10 Terrifying Comic Supervillains (Who Only Appear Once)

These Supervillains Are Too Frightening For This World!

Batman Thomas Martha Wayne Flashpoint
DC Comics

We all remember the classic supervillains like the Joker and Doctor Doom. These characters are scary, if for nothing else than their ability to elude capture or defeat. Time and again we see our favorite heroes defeat their foes. But, these baddies always reappear, no worse for wear, and with a new plan for world domination.

After a while, this back and forth gets a little repetitive. Audiences know that despite all the destruction he causes, a guy like the Joker is always going to wind up back behind the gothic gates of Arkham Asylum. As for Doctor Doom, arguably one of the fiercest villains in the Marvel Universe, he was once taken down by Squirrel Girl. Do you know how she did it? She overwhelmed him with squirrels! (Not surprising, she's a bit of a one trick pony.)

The fact that these classic villains are constantly defeated, week after week, robs them of some of their ability to intimidate audiences.

What’s truly scary are the villains that writers deemed too imposing to use more than once. These villains, either by a fault or by design, graced the pages of our favorite comics for a short period of time. But man, did they make an impression!

10. Glazier

Batman Thomas Martha Wayne Flashpoint
Marvel Comics

If you ever met her, Glazier would seem normal enough. In fact, she lived a life you might envy. Glazier resided in the beautiful beach-side town of Malibu. She could afford a luxurious home on the beach through her work as an artist. A sculptor, to be more precise, Glazier crafted life-size, and eerily realistic glass statues.

But, because this is the Marvel universe, there was more to Glazier than meets the eye. As a villain, she hearkens back to classic Greek characters like Circe or Medusa. She lured people into her home, and like the Gorgon Medusa, she transformed them into inanimate objects. With a mere touch, Glazier transfigured her victims into glass, killing them instantly. After this, Glazier made a killing selling these newly formed statues in the art world.

Her only trouble came when Bruce Banner, a monster in his own right, washed up on her shores. After trying her little trick on Banner, the scientist, predictably, performs a transformation of his own. Once Banner takes the form of his alter ego, the Hulk, things go from bad to worse for Glazier. She destroys her home, accidentally kills her dog, and turns herself into glass. And that’s the last time we ever see this powerful villain.

Contributor
Contributor

John is a teacher and writer living in Texas. He spends far too much time watching Star Trek. Check out more if his work at artofnarrative.com