As their name suggests, the Anti-Superman Gang would use their criminal resources to try and destroy Superman to further their own criminal gains.
History
It is unknown if each encounter Superman has had with such groups are all part of the same organization or independent from each other. They have tried many methods of eliminating Superman, from exposing him to Green Kryptonite, learning his secret identity, and once even trying to blow up the Fortress of Solitude.
The story that earned Clark Kent his job at the Daily Planet involved the Anti-Superman Gang.[1]
One Anti-Superman Gang was led by a man named "Ace" Manton. They would first attempt to get at Superman through Jimmy Olsen. They would first attempt to steal Jimmy's Signal Watch only to be thwarted by Superman. They would continue to try and steal the watch even after Jimmy hid it while sleepwalking and forgot where he placed it and began wearing a fake watch in its place. After another failed attempt by his men, "Ace" Manton would try on his own, and Jimmy, utilizing an alternate means of signaling Superman for the fourth time that day, would alert the Man of Steel to Ace's location leading to his capture.[2]
A group of criminals calling themselves the "Anti-Superman Gang" were led by a man named "Big Bob" Kruger. When Superman would open his Fortress of Solitude to the public, Kruger and his gang would attempt to blow it up with a bomb. However, their plot was tipped off to Superman by the citizen of the bottle city of Kandor and ultimately thwarted[3].
Another man who claimed to be member of an "Anti-Superman Gang" posed as famous toymaker Cyril Madison the so-called "Doll King" in another plot to destroy the Fortress of Solitude. This plot involved creating a doll based upon Lois Lane to give to Superman to place within the Fortress. Ultimately this plot too would fail when Superman detects the bomb and disarms it[4].
Rich philanthropist John Kiley was secretly the leader of another group calling themselves the Anti-Superman Gang. Kiley would take a medication that would make it appear that he was dying in the hopes of proving his suspicions that Clark Kent was really Superman. Although he was warned that the medication would potentially cause hallucinations, he would take it anyway. On his death bed he would have private counsel with Clark Kent and ask to him to reveal his true identity as a dying man's last wish. Believing that Keily was dying, Kent would do so just moments before Kiley would "die". Revived moments later, John Kiley and the rest of his Anti-Superman Gang would then lead Clark Kent into a Kryptonite trap. However, Clark would be rescued by the Superman Emergency Squad and Supergirl. When the crooks would check to see if Kent was dead, he would learn of the gangs plot and the potentially hallucinogenic properties of the drug that John Kiley used. Secretly using his x-ray vision to cause the bottle of the drug to pop open, dousing all the crooks with the drug. Superman would then have Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad -- who at the time had not been revealed to the public -- to stage a "hallucination" for the gang before Superman could pretend to arrive on the scene to apprehend them and preserve his secret identity[5].
When Lois Lane is upset about Superman not being able to trust her with his secret identity, Jimmy Olsen tells her that Superman is really science fiction writer Rock Stirling, to see if Lois can really keep it secret. Unfortunately, Lois proves incapable of keeping the secret and word gets to the Anti-Superman Gang. The gang attempts to assassinate Stirling who has to be rescued by the real Man of Steel[6].
Two members of the Anti-Superman Gang next attempt to learn Superman's secret identity by rigging a special clock that the Man of Steel is wearing for a charity awareness with a hidden camera and microphone. Superman realizes the plot too late after he returns to the apartment he lives in as Clark Kent. He then allows the camera to be "accidentally" struck by lightning and sends one of his Superman Robots to replace the gangs chunk of Kryptonite with a harmless rock. When the gang members attempt to assassinate Clark Kent with the fake Kryptonite later it has no effect, preserving Superman's identity and leading to their capture[7].
The Anti-Superman Gang next targets Jimmy Olsen once more just after the cub reporter had returned from the 30th Century on a visit with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Drinking a partial dose of a serum that grants him the same powers as the Legion's Chameleon Boy, Jimmy can only shape-change his head. This however, proves sufficient for Jimmy to keep the gang from capturing him until Superman returns from a mission in space and captures them[8].
When Lois Lane impulsively drinks a serum that allows her to breath under water, she realizes she must immerse herself in water every hour or die. When she is seeking out the antidote, the Anti-Superman Gang learns of her condition and attempts to prevent her from reaching water within her time constraints. This attempt to kill Lois is thwarted by Superman[9]. Lois Lane clashes with the Anti-Superman Gang again when she borrows Lana Lang's Bio-Genetic Ring and becomes the Insect Queen[10].
After laying low for some time, the Anti-Superman Gang would resurface offering a million dollar reward to the person who could devise a way of killing Superman. The offer sends several criminal scientists flocking with different ideas on how to do away with the Man of Steel, all of which fail[11]. The gang would get another attempt at destroying Superman when the Man of Steel attempts to destroy a cloud of Kryptonite that has gathered around the Earth. When Superman attempts to use a lead suit to do the job, they employ a weapon that turns it into lead. Superman outsmarts them by creating a new lead suit that is invisible to the naked eye, and feigning weakness to the Kryptonite gas he is being sprayed with so that he can get close enough to their machine to destroy it. With their ace-in-the-hole destroy, the Anti-Superman Gang is rounded up and turned over to the authorities and Superman deals with the Kryptonite cloud over the Earth[12].
The Anti-Superman Gang returned to exploit Superman's weakness in the wake of his encounter with the Sand Superman. Superman defeats them with the aid of Diana Prince 's mentor, I-Ching[13].
Cosmic Anti-Superman Gang
In a scheme to manipulate Jimmy Olsen into killing Superman, Brainiac assembled an different group of villains (himself, Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, Saturn Queen and Lex Luthor) who identified themselves as the "Cosmic Anti-Superman Gang."[14] This was the cosmic group's only appearance under that name, and they appear to be unrelated to the other Anti-Superman Gangs.
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
Conventional items used for robberies as needed.
Transportation:
Various getaway vehicles
Weapons:
Conventional fire arms, occasionally they would be in possession of varying quantities of Kryptonite.
See Also
- 25 Appearances of Anti-Superman Gang
- 1 Images that include Anti-Superman Gang
- Team Gallery: Anti-Superman Gang
Links and References
Footnotes
- ↑ Action Comics #500
- ↑ Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #39
- ↑ Action Comics #261
- ↑ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #21
- ↑ Action Comics #276
- ↑ Superman #145
- ↑ Superman #152
- ↑ Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #85
- ↑ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #60
- ↑ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #69
- ↑ Action Comics #376
- ↑ Action Comics #377
- ↑ Superman #240-241
- ↑ Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #87
  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." |