With such a long history within DC Comics, it's no surprise that Superman has faced a variety of foes over his time. It's also expected that many of them will likely be forgotten due to the sheer amount of allies and villains we've met over the years.
Oftentimes, villains are also forgotten because of how bizarre and crazy they are. Some of the earliest antagonists especially were particularly cheesy and have been lost in the comics archives. However, some of these villains really should be remembered for how wacky, dangerous, or creative they are. Here are 10 Superman villains that have seemingly completely disappeared from the comics.
10 Microwave Man
This is supposedly the first super-powered villain in all of DC. He found his home on Earth One before writers rebooted the DC universe and was a very short-lived character. As the name suggests, the Microwave Man experimented with Microwaves to give himself powers.
His radioactive powers only had a slight effect on the man of steel, and, therefore, he wasn't an overly interesting villain. He then went off with an alien race who was intrigued by the premise of his microwave experiments. He's never been seen again in comics, not since the 1970s!
9 Amazing Grace
Darkseid is a villain that has been heavily featured in Superman's history and indeed could be finding his way into the movies very soon. Amazing Grace is actually one of his loyal servants who was a reoccurring player during the earlier days of Clark Kent's career.
She acted as some kind of preacher, trying to incite rebellious members of Darkseid's land to fight against him. They would obviously quickly become defeated, and so she was a useful piece of the system for her master. She really hasn't been featured since then, and there hasn't been any other character like this in Darkseid's court of servants.
8 Bloodsport
Bloodsport was a mentally damaged individual who seemed to identify as a Vietnam war veteran. He took many of his frustrations out on the general public, shooting many of them down before encouraging the wrath of Superman. The fight between the two was very brief.
The villain was then put into prison where others tried to take on the Bloodsport mantle. This all came to a head when two versions of the villain fought one another before chaos ensued and the original tried to escape. The comic suggested that he had been shot, but it would have been easy to bring this interesting character back.
7 Solarman
Solarman has only briefly appeared once in the original Superman comics. He was a pretty forgettable villain, largely because his basic premise was flawed. The man had a solar-powered suit which allowed him to have great strength.
He barely managed to face off against the man of steel, but the suit really couldn't handle the battle itself. It started to overheat and actually caught alight. Superman saved him from this suit, but this must have ended this solar career. It would be fun to see an eco-warrior Solarman in a modern setting.
6 The Dummy
The Dummy is an interesting character because no one really understands him. Readers can't tell if the Dummy really is a ventriloquist doll or someone that has dressed up as the creepy man. Regardless, he is hardly a formidable threat to a Kryptonian.
The Dummy was mainly a villain of Vigilante. However, he has crossed paths with some of DC's other iconic heroes including Batman and Superman. The fight was brief between the two as the Dummy isn't superpowered at all. It's probable that similar characters such as Ventriloquist has made the Dummy's return unlikely.
5 Intergang
The Metropolis based street gang had big masters to appease. They were funded by the New Gods and had to do their bidding when required. Morgan Edge is one of the many well-known leaders of the gang, with the group often having vast political influence.
One of the interesting things about Intergang is that they weren't defeated by Superman on every occasion, but was actually beaten by Clark Kent and Cat Grant at one point. Their fantastic journalism brought this corrupt group down. They could be featured again in the future as both a physical and a political threat but they have seemingly been forgotten.
4 Sand Superman
Sand Superman, also known as Quarmer, is a doppelganger of the man of steel and is of course made of sand. He is somewhat similar to that of Sandman in Marvel Comics, but is far less relevant in the world of DC, being forgotten since his appearance by writers and fans alike.
The character is built from energy siphoned from the ground and Superman himself. Because Superman is partially responsible for his creation, he can match him in many ways, although with varied powers. He was eventually banished to a different realm and hasn't been seen since the late 70s.
3 Superboy Prime
Superboy Prime was a heavily featured character for some time. He featured many of Superman's powers and could actually stand up to the man of steel. He was hated both in-universe and by fans, however, which perhaps is why the character hasn't been revisited much.
He was emotionally unstable and showed erratic behavior often, but it was when he was gifted a ring by the Sinestro Corps that he became especially overpowered. His last appearance was in 2011, and it's unknown whether he is even alive or not!
2 The Prankster
The prankster was originally a Joker-esque criminal in the golden age of comics. He has taken on a few forms but the ongoing trend was that he would play tricks on heroes such as Superman and get away with wacky and over the top crimes.
The New 52 has recreated the character to be some kind of hacker, which is a big move away from the character's origins. This new Prankster is a far cry from what we originally saw, and it's fair to say the only similarity is the name. The Trickster is a character so similar to Prankster that he may be the reason why the character was changed so drastically.
1 Master Jailer
The Master Jailer is also a character that has gone through a few different variations. He has however barely been featured in his modern incarnation. In his prime, however, he was a genuine threat to the man of steel for one simple reason. He knew Superman's identity.
Master Jailer has teamed up with many other villains and has sought to both torture and tarnish Clark Kent and his life. This feud is especially personal, but, with all these reboots, the character hasn't appeared in the same way. The latest version of the character only survived a month before being killed in 2018.