Golden Age Villains?

[MadMikeyD]

Here's a question for you guys with more Golden Age experience than myself. While I have found information on tons of Golden Age heroes, who are the great Golden Age villains? Are there any? Or were most villains Nazis, Japanese Soldiers, and throwaway characters that only lasted one story? Of course, The Claw is probably on the top of the list, because his legacy still endures. But, is anyone on the list with him? Inquiring minds want to know.

[captainzero]

Here's a question for you guys with more Golden Age experience than myself. While I have found information on tons of Golden Age heroes, who are the great Golden Age villains? Are there any? Or were most villains Nazis, Japanese Soldiers, and throwaway characters that only lasted one story? Of course, The Claw is probably on the top of the list, because his legacy still endures. But, is anyone on the list with him? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'll give it a shot...
Besides THE CLAW .... there at Lev Gleason... besides DAREDEVIL...Gleason had BOY ILLUSTORIES...(written by Charles Biro and illustrated by Norman Maurer, Fred Kida, Willam Overgard ... and a few others).
In BOY, THE hero was the famous CRIMEBUSTER... (and his pal, Squeeks, who happened to be a monkey.)
CRIMEBUSTER's Greatest foe was a GREAT villain.... the infamous IRONJAW!! :eek: :eek:
IRONJAW was a Nazi who had killed Crimebuster's father... and was so named because his entire mouth and chin had been blown off by a grenade (while he tried to save a German corporal named Schicklgruber) and replaced with a steel trap.

These two, CRIMEBUSTER and IRONJAW, had some tremendous battles before IRONJAW met his end.(If he did, indeed, meet his "end".)
IRONJAW was one of the Great villains of the early-late '40's... early '50's. Biro's wrote some really great stories... and Maurer, Kida and the others were pretty good artists.

I had hoped that these three--- Crimebuster, Squeeks, and IronJaw would have been swept up in the urn.... but no sighting of them so far. :(

[captainzero]

I'll try again, MadMikey,---

THE CAT(MAN) & THE KITTEN...also had a re-occurring villain.... one Dr. MACABRE... who gave our heroic duo a hard time on several occassions.

Dr. MACABRE at his most menacing, was a villainous master genius bent on world domination. MACABRE was a monocled, goateed madman who dressed in a top hat and tails.

Now,... from looking at "The List".... I see that ROCKETMAN & ROCKETGIRL, and THE HOOD are on it.

I think that ROCKETMAN & ROCKETGIRL had a villain named DR. Bartholomew Watson...that wanted their demise.

And THE HOOD had a Nazi "superfiend" named THE VULTURE'S CLAW, a huge madman(aren't they all!??) whose hideous face was scared from forehead to chin down the left side of his face rendering the left eye sightless. On his right hand he wore a monstrous glove with claws used to rend his victims. And a Baron Von Twotree battled him with even less success.

Of these last villains,-- Von Twotree and Dr. Watson --- I'm not as sure of as IRONJAW and DR. MACABRE... and THE VULTURE'S CLAW!!


So, that's my five: IRONJAW, DR. MACABRE, DR. WATSON, THE VULTURE'S CLAW, and Von Twotree. (?)

Oh,... and another is MAGNO and DAVEY's (who are also on "the list") arch enemy and number one recurring foe ----who was the evil, leering madman who seemed to appear in most every story.... THE CLOWN!!!

[MadMikeyD]

I had forgotten about Crimebuster and IronJaw. Wonder if they might show up in the future?

Those others are all new to me. Thanks a lot.

[Strannik]

This website (http://www.geocities.com/cash_gorman/villains.htm) has a very comprehensive listing of Golden Age villains. You can also check the lists here (http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/gav_fawcett.html), here (http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/gav_ffs.html) and here (http://www.angelfire.com/mn/blaklion/villains.html).

[MadMikeyD]

Looks like the Green Lama had a recurring villain as well - the Toymaster. He was important enough to make two cover appearances:

http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/236/117785_20080124103038_large.jpg http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/236/117787_20080124103737_large.jpg

[captainzero]

You're Welcome.!!
Hey,
under the last one of those lists-- Lev Gleason villains-- they have listed "The Deadly Dozen... foes of Daredevil and Crimebuster"!! :eek:

Does ANYONE know if DareDevil and Crimebuster teamed up in the same story to battle this bunch of villains in DareDevil #5??? :confused:

I sure would like to see those two together... but I don't think it ever happened.

[MadMikeyD]

From what I can tell the Deadly Dozen menaced Daredevil for a few years and then moved on to Boy Comics to face off with Crimebuster in the 1950s.

[captainzero]

Thanks,---Mikey.
darn it.!!!
I was so hoping...it would have been sooo kool!! :cool:

[Strannik]

While not strictly on topic, I figured I would be better off posting it here rather then posting it separately and risking the wraith of the mods.

This thread inspired me to try to imagine the villainous counterpart to the emerging Superpowers team - sort of like the Injustice Gang to our heroes' Justice League. So, based on the sites I already linked to and the Golden Age comics I've managed to find, here is the list of possible candidates.

The Claw - for reasons that are fairly clear to anyone who read the Project Superpowers' Free Comic Book Day story. The Claw has a city filled with followers, an assortment of "weird science" technology at his disposal. Even without that, he has an ability to grow to any size he wants, and he seems to be unkillable - while there were several instances when it looked like he was gone for good, it never stuck. Finally, while other villains usually fought one hero in particular, the Claw fought more then his share of costumed and non-costumed opponents, such as the original Daredevil, the Ghost and Rocky X.

Iron Jaw - another Lev Gleason villain, he was a bloodthirsty, sadistic Nazi agent whose jaw was replaced by a sharp metal contraption. Thanks to special training, he was able to convincingly feign death, allowing him to survive several seemingly fatal confrontations.

Chen Chang (http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4914712.html#cutid1) - a Chinese mastermind in the Fu Manchu mold, Chen Chang is incredibly resourceful, well-connected and clever. Also, his goal - to protect his people from the Western exploitation - is actually sympathetic. If handled right, he could bring an interesting dynamic to the table.

The Clown (http://home.comcast.net/~wanolan/b1intro2.html) - an archfoe of Ace Comics' Magno and Davey, he is basically a more sadistic version of Golden Age Joker. He came up with "turning a sidekick into a villain and sending him to attack a hero" idea decades before it became a plot point in Return of the Joker.

Great Question (http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/5382183.html#cutid1) - a particularly devious mastermind, he is an archfoe of Amazing Man. In addition to being a powerful telepath, he commands considerable resources. But most impressively, he was able organize several elaborately planned attacks against Amazing Man right under the noses of his fellow lamas. He was eventually exposed, but that hasn't diminished his wits in the slightest.

Blitz - a super-strong prehistoric man who was unfrozen by the Nazis. He faced off against Fighting Yank. Included here because, let's face it, every super-team needs muscled grunts.

Dr Macabre - an archfoe of Catman, he is a powerful European-born hypnotist and a criminal mastermind. He is assisted by Lenore, whom he hypnotized into submission. While he may seem redundant next to Great Question, I think there is enough differences between their respective methods and personalities to make it work.

Mr. Lunar - a villain with a curious gimmick. He created masks that brainwash the wearers into committing murderous deeds. However, once the masks are taken off, they dissolve, leaving the wearers with no memories of what they did under influence.

Merciless the Sorceress - as the name implies, an incredibly powerful sorceress. She rules her own underground kingdom. She forces men to become her faithful servants, turning them into animals when they outlived their usefulness.

Misery - a supernatural, Grim-Ripper-like villain who collects the souls and the planes of dead pilots. He flies a gigantic, decaying plane known as the Airbomb.

Paris - a somewhat effeminate android who does everything "in silent clockwork precision." In the group, he'd probably be another grunt, though, in his case, he would probably be tasked with something more subtle.

Psyk - ruler of the "Realm of the Subconscious." Anyone who lives there for a long time falls completely under his mental control. His only weakness is that he can't affect the real world without the aid of a special gem.

Zzed - an immortal man who tries to destroy the world so that he may die. A frequient foe of Airboy.

[captainzero]

Wow!! Thanks for that list of great villains, Strannik!!

That was a fun read. There are some great villainous possibilities on that list.

DE Universe is going to need some "top-flight" villains to make this line really fun. The greater the Villain... the Greater the Hero.

My hope is that this "league of villains" doesn't come together too soon... but slowly and "artfully" builds... as each villain faces a hero ... and is defeated a couple of times.
Then, slowly, ... some kind of "league of villains" forms for revenge. To do what each villain could not do alone. And, maybe, in some cases, ... the group of villains is more successful than each was alone.

That may set off a need for the Heroes to form their own "league of heroes" to fight the band of villains.
To slowly build this Universe ... in a somewhat logic fashion will be ... or can be ....really fun to watch. :D
I hope they don't hurry it... but let it unfold very "logically".!!..organically??

Thanks again for such a wonderful list of Golden Age villains to ponder. ;)