White Terror

Real Name: Mr. Fredericks
First Appearance: Wonderworld Comics #33 (January, 1942)
Original Publisher: Fox
Created by: Bob Farrow and Louis Cazeneuve

Golden Age Origin: 

Mr. Fredericks, manager of the Blue Socks baseball team, was secretly murdering factory workers using poison gas. However, one of his best players found out about the murderous secret of their manager, so the White Terror disposed of him. The clues left by the deceased player help super hero U.S. Jones in finding the killer before he could strike again.

Powers and Abilities: 

The White Terror was equipped with a dagger and vials of poisonous gas. He also wore a domed helmet like an astronaut or deep sea diver that was used to protect him from his poisonous gases. He had no powers but was a skilled chemist and climber.

Notes: 

The White Terror was also called the White Killer.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Wonderworld Comics #33

Zog

Real Name: Prince Zog of Mars
First Appearance: Amazing Man Comics #15 (1940)
Original Publisher: Centaur
Created by: Unknown

Golden Age Origin: 

Prince Zog of Mars was a martian intent on conquering Earth after being transported from his planet by a strange race of island men. He could shoot lasers from his eyes which he uses to destroy the scientist who brought him to Earth. However, the hero known as the Shark and his father Neptune were also captured by the inhabitants of the island and prevent Zog from conquering the world by destroying him using his weakness, water. They discovered his weakness when Neptune doused him with it, causing Zog to dissolve.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Amazing Man Comics #15

Claw

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Silver Streak Comics #1 (Dec. 1939)
Original Publisher: Lev Gleason
Created by: Jack Cole

Origin:

A chunk of mass blew off the planet Zylmarx and was hurdled towards Earth. It streaked over New York and landed in Tibet, far from civilization. For almost four years, the crater remained untouched. There were faint rumblings in the Earth, recorded on seismographs all over the world, but they were not considered unusual. Unknown to humanity, something was slowly developing within the meteor towards its awful birth... And then, early in 1939, the ground split open and out of the crater emerged a horrible sight... The Claw!

The ruler of the Pacific island nation of Ricca, the Claw is the ultimate villain, often called the God of Hate by his own people. The Claw's activities were apparently monitored by an Infernal supervisor and he could travel to Hades to request aid. The Claw's most commonly used power was his ability to make himself any size he wishes, and he usually maintained a height of at least 100 feet.  He towered over Manhattan when he first came to the U.S., where he would encounter his greatest foe - Daredevil. He was strong enough to pick up a train or rip the roof off of a building and he could not be killed by conventional firearms, though, being somewhat cowardly, he would usually retreat when he experienced pain. He had other ill-defined abilities as well which seemed to depend on the phases of the moon. He was served by a small army of human henchmen and by his goblin-like Clawites.

Over the years, the Claw faced a number of opponents, which included (in chronological order) - Jerry Morris, Major Carl Tarrant, Daredevil, the Ghost and Rocky X. The Ghost was the longest-running opponent of them all, fighting the Claw for twenty issues.  The Claw was seemingly killed numerous times, but he always managed to come back.

Claw left Earth during WWII by tricking the Nazis into building him a rocket. He went back to the planet Zylmarx and for decades built up an invasion force to conqueror the Earth. His plans are foiled by Rocky X and his allies.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Boy Illustories #89-#93

Captain Battle, Jr. #1

Captain Battle, Jr. #2 (as The Green Claw)

Daredevil Battles Hitler

Daredevil Comics #1-31

Silver Streak Comics #1-2, #6-11

Scarecrow

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: The Eagle #4 (January, 1942)
Original Publisher: Fox
Created by: Unknown

Origin: 

The Scarecrow was an assassin and gang leader who worked for the Nazis during World War II. He usually operated on US soil. He almost always carried a whip, which he could use to trip and strangle his victims. He also carried a variety of firearms. He was good at getting away and possessed the strength of a maniac. He battled The Eagle on several occassions.

Golden Age Appearances: 

The Eagle #4

Puzzler

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: America's Best Comics #30 (1949)
Original Publisher: Nedor
Created by: Ruben Moreira

Origin:

A young man is down on his luck though he¹s always been good at solving puzzles. In fact he happens to be walking by a bank when he hears that the vault has been closed by accident and it contains papers that are needed for a multi-million dollar deal. He reckons a safe is just another puzzle and soon he has it open for them. But, they offer him no reward and in fact are all to happy to have him leave due to his rather sorry appearance. He decides, then and there to no longer live the life of the straight and narrow and puts on a green and yellow checker-board costume and commits outrageous crimes. He even sends out riddles to the Black Terror challenging him to solve the crimes and catch him. Which after a few close calls, the Terrors do. The Puzzler also seems to have penchant for bad puns.

Golden Age Appearances: 

America's Best Comics #30

Mister Slumber

Real Name: Morpheus Slumber
First Appearance: Triple Threat Comics #1 (1945)
Original Publisher: Holyoke /Gerona
Created by: Sam Cooper & John Giunta

Golden Age Origin: 

Morpheus Slumber was a ghost trapped in an unmarked grave. Through sheer force of will, he was able to escape the cemetary to torture the living to death with unspeakable nightmares. He rode a ghostly green horse and was accompanied by various demons he referred to as his "nightmares." He could also physically attack people while they were asleep. After being defeated by the Duke of Darkness, Mr. Slumber was forced back into the grave.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Triple Threat Comics #1

Iron Mask

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Captain Flash #1 (1954)
Original Publisher: Sterling
Created by: Mike Sekowsky and Martin Smith

Origin: 

Iron Mask was a villain who planted a lead-coated hydrogen bomb in Atom City and challenged Captain Flash and Ricky Davis to find it. The only clue he gave them was a riddle. Captain Flash was able to decipher the riddle and traveled to Matto Grosso, where he encountered Iron Mask's robots, which were modeled after monsters from the Ancient Greek myth (mostly the Odyssey). After defeating the monsters, he realized that their names were a clue to the bomb's location -a construction site. With less than seconds to spare, he used his powers to disable the bomb... Only to discover that Iron Mask used it as a distraction to sneak into the city's atomic energy plant and steal radioactive cobalt. Thanks to Ricky's timely intervention, Captain Flash was able to stop the Iron Mask, but he seemingly fell to his death before he could be apprehended.

The story strongly hinted that Iron Mask would become a recurring enemy, but this was his only appearance.

Powers and Abilities: 

Iron Mask was a brilliant inventor who was able to create a proton gun and life-like robots of various shapes and sizes. He also seemed to have at least some knowledge of nuclear physics.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Captain Flash #1

Crystal

Real Name: Mr. Crystal James
First Appearance: Whiz Comics #15 (March, 1941)
Original Publisher: Fawcett
Created by: Ken Battefield

Origin 

Crystal James was the leader of a gang of thieves. He used "The Crystal" disguise to protect his identity when he attempted to kidnap his own millionaire ward, Ronnie Keller, and throw off suspicion when he forced her to sign over the enitre Keller Estate to himself. However, Ronnie was saved by the efforts of The Companions Three who eventually brought the Crystal to justice.

The Crystal was clever and extremely athletic, especially when making a getaway. He carried conventional weapons such as guns and knives, but he also enjoyed laying elaborate traps, such as "The Death Circle" which would kill anyone who entered it. On at least one occassion, he used a robot decoy to fool his opponents.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Master Comics #14

Whiz Comics #15

Zora

Real Name: Zora
First Appearance: Prize Comics #44 (August, 1944)
Original Publisher: Prize
Created by: Dick Briefer

Golden Age Origin

Zora was an ancient vampire, who had been burned at the stake as a witch around 1744, but survived due to her supernatural abilities. She was in love with a soldier named Rollo, and spent 200 years looking for a way to complete his transformation into a vampire, since he had died of a gunshot wound before the transformation was complete. She managed to revive him with a ritual. After encountering Frankenstein, Zora put the creature under her power and took him to her home, a spooky old mansion, to add him to her brood of ghouls. While Zora delighted in drinking blood and being a creature of darkness, Frankenstein displayed distaste for her ways, and after he ate garlic bread, Zora and Rollo were forced to abandon their ancient manor. Homeless, they went to New York where they took over an apartment building. There, Zora invited two additional vampires to join her brood. These vampires held an undertaker's convention at the building, and hired one of the undertakers to stay and take care of them during the day. With the help of the caretaker, Frankenstein was no longer needed, and was released from Zora's power.

Powers and Abilities: 

Zora was long lived, and seemed to posses all the standard abilities and weaknesses of a typical vampire. Unlike some vampires, she was also skilled in mesmerism and demonstrated the ability to summon and control bats.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Prize Comics #44-48

Captain Swastika

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Hangman Comics #2
Original Publisher: MLJ
Created By: Unknown

Golden Age Origin

Captain Swastika was a famed Nazi saboteur and the most frequently recurring archenemy of the Hangman.

The two first crossed paths by accident after the Hangman (in his civilian identity) picked up a distressed woman being pursued by Captain Swastika because of her knowledge regarding a country-wide sabotage plot.

While his face appears to be covered by a simple mask, Captain Swastika's insistence of wearing it even when disguising himself implies that it may simply have been his actual face.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Hangman Comics #2, 3

Pep Comics #28, 29, 34

Baron Von Tundra

Real Name: Baron Von Tundra
First Appearance: Air Fighters Comics vol. 1 #2 (Nov. 1942)
Original Publisher: Hillman
Created by: Harry Stein & Mort Leav

Origin: 

Colonel Von Tundra was a ruthless Nazi cyborg, whose left side, after being shot down in a dogfight by the hero Skywolf, was completely replaced by steel, robotic parts. Because of that, he was also known as Half-Man.

He reported directly to Adolf Hitler.

At one point, he was abducted by the Heap, who enjoyed the fact he spoke German (though the beast had clearly lost the ability to understand his actual words). Von Tundra managed to escape both death and capture on several occasions, ultimately, however, being brought to justice.

Powers and Abilities:

His steel fingers could easily break a man's neck and he usually carried a sidearm.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Air Fighters Comics vol. 1 #2-3, 8

vol. 2 #4

Thor

Real Name: Grant Farrel
First Appearance: Weird Comics #1 (1940)
Original Publisher: Fox
Created by: Pierce Rice

Origin: 

Believing that the world needed a defender, Thor, son of Odin and supreme ruler of Valhalla, bestowed upon the human Grant Farrel his own powers, which Grant used to become a crime fighter. When he transformed into Thor, Farrel could fly, throw lightning bolts, and generate storms. He wielded Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, which could be thrown hard enough to smash through multiple tanks but, like a boomerang, would return to his hand.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Weird Comics #1-5

Atomaster

Real Name: Barry Dale
First Appearance: New World #1 (1950)
Original Publisher: Metropolitan Publishing Co.
Created by: Jerry Robinson

Golden Age Origin:

While working as a nuclear scientist at the "Atomic Institute," Barry Dale absorbs the "power of the atom" through unconscious exposure to nuclear materials and gains superpowers as a result. As described by Barry himself: "Evidently my body is so geared as a result of working on radium and uranium that it can explode atoms and give me atomic strength." He uses his new abilities -- such as super strength, flight, speed, invulnerability, "atomic vision," and the ability to heat his body so that he can weld metal with his hands -- to fight crime.

Atomaster is a re-colored and re-named version of Atoman from Spark Comics.

Golden Age Appearances: 

New World #1

Mist

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Top-Notch Comics #16 (June, 1941)
Original Publisher: MLJ
Created by: Al Camy, Harry Shorten

Origin: 

The Mist was a thief and killer who wore a "Molecular Disintegrator" belt, which allowed him to turn his body into a gasseous state. In this state, he was impervious to fists and bullets and could escape through even the smallest crack. He could also fly and carry small objects in this state. However, to make attacks, he had to become solid.

He usually carried a dagger on him, but he was also known to use firearms. He battled The Black Hood on several occassions.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Top-Notch Comics #16

Jackpot Comics #3

Clown

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Super Mystery Comics #5 (1940)
Original Publisher: Ace Periodicals
Created by: Paul Chadwick

Origin: 

A malevolent crazy who seems to work for himself at times and other times for Adolf Hitler. He was a skilled swordsman and an inventor of various brain-washing devices. The Clown's background was never revealed, but his debut story hinted that he was not an American. He was decked out in face-paint and wore a clown outfit. This villain fought Magno the Magnetic Man and Davey on multiple occasions.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Super Mystery Comics #5-9, 14-15, 17, 22-23, 27

Four Favorites #8, 12, 14-17

Zzed

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Airboy Comics vol. 6 #12 (January 1950)
Original Publisher: Hillman
Created by: Ernest Schroeder

Origin: 

Zzed was an immortal who had been present at all the greatest human tragedies in history for the last 2000 years. It seems that he could not die until the world came to an end, and he hoped to hasten the process.

Eventually, in the 20th century, he mastered technology that allowed him to control the "star brain" or the collected energies of all the brains of the world over the ages. With this power, he gained all knowledge, and the ability to control, at least to a limited degree, the minds of all people on Earth. From a secluded mansion in Swampheart, Georgia, he used this power to initiate violent riots all over the world. However, the machine he used to control the star brain was smashed during a confrontation with Airboy.

Even without the power of the star brain, Zzed had accumulated great knowledge in his centuries of life, and he frequently spoke ancient incantations of some unknown language. Although he could be killed temporarily, he seemed to have rapid regenerative abilities that would bring him back to life.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Airboy Comics vol. 6 #12

Frost

Real Name: Unknown
First Appearance: Wham Comics #2 (1940)
Original Publisher: Centaur
Created by: Lew Glanzman

Golden Age Origin: 

Frost was a German saboteur who ingested a special pill which gave him ice powers. When Blue Fire attempts to stop him, Frost tries to shoot Blue Fire, but the bullets phase through him. Fire then tries to punch Frost, but he can not hit him while intangible. The two reach a stalemate and with Blue Fire's powers about to run out he left his foe. When he brought the police to capture Frost, the villain had escaped. Tanya Gerhst, a fellow German spy, and Frost were later confronted by Blue Fire at their hideout. Frost began to fight Fire, but lost control of his intangibility and plunged to the bottom floor of the building. Frost manages to escape capture by Blue Fire, but Fire stops him from freezing another ship.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Wham Comics #2

Tigerwoman

Real Name: Nita Dell
First Appearance: Hand of Fate #25b (1954)
Original Publisher: Ace
Created by: Lou Cameron

Origin:

Nita Dell and her partner in crime Brett Hannigan robbed the main offices of a carnival and decided to hideout from the police in a waxworks show's tent. They seek refuge in a hollow statues of a werewolf and tigerwoman respectively. However, the police shoot the statues and take the crooks into custody with a slight pulse.

However, the waxworks show owner Lizette used black magic to transform Nita and Brett into the monster they hid in so that she could get revenge on the police for destroying her irreplaceable statutes. The two crooks awaken in the prison hospital transformed and go on a killing spree with the cops helpless to stop them in their new bulletproof monster forms.

Lizette decides however to collect the bounties on the creatures heads and has her demons summon the creatures to her tent. The witch then convinces the duo to drink witch's brew in order to restore them to their human forms. Instead it makes them go into a berserk rage causing them to kill each other. When the police examine the bodies though both Nita and Brett have returned to their human forms.

The police then charge Lizette with the murder of two wards of the state. Instead of going with the police she runs into her burning cauldron and burns to death.

Powers and Abilities:

Nita is described as being transformed into an Indian were-tiger and presumably has the abilities of a tiger including enhanced strength, speed, agility, and stamina as well as enhanced senses. She is also shown to be bulletproof. However, she could not change back into her human form until she was killed.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Hand of Fate #25b

Music Master

Real Name: John Wallace
First Appearance: Reg'lar Fellas #12(1942)
Original Publisher: Eastern Color Printing
Created by: Unknown

Golden Age Origin: 

John Wallace, a concert violinist and music teacher, finds the fabled "musical pipes of death," which allow a user to fly whenever he hears a certain note played on a musical instrument, use musical notes as a force-field or solidified weapon, and send notes to carry out his orders. He then becomes the hero Music Master and uses the pipes to fight evil. His young sidekick is a prissy, glasses-wearing kid called Downbeat.

Public Domain Appearances: 

Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #12-15

Heroic Comics #16-26, 28-31

Zoro the Purple Zombie

Real Name: Zoro
First Appearance: Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1 (Aug 1940)
Original Publisher: Eastern Color Printing
Created by: Tarpe Mills

Golden Age Origin:

Created by Doctors Malinsky and Hale, the Purple Zombie was intended by Dr. Hale to be used to prolong life, not to revive the dead. However, the evil Dr. Malinsky wanted to create zombie armies and become "ruler of the living and the dead." Malinsky shoots Hale but is then strangled to death by the zombie, who, in his own words, is "without a conscience...but not without a brain." The Purple Zombie then destroys Malinsky's allies.

The rampaging zombie was then captured by the police and sentenced to death. But when he was taken to the electric chair ("This'll be the first time I ever saw a guy die twice!") it would not die because its skin does not conduct electricity. Luckily, Hale turned out not to dead after all and the Purple Zombie, who Hale called "Zoro," was still obedient to him. The court released the zombie into his custody. But notorious gangleader Joe Coroza saw the zombie as a potential asset and kidnapped him. Hale fought the gangsters and the Mechanized Skeleton to recover him.

In later adventures they traveled back in time together. On one trip, they battled Saracens and met King Richard, The Lionheart. On another trip, they travelled to Rome during the reign of Nero, where they narrowly escaped the Great Fire.

Powers and Abilities:

He possesses super-strength, is bullet-proof, and is immune to electricity.

Golden Age Appearances: 

Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1-12