Mala (Kryptonian)
Encyclopedia
Mala is a fictional supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe. He first appeared in Superman #65 (July/August 1950) in the story "The Three Supermen from Space!"
, and a former member of the science council. Some years before Krypton exploded the trio attempts to take over the planet by threatening to remove all moisture from the atmosphere with one of their inventions. They are stopped by Superman's father Jor-El
who places them in suspended animation and sends them into outer space, as an alternative to the death penalty.
Many years later their rocketship is struck by a piece of space debris, which brings the trio out of suspended animation. Mala and his brothers find their way to Earth, where they meet Superman. Once there, the three brothers construct a machine that hypnotizes all of Earth's population. Superman manages to destroy the machine, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by the combined might of Mala and his brothers. The quick thinking Man of Steel tricks the brothers into fighting each other, until the trio are exhausted. Superman then places Mala and his brothers back into hibernation and sends them back into space.
In Action Comics #194 (Jul 1954), the three Kryptonians manage to escape again, after their rocket is once again struck by a piece of space debris. Kizo and U-Ban go to the planet Saturn
(for a "vacation from trouble"), but Mala decides to get revenge on Superman. As Superman is off planet on a mission, Mala constructs a duplicate Earth in order to keep Superman out of the way. Mala, who looks exactly like Superman, decides to cause more problems for Superman by disguising himself as Clark Kent
and then admitting to the public that he is Superman (never realizing that Superman really is Clark Kent).
With his plan in place, Mala summons his brothers from Saturn and prepares to destroy Earth. Superman arrives and manages to trick the three evil Kryptonians into entering their space capsule, putting them back into suspended animation once again. This is the last appearance of Mala, Kizo, and U-Ban.
.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe. He first appeared in Superman #65 (July/August 1950) in the story "The Three Supermen from Space!"
Fictional character biography
Mala, along with his brothers Kizo and U-Ban, is a native of the planet KryptonKrypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
, and a former member of the science council. Some years before Krypton exploded the trio attempts to take over the planet by threatening to remove all moisture from the atmosphere with one of their inventions. They are stopped by Superman's father Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
who places them in suspended animation and sends them into outer space, as an alternative to the death penalty.
Many years later their rocketship is struck by a piece of space debris, which brings the trio out of suspended animation. Mala and his brothers find their way to Earth, where they meet Superman. Once there, the three brothers construct a machine that hypnotizes all of Earth's population. Superman manages to destroy the machine, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by the combined might of Mala and his brothers. The quick thinking Man of Steel tricks the brothers into fighting each other, until the trio are exhausted. Superman then places Mala and his brothers back into hibernation and sends them back into space.
In Action Comics #194 (Jul 1954), the three Kryptonians manage to escape again, after their rocket is once again struck by a piece of space debris. Kizo and U-Ban go to the planet Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
(for a "vacation from trouble"), but Mala decides to get revenge on Superman. As Superman is off planet on a mission, Mala constructs a duplicate Earth in order to keep Superman out of the way. Mala, who looks exactly like Superman, decides to cause more problems for Superman by disguising himself as Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
and then admitting to the public that he is Superman (never realizing that Superman really is Clark Kent).
With his plan in place, Mala summons his brothers from Saturn and prepares to destroy Earth. Superman arrives and manages to trick the three evil Kryptonians into entering their space capsule, putting them back into suspended animation once again. This is the last appearance of Mala, Kizo, and U-Ban.
Powers and abilities
Mala, like all Kryptonians, has a number of inherent superpowers. These powers include super-strength, invulnerability, flight, super-speed, heat and x-ray vision, and super-intelligence. Presumably, like Superman, Mala can only be harmed by certain forms of kryptoniteKryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
.
Television
- A character named Mala appears in three episodes of Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
voiced by Leslie EasterbrookLeslie Easterbrook-Early life:Easterbrook was born in Los Angeles and adopted by a family in rural Nebraska, where she was raised. Her father later earned a Ph.D and became a voice/trumpet professor at University of Nebraska at Kearney...
. This character, however, is a female Kryptonian, and bears a strong resemblance to Ursa, one of the evil Kryptonians from the film Superman IISuperman IISuperman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
. In her first appearance, in the two-part episode "Blasts From the Past", Mala is a Kryptonian criminal exiled to the Phantom Zone. She convinces Superman to release her from the Zone on the grounds that she has served her sentence, despite Superman's misgivings about releasing a former criminal on Earth, where she will gain superpowers. When she is first released, she trains with Superman and agrees to accompany him in fighting crime, but it quickly becomes apparent that she misunderstands Superman's role on Earth, believing him to be ruling over the people. She also becomes extremely jealous when she learns of Superman's feelings for Lois Lane. Because of her volatile personality and the excessive force she uses, Superman mentions to Professor HamiltonProfessor HamiltonProfessor Emil Hamilton is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman titles. He is generally portrayed as a stereotypical absent-minded professor, with a gray beard and thick glasses and, at times, a "Mr. Wizard" type character...
that he may have to send her back to the Phantom Zone. Mala overhears the conversation and, in a rage, steals the Phantom Zone projector and releases her criminal associate, Jax-UrJax-UrJax-Ur is a fictional character, a Kryptonian supervillain in the . He first appears in Adventure Comics #289 and was created by Otto Binder and George Papp.-Pre-Crisis:Jax-Ur was an amoral and criminally deviant scientist on the planet Krypton...
. The duo overpower the Man of Steel and send him to the Phantom Zone, then begin a reign of terror on Earth. Superman is freed by Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
and Professor Hamilton, and with their help, sends Mala and Jax-Ur back to the Zone. Mala returns in the 3rd season episode, "Absolute Power" (this time voiced by Sarah DouglasSarah DouglasSarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
, who had previously played Ursa in Superman IISuperman IISuperman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
). Superman discovers that Mala and Jax-Ur have escaped from the Zone when a black holeBlack holeA black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
opened a rift into the real universe. The two Kryptonians are saved by the natives of a nearby planet and nursed back to health. Mala and Jax-Ur, instead of being grateful, conquer the planet and rule it with an iron fist. Superman is at first reluctant to oppose Mala and Jax-Ur, as they point out they have created an orderly society. However, when a rebel leader reveals to Superman that the two Kryptonians are building an armada to conquer Earth, he changes his mind. The three superpowered Kryptonians fight; Superman is nearly defeated, but Mala and Jax-Ur are pulled into the black hole and are likely dead.