The Parasite Simple Yet Brilliant

The Parasite a classic late silver age villain created by a high school student (Jim Shooter). This Superman foe has all the hallmarks of a great super villain and he's very simple. Sometimes you don't need to get over complicated to create a very compelling villain; that can keep the Man of Steel on his toes for decades. Maxwell Jensen would provide the template for multiple version of the Parasite some more complicated than others but all pulling from this base concept that still holds up years later. Or does it? We explore the first iteration/appearance of the Parasite here on Casually Comics!
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[@CasuallyComics]

Parasite ranking time! I think my fave is Rudy Jones Tas but my most perplexed by is Ally from Superman and Lois lol What about you?

[@marcusyates3044]

Superman: "Hang on" Parasite: "Oh, you can count on it!"

[@grendel0013]

Jim Shooter is 6'7". I'm voting for him.

[@rodneylindsey849]

Definitely the DCAU adaptation 🖖🏾

[@Dunybrook]

I had no idea there were so many. It's not quite Clayface level of multiplicity but it's getting there.

[@jpboursaw4469]

I’d have to go with the TAS version. Simple and straightforward like the original. Simple plot against the hero, difficult workaround.

[@MiguelGonzalez-du8de]

I feel Parasite has the same problem with Clayface and Killer Croc, people forget that they're supposed to be humans with some deformity, and instead make them generic big monsters that have no other thought or personality other than "Hulk smash"

[@daraghokane4236]

That is reverse superman alien that looks and acts and is treated human vs human that looks like a monster and is treated like one

[@Rawla2]

Or like how Barbara Minerva is treated like a street level cat person and not an avatar of a god even though she looks beastly. Sometimes I wish the comic studio would have a bit more control over how some writers treat the properties. That’s way power level and traits are consistent

[@bubbadumps3747]

I think with parasite its more a "ultimate power corrupts" kinda deal. Hes a joe schmoe, not very bright, and never had any power or control in his life Combine that with a supernatural hunger for energy and you get a power mad monster starving to suck out your energy

[@tannerbruning868]

The hulk isn’t a mindless monster either

[@JanetStarChild]

I'm especially annoyed with Killer Croc's alternate design as a literal crocodile man. He's supposed to have a rare form of atavism that gives him pseudo-reptilian features; kind of like the synapsids of the Permian period.

[@marcusyates3044]

Superman: "Hang on" Parasite: "Oh, you can count on it!"

[@Magicghost23]

His character arc is really absorbing.

[@nathanieldaiken1064]

🤔🤣😂

[@feliperisseto9113]

Everytime someone says to me that Superman is boring because he is too strong to have challenges, I show them the Parasite. And Metallo. Most villains avoid Superheroes like the plague, but Parasite persues them. Because they are his food.

[@ProjektTaku]

parasites just fun because he simultaneously weakens superman and powers himself up. It really forces superman to work outside the box and avoid a direct confrontation. I also think livewire's a great counter to superman. She's literally electricity, so superman can't just punch her away, and she can produce practically limitless amounts of electricity that could also regenerate her body if damaged, which supes isn't necessarily good at countering. And then, she can escape through the internet and wiring, meaning she's basically invincible, unstoppable in terms of power output and can escape anywhere along with some high level regen. Even super ventriloquism is useless before her.

[@feliperisseto9113]

@@ProjektTaku Superman has some awesome villains, not gonna lie.

[@ProjektTaku]

@@feliperisseto9113 Yup. Love general zod and lor-zod.

[@RamManNo1]

People who say Superman is boring really only say it cuz it’s “the cool thing to do”.

[@vision4860]

Superman isn't a boring character because he's too strong to be consistentlt challenged physically. He's often written boring because it's more difficult for writers to challenge him in a way that's believable for viewers.

[@aproposreeve]

In Superman's defense the robot octopus was attacking a ship while the UFO was just there and possibly friendly

[@CasuallyComics]

Plus it was a robotic octopus lol

[@richmcgee434]

@@CasuallyComics That was my immediate thought. "Superman defeats mechanical crime octopus!" is potential front-page news. "Aliens are real and we have photos!" isn't news at all in a world where Superman exists.

[@djpegao]

Ah, so he used the Will Smith defense from MIB 1 shooting training scene

[@Chuck_EL]

@@CasuallyComics i just noticed your shirt looks like parasite in his true form even the lines 😎

[@davidmcmahon4633]

Too bad he didn't think of contacting his buddy, Aquaman, to take on the robot octopus while he went off to do his job as a reporter. Now I actually want to see Aquaman take on a robot octopus ship! Heh!

[@juliiju0484]

As a kid i always saw Jim Shooter as the "Marvel guy", so i was surprised to lean that he wrote some DC cómics and created Parastite

[@gabrielandriel8960]

Weird that he didn't put incest in the Parasite origins, he was facinated with that.

[@tylerdurden788]

@Gabriel Andriel like Rick abd Morty?

[@gabrielandriel8960]

@@tylerdurden788 Something like that

[@emsleywyatt3400]

He did an extended run on the Legion of Super Heroes.

[@Solitaire001]

@@emsleywyatt3400 During his time on the Legion he introduced a number of new members. One of them was Karate Kid, which Shooter introduced to add a member that didn't just point and shoot his powers.

[@benjohnson9224]

The Parasite is one of Superman’s best villains. Simple, scary, and a very credible threat to both Superman and superheroes in general. I’m not surprised he’s stood the test of time.

[@Raymanta82]

Warren Ellis once referred to modern superhero comics as 'rescue fiction ' and in that paradigm Parasite being a horror character works as an excellent contrast with Superman. It's darkly ironic that Weisinger's abuse so traumatized Shooter, considering he'd engage in similar tactics as EIC of Marvel.

[@richmcgee434]

That's frequently how things work out with abused children - they often wind up imitating the patterns of abuse they went through.

[@blackrazer22]

Marvel was going from a free wheedling hippy company to a very corporate one. Shooter was there to make that transition happen. Most people don't know the dumb things people were doing at that time which could have killed the company if Shooter had not step up.

[@COMICSAREAWESOME]

The cycle of abuse is deadly

[@superjlk_9538]

@@blackrazer22 and then that corporate mindset almost killed comics in the 90s

[@Tigerkaya]

@@superjlk_9538 and now the hippy free wheeling mindset is killing current Marvel

[@bluecanine3374]

I like when he is done as a sort of hidden or nonobvious threat rather than he saps some Superman power and they fight for a bit. The idea of Clark feeling sick and weaker with no known cause and Parasite slipping into his job as a coworker to do it make him terrifying.

[@camerondodge2070]

As someone who's only read a couple Parasite stories where they treated him as a generic giant monster, this was quite enlightening. It really gives me a bigger appreciation for the character.

[@Awestefeld6612]

He was a gigantic monster in Superman, Man of Tomorrow.

[@voltinator]

I'd love a What If story where the Parasite does get Superman's powers by killing him and is forced to defend the Earth.

[@Ashguy733]

I loved the Man of Tomorrow Venditti parasite story, where his hunger for energy is treated like an addiction that he can't help but crave and Superman tries to help him by putting him near Metallo lol so he has constant energy in prison.

[@richmcgee434]

A few writers have used the "addiction" thing as an explanation for why he just keeps coming after Clark instead of picking on easier prey. Superman gives him a bigger high, and he's built up a tolerance so siphoning normal people or lower-tier supers just doesn't do the job anymore. Does kind of raise the question of why they don't offer him a full pardon to go drain Mogul or Darkseid dry the next time they show up, but at least it's kind of reasonable. The Death of Superman story would have gone rather differently if Mister McSpikey had found himself on the Parasite's menu before he even got to Metropolis.

[@garethhughes7430]

@@richmcgee434 Man they should do this. Parasite is such a good villain for "hey you're actually pretty dumb, if you're helpful you'll get more stronger energy from bad guys."

[@Dougeb7]

I like the parasite! He can theoretically stand toe-to-toe with any superhero. I also like the original trench coat and hat disguise. Not all super-villains have sewing skills. Funny coincidence, I just read a Green Arrow and Speedy story with a mechanical octopus (From World's Finest #142 from 1964, Jack Kirby artwork).

[@richmcgee434]

In fairness to Clark, I'd take fighting the robot crime octopus over investigating a random UFO myself. It's not like "aliens are real" is any kind of a news story in Metropolis.

[@Dougeb7]

@@richmcgee434 Agreed! :)

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

This video is officially certified by the Recommending Ones & Zeros.

[@laragallahue7127]

I love parasite I don’t know why but he’s such a fun concept

[@adamfreddo5703]

I nominate Parasite for the now confirmed James Gunn Superman movie. Imagine if he was done something akin to Slither.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

If we don’t get a terrifying yet sympathetic body-horror-inspired version of Parasite as the main antagonist in Gunn’s Superman I will riot in the streets

[@ChadBenjamin]

Parasite and Brainiac are long overdue. They're easily the 2 most terrifying Superman villains.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

@@ChadBenjamin A Brainiac story would also be very good, but I think Brainiac's too big/cosmic-level of a threat to introduce right away. I'm thinking make someone like Parasite the villain of the first movie, and save Brainiac for a potential sequel.

[@goat-min1414]

@@halfmettlealchemist8076 I think doing an early version of Brainiac could work. Like before he became more robotic. He could getaway at the end of the movie and return as the powerful Brainiac we know in a sequel or JL movie.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

@@goat-min1414 Wasn't Brainiac always a robot though?

[@kcollier2192]

I didn't realize parasite was that old- I'd always thought he was a more modern Superman villain. I like him, especially his second showing and in S:TAS.

[@sgtmajor5700]

His basic power as a villain is solid. He is straight up dangerous.

[@richmcgee434]

Also versatile, although he's rarely used that way. Superman's toward the top of the heap in terms of being a good meal, but he can theoretically siphon anyone. Draining Captain Marvel (no, not that one, or the other one, or the dead one, the Big Red Cheese guy) or Black Adam would still make him a real threat and give him a good filling dinner, although he might be vulnerable to getting de-powered with magic words that way. Or he could be hunting a hero (or villain, FTM) who has a particular power set he wants to use for some bigger scheme, letting him go up against almost anyone. Just stealing a shapeshifter's power would help get him closer to other prey - that perfect "Leech" disguise ain't gonna fly outside of the Silver Age. Or he could go down the redemption route and stop some big threat cold after the heroes fail. At least part of his motivation is getting enough life energy to stay alive, and I bet Darkseid or a bunch of escaped Phantom Zone criminals would be a really good source for that. Heck, there are lots of powerful villains that should be really hard to restrain - unless you employ a reformed Parasite to keep their powers damped down to manageable levels. He gets a free meal and at least some of the kick of having powers, the heroes and cops aren't hassling him, and there might even be something to getting a bit of variety in his diet. Siphoning Kryptonians all the time has got to be like eating your favorite food at every meal - sounds good at first, gets boring fast, and might be actively harmful to your health in the long run.

[@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist]

@@richmcgee434 Make him an addict. Like a superpowered wendigo driven by an unending horror hunger, he needs the fix just to stave off unimaginably painful withdrawal. Top-tier supes are the best, but he'll have to settle for others in the meantime. Give him his own horror series.

[@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist]

@@richmcgee434 Oh yeah, he would also have an incentive to imprison and basically torture supes instead of killing them too. Make him have a cast of low-tier prisoners with powers like shapeshifting, that are slowly dying or going insane. He can cycle through the bottom of the barrel while he targets bigger supes to sate his addiction.

[@Chuck_EL]

@@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist I can picture a very scary and graphic scene of parasite absorbing Clark's powers similar to a scene from John Carpenter's the thing (the Bennings scene)

[@SpacePirate69]

@@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist I think him having a huge addiction of draining away superpowers is fitting, it’s like a fictional parallel to drug addiction

[@billyhills9933]

The Parasite once had a satellite-based energy cannon pointed at Earth. Protected by a forcefield, Superman was unable to affect it so... Superman pushed the Earth out of the way of the beam! One of my favourite "Wha?" moments from 70s Superman.

[@ProjektTaku]

but could he not just...absorb the energy from the cannon and launch the beam himself? Imagine that, parasite shooting a giant planet destroy blast to earth so superman has to swerve earth out of the way.

[@VonWenk]

That's my favorite Parasite story.

[@tysondennis1016]

Old-timey comics are campy fun.

[@user-ManofStyle1]

The problem with Parasyte is that he's kinda one note, after one encounter it's difficult to come up with newer stories with him, so writers mostly repeat his origins over and over again.

[@gregcourtney751]

Maybe he could be used as a common henchperson or like in teams of superman villains? Thats one thing that could work.

[@RamManNo1]

The same could be said of 95% of super villains though…

[@blackrazer22]

He did get shapshifting powers for a bit. Pretended to be Lois post marriage. That storyline lasted long enough to make you wonder how far Parasite went with the relationship. 🥵

[@Psychospacecow]

The way they did him in Young Justice was pretty cool. Spoilers : They surrounded him in fire then got Mrs. Martian in proximity to his absorption powers.

[@ravenwilder4099]

Easiest way to introduce variety is have them go after a bunch of different superpowered people, so they're getting different abilities each time.

[@OllyRoger]

Parasite is one of my all-time favorite supervillains because he works so well for how versatile he can be to fit the story he's in. Need a heavy for the big bad to throw down with Superman while the others are occupied? Done. Need a deus ex machina for a plot point in an event comic? Word. Looking for a rampaging monsterman to smash some action figures into? Easy.

[@dramonmaster222]

Parasite may be simple but he's definitely a Classic villian.

[@RussellDuffer]

My favorite Parasite story was the one where Superman found his powers were getting stronger and stronger. Eventually he decided to put on super sunscreen to limit his powers. Turns out Parasite was sapping Supe's control, thus Superman was overdoing everything. Superman had to figure out how to get his powers back up once Parasite revealed himself. Very clever use of Parasite's targeted absorption ability.

[@danmerget]

One detail that I liked was that, when Superman collapsed from massive sensory overload after the loss of self-control reached his super-senses, he tried closing his eyes to shut out some of the input. And it didn't help, because thanks to x-ray vision he saw right through his eyelids. The best part? Draining Superman's self-control wasn't even close to Parasite's whole plan. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment "Plan C" to distract, disable, or kill Superman while Parasite pursued his REAL goal (which had nothing to do with Superman). It was a more Machiavellian take on the character than the usual plot of "stand next to the hero and drain some/all of their power".

[@anthonystrickland7049]

Parasite and Amazo are two brilliant characters playing on similar concepts. The really interesting stories deal with the characters' personality as much as the power.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

Then you have MAWS which effectively combines the two, and still makes it work somehow

[@Skeezer66]

I hope we get a future playlist of how teen writers got to be professional comicbook writers, like Jim Shooter, Roy Thomas, Jerry Siegal, and Joe Shuster! Now they would be considered kids working on fan fiction, but they literally set the foundation for decades of stories and myth building!!

[@bartlettmeeks]

I kinda want a "Stop giving Jimmy Serums" tee shirt

[@richmcgee434]

Serums, alien gadgets, magical relics, historical artifacts that really belong in a museum...you know, maybe take the signal watch back while you're at it, Clark.

[@samwill7259]

When I think of "Superman Villain" or "Superman's Rogues" Parasite is always the first one to come up. Lex Luthor is archnemesis and Darkseid is too much of a big cosmic threat to really be an issue villain. But if I want a villain that can just provide the man of steel with some fun mid stakes adventures than I always pick parasite.

[@andrewmitchell2343]

I like how Superman actually looks sad in the last panel of the first story. Like he realized Parasite was just a man turned into a monster by something he indirectly caused, and that Jensen died at the highest point of his life.

[@ashleytuchin7693]

I've always really liked the idea of Parasite and don't get why he isn't used more. I'd love to see you cover other Supermam villains too, like Metallo, Toyman and Silver Banshee. Supes has some pretty cool villains, but people only seem to care about Lex, Zod and Brainiac.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

Don't forget Terra Man! The Cowboy space villain.

[@SavedAndConfused]

I always liked the interpretation of parasite being unbearably hungry for energy all of the time so he just kinda becomes desperate for any slight reprieve from that pain. He's the perfect movie monster terrifying and sympathetic

[@toonbat]

Copy-pasting this from an older post I made on Mister Rogues's videos.... To this day I believe the best use of the Rudy Jones version of Parasite would have been to make him Lex Luthor's bodyguard. It makes perfect sense to me that a powerful, but none-too-clever villain would gravitate to become muscle to a supergenius. Working for Luthor would have given Rudy a chance to indulge in the luxury lifestyle, protected by high-end lawyers to get him out of trouble, and still giving him the chance to wrestle with superpowered heroes on occasion. Luthor, in the meantime, would have a powerful bodyguard to protect him not only from Superman, but from the many superpowered enemies he has accumulated over time. But best of all, I think would be how shaky such a relationship would be. Luthor is a very unpleasant boss in the best circumstances, and Rudy is all about holding grudges against people he perceives as having wronged him. This would make their relationship simultaneously toxic but mutually beneficial, which I think could fuel a number of good stories. I think it would give the Parasite a ton of satisfaction specially to know Superman's real identity and keep this info for himself, relishing that for all his genius Luthor is unable to discover something that seems so obvious once you learn it.

[@tomtudorweaver1078]

Besides Luthor and Brainiac, the Parasite is my favorite Superman foe. He can be tragic, he can be creepy, or he can just be a superpowered criminal. I'd love a live-action gooey practical effects makeup version of him in a Superman film. I don't think he's central villain material, but he could be used in various ways in a film. He'd be great for either an opening action sequence or any kind of minor role like hired muscle by the central villain, to serve as an illustration of the types of villains Superman has to deal with. I also always somewhat liked the idea of a Superman film where Lex Luthor creates a bunch of Superman villains (Parasite, Metallo, Bizarro) to test what it takes to beat Superman, with all of the villains being tragic unknowing victims of Luthor's scheme in their own way.

[@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist]

I honestly think he'd be central villain material, but in his own horror series, as he cycles through supes like some kinda super wendigo addicted to powers. Weirdly enough, his main gimmick is less cool if he's going up against the same supe or cast of supes over and over again.

[@garethhughes7430]

Opening villain where later the climax is superman convincing him to absorb some dangerous energy and be a hero.

[@tomtudorweaver1078]

@@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist Probably one of the best moments highlighting his threat level was in JL:U when he went up against a bunch of superheroes other than Superman, like him with Metamorpho's powers is a seriously scary threat. I think the main reason he sticks to Superman is just because of how much power he has in comparison to nearly any other DC hero. It also kind of links back to the drug addict angle of his character with him becoming dependent on it because nothing else compares to it.

[@tskmaster3837]

Parasite is a great villain and I particularly enjoy the movie version. [Example not found]. WB has a Superman problem and surprisingly, they don't know what it is. "We kept doing the same thing but that didn't work. Then we changed Superman and that didn't work. We're out of ideas and ways to adapt Lex Luthor and evil powered Superman. If only we had 80 years of characters and ideas to pull from but those things don't just fall from trees."

[@TitularHeroine]

This⬆ comment needs all the Likes

[@T4N7]

Wholesome self realizations like "if i really sucked they wouldn't keep sending me checks" warm my heart n that line has brightened my morning. The wave of relief that must've been great. Poor guy tho; all the crap he was putting up wuth for the wellbeing of his family when he wasn't even out of high school yet

[@tarmaque]

That's the most anime wig I've ever seen you wear, and it's working.

[@tarmaque]

Specifically, Alice from _Serial Experiments: Lain_ but also a sort of meta-type of the helpful friend from a lot of 90's anime.

[@ProjektTaku]

imagine she gets the dead anime mom hair...

[@gwina64]

I really wish more pulpy villains like parasite were in superman stories, his most famous villains are world ending threats like brainiac, that’s like if Spider-Man’s most well known villain was thanos, we need more love for Livewire and Toyman and ultrahumanite and titano and Bloodsport and silver banchee and maxima and lobo and mercy graves

[@featherguardian6023]

Parasite is One of my Favorite Villain as The Concept is Simply but Affective,I Wish that in the Future they Adaptat this Character than what they did Recently like Supergirl.

[@travelingjazzman117]

I like *Parasite* a lot. He's one of my favorite *Superman*-villains. I think when he's written as an intelligent villain, he could be absolutely one of the best threats to *Superman.* I hope to see *Parasite* in a live-action *Superman* movie someday.

[@CommanderSteelTrap]

I always forget the original Parasite wasn’t Rudy Jones, since he’s the most well known version.

[@jerfuhrer2581]

Wow! I'm more impressed that Jim Shooter wrote these at 13-16 years old!

[@veryheavyalan]

I love the Parasite, one of my favorite Superman villains, especially the concept of him, not only his powers which always give Superman a challenge but also showing what happens when an average person gets deadly superpowers.

[@tehBIGivan]

I don't remember everything about Kingdom Come, but I remember Parasite splitting open Captain Atom

[@jonzampas7252]

He’s a fantastic villain for a change of pace. Many villains have powers that are opposites or identical to the hero. Parasite can be a singular villain of the week, or a world wide threat that requires heroes and villains to work together. It is commonly said that Batman plus prep time can beat anyone. If someone was willing to work with Parasite on a long form project, he could be the unchallenged ruler of the planet. I imagine a scene of him walking through a hall of heroes set up like the prisons in Spider-Man No Way Home, simply walking down the hallway and siphoning powers from all the main heroes we know, then in a wide shot we see 1000s of people locked away. Then you fade back to how it all started, and cut back to the present from time to time setting up his hubris and planting seeds for Parasite to lose.

[@VladyO]

I'm making a series of fan art re-imaginings of Superman villains, but you're right, Parasite's origin is so brilliantly simple that you don't need to change it too much. My version though has janitor Maxwell Jensen developing a parasocial relationship with Superman, thinking Superman is his friend from the Man of Steel's frequent visits to STAR Labs and being the only person that gave him any amount of positive affection (think Electro in Amazing Spider-Man 2). Learning of the existence of the empowering X-Kryptonite being contained in the labs, Jensen steals a sample to be like his idol, but bumps into a vat of toxic materials, which turns him into the Parasite. This version of Parasite is particularly obsessed with Superman, eventually developing his powers to also be able to absorb physical appearances as he tries to steal Supes' life both as Superman and as Clark Kent--because both personas get the love and affection in public and private that Jensen never received.

[@KennAKALeo]

I think my favorite Parasite story is the one where Doctor Doom needs the Parasite for... reasons. So he lures the Hulk to Metropolis, and further tricks Hulk into striking the exact right place so the shockwaves will free Jensen. Superman fights the Hulk to a standstill, and destroys the device Doom used to goad Hulk on. Jensen gets a boost from an unwitting Peter Parker. Eventually, there's a Wonder Woman/Spider-Man confrontation, too. But Doctor Doom's failure mostly stems from Jensen sensing Doom's ultimate betrayal (turns out Doom's plans for the Parasite are a little fatal for Jensen) because of his copied Spider-sense tingling. This is all, of course, from "Superman and Spider-Man" from Marvel Treasury Edition #28 in 1980 (Clark & Peter's 2nd meeting). And it was written by Parasitic scribe Jim Shooter.

[@blackrazer22]

When Mort died the guy presiding over the funeral asked if anyone had anything to say about the deceased. At first no one came up, but a friend did go to the podium. He said "His brother was worse." Not what you want said about you when you pass. I heard this from CGS several years ago. Mort was not a nice man.

[@rasheedsanders1067]

Complexity is great but if you strike gold with simplicity that's just as good, which is how I view Parasite. While I fondly remember Parasite from Superman TAS the Superman Earth One graphic novel had an interesting take on the on the character. Also if we're making up Silver Age aliases here's a free one: Terrence "Terry" Yaki, murderous chef.

[@CasuallyComics]

I adore this alias long live Terrence Yaki.

[@rasheedsanders1067]

@@CasuallyComics I am honored.

[@Oddlogical]

I did like that Parasite was a consistently dangerous Superman villain. Also he didn't seem to "oh woe is me" as much as some other villains (but maybe I didn't read enough of his stories).

[@TimKirk]

I adore that you get the two L initials the way I do. *LOL* I love Parasite as a villain, although I feel the cartoon version is most iconic for me because while I'd seen some of the more horrific takes, that take felt more dangerous and more controlled.

[@rodneylindsey849]

If He Freaked every time a Phone Rang Good Thing for Jim Shooter’s Sanity It wasn’t The Cell Phone Age 😎🖖🏾

[@Macapta]

The Parasite is the perfect answer to the complaint of a villain that's just a copy of the heroes power set. Because it leans so far into it it becomes something else.

[@sillysphinx2330]

You know, I can't help but wonder if The Parasite lines and tactics came from Jim Shooter's editor. After hearing how he and every other writer was treated on staff, I can't help but draw parallels. Poor Jim, no wonder Superman's stress and grief came though so hard.

[@Lotarious]

Parasyte appears in the 70s Superman vs Spiderman crossover. There, the character is developed a bit deeper, focusing on the desperation of being unable to be near people without hurting them. Similar to Rogue, but even worse. The addition of this tragic backgound makes it much more cooler :)

[@philiphockenbury6563]

Love me some Casually Comics.

[@jdlewis3706]

FUN FACT: The first Parasite story was very loosely adapted into a 1966 Filmation Superman cartoon, "The Pernicious Parasite". The main differences are the Parasite was a hood named Icy Harris and, in the dark finale, Superman intentionally bear hugs Parasite to force him to explode! So much for Superman's code against killing! (*LOL!*) 😀

[@stebaer]

What I really liked back in The '70s was that 4-part story of Solomon Grundy and the Parasite.

[@Solitaire001]

The Parasite reminds me of a character who appeared in the Filmation "Superman" animated series. Although he looked like a normal man, due to an accident, gained the same powers as The Parasite. He kept getting stronger and stronger by absorbing energy from nearby people. Unfortunately for him, he encountered Superman. At first he was thrilled to have access to so much energy, but he couldn't stop absorbing Superman's energy and he exploded.

[@mndrew1]

Ah the Parasite, co-villain of my very first Superman comic. Bronze age goodness where Supes has to move Earth out of it's orbit to avoid a death ray while at only 75% power. :D

[@jonathonriddle9922]

Parasite is in my top 5 favorite Superman foes; thanks for featuring him on your channel! I love that he can match any hero at his or her own level. Besides Superman, he's been a memorable sparring partner for Firestorm. He seems like a good character to take on a team of heroes -- as long as the fight doesn't destroy all of Kansas as a result!

[@tretyler9521]

Jim Shooter is a God.

[@ProjektTaku]

Parasite works because he turns superman's strength against him, meaning no matter how strong supes gets, it just makes his villain all the more powerful. Superman literally has to avoid him, otherwise he starts getting weak in the knees. This is also why I love livewire. She's such a difficult villain for superman where his strength is meaningless, since because she's made of electricity, she can't be touched and can produce practically limitless amounts of electricity, which can also be used to reconstitute her body if somehow damaged, meaning she's basically intangible and has some amazing regeneration, so supes strength doesn't really matter in the slightest.

[@jpboursaw4469]

In the midst of the vlog, a revelation! Gasp! His initials are LL! No wonder Parasite couldn’t absorb Superman’s powers of gaslighting! The poor fool!

[@JKevinCarrier]

There is definitely an elegant simplicity to the way Parasite turns Superman's own power against him. But that simplicity also works against him. He's only got one trick up his sleeve, which can make his stories a little repetitious. He's a lot like the Kryptonite Man in that regard -- he's a threat, yes, but only in one very specific way. Characters like Luthor or Brainiac or Mxyzptlk have a zillion different ways to give Superman a hard time. Even Terra-Man brings more to the table than Parasite does. :D That second story, where he sneaks around in disguise so he can drain Superman slowly, was admittedly a clever variation. Otherwise, though, I think he works better when he's just one element in a larger story, like that '70s one by Maggin that you mentioned. Or that Superman - Spider-Man tabloid, where he's a pawn of Dr. Doom (not-so-coincidentally, also by Shooter!).

[@roberth.9664]

The I've got a trench-coat and hat disguise is very common in fiction, but you got to give Parasite the credit for at lest zipping up the jacket unlike over at Marvel in the Korvac Saga where Jocasta just walks around the streets of New York in an open coat showing off her robot body and yet someone is still shocked that she's a robot when she takes it off.

[@jimgillespie6109]

Thank you! I have to say that I have always loved this design for the character: a man covered by a weird purple membrane! So freaking eerie, you wouldn't expect that from a Silver Age Superman tale! My first encounter with Parasite was the old Filmation cartoon series from the '60s. He's normal-looking and the ending is slightly different, but powerful. Again I use the word "eerie"! After all these years, I still remember that ending!

[@yt_Ajay_]

My intro to Parasite was in the Superman animated series, and I can honestly say he's still the most terrifying bad guy I've ever seen Superman come up against.. the flat purple skin is super unnerving.

[@crows2808]

Those are way more solid stories than I expected. The man actually works smarter than most villains of that time, no?

[@NORMAN728]

Last time I saw parasite was the man of tomorrow animated movie the gave a mixture of his origin him leaning more sympathetic.

[@paultapner2769]

The larcenous labourer. The fiendish freak. The Super-Sap. I spy the dawning of a new super team...

[@richmcgee434]

Given the time period's fondness for alliteration and color-coded names, I'm honestly surprised that the character wasn't called the Purple Parasite. Going to guess that 14-year old Mister Shooter had only just learned the word parasite in school and thought it was sufficiently cool and science-y sounding on its own.

[@acorn_acrom]

MY FAVORITE SUPERMAN VILLAIN IS GETTING A VIDEO LETS GO!!!!

[@dallasgrey4247]

Super Sap sounds like a Canadian Maple Syrup inspired superhero. Maybe they can join Alpha Flight! Ps. Where’s my Sasha reads that 1 panel of What If where Alpha Flight speaks in Canadian accents

[@sanfransardine]

All-Star Superman is my favorite depiction of Parasite. He always needs to be shown with a lamprey mouth.

[@WarmLillie]

Simple powers, Simple Character, Simple premise, Simply Parasite.

[@GenerationWest]

You're right, the simple the better, especially when they turn into a big pink monster man. Even with the DCAU, they're technically two, since Rudy dies in the JLU penultimate episode, and the second one appears in the episode "Epilogue", which is based on the monstrous version. And then there's the Ally Alston version in Superman & Lois, which was... Convoluted, but it was unique.

[@eriksieurin334]

What happens if the Parasite armwrestles Absorbing Man...?

[@richmcgee434]

Three-way cage match with Rogue while you're at it. Amazo can referee the bout.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

With James Gunn apparently doing reboot on the Superman films, I hope he uses Parasite as the first main villain. Not only would be a nice way to show other members of Superman sadly underrated rogues gallery (besides Luthor and Zod) but the plot could go many directions with the character: He could be portray as criminal who gets the ability to steal the powers of others including Superman, becoming a villain Superman has to defeat without touching it, or he could also be portray as tragic figure, a poor guy who suffer an accident and was turn into monster uncapable of controlling his powers, giving Superman a villain he can defeat not by punching but just being nice hopeful guy he is, inspiring the good in Parasite.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

I also feel liked Gunn’s proclivity for body horror could work really well for Parasite (something like the giant grub from Peacemaker or the aliens from Slither.)

[@alexandrefrauches132]

@@halfmettlealchemist8076 Agreed, although I would be cool if Parasite was already show up as the big horror monster, with the plot involving Clark and Lois investigating his attacks and eventually find out about his origin. There could even be scene where the two find Parasite hideout and see some videos he made talking about how the radiation changed him, with each video showing him becoming more and more deformed and the way he speaks becoming more sinister (showing how he is becoming addict to his hunger for energy, losing his humanity).

[@kemmdog4444]

Fedora and trench coat is a classic comic book disguise used by the Thing and the Hulk.

[@CasuallyComics]

Lol it's to the point where in comic universes it should be a side-eyed item combination

[@kemmdog4444]

@@CasuallyComics Oh, definitely.

[@BaithNa]

Dont forget the Ninja Turtles. Its basically their formal attire at this point.

[@coyotestarship7412]

Perfect villain for the Gunnverse

[@deadpilled2942]

I like that she sort of reads to us, like we're the kindergartners that can't tie our shoes, or button up our shirts

[@PatriciaCross]

One of my favorite Super villains. Doomsday was never needed, Parasite would have made for a better "Death of Superman" villain.

[@jonasuriel7936]

Thank you for covering a villain that gets little recognition! My brother in law and I recently had a discussion about "Wouldn't it be cool if they made a batman horror movie!" We both agreed that Parasite would be a perfect villain. Uh and your suggestion of it being from Clark/Supermans perspective where he has no idea what's going on, *chefs kiss*

[@masalamonkey4092]

Ive always loved the parasite he has a great design and the creepier the better, thankyou for covering him!

[@trevorghalt1881]

Sometime ago someone said to me that Parasite would be cool to have an animated short and that got me into a rabbit hole finding the old Parasite stories which was really good and fun and The New 52 which was kinda sad but enjoyable

[@phillipmccurry5729]

Trevor Ghalt, check out the animated New Adventures of Superman episode The Pernicious Parasite from 1966. Not the Parasite here, but the episode chilled me as a 9 year old. To me then and still that episode is horror.

[@trevorghalt1881]

@@phillipmccurry5729 ok cool👍🏾

[@tictackywacky9445]

Your kids are gonna be so proud of you! You’re a rad KZbinr

[@ravenwilder4099]

Others get excited at spotting a double rainbow; Sasha gets excited at spotting a double L.

[@Hyde0991]

Always loved the episode of StAS where they asked Parasite to help find where a terrorist had hid some bombs and ended up getting both personalities. Kind of a different way to use him in the story.

[@musicman2569]

I fee; like he is a very underrated villain and we need more of him

[@Werewolf914]

I love Parasite he was one of my favorite villains in Superman TAS

[@Carnival_soda]

oh my goodness! the excerpts talking about the abusive environment and workplace that shooter was put in is honestly horrific. thank you for talking about it though! you always do so well at explaining context and history behind works of art and it is truly inspiring!!

[@ZenSponge]

I have, my whole life, LOVED comics. Thank you for feeding my inner child, and the grown man both.

[@lordbiscuitthetossable5352]

The sheer delight at discovering the hidden name had two L's made me chuckle. Love the video, the paracite always stuck out in my mind as being particularly noteworthy despite his often-simple nature.

[@MrCarlBackhausen]

I know right! Parasite is one of my absolute favorite Superman villains, just because of the potential the character has! Being able to absorb and stack powers organically could be writen into so many truly INTENSE storylines. I could write some really scary and exciting stories about the parasite vs Superman and the Justice League. Parasite is unbelievably underrated and underrepresented. Parasite is the Amazo android but better in many ways since he is a thinking, feeling human being at the base, not a stale robot. He has imagination and becomes more intelligent the more he absorbs from others. I would make him truly terrifying!

[@dennismason3740]

It is lovely, after all these many decades, to hear the phrase "gaping maw".

[@seymourclarity8702]

Fave Parasite appearance was the cameo in my ALL STAR SUPERMAN grahic novel. I still go back to that thing, so many great concepts

[@freddiemartin699]

Good coverage on the character. Would make a great movie Villain.

[@bensneb360]

Superman: it was horrible Lois, was a no-face, no-form, flyin' purple power eater lol

[@ZenGaijin]

These videos are gonna be a treasure to your kids. They will get to see a version of their Mom from a younger age than they can remember. Plus, you got a cool ass youtube channel. That's pretty f'in cool

[@raymondtillotson6985]

Imagine if he became an optometrist. He'd be a Parasite for sore eyes!

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

"We aren't paying you to die. That is on the fourth and thirteenth floor!" 😂🤣 Oh, Sasha! I love your channel. You and I have the same type of humor and I enjoy every one of your videos. 💻💖🥰

[@hordakprime6172]

I completely agree with you on this character.