Onscreen History of Deadman

Not to be confused with Dick Grayson's Pa of the the Flying Graysons, Boston Brand AKA Deadman similarly met his demise during a trapeze themed murder. The hero made his print debut in 1967's Strange Adventures #205.

Spotlight on Ultron

The cat is out of the bag. In 2015, The Avengers will face Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The malevolent mandroid was first seen in the pages of 1968's Avengers #54. The repugnant robot was initially built by Ant-Man, but became sentient and tried to enslave the world. Ultron is a worthy foe for the Avengers and has squared off against the team onscreen a few times in the past.

UPDATED: Spotlight on Zod and Other Phantom Zone Villains

Update: Its almost here, but there's still time to brush up on Zod and Co. 

It's official - The Man of Steel will Kneel Before Zod. Believe it or not, a new Superman movie is underway and fresh off of the casting of Ma and Pa Kent and Lois Lane comes word that General Zod will face off against Superman in the upcoming movie simply titled The Man of Steel. Zod first appeared in 1961's Adventure Comics #283, and over the years has made a handful of onscreen appearances. Interestingly, and for reasons I do not completely understand, there have also been a number of other appearances by Zod inspired non-Zod phantom zone escapees as well. Let's take a look.

Onscreen History of Quicksilver

Pietro Maximoff AKA Quicksilver is about to get his big chance. The mutant child of Magneto and Marvel's arguably most famous speedster has made headlines recently after it was revealed he would be included in the highly anticipated Avengers 2. Just days later, it was revealed that plans were in the works for Quicksilver to also appear in Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past. The dude is quick, but will he be able to handle two franchises at the once? He did it in the comics debuting in 1964's X-Men #4 and joining the Avengers in issue #16 just a year later. Lets take a sprint down memory lane and look at Quicksilver's previous forays into TV and  movies.

Spotlight on Huntress - Update

Next week, Huntress will smash her way onto Arrow and some fresh images have hit the web.

Before she was a heroine, Huntress was the name of a DC supervillain, but the first heroic Huntress made her debut in 1977 in All Star Comics #69. Helena Wayne, daughter of Bruce Wayne and Catwoman would bear the name until Helena Rosa Bertinelli was introduced in 1989. The modern version would not be Batman's daughter but would fill in as Batgirl and as a member of the Birds of Prey.

Onscreen History of Electro

The interweb has revealed the likely identify of the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to be the electrifying Electro. Electro first zapped his way into Spidey's life in 1964's Amazing Spider-Man #9 and has been a mainstay in Spider-Man media ever since. As a founding member of the Sinister Six, Electro is one of the better members who has yet to make his live action debut.

Onscreen History of Firefly

Firefly made his print debut way back in 1952's Detective Comics #184. During the Silver Age, Firefly was obsessed with lighting effects though as the years passed, lighting made way for fire and firefly became a bit more of a pyromaniac.Firefly is slated to appear for the first time in live action as a former firefighter on the series Arrow.

Onscreen History of Count Vertigo

Aiming to make his live-action debut in an as yet rumored role in the series Arrow, Count Vertigo of Vlatava made his print debut in 1978's World's Finest Comics #251. The ofttimes villain played havoc with the Emerald Archer's equilibrium, and eventually joined the Suicide Squad.

Onscreen History of Deathstroke the Terminator UPDATED

The mercenary Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke the Terminator was introduced in 1980 in the pages of The New Teen Titans #2 and has since become one of DC's greatest adversaries. Although initially known simply as the Terminator, the name Deathstroke was introduced to prevent confusion with the Terminator franchise. But terminating is not all he does. Slade is also the proud father of Teen Titan Rose Wilson AKA Ravager.

Updated with first look from Arrow.

In Memoriam Young Justice's Jason Todd

Tomorrow morning the dearly departed Jason Todd will get a shout out on the Young Justice episode, Satisfaction. Following the events of Depths in which Artemis faked death at the hands of Aqualad, the team will erect a monument to their fallen comrade. Turns out the monument is not the first of its type, but similar tributes were made to the Blue Beetle Ted Kord, Tula, and Robin. Its a safe assumption that in Earth-16 like in mainstream comics, that fallen Robin was the second hero to don the costume, Jason Todd.

Onscreen History of Parasite

The purple Parasite Rudy Jones made his print debut in August 1966 within the pages of Action Comics #340 sapping the strength of the Man of Steel.

Onscreen History of Atomic Skull

Not to be confused with Marvel's Ghost Rider, DC's villainous Jospeh Martin first appeared as DC's Atomic Skull 1991's Adventures of Superman #483. Although Joe wasn't the first DC villain to be named the Atomic Skull, he is probably the better known version. Albert Michaels, the original Atomic Skull, made his debut in 1976.

Onscreen History of Jean Grey (Phoenix)

The telepathic and telekinetic Marvel Girl Jean Grey made her debut in the pages of 1963's X-Men #1 as one of the original 5 X-Men, but she is possibly best known for becoming the villainous Dark Phoenix in the 1970s.

Onscreen History of Brainiac

While not quite his oldest foe, the android Brainiac has been plaguing the Man of Steel for over 50 years, first appearing in Action Comics #242 way back in 1958. And yet, Brainy has had a hard time coming into his own and stepping out of the shadow of Lex Luthor. Nevertheless, Brainiac has an awfully impressive resume of his own. Shall we proceed?

Onscreen History of Deadshot

Making his first appearance in Batman #59, Deadshot has since appeared as an assassin member of the Suicide Squad, Secret Six, and  Checkmate. Lets just say the guy has good aim and he is next targetting the live action Arrow series and hoping that will launch him into mainstream villainy.

Onscreen History of Krypto the Superdog

 

Although Jimmy Olsen is Superman's Pal, Superman's best friend must be Krypto the Superdog who first appeared in 1955's Adventure Comics #210.

Onscreen History of AMAZO

The amazing Amazo made his debut in 1960's The Brave and the Bold #30. The android creation of Dr. Ivo was able to replicate the powers of those he encountered, including the Justice League.

Onscreen History of Viper

Also known as Madame Hydra, Viper is one of the leading ladies of evil Marvel organizations. First appearing in 1969's Captain America #110, Viper has also had tangles with the mutant known as Logan and is therefore slated to appear in next years The Wolverine. Because of licensing issues (Marvel retains the rights to Hydra) this Viper will be named Victoria as opposed to the original name Ophelia. But this will not be Vipers first onscreen appearance.

Onscreen History of Catwoman

With buzz for the Dark Knight Rises building, its time to examine the history of Catwoman. Though Purrr-haps not the nemesis to Batman that is the Joker, Catwoman is nearly as iconic. In fact, Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman debuted in Batman #1 in the spring of 1940, the same issue which presented the debut of the Clowned Prince of Crime. While initially dubbed The Cat, the Princess of Plunder eventually re-dubbed Catwoman has served both as a Batman villain and sometimes love interest.

Onscreen History of Falcon

The Falcon made his print debut in 1969 within the pages of Captain America #117 and is the first mainstream African-American comic book superhero. The Falcon has to deal with many of the same challenges as Aquaman. His winged costume and avian telepathy make him hard to take seriously-though he looks to spruce up his image by teaming with the Star Spangled Man in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.