James Trevor (Earth-Two)

Adonis
Mainstream Universe‎, 1930s-1950s
Gallery
Real Name	James Trevor
Main Alias	Adonis
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Secret Identity
Occupation	actor · reluctant criminal
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Hair	Brown
Origin
Universe	Earth-Two
Creators	Jerry Siegel · Sam Citron
First Appearance	Action Comics #58 (March, 1943)
Last Appearance	Superman #20 (February, 1943)

Adonis was an enemy of Superman.

History

Originally, Trevor was a handsome actor well beloved by moviegoers worldwide. However, as age began to take its toll on his once-proud features, Trevor became desperate to hold onto his youthful good looks at any cost. After exhausting the opinions of the legitimate plastic surgeons of the day, Trevor discovered a non-legitimate one known only as Dr. Menace. Dr. Menace vowed that he would restore the glow of youth to Trevor's looks, and thus Trevor placed himself into Menace's hands.

However, instead of applying his surgical skill to restoring Trevor's handsome appearance, Menace turned Trevor into a hideous monstrosity of ugliness, giving him a face so horrifying that those who saw him would scream in terror from the sight. To his increasing horror, Menace then advised Trevor that unless Trevor committed a month's worth of spectacular crimes for him, Trevor would remain hideously ugly for the rest of his days…but if Trevor cooperated, then following that month, Menace would restore his features and deliver on his earlier promise. Feeling he had no choice, Trevor agreed, and thus took the ironic name of Adonis that Menace suggested.

Soon, the ugly face and crimes of Adonis had caused an uproar in Metropolis, where the distraught actor plied his new trade. These crimes came to the attention of Superman, who intervened to stop Adonis. After a series of skirmishes in which the crimes of Adonis were thwarted, but Adonis himself managed to escape, Superman at last captured his prey…only to have Trevor shot and killed by Dr. Menace, to prevent his revealing who the mastermind behind the crimes was. In one last act of defiance, Trevor used the remainder of his strength to strangle Menace, thus ensuring that both men paid for their crimes in the end.

Notes

• This version of Adonis, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

Related

• 3 Appearances of James Trevor (Earth-Two)
• 1 Images featuring James Trevor (Earth-Two)
• Quotations by or about James Trevor (Earth-Two)
• Character Gallery: James Trevor (Earth-Two)

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."