#Ultra-Humanite

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Ape-Ril Special #01 (2024)

Art by Dan Mora, Bernard Chang And Hayden Sherman

[gotham-at-nightfall]

Superman Animated!: The Villains

By David Jamison

The Heroes

[danthepest]

The Superman villains as seen in the DC Animated Universe. In order:

Lex Luthor - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #23 (1940).

Darkseid - First appearance in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen v1 #134 (1970). 

Brainiac - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #242 (1958).

Doomsday - First appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (1992). 

Mr. Mxyzptlk - First appearance in Superman v1 #30 (1944).

Mongul - First appearance in DC Comics Presents #27 (1980).

Bizarro - First appearance in Superboy v1 #68 (1958).

Kalibak - First appearance in New Gods #1 (1971). 

Lobo - First appearance in The Omega Men v1 #3 (1983).

Bruno Manheim - First appearance in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen v1 #139 (1971). 

Jax-Ur - First appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #289 (1961). 

Mala - First appearance in Superman v1 #65 (1950).

Metallo - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #252 (1959).

Parasite - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #340 (1966).

Maxima - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #645 (1989).

Silver Banshee - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #595 (1987).

Livewire - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #835 (2006).

Atomic Skull - First appearance in The Adventures of Superman v1 #483 (1991).

Bloodsport - First appearance in Superman v2 #4 (1987).

Bloodsport II - First appearance in The Adventures of Superman v1 #506 (1993)

Neutron - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #525 (1981).

The Ultra-Humanite - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #13 (1939).

Rampage - First appearance in Superman v2 #7 (1987).

Adversary - First appearance in Adventures of Superman #579 (2000).

Titano - First appearance in Superman v1 #127 (1959).

Toyman - First appearance in Action Comics v1 #64 (1943). 

Hellgrammite - First appearance in The Brave and the Bold v1 #80 (1968).

Professor Emil Hamilton - First appearance in The Adventures of Superman v1 #424 (1987).

Volcana - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons and is not an adaptation of Apokoliptian New God Volcana from the comics in any way.

Luminus - Only appears in the DCAU cartoons, though his outfit resembles that of the villain Multiplex.

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[shamlesspandanerd]

[awesomecoyote337]

Seeing all those 100 men vs one gorilla posts on Twitter/X made me think about that time the comic industry just went crazy putting gorillas on every cover they could, so we ended up with a bunch of gorilla characters.

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

The Ultra-Humanite

The origins of the Ultra-Humanite in the DC Animated Universe remain unknown.  Perhaps he shares the same backstory as his comic book analog, or perhaps he is a denizen of the hidden Gorilla City.  Whatever the case, The Ultra-Humanite was an enormous, albino gorilla with an enlarged cranium that housed a brilliant albeit diabolical intellect.  

The Humanite’s ingenuity coupled with his incredible strength made him a formidable force and he hired himself out as a high priced mercenary.   He found himself in the employ of Lex Luthor when Luthor composed the first iteration of The Injustice League.  

Above all else, The Humanite was a lover of the fine arts, literature and the symphony.  When Batman was captured by the Injustice League, the Dark Knight honed in on The Humanite’s mercenary attitudes and love of the arts.  Batman offered that a huge sum to be donated for the production of cultural television programming in The Ultra-Humanite’s name were he to let him go.  The Humanite agreed; he freed Batman and later turned on Luthor helping the Justice League prevail.  

Batman made good on his promise and The Ultra-Huamnite happily returned to prison to watch the programs made with his thanks on a big screen television.  Some time thereafter, The Humanite broke free from prison and battled The Flash.

Actor Ian Buchanan provided the voice for the Ultra-Humanite, with the sophisticated villain first appearing in the eighth episode of the first season of Justice League, ‘Injustice For All.’  

[cccovers]

Power Girl #2 (August 2009) cover by Amanda Conner and Paul Mounts.

[newearth2]

Today in JSA History: First Appearance of the Ultra-Humanite

The Ultra-Humanite first appeared in Action Comics #13 on June 7, 1939, but we don't learn his give was name Gerard Shugel until many years later. Created by the same team behind Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, he was initially conceived as a recurring villain for the Man of Steel and, in many ways, served as a prototype for what would become Lex Luthor.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character was reimagined as a long-standing adversary of the Justice Society of America. His new origin was explored in Power Girl by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner, where he was given the name Gerard Shugel (a nod to creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster). In this version, Shugel is born with an intellect far beyond the greatest minds on Earth—but also with a degenerative disease slowly destroying his body. He dedicates his life to developing methods to halt the disease and, ultimately, to transplant his brain into a healthy host.

By the time of his first appearance in Action Comics, he goes by Ultra-Humanite and is confined to a wheelchair. Eventually, he succeeds in transferring his mind into the body of famous actress Dolores Winters. Later, during a Justice League of America / Justice Society of America crossover, he transfers his brain into his now-iconic albino gorilla body—though he's known for frequently jumping bodies in his quest for survival and control.

Below are some of the most essential Ultra-Humanite stories across the decades:

📚 Essential Ultra-Humanite Reading List

• Action Comics #13, 14, 17, 19–21 (June 1939 – February 1940) The original Golden Age Ultra-Humanite stories, where he becomes Superman’s first major recurring villain, and transplants his brain in to Delores Winter's body.

• Justice League of America #195–197 (October–December 1981) A JLA/JSA crossover event featuring the Secret Society of Super-Villains. These issues mark the first appearance of Ultra-Humanite in his albino gorilla body and showcase his genius-level planning and brute strength.

• All-Star Squadron #21–26 (May–October 1983) Ultra-Humanite faces off against both the JSA and the All-Star Squadron during World War II inhabiting Dolores Winters’s body. This arc also includes the first appearance of Amazing-Man and sets up the formation of Infinity, Inc.

• Infinity, Inc. #1–10 (March 1984 – January 1985) The newly formed Infinity Inc. battles Ultra-Humanite—now in his gorilla form—as he continues his manipulations from behind the scenes.

• Young All-Stars #12–14 (May–July 1988) In one of his wildest transformations, Ultra-Humanite transfers his consciousness into a tyrannosaurus rex, pitting prehistoric power against the Young All-Stars.

• Justice Society of America #1–5 (July–November 1992) The JSA battles Ultra-Humanite in a new human-like body, operating under the corporate identity Ultragen.

• JSA #32–38 (January–July 2002) – “Stealing Thunder” Ultra-Humanite takes over Johnny Thunder's body and gains control of the Thunderbolt, reshaping reality to suit his vision. This arc shows how dangerous he becomes when given near-omnipotent power.

• Power Girl #1–3 (May–July 2009) A lighter, action-packed story where Ultra-Humanite attempts to swap bodies with Power Girl. It introduces new elements of his backstory including the name Gerard Shugel.

• Monkey Prince #0–12 (October 2021–March 2023) A standout series that introduces the adopted grandson of the Ultra-Humanite. While Ultra-Humanite himself only appears in issues #9–12, his presence looms over the story. A surprising and emotional twist reveals more about his family legacy and connections to the DC Universe.

[thingsasbarcodes]

Young Justice 3x22 - Antisocial Pathologies

[dailyjsa]

Scooby Doo Team-Up #83-84

Writer: Sholly Fisch

Artist: Dario Brizuela

Inker: Dario Brizuela

Colors: Franco Riesco

[browsethestacks]

DC Comics Ape-Ril Variant Covers (2024)

Art by Maria Wolf

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A ranking of DC’s super-intelligent gorilla supervillains

Since there’s apparently enough to make a list

#1: Gorilla Grodd, we love Gorilla City

#2 Mallah, he’a gay so he’s not last but I’m a Brain anti so,,,

#3 Ultra-humanite, super-intelligent gorilla supervillain

#4 King Solovar, Grodd’s brother (?) I don’t know enough about him to place him any higher

#5 Silverback, not even really a gorilla but a human brain in a metal gorilla suit so he gets an honorary mention

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[shamlesspandanerd]

[archive-championoftheoppressed]

This seems to be the first villain with superpowers that Superman has come up against -- so far he's just fought the regular injustices of society. It's also the first time he's struggled with a situation or been overpowered in any way. I just think that's interesting.