Ultra-Humanite
The Ultra-Humanite is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared as a recurring adversary of Superman, and was the first supervillain faced by him. Though his name is a near-synonym for Superman, he was designed to be the polar opposite of Superman; while Superman is a hero with superhuman strength, the Ultra-Humanite is a criminal mastermind who has a crippled body but a highly advanced intellect. The Ultra-Humanite served as Superman's nemesis until the introduction of Superman's archnemesis, the mad scientist Lex Luthor. The origins of the Ultra-Humanite are shrouded in mystery. Even he claims not to remember his true name or appearance and attributes his vast intellect and mental prowess to scientific experiments of an unknown nature.
In other media, the Ultra-Humanite has appeared in Justice League, voiced by Ian Buchanan, as well as the third and final season of The CW network television series Stargirl.
Publication history
The Ultra-Humanite was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #13, which was written by Siegel and drawn by Paul Cassidy.Fictional character history
Golden Age
The Ultra-Humanite is described by Superman as a "mad scientist who seeks domination of the Earth", is paralyzed from the waist down, and uses a wheelchair. Portrayed as nearly bald in Action Comics #13 and #19 and as completely bald in Action Comics #14 and 17, his real name is never given, because he has been known as the Ultra-Humanite or Ultra ever since "a scientific experiment resulted in possessing the most agile and learned brain on Earth!" Despite the many possibilities available to a man with such intelligence, he prefers to use his talents for crime. Even after being transferred into other bodies, he is always recognizable by his "evil blazing eyes".Superman sets out to smash the Cab Protective League, an organization headed by a racketeer named Jackie Reynolds, which is attempting to seize control of the city's lucrative taxi trade. Reynolds' union intimidates other cab drivers through violence and threats against passengers. Apprehended by police, who overheard him mention his crimes during an argument with Superman, Reynolds is sentenced to Sing Sing penitentiary. Reynolds escapes by using a cigarette to emit a poisonous gas that kills his guards. Taking an educated guess, Superman finds Reynolds in a cabin hideout, only to learn he has walked into a trap set by Reynolds' boss: the Ultra-Humanite. The trap deals electricity sufficient to kill 500 men, knocking Superman unconsciousness. Reynolds and the Ultra-Humanite attempt to kill him with a buzz saw, but Superman's tough skin breaks the saw into fragments. Reynolds is killed by one of the flying pieces. Ultra's henchmen set fire to the cabin, carry the Ultra-Humanite to a waiting aircraft, and leave Superman to perish. Superman regains consciousness and leaps into the aircraft's propeller, deliberately crashing the plane. He admits that he almost died in the fire, and is unable to find the Ultra-Humanite, who escaped using a parachute.
After scores of subway riders are injured in the collapse of a subway tunnel, Superman discovers that Star, Inc., the firm that built the tunnel, defrauded the city by using substandard materials. Superman pursues some of the employees, who lead him into a tank trap. The Ultra-Humanite freezes him inside a block of crystal. Superman breaks out but is unable to stop the Ultra-Humanite's plans.
The Ultra-Humanite extorts five million dollars from a cruise line. Superman recovers the money, but Ultra uses a hologram of himself to conduct the business, leaving Superman no opportunity to capture him.
The Ultra-Humanite reverse engineers a plague from the Middle Ages and releases it into the city, killing hundreds, in the hopes of exterminating the human race and replacing it with his own creations. A young scientist, Professor Henry Travers, concocts an antidote. Ultra kidnaps Travers, but he is rescued by Superman. Ultra's henchmen fire an electric gun and knock out Superman. Ultra tries hypnotizing him, but Superman fakes being controlled, and when he is taken to spread the plague with Ultra's airship, he destroys it. Superman returns to Ultra's stronghold. Ultra fires the electric gun at him, but Superman moves the Ultra-Humanite in front of the blast, killing him.
Ultra's assistants revive him with adrenalin. However, his body is still dying, so Ultra has his henchmen kidnap actress Dolores Winters and transplant his brain into her body. As Dolores, the Ultra-Humanite announces her retirement from acting, and throws a retirement party on her yacht, The Sea-Serpent. During the party, he moves the yacht out to sea, and holds the guests at gunpoint. Ultra announces via ship's radio that he is holding the celebrities captive for $5 million. He places helmets on the heads of the captives, wired to a control board where he can electrocute them. He receives the ransom money, but Superman throws a stalagmite into the switchboard, breaking the electrical connection. When "Dolores" threatens to disfigure the captives using a lighted torch, Superman recognizes him as Ultra. After Superman extinguishes the torch, Ultra dives into the water and escapes.
The Ultra-Humanite reads that physicist Terry Curtis is developing an atomic weapon. As Dolores, he tries to steal Curtis's plans, then kidnaps him and tortures him into building a disintegrator. The Ultra-Humanite demands $2 million or he will destroy Metropolis. As a demonstration, he destroys the Wentworth Tower. Superman destroys the disintegrator and rides the Ultra-Humanite's plane to a glass-sheathed city inside an extinct volcano. He defeats the robot guards, but Curtis is held behind a photoelectric sensor, and Metropolis will be destroyed if the beam is broken. In exchange for Curtis's release, Superman steals the crown jewels from the Reynolds Building. In a double cross, the Ultra-Humanite sends diamond drills at Superman, but Superman breaks them. Curtis stops Ultra from pulling the lever that would destroy the city. Superman then disintegrates the photoelectric cell connections. When Superman leaps at him, the Ultra-Humanite dives to safety in the volcano's crater.
The Ultra-Humanite made his last Superman appearance in Action Comics #21, and made no further comic book appearances for several decades. He was replaced as Superman's archvillan by Lex Luthor, who was introduced in Action Comics #23.
Silver Age and the Multiverse
With the introduction of DC's multiverse system, the continuity of Golden Age Superman stories and the Ultra-Humanite were retroactively placed on Earth-Two, the Earth of DC's Golden Age characters. The Ultra-Humanite was reintroduced during the Silver Age as a recurring villain in the "Mr. and Mrs. Superman" feature in the Superman Family anthology comic. The feature consists of stories about the early years of the marriage between the Earth-Two Superman and Lois Lane. These stories feature a number of Golden Age Superman villains of which the Ultra-Humanite is the most prominent.In the annual JLA/JSA teamup in Justice League of America #195-197, the Ultra-Humanite transfers his consciousness to an albino gorilla body and becomes a major super-villain on Earth-Two. In one instance, he recruited Brain Wave, Monocle, Rag Doll, Psycho-Pirate, Mist, and four villains from Earth-1 into a new Secret Society of Super Villains. Afterwards, the Ultra-Humanite regularly appears in DC Comics titles, opposing the All-Star Squadron in the 1940s, and the Justice Society of America and Infinity, Inc. in the decades since World War II.
Post-Crisis
After the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman's history was rewritten in The Man of Steel miniseries, and the Earth-Two Superman was removed from continuity. The Ultra-Humanite was excluded from Superman's reboot, and his post-Crisis history remained tied to the 1940s and to the Justice Society of America and All-Star Squadron. Previous appearances of the Ultra-Humanite fighting Golden Age Superman in the 1940s in Action Comics #13-21 and in All-Star Squadron were re-told for the sake of continuity to show him having fought other 1940s heroes.The Ultra-Humanite's most ambitious scheme occurs in the 2002 "Stealing Thunder" story arc from JSA #32-37 where, having taken over the body of an aged Johnny Thunder, he deceives Jakeem Thunder into handing over his magical pen. With Thunderbolt's power, the Ultra-Humanite restores his body's youth, and then proceeds to take over the world. Under his rule, Earth is transformed into essentially a single mind, with nearly every metahuman becoming an extension of him. A few heroes manage to escape the control of the Ultra-Humanite: Jakeem Thunder, Captain Marvel, Hourman, the third Crimson Avenger, Power Girl, Sand, and the second Icicle. Wildcat and Hector Hall are also freed—Wildcat as an apparent side effect of his 'nine lives', and Hall so that he could summon the garb of Doctor Fate and thus provide the Ultra-Humanite with access to Nabu's power—but both are held captive by the Ultra-Humanite. After the reserve JSA are able to temporarily short out the Thunderbolt, the Ultra-Humanite is seemingly killed by the Crimson Avenger as revenge for the death of the first Crimson Avenger, who died earlier in an explosion triggered by the Ultra-Humanite.
One Year Later
After the events of "Infinite Crisis", history was altered to bring Dolores Winters back to life via the reveal that her brain was placed in a new body after the Ultra-Humanite stole her body for his own use.The Ultra-Humanite's secret origin is revised, shedding more light on his past life as genius youth Gerard Shugel. He was born with both an intellect that surpassed the world's greatest minds and a degenerative disease that was slowly eating away at him. He used his intellect to find ways to keep the disease at bay, while trying to find a way to transplant his brain into a healthy body.
Working with a reckless and young Satanna, a fellow college researcher, they worked together at their brain/transplant and animal hybridization technologies. Backlash from animal rights activists forced them to relocate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they were beset by rebel forces and the military. Satanna transplanted the brain of Gerard into the altered body of an albino gorilla. They shared an intimate relationship for a while, then parted ways for a long time, paving the way for their separate adventures as chronicled pre-OYL.
In the 2006-07 Lightning Saga crossover between Justice Society of America and Justice League of America, the untold story of how the Ultra-Humanite transitioned from Dolores Winters' body to his albino ape form was revealed: Per Degaton, the villainous time traveler, and a young version of Despero rescued the Dolores Winters-version of the Ultra-Humanite from a hospital in the year 1948. It is revealed that the Ultra-Humanite was stricken with terminal cancer and in exchange for his loyalty, Per Degaton agreed to provide a new body for the villain, in the form of a rare albino ape from the secret civilization known as Gorilla City. Christening themselves the "Time Stealers", they align themselves with Mister Mind, Rex Hunter, the mysterious Black Beetle, and the villainous father of Booster Gold in an attempt to manipulate time for their own selfish goals. Their conspiracy ultimately unravels at the hands of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle Ted Kord. In the end, the Ultra-Humanite and Despero were sent back into the past after their group was defeated, while other members were returned to their previous places in time.
The Ultra-Humanite is said to still be alive and well, having stolen a copy of Steve Dayton's Mento helmet.
Later, the Ultra-Humanite is seen aiding the Reach in their plans to conquer Earth; he is defeated by Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner. Ultra appears in the first arc of Power Girl, using an anti-gravity mechanism to raise New York City into the air, holding the city hostage in exchange for being able to transfer his mind into Power Girl's body. The attempt fails, and Power Girl accidentally scars his whole body with acid burns, maiming his form permanently.
Satanna returns to New York, attempting to aid her former lover, stealing the body of the current Terra, Atlee, for Gerard's use. After a lengthy fight, Power Girl is able to retrieve Terra's brain and bring both of them to Strata, Atlee's advanced underground birth society. She does this to get her friend restored to her proper body. Strata's scientists agree to clone a new, fully human body for Gerard Shugel, resembling a healthy version of his twenty-year-old human self, cured from his degenerative disease. Power Girl attempts to hire him as a scientist for her Starr Labs, and Gerard plays along by showing a fake desire of reformation.