Do you know how many characters have been created for DC Comics since New Fun #1 was released in 1935? We're guessing you don't because no one really has an accurate count. We can safely bet it is in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, by this point. Clearly, not every one of those characters has become an icon. For every Superman, you have a whole lot of characters like Driftin Dave, who made his debut in 1940's Superman #6.
There are characters who come and go in the blink of an eye, and others who seem to be destined for stardom, only to vanish or become jokes a few years later. Changing fads and maturing tastes shift the landscape of comics, and before you know, the next Harley Quinn ends up being the latest Azrael. It is with that in mind that we bring you 10 famous DC villains from the 80s that have been forgotten...
10 Rainbow Raider: 1980
To say that Rainbow Raider has been forgotten isn't 100% true. The character did show up on the Flash TV series for the first Flash/Arrow crossover, and he does come up in the comics from time to time, but his place in the Flash mythos has been greatly lessened over the years.
Once a member of the Rogues, Rainbow Raider made his debut in The Flash #286. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Rainbow Raider's appearances were few and far between. During Underworld Unleashed, the demon Neron laughed at how pathetic Rainbow Raider was. He was later killed by Blacksmith before being brought back during the New 52 years just to quickly be killed again by Gorilla Grodd.
9 Neutron: 1981
Debuting in Action Comics #525, Nathaniel Tryon was part of a rather unimpressive group called the TNT Trio when he got himself caught in a nuclear accident and was turned into sentient energy that had to be contained in a special suit. Like so many petty criminals before him, Tyron decided to become a supervillain and fight Superman as the evil Neutron.
Over the years, Neutron joined the Fearsome Five and even took part in a plot to assassinate Ma and Pa Kent. During Infinite Crisis, he joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains, but that didn't work out for him. His last appearance was in 2008's Salvation Run, where Lex Luthor used him as a power source for a teleportation device.
8 Magenta: 1982
Frances Kane made her debut in New Teen Titans #17 as the girlfriend of then Kid Flash Wally West. Not long after, Frances learned that she had magnetic superpowers and became the teen hero Magenta. The stresses of superhero life proved to be too much for Frances and Wally, and their teenage romance ended. For the most part, Frances left behind the superheroics, but it was soon discovered that she suffered from multiple personality disorder, and one of her two personalities really liked being a supervillain. Frances did what she could to keep her evil personality suppressed, but when it did show up Wally was always there to help her. Frances most recently showed up after Wally was brought back in Rebirth, but from the looks of it, she won't be coming back anytime soon.
7 Tsunami: 1984
Making her first appearance in All-Star Squadron #33, Tsunami was a first-generation Japanese-American who had the power of hydrokinesis. As World War II began, Tsunami saw the racial prejudice against Japanese-Americans grow in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California, and it enraged her. She left the US and joined the Japanese army, who quickly saw the advantages her powers could have against the All-Star Squadron.
When Tsunami saw just how evil the Nazis were, she could no longer support the Axis and was ready to take her own life when she ran into the aquatic hero Neptune Perkins who convinced her to speak with Green Lantern. With the help of Green Lantern, Tsunami convinced President Roosevelt to rethink the decision to keep Japanese-Americans in detention camps. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Tsunami was all but erased from the comics. She last showed up for a cameo during Infinite Crisis.
6 Magpie: 1986
Created by John Byrne, Magpie showed up in Man of Steel #3 where she takes on not just Superman, but Batman as well. The story made their fight against Magpie the first time Batman and Superman teamed up in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity and seemed to be setting Magpie up to be a big villain in the DC universe.
While Magpie has popped up in comics and TV shows from time to time, she and her wild haircut never broke through with readers. Her look is so caught up in the 1980s that she seemed destined to never really break out of the decade.
5 Film Freak: 1986
Introduced in Batman #395, Burt Weston was an actor who dreamed of becoming a famous movie villain. When it seemed clear that his dreams of stardom were not in the cards, Weston decided to just become a costumed criminal. Basing his crimes on classic movies, Weston became the Batman villain Film Freak.
While Film Freak started off with bank robberies and other non-violent crimes, he stepped things up when he recreated the shower scene from Psycho after his ex-girlfriend Julia Pennyworth, no relation to the famous butler, revealed his identity to the world. Film Freak was killed by Bane during Knightfall but recently showed up in a single panel of Batman #14 as one of the many lame criminals Batman and Catwoman beat up in a night.
4 Major Force: 1988
When Major Force made his debut in Captain Atom #12, no one could have imagined that he would one day become part of the story that would introduce the term "fridging" to comics. In Green Lantern #54, Major Force made comic book history when he killed Alex DeWitt, the girlfriend of Kyle Rayner, and stuck her body in the then-rookie hero's refrigerator. Major Force made a few appearances after that, but the character has never been able to live down the notoriety that comes with committing such a horrific act. He hasn't been seen since 2012.
3 Maxima: 1989
Premiering in Action Comics #645, Maxima was a member of the royal family of the planet Almerac who was looking for someone she felt was worthy of her love. After coming across Superman, Maxima was pretty sure she had found her perfect man, but the Metropolis Marvel wasn't into the whole idea of marrying into a family of despots, so he turned her down.
Angered by Superman's rejection, Maxima helped Brainiac battle against the Man of Steel.
Maxima didn't stay evil for long. She turned against Brainiac and helped Superman and the Justice League defeated the Coluan world-destroyer. Believing that being a hero would help make Superman fall in love with her, Maxima joined the Justice League. The plan didn't work, and Maxima died during the Our Worlds at War event.
2 Anarky: 1989
Created by writer Alan Grant with the hopes that he would become a replacement for the recently killed off Robin, Jason Todd, Anarky made his debut in Detective Comics #608. The character was a twelve-year-old boy who created a costume that would make it look like he was a fully grown man. While he saw himself as a hero, to Batman, Anarky was just one more weirdo running around Gotham causing problems.
Anarky was popular enough to get his own for issue miniseries. Based on the success of that series, DC gave the character an ongoing series, but it only lasted nine issues before being canceled. Since then, the character has rarely shown up, although DC has hyped his return twice, the first in 2005's Green Arrow #51, and then again in 2006 when it was announced that the character would be a major part of the series 52. Anarky never showed up in 52, but he did appear in Detective Comics #957.
1 The Mud Pack: 1989
Not a single character, but a team of villains, the Mud Pack made their first appearance in Secret Origins #44. Put together by Basil Karlo, the first Clayface, the team consisted of other villains who had taken on the Clayface moniker over the years, including Sondra Fuller, aka Lady Clayface, and Preston Payne, aka Clayface III. The second Clayface, Matt Hagen was too busy being dead to join the team.
The Mud Pack didn't last long, with the team breaking up after Karlo's true goal was revealed. Karlo was the only Clayface who didn't have actual powers, and he used the team as a way to get samples of Lady Clayface and Clayface III to make himself the one true Clayface we all know today.