10 Most Unexpectedly Powerful DC Villains

5. Doctor Polaris

Crazy Quilt
DC Comics

Physician, Neal Emerson, became a minor celebrity for his magnetic healing treatments. After overexposing himself to magnets, he developed Dissociative Identity Disorder and became a crook. He originally relied on magnetic weaponry, but he eventually developed magnetic powers and became a full-fledged supervillain called Doctor Polaris.

Polaris can fly, form forcefields, shoot electricity, produce intense heat, and manipulate the Earth's magnetic field. He can lift an entire building and hurl it across a city without exerting any effort.

At first, you would naturally assume Doctor Polaris is a complete rip-off of Magneto, which is why he doesn't appear much in the comics.

On the contrary, Doctor Polaris debuted three months before the Master of Magnetism made his first appearance in Marvel Comics. Within a few years, Magneto became one of the most popular supervillains of all time.

Even though Polaris is incredibly powerful, DC Comics tend to opt out of using him much, since he is constantly compared to the X-Men's nemesis.

If Marvel never created Magneto, it's a safe bet that Doctor Polaris would be one of the most dangerous villains in the DC universe.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows