The Bullpen

[Tempo House]

The common lore suggests that Superman was the first superpowered hero, not just a hero whose really well-trained in this or super-skilled with that, but someone who has powers that are not possible in the real world.

In the Golden Age when these superpowered heroes were first starting up (Captain Marvel, Plastic Man, Superman, etc) they were usually set up against some crime bosses or petty criminals, bank robbers, etc.  I feel like it was a crucial turning point in the superhero genre of comics to power up the villains as well and casting them as real threats against the superpowered heroes. So in that sense, does anyone know who the first superpowered villains were? And whose enemies were they set up as?

For the record, I am not looking for non-superpowered villains like Lex Luthor or the Joker. I am looking for the kind of villain who has an ability  that is not possible in the real world.

[Dave Faust]

Maybe The Monk from Detective Comics 31, I think he was a vampire or something.

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervillain

By some definitions, the first supervillain was John Devil, a proto-Fantômas, created by Paul Féval, père in his eponymous 1862 novel, or Féval's nearly-immortal, machiavellian Colonel Bozzo-Corona, leader of Les Habits Noirs introduced in 1863. Professor Moriarty, the archenemy of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes, was introduced in 1891.[3] Dr. Fu Manchu, the antagonist of several popular novels of Sax Rohmer, is credited with popularizing many of the typical characteristics of the modern supervillain, including his sadistic personality, his desire for world domination, and his use of sinister lairs and themed crimes and henchmen. Rohmer's work had a strong influence on Ian Fleming, whose James Bond novels and their film adaptations further popularized the image in popular culture, like Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

The first supervillain who wore a bizarre costume was the Lightning, from the 1938 film The Fighting Devil Dogs. The first supervillain to regularly battle a superhero was the Ultra-Humanite, who first appeared in Action Comics #13 (1939). In contrast to the super-strong Superman, he was a crippled and bald genius, and could be seen as one of the first evil geniuses, due to his deformed body and baldness, which inspired Lex Luthor.

First one that came to mind was Fu Manchu but I assumed there were others before him. And he probably isn't the super powered type that you were after. Although according to his Wikipedia entry...

Dr. Fu Manchu has extended his already considerable lifespan by use of the elixir vitae, a formula he spent decades trying to perfect.

[wolfstone]

Frankenstein's Monster?

[Jay Tomio]

I'm assuming the OP means comics because if we are talking outside of comics I think we all know we can go waaaay before Mary Shelley or Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Lucien21]

Mr. Mxyzptlk ??

Early 40's was his first appearance.

[Jeppe]

I'm assuming the OP means comics because if we are talking outside of comics I think we all know we can go waaaay before Mary Shelley or Arthur Conan Doyle.

I was about to make a joke on Ishtar and Set, but Jay beat me to it   

In all seriousness, the first one I thought of was the Ultra-Humanite from the first Superman stories. He was also the inspiration for the bad guy in a certain superhero movie from 2000.

[BoomerZ]

Ultra-Humanite, maybe?  First appearance was in Action #13 (6/39)

[JimN]

I was about to make a joke on Ishtar and Set, but Jay beat me to it   

In all seriousness, the first one I thought of was the Ultra-Humanite from the first Superman stories. He was also the inspiration for the bad guy in a certain superhero movie from 2000.

Which bad guy and movie do you mean?

Jim

[Jeppe]

Which bad guy and movie do you mean?

Jim

This will pretty much ruin the movie if you haven't seen it, but since you asked

M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, with

the wheel chair-bound Elijah played by Samuel L. Jackson.

[JimN]

This will pretty much ruin the movie if you haven't seen it, but since you asked

M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, with

the wheel chair-bound Elijah played by Samuel L. Jackson.

I've seen it. It wouldn't have ruined it for me anyway since I know next to nothing about the Ultra-Humanite.

Thanks for the info!

Jim