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Quote1 Ladies, gentlemen, others, creatures of indeterminate inner demons and fixations--My name is Dr. Psycho. And you're going to help me with a little experiment. All I ask? That you keep an open mind. Quote2
Doctor Psycho src

Dr. Edgar Cizko, Dr. Psycho is a telepathic criminal and sworn enemy of Wonder Woman. He was once a psychologist who was often mocked and ridiculed by his peers for his studies in psionics and the power of the mind, even giving him the moniker "Dr. Psycho", causing him to swear vengeance on all who mocked him.[1] He later developed vast psychic powers that allowed him to enter and sometimes shape people's dreams, control minds and project illusions.

Wonder Woman

Dr. Psycho was first seen impersonating a child psychologist named Dr. Charles Stanton at the Adams Junior High School in Boston, Massachusetts by mentally forcing students to improve their grades, while secretly instigating conflict by controlling the minds of Wonder Woman and Hermes to force them to fight and destroy all the people in Boston as his criminal masterpiece. His control was interrupted after being discovered by Helen Andersen who was trying to investigate the secret to the recent success in student grades, before knocking her out and holding her hostage.[1] He used his mental powers to torture Helen by putting nightmares into the mind of her unborn child to drive her insane and kill her along with her baby, but was stopped by Wonder Woman who managed to find Doctor Psycho by reading the memories of Vanessa Kapatelis, a close friend of Wonder Woman who had been affected by Dr. Psycho's mind control. He was knocked out after trying to hypnotize Wonder Woman by pretending to be Dr. Stanton.[2]

He somehow managed to escape after being knocked out and was later seen using his powers to kidnap and imprison Julia Kapatelis under orders from the witch Circe before warning her that a traitor was in her midst.[3]

Dr. Psycho was later again recruited by Circe to create disturbing and consistent nightmares for Vanessa Kapatelis.[4] This would force her to separate herself from her closest allies. The plan was to make Wonder Woman feel isolated and create fear of her fellow Amazons. He was imprisoned at the Greater Boston Institute for the Criminally Insane were he meticulous fractured Vanessa's mind to hone his powers before trying to make his escape. Vanessa later managed to break Dr. Psycho's hold on her mind, causing a psychic backlash that rendered him drooling and catatonic for a time.[5] Dr. Psycho warps Vanessa's fragile mind and turns her into the new Silver Swan in an effort to make her a new member of a team of villains consisting of himself, Circe and the new male Cheetah. He was knocked out by Troy and incarcerated into the Slabside Penitentiary.[6]

Dr. Psycho is stopped and is taken away and became a patient in a mental facility, confined to a padded room and a straitjacket. When the Legion of Super-Heroes were lost in time Saturn Girl mentally calls for her friends, this awakens Dr. Psycho enough for him to attack several staff members and escape. He then travels and attacks the Legion.[7] He engages the Legion and tries to take over Saturn Girl's mind, but unintentionally unlocks the inhibitor of her full abilities and awakens her true power. She then summarily defeats Psycho and psionically forces him to constantly see her face on the next person he sees.[8]

He was later visited by Leslie Anderson in The Slab, and was moved and recruited by Veronica Cale in a plot to discredit and ruin Wonder Woman's reputation.[9] He was seen trying to cause a crowd of people to kill each other in a riot before betraying and impersonating Cale as revenge for her trying to have her bodyguard murder him.[10] He was confronted by Wonder Woman at Cale's Headquarters and managed to escape. He then went on a spree of murder where he kept trying to mentally cause others to commit suicide, but he revealed it was only a ruse in an attempt to reveal to Wonder Woman that Cale was the true mastermind behind her recent troubles while maintaining his freedom.[11] He later appeared to join the newly-repowered Cheetah and Zoom to become part of a new villainous organization.[12]

Villains United

Dr. Psycho was later recruited by Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Super-Villains. Dr. Psycho worked with Talia al Ghul, to recruit criminals for the Society with Catman the only one to reject their offer. Dr. Psycho does not take the rejection well and threatens to have Catman kill himself. However the pack of lions under his command convinces him he might be eaten if he has Catman hurt himself and leaves peacefully. He also spends time working with Deathstroke to capture one of the Marvel Family of superheroes. The other members of the Society eventually realize that he is trying to mentally influence them. Unaffected, they brush it off as something to be expected. Psycho is later seen at the end in the assault against the Secret Six, but retreated on orders from Luthor after the fighting had been concluded.[13] Dr. Psycho was then seen traveling to Metropolis to act as a distraction while Shrapnel caused destruction but he decided to have some sadistic fun and mind controlled civilians into attempting suicide to torment Superman. Superman managed to save the civilians and Dr. Psycho was rescued and taken away from Metropolis by Black Adam on orders by the Secret Society of Super-Villains.[14]

Infinite Crisis

Dr. Psycho later travels with Warp to release the Monster Doomsday from his prison at the Earth's core. He used his powers to control Doomsday, and uses him during the assault on Metropolis. Dr. Psycho mentally fought against Martian Manhunter was defeated along with the rest of the villains.[15]

Secret Six

Doctor Psycho still remained a figurehead with his own position of authority inside the Society while becoming a member of the latest Injustice League. As a request from Vandal Savage, Psycho enlisted Cheshire's services and begins to put out hits on members of the Secret Six as revenge for the past interference in Society affairs. He then attempted to have the team killed by planting a post-hypnotic suggestion in Ragdoll's mind but failed. Psycho joined Savage in Japan and agreed to be the one who would serve as the father of Scandal's child and Savage's heir before fighting against the Secret Six. Psycho tried to flee from the fight but ended up getting brutally injured by Mad Hatter.[16]

One Year Later and Manhunter Trials

After his failure and defeat in the Metropolis invasion, Dr. Psycho ended up getting arrested and Director Bones assigns Kate Spencer as Psycho's defense attorney in a case where he was convicted of mind-controlling civilians to kill some insubordinate villains during the invasion. During the proceedings, Psycho slowly began to manipulate Spencer as well as lurk inside her mind. Before the trial's verdict could be heard, Dr. Psycho used his telepathy to hold the people in the courtroom hostage and find out Spencer's identity as Manhunter. It was difficult for Kate to overcome Psycho, but she managed to drop his guard by kissing him then stabbing him in the stomach, causing Psycho to forget Kate's alter-ego and lose his powers before being incarcerated again.[17]

Return To Power

Circe later restored Psycho's powers as well as amplified them and joined Cheetah and Giganta.[18] Circe was acting on behalf of the Society and Genocide was sent to the DMA (Department of Metahuman Affairs) Headquarters to help Doctor Psycho escape by having his mind inhabit the body of Director Steel but was foiled again.[19]

Odyssey

Psycho appeared again in an altered form when Wonder Woman underwent the reality warped world of Odyssey, where Paradise Island was long gone and she had grown up in the modern world. Beaten and on the brink of death at the hands of the Morrigan reanimated minions; Artemis, Giganta and Cheetah, Wonder Woman is saved by Psycho who took her through a journey through her mind, apparently having a deeper knowledge of the changes reality had undergone. Initially he insists on being known only as Edgar, showing himself as a man on normal stature as he tries to reawaken the memories and great powers Wonder Woman had forgotten. Eventually, he reluctantly shows his true form to Diana, but doesn't reveal the exact nature of their antagonistic relationship. But before the end of the vision, Wonder Woman promised she would try and remember him and his kindness towards her.

During the assault on the Morrigans headquarters, Psycho appears again and releases a fearsome warrior, Ajax, the Morrigan have kept alive for centuries with a blade in his chest, allowing the ancient to take revenge on one of of the trio before their mistress (the mad goddess Nemesis) reveals herself and destroys the floor, presumably killing Psycho in the explosion.[20]

Powers

  • Telepathy: Dr. Psycho is a potent telepath which grants him ability to warp the perceived realities of those around him, mentally dominate others to suit his whims, and can create vivid hallucinations. According to Diana Prince, he is ranked as one of the Earth's most powerful telepaths.[21] His mind is powerful enough to overcome psychic inhibitors with enough effort.[22] He even managed to overcome and control the mind of an inexperienced Saturn Girl whose mental might has been said to be equal to that of Martian Manhunter.[8]
  • Ectokinesis: Dr. Psycho can draw ectoplasm into the physical world, which he he can shape into various beings and disguises. He was able to conjure a powerful disguise of Wonder Woman to defeat Donna Troy in combat.[18]

Abilities

  • Psychiatry: Edgar Cizko is trained in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He has a particular talent for taking an opponent's fears and inhibitions and turning them against them.
  • Hypnosis: Edgar Cizko is a masterful hypnotist and can use this gift on a nearly superhuman level.

Other Characteristics


  • Dr. Psycho tells Diana that he travels to a place of infinite possibilities and that if you lose your way there you may go mad.[23]

Related

Footnotes


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Wonder Woman Villain(s)
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This character is or was primarily an enemy of Wonder Woman and the Amazons in any of her various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Wonder Woman Villains category."

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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.

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