The Golden Age of DC Comics proved to be extremely fruitful for the entire comics industry. Superhero comics as they exist today owe everything to this time period. The publisher has used the legacy of its Golden Age heroes to create modern fan favorites. It's also taken advantage of the Golden Age's many villains to create powerful legacy villains, many of whom have bedeviled the heroes in various ways.
Some powerful and well-known villains have legacies that stretch back to that bygone era. Golden Age legacy villains don't get the love that the heroes do, but some of them have played big roles in the DC Multiverse.
10 Rag Doll II Was Surgically Altered To Match His Father
The first Rag Doll was born with "triple jointedness" allowing him to become an amazing contortionist. He battled the Golden Age Flash and would later have several children. His son Peter was born normal, and, in order to please his father, had painful surgeries that replaced his joints with artificial ones. This made him extremely flexible, and he became the second Rag Doll.
Rag Doll II worked as a villain until he was recruited into the Secret Six by Scandal Savage and Mockingbird. He left villainy behind when he worked with the team, although he was still just as deadly as he always was. His abilities are artificial, but he's quite formidable.
9 Scandal Savage Is Remarkably Hard To Kill
Vandal Savage has been plaguing the world for millennia, eventually battling the heroes of the Justice Society and the Justice League. His daughter Scandal took it upon herself to follow in his footsteps, but she did it in her own way. Scandal didn't inherit all of her father's superhuman skills, but she did get a healing factor that made her very hard to kill.
Scandal survived everything thrown at her when she was with the Secret Six, even regrowing some of her organs after a particularly brutal attack. It's unknown if she's as immortal as her father is, but her healing factor made her a tenacious opponent who can take extreme punishment.
8 Evil Star II Was Powered By The Star-Brand
The first Evil Star was a normal human who fought the Justice Society and was soundly beaten. The second Evil Star was very different. An alien scientist from the planet Auron, he created a device called the Star-Brand that used the energy of stars to make Evil Star immortal. The Star-Brand allows him to fly, create hard light constructs, and powers the Starlings, miniature versions of him with super strength and invulnerability.
Evil Star II battled against Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps many times over the years. He isn't as well known as some other GL villains, and most people don't even realize he's a legacy villain. However, he's still a powerful threat whenever he shows up.
7 The Mist II Had Powers Like Her Father
Starman was one of many highlights of '90s DC. The book embraced legacy, both heroic and villainous. The Mist battled the first Starman, and his daughter Nash picked up where he left off. She inherited her father's ability to become mist and took up his battle against the Knight family. Mist II killed David Knight when he became Starman, as well as Amazing Man II, Blue Devil, and Crimson Fox.
Mist II's abilities allowed her to avoid damage from her foes. She usually used firearms of various types to kill because of the defensive nature of her powers. She would eventually die at her father's hand when she opposed his plan to destroy Jack Knight because it would have jeopardized the life of her child with the hero.
6 Icicle II's Ice Powers Made Him Quite Formidable
The original Icicle had no powers, but exposure to his ice gun changed his genetic structure. When his son Cameron was born, he developed actual ice powers. He'd take his father's place in the Injustice Society, his ice powers making him a very powerful threat to the Justice Society every time he faced the group.
Icicle II's power served him well when Ultra-Humanite took over the world, teaming up with his former enemies in the JSA to stop their common foe. Unlike a lot of other JSA villains, Icicle II even made appearances in the New 52's Prime Earth and is a villain fans want to see in the new Justice Society book.
5 Dr. Psycho's Telepathy Makes Him A Devastating Foe
Dr. Psycho has tackled Wonder Woman many times, but many fans don't know that he's technically a legacy villain. The original Dr. Psycho was an occult expert named Cyril Psycho who used hypnosis to draw ectoplasm out of people that he could shape into things. After Crisis On Infinite Earths, this version was wiped from existence and replaced by Edgar Cizko.
Cizko is the familiar powerful telepath that modern fans know so well. Dr. Psycho's powers have allowed him to vie with Wonder Woman's physical superiority, making him the premiere telepath of the Legion of Doom and the Secret Society of Supervillains.
4 The Cheetah III Is Wonder Woman's Arch-Enemy
The Cheetah and Wonder Woman have a long-standing grudge. The current Cheetah, Barbara Minerva, is the third woman to hold the mantle. The first two, Priscilla Rich and Deborah Domaine, didn't have powers, but Minerva gained super strength, agility, and enhanced senses. She's strong and fast enough to battle Wonder Woman, which says it all for how dangerous she is.
Barbara Minerva's time as Cheetah brought the mantle to the next level. She is able to go toe to toe with Wonder Woman, something that others couldn't do, and her personal grudge against Diana took their rivalry to a level the previous Cheetahs couldn't match.
3 Star Sapphire Tested Hal Jordan In Ways No Other Villain Has
The original Star Sapphire battled Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott. The second was Carol Ferris, the girlfriend of Hal Jordan. Gifted with the Star Sapphire by the Zamorans, female Oans that broke away from the Guardians years ago, Carol gained energy manipulating powers similar to a Green Lantern. Ferris was one of several Star Sapphires, with the other noteworthy one being Deborah Camille.
Hal Jordan has been challenged by many enemies, but Star Sapphire has tested him like few others. Later, the Zamorans would create their own Star Sapphire Corps. Carol would return to it, but this time she was heroic and in control of her actions, helping Hal in the War of Light.
2 The Reverse-Flash Is The Most Dangerous Speedster On The Planet
Reverse-Flash is beyond deadly, but most readers don't realize he's technically a legacy villain. The original Golden Age Flash had a villain called Rival who was an evil speedster that wore a different color version of Flash's costume. Rival was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino, who later created Reverse-Flash.
Reverse-Flash's speed powers are second only to Wally West's, which is saying something. He is able to travel through time with ease and uses his speedster powers in the most dangerous ways. He's too dangerous for even the most powerful heroes, and even Barry Allen and Wally West have had problems defeating him.
1 Psycho-Pirate II's Powers Have Grown Exponentially
Psycho-Pirate II's Medusa Mask makes him a powerful manipulator, but that's not all it can do. The former Earth-2 villain gained the mask after learning about it while in prison with the original Psycho-Pirate and used its emotion-altering powers to battle the Justice Society. Teaming up with the Anti-Monitor during Crisis On Infinite Earths, the mask would gain new powers from its exposure to multiversal energies.
Psycho-Pirate II would gain the ability to manifest beings from across the old Multiverse, adding a new dimension to his threat. He's more dangerous than ever and has become an integral part of every Crisis event. On top of that, his emotion-controlling abilities are more formidable than ever.