore that, in the future, they would
asked him to cut off their life support equipment and accept into the Union only those beings who were
kill them, but he could not bring himself to carry out near death and were willing to join them. Accepting
that request. However, the brains then psionically this solution, Superman soon departed, leaving them
rendered Superman unconscious, so that he could not to their endle'ss journey through the cosmos. 3
stop them, and they terminated themselves. 1 To
prevent a panic, the government later claimed that the PERSONALITY
citizens of Trudeau had died from a toxic gas leak. The Word-Bringer is smug and self-righteous,
Months later, during a self-impos.ed exile in space, convinced that he has found the one true path to
Superman came across a planet whose inhabitants enlightenment. Somewhat hypocritically, he is
had suddenly, mys.teriously vanished. Everywhere he unwilling to embark on that path himself.
went on that world, he saw evidence of the Word­ Eon contains the combined intellect of the Union
Bringer's handiwork. Searching with his remarkable but is unused to existence as an individual entity. It
super-vision, Superman detected a�n ion trail that led can be highly indecisive at times, while firm of
him to an enormous starship. Within that ship, he purpose at others, depending on its state of mind.
found a corridor half a mile long, lined with
chambers holding brains from inhabitants of ENDNOTES
countless worlds.2 I. The A�ntures ofSuperman Annual #1
2. Superrnan #29
Superman was able to communicate with one of 3. The Adl'entU{eS ofSuperman #45\
the brains, who revealed that it had been part of the
Union for more than 8,000 Terran years. As this .
information was beginning to sink in, Hfuhruhurr
showed himselL He did not recognize Superman until
the Man of Steel sprang to the attack. Then the Word­
Bringer recalled his previovs resistance and retalia!ed
psychokinetica!ly. Superman continued to resist and·
was robbed of his consciousness by the Union. When
he came to, Hfuhruhurr was gone. The starship was
so huge that Superman spent two hours searching it
for some sign of the Word-Bringer. He finally
cornered Hfuhruhurr in a laboratory chamber, where
the demented missionary was in the process f
creating a new synthetic material form for the Union:
a form that called itself Eon.
Eon attacked Superman, trying to terminate him
and bring his mind into the Union. Their battle raged
throughout the star�hip. When the combat caused the
protective chamber of one of the venerable brains to
shatter, Superman immediately stopped fighting and
did everything in his power to save it. He couJd not..
Tbe Union was puzzled by Superman's actions and
wanted to know why he would try to save one of
t1lem if he had been so against the discorporations on

Superman's Enemies 111

VIII: Superman•s Fellow Heroes
GANGBUSTER
D1 \: X Sil< 'i B()ll� . )
''1: 'i \\ i i i . () \11'-ll: )
,,1 I . ) \I 1\ \: ) Si'IRII: (1

I' I l l \ I I\ I : � � II I IW l'!ll'-I \ : -W
•Skills: *linked
Acrobatics: 8*, Martial Artist: 8*, Thief: 8*,
Vehicles: 8*, Weaponry: 8*
•Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Suicide Slum);
Connections: Superman (High), Metropolis
Police Department (Low); Intensive Training;
Lightning Reflexes
•Drawbacks:
Secret Identity
•Equipment:
BODY ARMOR [BODY: 7]
Billy Club (x2) [BODY: 2, EV: 4]
•Motivation: Seeking Justice BACKGROUND
_
•Alter Ego: Jose Delgado Jose Delgado grew up in the streets of Metropolis'
•Occupation: former Teacher, Bodyguard notorious Suicide Slum. The survival instincts that he
•Wealth: 2 honed as a member of a street gang contributed to his
•Height: 5'9" •Weight: 170 lbs. later success as a Golden Gloves boxing champion.
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Black But it was the kindness and compassion of a teacher
•Quote: "I can make a difference in this life. that inspired Jose to study and learn, breaking himself
I've got to try to help others! What else makes away from the cycle of gang violence. Winning a full
life worth living?" (The Adventures of scholarship to the University of Metropolis, Delgado
Superman #434) earned a degree in education and eventually returned
to teach in his old neighborhood's high school. Well
liked by his students, Jose often found himself in
the role of mediator, making peace between rival
street gangs.
 When a tenement fire threatened the lives of Moreover, he soon found that the implant allowed
several children, Delgado tied a damp cloth over his Luthor to control him as if he were a puppet.
face and leapt into the building to save them. There, Luthor had Jose outfitted in a special suit of body
he encountered Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane on armor a n d s e n t h i m to attack Professor Emil
the same errand of mercy. Once the children were Hamilton. Hamilton was able to shut down the
safe, Jose disappeared into the night. Lane later met control s i g n a l a n d free Jose from L u t h o r ' s
the unmasked Delgado, and they became involved in domination, although Luthor a g a i n m a n a g e d to
an investigation of businessman Lex Luthor's scheme evade blame for his criminal activities.?
to recruit street gangs both for his private security Jose continued to operate as Gangbuster, using the
force a n d f o r subjects in Project Synapse, his modified Lexcorp armor until it was wrecked when
experiment in bio-engineering superbeings to oppose he tried to defend Lois Lane from the attack of the
Superman. I After surviving repeated attacks by giant robot, Turmoil. Delgado was again
Luthor's forces in both of those issues, Delgado hospitalized, but his implants continued to function.8
created the identity of Gangbuster to strike back. After his release, Jose found that his life had fallen
Together, Superman and Gangbuster broke up the apart. He had lost his teaching job, his relationship
army of s t r e e t g a n g s o r g a n i z e d by Luthor's with Lois had ended,9 and he was evicted from his
underlings, but Luthor himself avoided apartment building after it w a s acquired by a
implication i n their crimes. Although troubled Lexcorp holding company.I O In desperation, Jose
by its v i g i l a n t e a s p e c t s , Jose found t h a t h e accepted a job offer from Joe Morgan to guard his
could accomplish a great d e a l o f good i n his ex-wife, Catherine "Cat" Grant, who was the chief
m a s k e d identity and so d e c i d e d t o c o n t i n u e prosecution witness in the racketeering trial of
operating as Gangbuster.2 Intergang boss Morgan Edge. Jose saved Cat from
About this time, Delgado also developed a one kidnapping attempt by Inter g a n g operative
romantic interest in Lois Lane, an interest that Blindspot and as Gangbuster later teamed up with
Lois did n o t discourage. While they were Superman and Batman to rescue her from the
together at a movie, Lois became the target o f a assassin Chiller and a squad of Intergang Shock
heavily armored warrior called Combattor, the Troops.11
p r o d u c t of L u t h o r's Project S y n a p s e . Jose Currently unemployed, Delgado continues to act
became G a n g buster t o rescue Lois and found as Gangbuster in the cause of justice.
himself embroiled in a desperate battle. The fight
ended when Combattor died suddenly, a victim PERSONALITY
of h i s own power. But G a n g buster suffered a Delgado is a sincere, hard-working individual who
broken spine a n d was told that he would never assumed the role of a hero because he believed he
walk again.3 could make a difference. By acting as Gangbuster, he
After his discharge from the hospital, Advanced thinks he can help people through some of life's
Research Laboratories offered Delgado a chance rough spots and perhaps pay back all the people who
to r e g a i n the use of his l e g s through an helped him through his own troubled youth.
experimental microchip implant the f i r m h a d
developed. Jose readily accepted the offer.4 ENDNOTES
While Jose was going through the delicate surgery I . The Adventures ofSuperman #432-3
2. The Adventures ofSuperman #432-434
a n d adjusting to the implant, a new Gangbuster
3. The Adventures ofSuperman #437
surfaced. This Gangbuster was actually Superman, 4. The Adventures ofSuperman #445
who was temporarily suffering from a psychosis 5. The Adventures ofSuperman #445-6
6. The Adventures ofSuperman #448
brought on by an encounter with Brainiac.S The fact
7. The Adventures ofSuperman #450-1
that S u p e r m a n briefly adopted the guise of 8. The Adventures ofSuperman #456, Action Comics #643
Gangbuster is not generally known to the public. 9. Superman #37
10. Superman #42-3
Not long after Delgado began to walk again, he
I I. Superman #43-4, Action Comics #654
discovered that Advanced Research Laboratories
w a s a wholly owned subsidiary of Lexcorp. 6

Superman's Fellow Heroes 113

THE GUARDIAN
1) 1 \ '! S 1 �; .;; B<HJ\ !1 The masked Harper soon traced his quarry to a
hi - \\ill h \11'\l> .;; nearby pool hall. With the protection of his helmet
l'\11 .;; \1 ,, I .;; Si'll!ll h and shield and with surprise now on his side, he
('\Il l \ I I \ I �.;; 1111<" 1'<>1'\1' 'ill made fast work of the hoodlums. As he checked their
•Skills: *linked wallets for identification, Harper discovered thick
Acrobatics: 9*, Detective: 7, Martial Artist: wads of cash, bearing serial numbers identical to
9*, Thief: 9*, Vehicles: 9*, Weaponry: 9* those from the money paid in the ransom of a recent
•Advantages: kidnapping. As the masked man tied them up, one of
Area Knowledge (Cadmus Project); the thugs demand to know who he was. Realizing
Connections: Cadmus Project (High), that letting his name get out could land him in hot
Newsboy Legion (High), Metropolis Police water at the precinct house, Jim blustered a bit,
Department (Low), Superman (Low); saying that he was just a guardian of society. As the
Intensive Training; Lightning Reflexes wail of sirens approached, Harper ran off into the
•Drawbacks: night. When he observed the positive impact he had
Secret Identity made on neighborhood morale by being mistaken for
•Equipment: a mystery-man while arresting the kidnappers,
Shield [BODY: 14, EY: 8] Harper decided to continue his costumed crime
Note: The Guardian can use the shield as a fighting career as the Guardian.
makeshift club or use it to perform the Block Back on duty the next day, Patrolman Harper
maneuver (see the Rules Manual, page 23). apprehended four young newsboys in the act of
•Motivation: Upholding the Good committing some petty thievery. When they were
•Alter Ego: James Harper brought into court, the judge was ready to send them
•Occupation: Cadmus Project Security Chief to a juvenile institution. Harper, perhaps
•Wealth: 5 remembering his own hardscrabble youth, persuaded
•Height: 6 ' 1 " •Weight: 205 lbs. the judge to let him take responsibility for the four
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: Brown orphans. 1 In the years that followed, Jim Harper saw
•Quote: "Stopping Superman could prove to it that his ragtag Newsboy Legion stuck to the
difficult . . . I may need backup." (Superman straight and narrow, often helping them out of rough
Annual #2) spots as the Guardian.2
The boys grew up and moved out of the old
neighborhood, and Jim Harper put his Guardian suit
away and retired. Years later, after the former

BACKGROUND Newsboys had become associated with the top­

Decades ago, Jim Harper was just a young rookie secret Cadmus Project, they discovered that their

cop assigned to Suicide S l u m , the toughest old protector was suffering from the infirmities of

neighborhood in Metropolis. One day, after going off injury and age. With the amazing genetics

duty, Jim was beaten by a band of hoodlums. As his laboratories of the Project at their disposal, the

attackers wandered off into the night, the groggy "boys" were able to give Harper a new lease on life,

Harper, his clothing in tatters, got to his feet and transferring his mind into a newly cloned body.

lurched after them. Pausing in the doorway of a local Harper again became the Guardian - stronger,

costume shop, he was surprised when the door, left faster, and more nimble than ever - and went to

unlocked by a careless cashier, swung open at his work at the Project as head of security.3

touch. Wondering what to do next, Harper's eye When the Apokolipsian monster Sleez gained entry

settled on a protective crash helmet. Seized with to the Project, he took control of the former Newsboys

inspiration, J i m outfitted himself with a sleek and forced them to clone youthful copies of themselves

costume, complete with gloves, boots and mask. for unknown nefarious purposes. Sleez was eventually

Fitting the helmet into place, Harper scooped up an put to rout by a team effort of the Guardian, Superman,

ornamental metal shield and, leaving behind enough and the newly cloned Newsboy Legion. After many

cash to cover his secret purchase, strode off in pursuit years, Jim Harper found himself looking out for a new

of his attackers. generation of the Newsboy Legion.

 RAMPAGE
In addition to his work at the Cadmus Project, the D1 \' , S 1 1�· �0 B<JJ>\ · �
Guardian recently carne to the defense of Metropolis I'\ I :\ \\ Ill :\ \)I'd>' 4
when Superman disappeared during an alien 1'-11. � \1 1<\ � SJ•JJ�II ;
invasion.4 Acting in that capacity, he helped bring I'\J I I \ I I \ I 1 :\ lll l�<l l'"l'-1' ':"
Superman to his senses when the Man of Steel was •Powers: *linked
suffering from a mental imbalance that had him Energy Absorption: 12, Growth: 0, Jumping: 0*
masquerading as Gangbuster. 5 Months later, the •Skills: *linked
Guardian helped Jimmy Olsen track down and rescue Gadgetry: 8*, Scientist: 8*
his mother from Mokkari and Simyan, two renegade •Limitations:
creations of Cadmus founder Dabney Donovan. 6 Power Restriction: Energy Absorption can
When Superman suffered a temporary loss of his only b\! used to absorb solar energy;
powers, the Guardian joined with him and Gangbuster Miscellaneous: For every AP of energy that
in safely ending a hostage situation at the Stryker's she absorbs, Rampage adds 1 AP to her
Island Maximum Security Prison.7 Growth Power; Rampage's Jumping Power
The Guardian recently sustained injuries while cannot be used until her STR reaches 7 APs or
defending the Project from a giant green clone of greater, at which point she can use the Power
Jimmy Olsen, another of Dabney Donovan's at its linked APs.
creations. He is mending nicely and will soon be back •Advantages:
on the job.8 Connections: Starman (High), S.T.A.R. Labs
(High), Superman (Low), Daily Planet (Low);
PERSONALITY Genius; Scholar (Thermodynamics)
Although he is the product of an earlier generation, •Drawbacks:
Jim Harper is a principled man who has not let the Secret Identity; Miscellaneous: Energy
passage of time dull his ideals. Indeed, it was the Absorption is actually unlimited: without her
example of men such as the Guardian who set the energy harness to inhibit her body's processing
stage for today's Superman. of solar energy, Rampage would grow out of
control and eventually explode.
ENDNOTES •Equipment:
I. Star-Spangled Comics #7
2. Star-Spangled Comics #7-63
ENERGY HARNESS [BODY: 6, Energy
3. Superman Annual #2 Absorption: 12]
4. Superman #26 Miscellaneous Drawback: The harness serves
5. Superman #27, The Adventures ofSuperman #450
only to keep Rampage's Energy Absorption
6. Superman ·#43
7. Action Comics #659 and Growth Powers under control.
8. Superman #54-6. Newsboy Legion storyline. •Alter Ego: Karen Lou (Kitty) Faulkner
•Motivation: Upholding the Good
•Occupation: Research Scientist
•Wealth: 6
•Height: 5'2" (as Kitty), 8' to lO'" (variable, as
Rampage)
•Weight: 1 2 5 lbs. (as Kitty), variable (as
Rampage)
•Eyes: Brown
•Hair: Brown (as Kitty), Red (as Rampage)
•Quote: " . . . I suppose I could look worse,
though. After all, it's not every woman who
can say she went one-on-one with Superman!"
(Superman #24)

Superman's Fellow Heroes 115

BACKGROUND into Rampage again, a Rampage whom he was able

Kiuy Faulkner was a research scientist working on to control with proper ultrasonic frequencies.

the development of a new pollution-free energy Moyers used Rampage to take his revenge on the

source for a competition sponsored, in part, by the political campaign of presidential hopeful Herbert

Daily Planet. Dr. Faulkner was showing off her Forrest. Senator Forrest was a former patron of

installation to reporter Lois Lane when co-worker Dr. Moyers, and both had been involved in so many

Thomas Moyers, arguing about potential dangers, shady deals that Moyers did not dare participate in

melodramatically shut down its safety systems. In the any public exposes. Night after night, Rampage made

resulting explosion, a mysterious form of energy was forays against the Forrest campaign. Finally,

discharged into Faulkner. Miraculously, she was not Superman discovered what was going on and helped

killed. In some manner not yet fully understood, Rampage free herself from Moyers' hold. Moyers

Kitty's body absorbed much of the explosion and was went to jail, Forrest gave up his presidential bid in

stimulated to store and process additional energy order to fight several major indictments, and Dr.

(particularly solar radiation) at an unusually rapid Faulkner, her health restored and her powers now

rate. firmly under control, accepted a position with

As a result, Faulkner was transformed into a giant, S.T.A.R. Labs.2

swiftly gaining height, mass, and correspondingly Kitty displayed a talent for administration as well

superhuman strength. Her facial features, skin tone, as research, and she was soon rotated to S.T.A.R.'s

and hair color were also affected, and the surge of Phoenix laboratory. There, she befriended Starman,

energy through her body caused her to become helping him out a number of times,3 once even in her

uncontrollably angry and destructive. As the Rampage identity.4

maddened giantess tore a swath of damage across Kitty's next assignment for S.T.A.R. has yet to be

Metropolis, one radio pundit called her Rampage, and determined.

the name stuck.

Superman went toe to toe with the ever-growing
PERSONALin
Rampage, taking a number of devastating punches Kitty Faulkner is an intelligent, sensitive individual

before he was finally able to draw off her excess with a quick, wry wit. When she is Rampage, she is

energy into his own body in much the same way his more quick-tempered and impulsive than normal.

cells ordinarily absorb solar energy. His body feeling

as though it were on fire, Superman then flew into a
ENDNOTES
I. Superman #?
raging storm front, where he made use of lightning 2. Superman /124
to help him discharge the excess energy. Kitty 3. Starmanll/7, /3-14,20
4. Starman 1125
regained her normal size, appearance, and demeanor.
She seemed, at least at first, to have suffered no
permanent damage. l
After a few months, however, Dr. Fal!lkner began
to experience side-effects from her energy exposure.
Her body began to weaken and falter; she was dying.
It was at this point that Tom Moyers re-entered her
life, offering the hope of a new, experimental
treatment. Desperate, she accepted his offer.
W h a t Moyers discovered was that the initial
explosion had caused Faulkner's body to undergo a
radical metamorphosis. She now required a certain
controlled exposure to solar and cosmic energy in
order to maintain her health and vitality. To that end,
Moyers designed a regulator collar, supposedly to
maintain the proper amount of exposure. But the
slippery Moyers had another, ulterior motive. With
the regulator in place, he was able to transform Kitty
SIN BAD
Dt\: 2 S11< · 2 B<lln : 2 and found that it contained a prototype power belt.
( "\ ! : 3 \\ti l : 2 \(["\[) 2 Impulsively strapping it on, Davood discovered that
("\II 2 \i t< \: 2 Si'IRII: ' it amplified his psionic powers tremendously. He was
( "\l l l \ 1 1\ 1 : 7 lli i<O l't))"\)\. 20 able to ward off bullets with a self-generated force
•Powers: field, to knock one assassin right out of his armor,
Force Field: 1 , Mind Probe: 1 , Telekinesis: l , and to fly himself and his sister away. The assassins
Telepathy: 1 pursued them, and Davood began using his powers to
•Advantages: pick them off one by one. When Superman
Connection: Lexcorp (Low) intervened, Davood left him stunned as welt.3
•Drawbacks: One of Luthor's operatives had stolen the belt
Mistrust; Public Identity from the international weapons cartel known as
•Equipment: DMT, and Lex wanted it badly. Learning that Soraya
BELT [BODY: 8, Enchantment: 15, R#: 2) was one of his employees, he called her in to recover
Limitation: the Belt's Enchantment Power the belt. But Davood was suspicious of Luthor and
only affects its wearer. used the belt to rescue Soraya from the industrialist's
Note: Even though the belt's abilities are clutches. Playing on anti-Arab hatreds, Luthor
treated exactly like the Enchantment Power, it responded by concocting a story about Davood,
is technological in nature, not magical. calling him Sinbad and describing him to the
•Alter Ego: Davood Nassur authorities as a dangerous terrorist.4 Superman was
•Motivation: Upholding the Good also trying to find Davood but was making little
•Occupation: Student headway. The city's Quraci community remembered
•Wealth: 1 Superman's assault on the Quraci armed forces of
•Height: 5'3" •Weight: 120 lbs. President Marlo and so did not trust him.5
•Eyes: Brown •Hair: Black Assuming his identity as Clark Kent, the Man of
•Quote: "It sure felt great to fly . . . and to have Steel began to make contact with Davood's family,
all that strength! I even took out Superman!" but then Luthor sent in police impersonators to take
(The Adventures of Superman #471) the Nassurs prisoner. Clark managed to save the
Nassurs without revealing his powers and sent them
to stay with friends. Luthor also sent out a band of
BACKGROUND costumed thugs to commit terrorist acts under the
Davood Nassur is the eldest son of a Quraci family, name of Sinbad, keeping Davood and Soraya busy
who immigrated to the United States to escape the just trying to stop them. Capturing two such
repressive rule of the late Shah. 1 Davood was one of thugs, Davood sent them back to Luthor
many people around the world whose life was with a message that he was --������
affected by the orbital detonation of the Dominators' going to take back
gene bomb.2 the Little
Davood discovered that he carried the metahuman
gene and found that he possessed slowly developing
psychokinetic powers. At first, he could not
do much more than levitate himself
a few inches off the ground or
make a fork float in mid-air.
But when Davood and his
sister Soraya intercepted a
package from a dying courier,
things began to happen fast.
Before they could figure out what
to do next, they were attacked by
armored assassins. Running for their
lives, Davood tore open the package

Superman's Fellow Heroes 117

 STARMAN
Qurac district from Luthor's bullies and then come Dl\ � s II\ I I} HI,,,, '
for Lex. Luthor moved a private SWAT team into the "'' .;; \\ il l .;; \]1'\ll .;;
neighborhood. and when Davood showed himself to I'\\I .;; \I I \ 4 \I II, I I .;;
tetl his story for the TV camera, he and his sister i'-.111\11\1 \(l llii\'l l'tli'\ 1 , .;; ..,
were rut,hlessly attacked. Only Superman's timely •Powers:
arrival saved Soraya's life. Chameleon: 9, Density Increase: 2, Flame
At that time, Lex Luthor knew he was slowly Project: 1 1 , Flash: I I , Flight: 1 3 , Power
dying of radiation poisoning and had begun to act Reserve: 6, Skin Armor: 5
more recklessly than in previous years. While trying •Skills:
to obtain the power belt from Davood, he struck a Artist (Writer): 3
bargain with DMT, which supplied him with a •Advantages:
gigantic aerial bomb. DMT claimed that the bomb Connections: Power Girl (Low), Superman
could kill Superman, and when the Man of Steel (Low), S.T.A.R. Labs (High); Insta-Change
intervened in the attack, Luthor activated the bomb. •Drawbacks:
Working together, Superman and Davood Secret Identity; Miscellaneous: Starman's
contained the force of the explosion, saving body is no longer even remotely human,
Metropolis from destruction, but Davood 's belt except in appearance: he loses his passive
burned out in the effort. Superman saved the youth human senses (such as smell and taste) if he
from a deadly fall, while Luthor took to the airwaves does not make a conscious effort to use them,
to deny any connection with the hate campaign he he does not require sleep, and he must force
had engineered and to praise Davood Nassur for himself to breathe in order to appear normal.
saving the city. •Alter Ego: William Payton
Clark Kent later arranged for Soraya to interview •Motivation: Upholding the Good
for a secretarial position at the Daily Planer, and •Occupation: Freelance Editor
Davood went back to his studies. He continues to •Wealth: 5
help out at his family's small grocery store, his •Height: 6 ' 1 " •Weight: 400 lbs.
powers now back to their previous levels.6 But who •Eyes: Brown •Hair: Brown
can say what tomorrow may bring? •Quote: "After all you did for me, giving you a
charge of solar energy is the least I could do!"
PERSONALITY (Action Comics #645)
Davood Nassur is an energetic, outgoing teenager,
proud of his family and his people. He has already
endured much hatred and repression in his young life, BACKGROUND
but this has not curbed his optimism for the future. Although Starman does not appear regularly in
Superman comic titles, he and the Man of Steel have
ENDNOTES a special relationship which merits him a mentioning.
I. Superman #48
2. /nvasion! #2-3 While camping in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado,
3. Superman #48 Will Payton fell asleep one night, only to awake a
4. Tile Advemures ofSuperman #471 month later on an examination table in a county
5. Tile Advemures ofSuperman #427
6. The Advemures ofSuperman #427. Action Comi
cs #658
morgue. He soon discovered that during his missing
month, he had acquired awesome powers and abilities:
he could lift objects weighing many tons, fly at
supersonic speeds, and radiate blinding light and
withering heat. Will's body had become considerably
denser and more durable, and he found that he could
change his features, even to the point of altering the
color of his skin, hair, and eyes. I He no longer had a
heartbeat or needed to breathe, and he eventually came
to the realization that he was no longer human. Will
Payton had, in effect, become a living star.2
 THE THORN
Will soon discove red that the arch-conservative DEx: 6 STR: 3 BODY: 4
Hutchin gs Institute , in an attempt to create ar new I NT: 4 WILL: 5 MIND: 4
breed of superbeings, a Power Elite who adhered to !NFL: 3 AURA: 4 SPIRIT: 3
their own narrow view of the world, launched an IN ITIATIVE: 1 7 HERO POINTS: 40
experim ental satellite designe d to channel exotic •Skills: *linked
stellar energies into their test subjects. But something Acrobatic s : 6 * , Charisma: 5 , Detective: 4,
went wrong. A piece of space junk struck the orbiting Martial Artist: 6*, Military Science
satellite, knocking it off course. Before it could self­ (Tracking) : 4*, Thief: 6*, Weaponry: 6*
destruct, the satellite released an energy beam that •Advantages:
struck the sleeping Will Payton. Will was thrown into Connections: 'Booster Gold (Low); Intensive
a deep, death-like coma, and during the weeks that Training; Lightning Reflexes
passed, h i s body ' s molecular structure changed, •Drawbacks:
3
transforming him into a new life form . Catastrophic Psychological Instability: The
At first confu s e d and d i st urbed by w h a t h ad Thorn suffers from a classic case of multiple
happened to him, Will returned to his home town of schizophrenia. Rose Forrest is unaware that
Phoenix, Arizona, where he revealed his new powers she is the Thorn, and the Thorn considers
to his si ster, Jayne. Delighted, she- persuaded him to R o s e her si ster. N e- ither identity has any
adopt a superhero identity. She even designed and knowledge of her activities as the other.
created a costume for him. When an emergency arose �Equipment:
in Phoenix, Starman was born. Will created a new Explosiv� Thorn [BODY: 1 , Bomb: 5 , R#: 2}
face and voice for Stannan so that his heroic identity Smoke Thorn [BODY: 1 , Fog: 5, R#: 2]
appears to be a totally different person. 4 Flash Thorn [BODY: 1 , Flash: 5, R#: 2]
After helping battle an alien invasion of Earth, he Acid Thorn [BODY: 1 , Acid: 5, R#: 2]
helped his friend Kitty Faulkner battle a villain called 5 AP C Omni-Gadget Thoms (x5)
the Paras ite . When Parasite leeched off half o f •Alter Ego: Rose Forre st
Superman ' s power, Starman helped put the villain •Motivation : Seeking Justice
away and then used his solar powers to recharge the •Occupation: Creative Director at Advertising
Man of Steel. 5 A true friendship was formed that day. Agency
When S u p e r m a n l o s t h i s p·o w ers on another •Wealth: 7
occasion because of Lex Luthor's use of what he •Height: 5 ' 8" •Weight: 1 25 lbs.
cl aimed to be " re d kryptonite , " Starman helped •Eyes: Blue (wears green contact lenses as the
' Supennan by masquerading as the Man of Stee1. 6 Thorn)
Starman returned to Phoenix, where he continues to •Hair: B lond (disguised by an auburn wig in
battle injustice. her identity as the Thorn)
•Quote: "Thorn? Hmm, I haven 't heard of her
PERSONALITY in a long time! I wonder where she ' s been?"
· Abandoned by his father at the age of 6, Will grew (Booster Gold #4)
up quickly to watch over his sister and to help his
mother hold the family together. He has since learned
how the actions of a single individual can affect many BACKGROUND
lives. A friendly, down-to-earth guy who suddenly R o s e Forre s t i s b e l i e v e d to h a v e s u ffe red a

had great power thrust upon him, Will Payton is a p s y c h o l o g i c a l t r a u m a a s a y o u n g g i rl , w h i c h

survivor and a hero. created multiple personalitie s. The cause of this

trauma is not known. Very little, in fac t, is known
'

ENDNOTES ab o u t R o s e ' s fo rmative y e a r s . A s a c h i l d � s h e ,

1. Starman #1 d i s co vered a secret door i n a room of h e r o l d
2. Starman #7
family brownstone in Metropolis. I That door led
3. Starman #11
thro u g. h _ an o l d u n de r g r o u n d p a s s a ge u s e d b y
4. Starman #1
5. Starman #14, Action Comics #645 bootleggers during Prohibition to an abandoned '
6. Superman #50 c o s t u m e s h o p . T h e r e , R o s e fo u n d a b i z arre

Superman's Fellow Heroes 119

costume and weapons cache created years before After a few years, certain members of the l 00 were
by costumer Albert Talbot, as part of an aborted released from prison and joined with new backers to
scheme to outfit a woman of his acquaintance as a form the 1000. When the self-made superhero
costumed criminat.2 Rose never told anyone about Booster Gold was captured by the 1 000, he was
the passageway, keeping it her secret. surprised to fmd himself rescued by the Thorn. Time
As Rose grew older, her police officer father, Phil had not dimmed the Thorn's savagery, although she
Forrest, personally schooled her in the arts of self­ had modified her costume somewhat and was
defense. 3 By the time Rose was 20, her father had wearing what appeared to be some sort of a knee
risen to the rank of Detective Sergeant in the brace. After helping Booster clear out the 1000's
Metropolis Police Department. One night while he hideaway, the Thorn again slipped away into the
was investigating a theft ring, Forrest and his partner, night.5
Detective Daniel Stone, were caught in a gun battle In her waking hours, Rose Forrest has become a
with members of the 100, a powerful Metropolis crime creative director for McClellan & Johnson, a major
syndicate. Stone was wounded slightly but insisted Metropolis advertising agency.
that he would be all right, encouraging Forrest to go
after the gunmen. The gunmen fled from the scene in a PERSONALITY
car, and Forrest pursued them in his own vehicle, To this day, the shy Rose Forrest does not know
bringing the chase to an abrupt end when he rammed she is the Thorn. The Thorn, however, is quite aware
the felons' car on a waterfront pier. But the chase had of her gentler "sister" and eagerly awaits new
led him into an ambush. Forrest's car was riddled with opportunities to wage her war against crime. Her two
bullets and dumped into Hob's River. personalities are very different in appearance and
The next morning, acting on an anonymous tip, body language; Rose is always very effacing, while
police divers began searching the river bottom. Rose the Thorn boldly stands tall.
insisted that Detective Stone take her with him to the
site, and they arrived just as the car bearing her ENDNOTES
father's body was dredged from the river. Faced with I . Lois ume #105
2. Lois Lone li/20
the sudden realization of her father's death, Rose
3. Lois Lone #1 12
collapsed in shock. Rose was hospitalized and spent 4. Lois Lone #105
two days in a catatonic stupor, rising only at night to 5. Booster Gold #3

pace her room like a crazed sleepwalker. Eventually,

Rose snapped out of her stupor and was released
from the hospital.
Her first night back in the old family brownstone,
her other personality awoke while Rose slept. Taking
over Rose's sleeping form, the other personality
directed the body down the secret passageway
thatRose had discovered so many years before.
Entering the abandoned costume shop, the young
woman donned the bizarre costume and covered her
short hair with a flowing auburn wig. Then the Thorn
slipped out into the night to begin her war on the 100
4
to avenge her father's death.
This routine continued for many months, with the
gentle Rose Forrest going about her life, unaware that
each night, she stalked the streets of Metropolis as
the Thorn. The Thorn clashed with the 100 again and
again, wrecking their criminal operations, delivering
their gunmen to the police, and disappearing n
i to the
night. Once the last of the I 00 were behind bars, the
Thorn disappeared and was not seen for some time.
WONDER WOMAN
DEx: 13 S TR : 16 BODY: I 3
"
BACKGROUND
I NT: 9 WILL: 1 2 MJND :o I 0
Amazon Princess Diana of Themyscira was chosen
I NFL: 10 AURA: 9 SPIRIT: I 0
by her people to venture into man ' s world to oppose the
IN ITIATIVE: 36 HERO POINTS: I 50 "
war god Ares, who had gone mad with battlelust. She
• P o w e r s : D i rectional H e ari n g : 4 , F l i g h t : 1 4,
accomplished her mission after a lengthy series of trials
Running: 7, Swimming: 6, Telescopic Vision: 3
and was befriended by a Harvard classics profes sor
• S k i l l s : Acrobatics : 1 1 , Animal H a nd l i n g : 8 ,
named Julia Kapatelis, who eventually was instrumental
Charisma (Persuasion) : 1 2 , Martial Artist: 1 2,
in Ares' demise. 1
Military Science (Tracking) : 1 0, Weaponry: 1 3
After Ares was finally defeated, Diana's mother told her
• A dvantag e s : Area Knowledge (Themy scira ) ;
to remain in the world of men in order to act as the
Attractive; B u ddy (Julia K ap a t e l i s ) ; 2
Themysciran ambassador to the U.N. She now works for
Connections: Gods of Olympus (Low) , Justice
peace and prosperity around the world.
League International (Low), Superman (High),
Diana first met Superman man during Darkseid ' s
Themyscira (High), United Nations (Low), US
movement to crush the Earth 's Legends. 3 Although she
Army (Low); Iron Nerves; Lightning Reflexes;
left quickly, Superman couldn't help but notice her and
S c h o l ar ( a n c i e n t G r e e k and T h e m y s c i r a n -
was bow led over by her beauty and charisma. After a few
languages, Greek mythology)
months of intense dreams about the Amazon Princess, 4
• D rawbacks: Public Identity; M i scellaneo u s :
Superman asked to _ meet with her privately. When the
Diana still does not fully comprehend the world
time for their "first date" arrived, Superman rashly gave
outside o f Paradi s e Island; M i s c e l laneou s :
her a pass ionate kiss. He then apologized profusely,
Diana ' s RV drops to 4 against Physical Killing
realizing he had overstepped propriety. After she accepted
Combat, but she may use her Martial Artist Skill
his apologies, their date was interrupted by Hermes, who
to augment it as nonnal .
summoned Di ana for help. S u perman fo llowed the
•Equipment:
Amazon to Olympus, which had been taken by Darkseid.
Lasso of Truth [ STR: 1 5 , B O D Y : 3 5 , Ani mal
Together they solved the crisis, after which S uperman
Control: 1 5 , Control: 1 5] Ljmitations: Animal
decided that a romatic relationship would not work. She
Control i s only u s a ble to w ard off b e a s t s ;
was a princess and a representative of gods, and for the
Control only allows Wonder Woman to force a
most part, although he had abilities beyond nonnal men,
lassoed target to tell the truth or sleep. The lasso
he was only a farm boy from_ Kan sas. Diana didn � t
is 4 APs long.
understand his re�.soning, but she agreed that a romantic
BRACELETS [BODY: 30]
relationship was perhaps not b e s t for them. They
SANDALS OF HERMES [ S TR : 8 , B O D Y : 8 ,
established a very close friendship, and to this day,
Teleportation: 23]
Wonder Woman is one of the few individuals who knows
Limitation: The S andals can only Teleport the
Superman 's true identity . 5
wearer from Paradise Island to man ' s world and
back.
PERSONALITY
Tiara [BODY: 1 2, EV: 7 , Gliding: 1 ]
Diana is sweet, innocent, and deeply caring. A fearsome
M i s c e l l a n e o u s D ra w b a c k : Wonder Woman
warrior, combat is Wonder Woman< s- last recourse and she
automa tically enters Killing C o mbat if she
always tries to handle any physical confrontations as
throws her razor sharp tiara at a living target.
quickly and painlessly as possible. She has a -deep
• Alter Ego: Princess Diana of Themyscira
affection for the Man of Steel and considers him one of
- • Height: 5 ' 1 1 " • Weight: 1 35 lbs.
her dearest friends.
•Eyes: Blue •Hair: B lack
•Motivation: Upholding the Good
ENDNOTES
•Wealth: 5 1 . Wonder Woman (second series) #1
·

•Occupation: Themysciran Ambassador 2. Wonder Woman (second series) #14

3 . Legends #6
4. Action #588
5 . Action #600

Superman's Fellow Heroes 1 21

 X: Classic Bits
In the comics, Superman has run into certain Metropolis might soon be cut off from the rest of
situations again and again. The Man of Steel should the world.
have the same sort of encounters in the DC Heroes Of course, Superman has to stop the vehicles
game. These are not intended as scenarios, but rather before they run off the bridge. The OV/RV of such
as routines or encounters that may happen in almost tasks depends on the speed and weight of the vehicle
any scenario. As GM, you may drop one or more of in question as well as whatever mitigating
these classic bits into an adventure to give it that circumstances arise from the crisis. The chart on page
special Superman feel. 124 provides guidelines for some typical situations
that the Man of Steel might encounter during a bridge
ADULATION EVERYWHERE collapse. Be sure to apply any Multi-Attack Column
AND Nor A SPOT TO THINK Shifts to these figures for those cases when the Man
Superman is easily the most beloved hero in the of Steel has to grab more than one vehicle in a phase.
world. One might even say he is sometimes too There, no sweat for Superman, right? Well, no one
beloved. It often seems that every time the Man of ever said a classic bit had to be difficult. But what if
Steel lands in a public area, all of the citizens in the the car, bus, or whatever has already gone off the
area are overwhelmed by their hero worship and bridge? If Superman wants to catch a vehicle in mid­
crowd around the hero, clamoring for his attention. I air, modify the Opposing Value by an additional +2
This has even happened on other worlds.2 Column Shifts. What if the vehicle has already hit the
If Superman stands around in one place for too water? How does the Man of Steel rescue the
long, the GM may wish to get the player moving by passengers then?
having such a throng appear around the Man of Rescuing one passenger has an OV/RV of 5/5 and
Steel. Superman certainly appreciates the public's takes one phase to execute. Superman may make a
feelings toward him, but his natural modesty would Multi-Attack in order to rescue more than one
force him to leave the scene to avoid the adulation of passenger at a time, but be reasonable. Normal
the masses. humans do not survive all that well if ripped from the
water at better than 100 miles per hour or stacked in a
BRIDGE Our pile 20 high. Roughly four people per phase can be
Whether due to villainous activity or faulty rescued with no injury; any more than that will injure
construction, bridges seem to fall down a lot around the victims (treat as a physical attack with an AVlEV
Metropolis. Railroad bridges, automobile bridges, of 2/2, considered Killing Combat for determining
overpasses, you name it and it's collapsing. If the severity of the injuries). However, if the Man of
Superman were not around to take care of things, Steel is willing to accept another additional +3
Column Shifts to his Action Check, he may It is probably just speculation that a villain would
ignore this problem and rescue as many people blow up a bridge after having manned some of the
as he wants. This assumes that Superman is not vehicles to be rescued with androids that are really
doing anything more clever than plunking the advanced tech bombs, exploding with an AV/EV of
citizens out directly. I f the player comes up with 8/8 when Superman tries to rescue them. Nah,
a plausible scheme for getting the whole vehicle probably wouldn't happen.
or group of vehicles out of the water intact, then
Superman can rescue all of the passengers at once CENTER STAGE
without incurring this extra penalty. Superman is the best loved person in Metropolis
(just ask Lex Luthor). Making public appearances
is part of his"job. These can range from speaking to
sick children in a hospital,3 to press conferences,4

i;��---.... to network appearances. 5 Imagine Superman on

Galaxy Broadcasting's
Nightzone, with the topic
"Justice On the Spot," a show
on heroes, vigilantes, and
others who operate in a legal
gray area. Superman, Curtis
Sliwa of the Guardian Angels,
and the Washington
representative of the ACLU
would be the guests. Superman
may be talking to students about
the need for good scholarship. Or
he may be attending a ribbon ­
cutting ceremony at a bridge he
recently helped repair. Superman
might appear at a charity function.
Maybe he is to be auctioned off as a
dream date. Just think of what
Superman could do at a celebrity golf
tournament. (He would probably put
the first shot into orbit! )

CIVICS LESSONS
These are the vignettes of Superman
correcting the lesser foibles of the citizens
of Metropolis. I am sure you can add to
this list, having Superman intervene
against your favorite pet peeve. Keep in
mind that Superman is defending civilized
behavior.
Superman's panache in these encounters is
part of his way of making an unforgettable
point. The Superman player should try to
imagine Superman's style when running
through one of these classic bits.

Classic Bits 1 23
VEHICLE/SITUATION SUGGESTED SPEED (OV) WEIGHT (RV) UNIVERSAL MODIFIER

Automobile
with commuters 6 6 +2 (Difficult)

Automobile
with speeding, frightened, or drunk driver 6 6 +3 (Strenuous)

School bus
(usually filled with nuns and/or orphans) 6 8 +2 (Difficult)

Semi-tractor trailer truck 6 8 +3 (Strenuous)

Passenger train 7 14 +2 (Difficult)

Freight train 7 18 +2 (Difficult)

Civics lessons may include correcting people ''EXCUSE ME, LOIS,

who are: BUT THIS Is A JoB FOR SuPERMAN!'"
Playing their radio much too loudly in public;6 You have seen this one before, although it's
Heckling speakers at a public gathering; become more rare since Clark and Lois got engaged.9
Littering; Clark senses a job for Superman but is in the
Talking in movie theaters; presence of Lois Lane (or Jimmy Olsen, or Cat Grant,
Driving like they own the road or while drunk;7 or another appropriate character). He has to make a
Clerks or bureaucrats who are being rude to their quick exit while diverting any suspicions about his
customers; dual identity. It is up to the Superman player to make
Jaywalking; up an appropriate excuse and exit as gracefully as
Cruelty towards animals;8 possible. Oftentimes, since Lois is aware that Clark
Painting graffiti; or Kent is Superman, she helps him divert suspicions
Smoking in a "No Smoking" area. while he makes a quick exit. This bit is a good
chance to challenge the role-playing ability of the
player.
The following things are examples of situations
that could make the exit messy. Clark Kent is:
On a date;
Having dinner with Perry White;
Giving a speech;
Accepting an award;
Entering an �usement park ride;
Conducting an interview or being interviewed;
Entertaining friends at his apartment; or
Traveling by airplane, car, or small boat.

HARD HAT AREA: SUPERMAN AT WORK

Superman has often substituted himself for a piece
of heavy equipment or a work crew, helping the
citizens of Metropolis with a bit of construction. On
some occasions, Superman is repairing damage
caused by a fight, while at other times, he is just
trying his hand at civil engineering.
To complete the task, Superman needs to get his
hands on the necessary materials. These may be
available at the construction site i f the job has
already begun, or they may have to be improvised if
the job is an emergency, such as repairing a bridge.
 STRUCTURE REPAIR TIME CONSTRUCTION TIME

Apartment building (six flat) 19-20 APs 21 APs

Bridge (one mile long) 22-23 APs 24APs
The amount of time Hi hway (one mile stretch) 17-18 APs 1 9 APs
that it takes Superman to House 17-19 APs 19 APs
construct something is Office Skyscraper 22-23 APs 24APs
based on the base time
needed to build the
structure, given on the
chart to the right, minus
Superman's APs of Superspeed. For example, if call the cops if a ball hits her house even one· more
Superman wanted to construct a house from scratch, time. Maybe one of the teams is cheating just a bit,
it would take him 9 APs of time or roughly one-half requiring some discreet intervention. Batter up!
hour (Construction Time of 1 9 APs minus Body surfing is great, but there just aren't any
Superman's Superspeed of 10 APs). If he wishes to y
waves toda . Superman ought to be able to correct
finish a job in less time, he can use the normal rules this in a big way. Hey, is that bully over there kicking
for Pushing his Superspeed. Note that this set of rules sand in the face of a 98-pound weakling? Gosh, it
applies only to Superman, whose variety of powers would be a shame if someone doesn't teach that guy a
make him a one-man construction crew. Other lesson.
characters with Superspeed would not be able to do It is almost Christmas, and these kids would love
this kind of construction unless they had powers to go ice skating outdoors, but it is unseasonably
comparable to Superman's. warm. No cold, no ice. It's not as if they could send
It takes roughly one-quarter the time to repair a to the South Pole for a piece of an iceberg. I'd bet
structure as it does to build it from scratch unless it that the Man of Steel is a pretty good figure skater, if
has sustained damage that equals or exceeds one-half he had the ice.
of its BODY. In this case, it takes approximately half
the time to repair the damage as it does to build it
from scratch. This is reflected in the Repair Times
given above.

""LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!""

Superman has the ability to fly so fast that no one
can see him. But it is much easier and more fun to
glide along at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights and
sounds of Metropolis. When he does so, inevitably, a
group of citizens will notice him overhead and begin
that familiar litany about birds and planes. The GM
should probably throw it in every few adventures or
so just to remind the players what the game is all
about.

THE PLAYFUL HERO

When you were a kid, wouldn't you have liked to
have Superman drop by occasionally, just when you
thought summer vacation was going to be boring?
Superman has always liked children, and he himself
has a playful side. When the adventures you have
been running have been hair-raisingly dangerous or a
tad grim, toss in one of these classic bits to lighten
things up.
Baseball is a lot of fun, if you aren't arguing all the
time. These kids need an entire umpiring crew, not to
mention that old lady McKendrick has threatened to

Classic Bits 1 25
VEHICLE SPEED (OV) WEIGHT(RV)

4 2 SUPERMAN 1 , THUGS 0
4 You would think that the ordinary crooks in
4 Metropolis would have learned by now. They could
5 go to Gotham City, Central City, New York, Los
5 Angeles, or Chicago and stand a chance of success.
0-6 4 But Metropolis? If artillery shells only tickle this
7 5 guy, what chance does a .38 revolver have against
6 Superman? Maybe hopes run high in the
7 7 underworld. I I In any case, Superman has a chance
7 8 to clear the streets of undesirables before doing
7-8 something truly heroic. As with the civics lessons,
6-7 style is the order of the day. Bent weapon barrels,
6 dizzying superspeed spins, quick aerial tours of
4 Metropolis, complete with a lecture and a view of
4-5 the city way down there are Superman ' s tools of
3-4 15 thug cleanup. Flash and panache, not bash, is the
4-5 19-20 order of the day.
7-8 7 I am sure you can think of a few dozen thug
7 5-6 situations, but to help you get started, here are a
11 1 1 - 12 few examples.
9 13 Terrorists are holding innocents hostage until their
13 12 demands are met.
A street gang is beating up on some kids.
A mom-and-pop grocery store is being robbed.
Cat burglars are breaking into a luxury high rise

STOPPING THE RUNAWAY •••

(from the outside, of course).
A mob hit man is about to murder a crime reporter
Lookout! That car I train I plane I boat I bus I semi I
(possibly one of Clark Kent's Daily Planet
window washer's scaffold I baby buggy /go-cart I
colleagues).
bicycle I skateboard I wheelchair I motorcycle is
out of control! Who can save that poor Two guys are trying to snatch an old lady's purse.
Punks are trying to hot wire a car.
man/woman/child/infant from certain doom?
Superman can, of course. l 0 A group of bank robbers have automatic weapons

To stop a runaway vehicle, Superman makes an and short tempers.

Action Check, using his Dex/Str as the AV/EV.

The OV is the vehicle's APs of speed, and the RV ENDNOTES
I. Man ofSteel#/
is the vehicle's weight in APs. Positive RAPs 2. Superman #28
indicate that the vehicle has been safely stopped. 3. Superman #40
The table above presents guidelines for stopping 4. Swamp Thing #79
5. Supermanfor Earth
typical runaway vehicles.
6. Man ofSteel #2
A variation on this bit is the getaway car speeding 7. The Adventures ofSuperman #474
away from the scene of a crime. The Man of Steel 8. The Adventures ofSuperman #438
9. Superman #50
loves to drop down in front of the bad guys and
10. Superman #24
watch them smash their vehicle to pieces on his I I. The Adventures ofSuperman #43I
invulnerable body. In such a case, the vehicle takes
damage as if it had conducted a Charging Attack
(see page 22 of the Rules Manual). You probably
don't need to bother checking to see if Superman
was injured.
XI: Index
Amazing Grace ...............59-60 Hamilton, Prof. Emil .......54-55 Rampage .....................115-116
Angry Charlie .......................36 Heavy Metal Shock Troops..8-3 Ross, Peter. ......................50-51
Arathaza ...............................60 (see also lntergang) Sawyer, Captain Maggie ......56
Baron Sunday ..................61-62 Henderson, Inspector Bill... .. 55 Sazu ......................................88
Barrage ............................62-63 Host .................................S0-81 Scrapper................................37
Batman ............................18-21 Husque..................................79 Shockwave .........................101
Bibbowski, Bibbo ................. 53 Intergang .........................82-84 Silver Banshee, The ....102-103
Big Words ............................37 Jor-E1.................................9-II Simyan ..................................76
Bizarre Imperfect Duplicate Justice League, The.........21-22 Sinbad .........................117-118
63
. . . . . . . . . .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kent, Clark ......................12-15 Skyhook .. . .... ... l 03-104
........... .

Blaze ...............................64-65 Kent, Jonathan .................47-48 Sleez ................................... I05

Blindspot ................. .............65 Kent, Martha .................. .47-48 Smallville ........................28-29
B loodsport....................... 66-67 Killgrave, Thaddeus ............. 85 S.T.A.R. Labs ....................... 34
Brainiac ...........................67-69 Klaash ................................... 34 Starman ....................... 118-119
Cadmus Project, The .......35-36 Krypton .............................7-1 1 Stratos, Constantine ........75-76
Cerberus ...............................70 Kryptonite .......................24-25 Superman
Cerberus' Henchmen ............71 Kryptonite Man, The ............77 Gamemastering ....... . 26-27
..

Circle, The.......................72-73 Lane, Lois .......................40-42 personality . . ................ . . . . . 18

Classic Bits.................. l22-126 Lang, Lana ......................49-50 power description .... . . 22-24
Cleric, The .............................. 8 Lara ...................................9-11 role-playing . . . .. 26......... ......

Concussion ...........................72 Lemaris, Lori ........................58 stats .. . ... . .. ... . J ?

......... .. .... . . .. ..

Daily Planet, The ..................32 Lexcorp ...........................32-33 vulnerabilities . .. 24-25...... ....

Death-Rite (Draaga) ........74-75 Scientist/Technician . . 33

....... . Team Luthor......................... 33
Deuce ....................................72 LexWing...............................34 Tehra.....................................79
Doctor Stratos .................75-76 Luthor, Lex .....................86-87 Terra-Man . .. ... . ... . . . .
... ... . . .... . ! 06
Dreadnaught ..................99-10 I Luthor Jr., Lex ......................87 Terror, The ...........................77
Dubbilex ...............................36 bodyguards ........... .34 ............ Thorn, The.................. .l19-120
Edge, Morgan .......................82 Mannheim, Ugly...................82 Time-Bomb ........................107
Emperor, The ........................79 Matrix ..............................51-52 Tommy .................................36
Eon .....................................110 Maxima ........................... 88-89 Toyman, The ...............108-109
Eradicator, The (Humanoid) Metallo ............................90-91 Turmoil ................................. 83
.........................................38-39 Metropolis ............................30 Turpin, Terrible Dan ............57
Evil Factory, The ............76-78 Mister Z...........................95-96 Union, The .......................... I IO
Exiles, The ......................79-80 Mokkari ................................76 Wall Crawlers .......................83
Flip .......................................37 Mongul ............................92-93 (see also lntergang)
Fortress of Solitude, The.38-39 Mxyzptlk, Mr. .................93-94 White, Perry ....................43-44
Gabby ...................................36 Newsboy Legion .............36-37 Wonder Woman .................121
Gangbuster ..................112-113 Olsen, Jimmy ..................44-45 Word-Bringer ..................... ! ) 0
Grant, Cat ....................... .46-47 Parasite, The....................96-97 Zahara ................................... 73
Guardian, The .............114-115 Prana .....................................72
H'v 'ler'ni, The ................ S0-81 Prankster, The .................97-98
(see also Host, The) Psi-Phon ........................99-10 I
1 27
 How To Use This Book

This book is a supplement for use with the DC HEROES Role­ statistics represents its Reliability Number. Gadgets with no R#
Playing Game, Second Edition. All the statistics and game listed are considered to have a Reliability Number of 0. If a Player
mechanics contained herein conform to the rules and guidelines rolls the Gadget's R# or lower while using the Gadget, the Gadget

/
for play presented in the Second Edition boxed set, except where immediately breaks down and must be repaired.
/
specifically noted in the text. Adventure Structure
Types of Modules Adventures are divided into the following four sections. In any
This book is one of several different types of gaming modules of these sections, italicized type is meant to be read directly to the
that are available for use with the DC HEROES Role-Playing Players.
Game. The specific type can be found on the upper left-hand Gamemaster' s Introduction: This section provides the
comer of the front cover, and will be one of the following: Gamemaster with information needed to run the adventure.
Sourcebook: A sourcebook contains game-related and Characters: Information concerning both Players' and Non­
background material on a certain subject relating to the DC Player Characters will be found in this section. Occassionally, only
Universe, most often a specific group of heroes, a certain location, modifications to previously published Character information and
or a special genre. Gamemasters who prefer writing their own Hero Points may be listed. See the full description in the
adventures will find sourcebooks especially helpful, since in Background/Roster Book in the DC HEROES Role Playing Game,
addition to Characters' statistics, sourcebooks contain historical, Second Edition, boxed set for the rest of that Character's statistics.
organizational, and reference material about the sourcebook's Encounters: The bulk of an adventure is a series of Encounters
subject. which make up the adventure's storyline. That is, Characters go
Adventure: An adventure contains a full-length scenario for play from situation to situation, each of which is represented by a
with a certain hero, heroes, or teams of heroes. Adventures for separate Encounter. Each Encounter is divided into four sections:
individual heroes are called One-On-One adventures and are Setup, Players' Information, GM' s Information, and
intended for only two players, one of whom acts as Gamemaster. Troubleshooting. Brief descriptions, including maps, game
Match-Play: A Match-Play adventure is also designed for two mechanics, and incidental Character locations, are often included
players, but features a unique system whereby each player in the Encounters.
alternates between playing a hero and Gamemastering for his or Endgame: This explains the outcome of the adventure and the
her partner. awards given to the Players. Consequences of incomplete or failed
Solitaire: A Solitaire is an adventure for one player, where the adventures are also mentioned, so that the GM can design further
book acts as Gamemaster. scenarios if desired.
Anthology: Anthologies are collections of shorter adventures, Abbreviations
each featuring a different hero or heroes, and each written by a AP(s) Attribute Point(s)
different author. Aura Aura Attribute
Changes From Previously Published Materials AV Acting Value
There are certain Characters whose statistics are somewhat Body Body Attribute
different in this book from those given in DC HEROES Role­ CS Column Shift(s)
Playing Game, First Edition, modules, the Background/Roster Dex Dexterity Attribute
Book, and/or previous Second Edition modules. This is because of DlO Ten-Sided Die
the constantly-evolving nature of the DC Universe, and new EV Effect Value
developments which have occured in the Character's comics. For GM Gamemaster
example, a Character may have gained a new Power or Skill, and HP(s) Hero Point(s)
that new ability is now included in his or her statistics. Infl Influence Attribute
Some Power descriptions in this book may also be different Int Intelligence Attribute
from other descriptions of the same Power. These differences Mind Mind Attribute
reflect an updated perception of how these Powers work in the DC N/A Not Applicable
Universe. NPC(s) Non-Player Character(s)
The Gadgetry rules have been modified from the First Edition of OV Opposing Value
the D C HEROES Role-Playing Game and the Hardware RAP(s) Result AP(s)
Handbook. Most of the changes should be self-explanatory, with RV Resistance Value
the following exceptions. R# Reliability Number
A Gadget whose name is in all capitals ( BATTLE SUIT, Spirit Spirit Attribute
AUTOMOBILE) cannot be taken away in combat, while Gadgets Str Strength Attribute
whose names are in upper- and lower-case letters (Pistol, Radio) Will Willpower Attribute
can be taken away in combat. A Gadget with italicized Attributes 2D1 0 Two Ten-Sided Dice
(Str, Body) can substitute its APs of the Attribute for the user's A Word About Grammar
;/'Ps of the Attribute in all situations, while non-italicized The male pronoun (he, his, him) is used in this book as a third­
Attributes (Str, Body) can only be substituted for the user's person singular in many instances. This usage is intended as a
Attributes in certain situations, depending on the nature neuter term and should be read as "he or she," "his or her," or
of the Gadget. If a Gadget does not possess Mental and/or "him or her" in all instance where it is used to imply a person of
Mystical Attributes, it is immune to Mental and/or Mystical either gender. The use of the male pronoun is not intended to
Attacks, respectively. The R# listed in a Gadget's exclude women from this game or to suggest their exclusion.
 1 200 8

0 - 92 3 7 6 3 - 3 8 - 4