Martinex1: It has been said that the villain makes the hero. Could Batman be Batman without the Joker? Perhaps not. The better the rogues gallery, the better the adventure. The bigger the threat, the more challenging the conflict. I think we can agree that is true to some degree. Spider-Man has a plethora of crazy and iconic villains from Doc Ock to the Green Goblin. On the DC side, Flash has a cool collection of baddies with Captain Cold, the Top, Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Gorilla Grodd and the rest.
But today we are not going to talk about the "good" villains (the villains who you look forward to seeing). No, today we are going to discuss villains that make you scratch your head - but you like them anyway. In other words, with new villains created throughout the Silver and Bronze ages there were a lot of dogs. But some of those "misses" stay near to your heart because of nostalgia or theoretical untapped potential. Who are the third stringers and the D-listed creeps that you have enjoyed over the years?
Here are a few of my favorites from the past, that almost nobody would include in top tier lists. I am curious what you have to say about other "enemies" that we should be more welcoming towards.
My first example is the Spot. He appeared first in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man issue #99. While I am not always a fan of Al Milgrom's art or writing, I really enjoyed his work here. The Spot is a scientist who was trying to find a path to Cloak's (of Cloak and Dagger fame) dark dimension. Things went a bit haywire and Dr. Jonathan Ohnn emerged with some of the funkiest powers I've ever seen. The myriad of dark spots on his body are actually holes in and out of another dimension. The character has a great sense of humor and was a good rival for Spidey. The first time they met, Spider-Man couldn't control his laughter after hearing the villain's name, but he quickly got his comeuppance as the Spot showed him a thing or two in defense of the Kingpin. A fun story, a fun character, and there should be a lot more of him in the books.
My second example harkens back to the Silver Age. Daredevil was modeled somewhat after Batman in terms of his nighttime crime-fighting and athletic skillset. So who was Daredevil's Joker in the early days? It was none other than the Jester. Jonathan Powers was a washed up actor who took on a criminal assassin's role in
Daredevil #42. While not ultra powerful, he was a good foil for the serious Daredevil and really gave him a run for his money. Much of my liking of the Jester is nostalgic. Some of the first comics I received were part of the first Jester arc and I particularly liked when he teamed with Cobra and Mr. Hyde in
Daredevil #61. The Gene Colan art helped as he portrayed the villain as cagy, wiry, and quirky.
He made a few appearances in "modern" times, but never really caught fire. There should be room for a deadly swashbuckler loaded with dangerous yo-yos, puns, and yuks. (And that cover with the Statue of Liberty photo is top notch).
Another character I like is Blackout. He originated as a villain for Nova and has a strange dark dimension origin that is slightly similar to the Spot's (go figure). He was a lab assistant caught in an accident falling into the void and emerging with light absorbing powers along with the dark force. He goes a bit mad and is very paranoid. I really began to admire the strangeness of the character when he was manipulated and controlled by Moonstone in the Avengers' "Under Siege" arc. In Roger Stern's story, he was essentially used and abused by Zemo and the Masters of Evil and had a truly tragic end at their hands. Despite the whacky mask and the limited early characterization, I found myself wanting more of Blackout.
On the DC side of things, as a kid I stumbled across an issue of
Detective Comics at a school White Elephant sale. On the cover it looked like Batman was fighting a purple and orange Spider-Man. In fact the character was the ruthless killer Black Spider who hunts down druglords. He sees himself as serving a brutal justice to the evildoers who got him addicted and sent his life into turmoil. Gerry Conway and Ernie Chan created the character. I think his costume is very sharp looking. It is interesting that Conway brought a Punisher-type character with a spider motif to DC. I like how Black Spider's motivations are not that much different than Bruce Wayne's, but Eric Needham (Black Spider) does not share Batman's reluctance to kill.
Those are my picks for underappreciated villains. Who are your favorites; what is their potential; and why don't others see it like you do? Villains who never really made the mainstream cut, but remain personal favorites is the theme of today's post. Cheers!