15 Comic Book 'Firsts' You Didn't Know
They may not be famous but they were the first.
Everyone knows that Wonder Woman comics were an instant hit, and propelled female superheroes into the mainstream. Likewise, everyone 'knows' Daredevil was the first superhero to have a disability, and that Black Panther paved the way as the first black superhero in comics.
But here's the thing. Wonder Woman wasn't the first superheroine, and Daredevil wasn't the first disabled superhero. Despite the fact Black Panther is often credited as "the first black superhero", another comic book character beat him to the punch by nearly 20 years.
Every comic fan knows resurrections play a huge part in comics but couldn't tell you who was the first superhero to come back to life. We are familiar with criminal masterminds like Lex Luthor and the Joker, but few know who the first supervillain was. And let's not forget the million-dollar question; who was the first superhero to appear in a comic book?
If you don't recognise the characters on this list, it's understandable. Some of them only made a handful of appearances. Others haven't appeared in a single comic in over half a century. Nevertheless, they are important since they are the ones that laid the groundwork in comic book storytelling, and for the supposed first-timers who weren't really the first at all...
15. The Ultra-Humanite - The First Supervillain
When Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938, it initiated The Golden Age of Comics, which helped launch superheroes like Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Flash. In his early adventures, Superman effortlessly defeated bank robbers, gangsters, and evil scientists. After a year, the writers upped their game and wrote a story where Superman squared off against a super-powered criminal called The Ultra-Humanite.
The Ultra-Humanite (whose real name is unknown), was a scientist who conducted an experiment which endowed him with the ability to control and transfer minds. His power drove him mad and he decided to (unoriginally) take over the world.
Unfortunately, the experiment advanced his brain so much, his body couldn't keep up and withered away. Using his newfound powers, the scientist transferred his mind into another body. (The Ultra-Humanite is also the first comic book character to transfer a mind into another person.)
To give himself an edge over Superman, The Ultra-Humanite usually takes the form of an 8ft-tall albino ape. If he is killed, his mind will automatically transfer to another body, which he transforms into an ape. (During the 1930s, everyone was nuts about apes. I don't know why. It was a weird phase.)