Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)

Ultra-Humanite was Superman's first recurring nemesis during the 1940s, even ahead of Luthor.

History

Pre-Crisis

Due to a scientific experiment, the Ultra-Humanite had "the most agile and learned brain on Earth". He was one of the greatest criminal geniuses ever. Unfortunately for him, while the energies of his mind continued to develop and expand, even developing low level mind energy techniques such as telepathy, his physical brain interface never advanced. Unable to contain the mental energies, his body began slowly burning out. Thus in his early career, he was a small, elderly, crippled scientist, who fought Superman using his intellect, inventions and numerous front men and stooges.^[4]

The Ultra-Humanite's signature achievement is surgically transferring his brain into other bodies. It was in the body of actress Dolores Winters that the Ultra-Humanite committed many of his most ambitious and memorable crimes. The Ultra-Humanite selected Dolores Winters' body as, in that era, most male police would not suspect a woman, let alone a recognized public figure, to be an active criminal mastermind.^[5]

The Ultra War

In Winters' form, he fought the All-Star Squadron while in collusion with his own future self. Utilizing the Powerstone once used by Luthor and his own scientific genius, Ultra granted powers to Amazing-Man (who turned against him) and Deathbolt as his lieutenants while his future self sent the brainwashed Infinity, Inc. and several members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains back in time to assist him in his quest for ultimate power. However, the All-Star Squadron and the freed Infinity, Inc. foiled Ultra's plans and he was forced back into hiding.

The 1950s

The Ultra-Humanite remained in Winters' body into the 1950s, when he attempted to kidnap Bruce Wayne to steal his body. Luckily, his old enemy Superman foiled this dastardly plan.^[1]

A New Body

Over decades of super-villainy, Ultra-Humanite improved his own technology and techniques, in medicine and many other fields, until he attained the ability to transfer his consciousness directly, without surgery, into other bodies^{[citation needed]}. For several years he simply moved himself from one human victim to another, but in the long run, this was unsustainable. His human bodies' endurance time became less and less, as his mental-energy generation continued to advance, burning out the bodies at ever-faster speeds. Tiring of having to change over to new bodies in an almost ever decreasing time,^[6] the Ultra-Humanite re-developed an albino gorilla, originally from Gorilla City^{[citation needed]}, to be able to house his super-brain and abilities. He then transferred his consciousness into this giant albino mutant gorilla, which afforded him incredible strength and durability.

In this body, the Ultra-Humanite has been able to use his mind powers to ever increasing effects. He re-formed the Secret Society of Super Villains and used them to attack both the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America. These supervillains were defeated and banished to an interdimensional limbo, while the Ultra-Humanite escaped, with the assistance of his earlier self from 1941. Both versions of this monster then teamed up, in 1942, and launched an attack on the wartime All-Star Squadron. This mad scheme was thwarted by the interference of the time traveling members of Infinity, Inc., as recounted above. Back in the modern era, the older, more powerful Ultra-Humanite attempted to destroy the Justice Society of America again, but was again defeated following Infinity, Inc.'s intervention, and at the end of this clash, he apparently lost his mental powers for a time.

Post-Crisis

Certain aspects of the Humanite's early history were altered by the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, notably the removal of the original Superman from the timeline; in this revised history, the Ultra-Humanite apparently first clashed with the All-Star Squadron and later became a recurring foe of the JSA. Much of his later life, however, appears to have been relatively unchanged. Some time after his initial clash with Infinity, Inc. he came under the mental domination of alien spore creatures but was released by Infinity, Inc. and the New Teen Titans. Later, he clashed with the JSA again following their return to action, after creating for himself a powerful new humanoid body (he kept the white ape as a "pet", having apparently transferred an ordinary gorilla's brain into it).

Stealing Thunder

At some point behind-the-scenes, the Humanite transferred his brain into the body of Johnny Thunder of the JSA, and took possession of the pen that activates the Thunderbolt.^[7] The villain used the djinn to rejuvenate his host body and create a world dictatorship, with futuristic cities, and the vast majority of the meta-human population under suspended animation. He was again defeated, and shortly afterwards was apparently killed by the Crimson Avenger, who shot his brain to pieces.^[8]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Unique Physiology
  • Enhanced Intellect: Some say he is smarter than Luthor. ^[9]
  • Superhuman Strength (In albino gorilla and tyrannosaur bodies)
  • Superhuman Durability (In albino gorilla and tyrannosaur bodies)
  • Animal Control (gorillas only)^[9]
  • Hypnosis: sufficient power to implement a suggestion in the minds of almost all members of Infinity Inc. simultaneously^[10]
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis^[11]
• Brain-Blast: By his own words, equal in power to that of Brain Wave I.^[12]

Abilities

• Science: He know scientific techniques which endow superpowers to ordinary humans^[13]; once he calculated that the banishment of certain heroes to Interdimensional Limbo would to fade off all heroes in Earth-Two. ^[11]
• Gadgetry
• Medicine: He knows how to cure cancer.
• Attractiveness (In Delores Winters' body only)
• Acrobatics (In albino gorilla body only)

Weaknesses

• Common host bodies will degenerate after some unspecified amount of time (cannot support his "powerful mind").
• Monstrous Appearance (In albino gorilla and tyrannosaur bodies only)
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Powerstone (Formerly)

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
• Ultra's original body was male, but he had his brain transferred to other bodies several times, some of which were women, notoriously Dolores Winters'.
• The Ultra-Humanite is one of the first ever recurring comic book super-villains. Historically, he was the first recurring enemy to Superman.
• At some point after gaining his gorilla body, the Humanite was apparently taken out of time to join the Black Beetle's Time Stealers.
  

Trivia

• Ultra is the fourth mad medical scientist in a DC comic book to transplant a human brain into another live body. The first was Roskoffin, in New York City,^[14] the second was Doctor Kichung, in coastal China,^[15][16] and the third was Herbert Handers, in Mexico. But Ultra-Humanite was the first to use a live human receptacle for the transplanted brain; his three predecessors all moved human brains into live apes.

Related

• 82 Appearances of Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)
• 13 Images featuring Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)
• 2 Quotations by or about Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)

Footnotes

Superman Villain(s) This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category."

Justice Society Villain(s) This character, team or organization is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice Society, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society Villains" category.

Secret Society of Super-Villains member This character is or was a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, a cadre of super-villains who band together to accomplish feats no one super-villain can do alone, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Secret Society of Super-Villains members" category.