10 Comic Book Supervillains Improved Through Retcon
5. The Shade -Richard Swift
The Shade started out as a fairly simplistic crook whose cane created areas of darkness and he spent his time robbing banks and confounding both the Golden and Silver Age Flash. He was very prominent in several groups like the Injustice Gang and several Secret Societies but rarely distinguished himself.
After the Zero Hour event, the Shade was portrayed as a morally ambiguous British gentleman whose powers far extend simple darkness control. There are monsters in his darkness, he can travel anywhere, move across dimensions, and he’s immortal. Through his own journals, we learn that a mystical event in 1838 gave him his “powers”. Shade has met and inspired such people as Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, and all that running around with the Flashes was little more than a game to him.
The Shade has also chosen to protect Opal City. He owns a beautiful home in the Parisian area of the city. He never conducts crimes there and tries to keep others away. The Shade double-crossed the Mist, aided both Starmen, followed Matt O’Dare into Hell, and is in love with Hope O’Dare. Even centuries in the future, Shade is still looking after Opal.