Tuesday Top Ten: Worst Comic Characters

There are some comic characters who will seemingly live on forever; Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash. You even get villains like Magneto and The Joker, who when reading their stories you wonder "how did someone come up with such an in-depth, crazy, but lovable character like this?" Then you have your Crazy Quilts, which, yes DC did in fact make a villain out of a painter who leads a double life as a master criminal. You would think a lot of time and consideration would go into each character, but unfortunately some are just terrible. Here is my list of the 10 worst comic characters of all time.

1. Dr. Spectro

Now while the name isn't too bad, the costume is horrible. No matter what, a super hero with polka dots is lame. Dr.Spectro first appears in Captain Atom #79 (1966) and was actually created by the great Steve Ditko and Joe Gill. Going through a few costume alterations never helped and with only the ability to control emotions, Dr.Spectro obviously isn't a household name.

2. Captain Marvel

Before you start a riot, we are not talking about the Kree warrior or the one shouting Shazam. This was a robot first appearing in Captain Marvel #1 and only appeared in nine issues for good reason. Do you remember those collapsing dolls with limbs attached to a string? That's what this robot reminds me of. When he yells "Split" all of his limbs detach and come back when he yells "Xam". I wonder what would have happened if one of the criminals he was running after yelled "let's split!"?

3. The Whizzer

Robert Frank sprang on the scene in 1941 (USA comics) when he was bitten by a snake in Africa and then receives a mongoose blood transfusion. Yes, mongoose blood. He develops super speed and reflexes so naturally decides to fight crime. His bright yellow suit with a giant “W” on the chest is just the cherry on top.

4. Squirrel Girl

Another Ditko creation, Squirrel Girl is a mutant that first appears in Marvel Super-Heroes Vol.2 #8 (1992) trying to impress Iron Man. She's pretty much just a giant squirrel, so her powers only include heightened strength, agility, reflexes, and she of course can talk to squirrels. I don't see this one appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon, but let’s not forget she has single-handedly defeated the likes of Doctor Doom, Thanos, and even a few heroes.

5. The Red Bee

This district attorney busted criminals during the day and fought Nazis at night. Created in 1940 (Hit Comics #1), Richard Raleigh doesn't have any superpowers but instead uses trained bees and even has his own special stinger gun. Eventually the Red Bee persona is taken over by Jenna Raleigh, Rick’s grandniece, but it doesn't get any better from there. She now uses robotic bees and eventually gets an antenna on her head.

  

6. Fiddler

A Flash villain, Fiddler’s main power is controlling people's mind with his violin. Eventually killed off by Deadshot, Isaac Bowin started out as a jealous, less talented brother. Once landing in an Indian prison, he's first taught how to charm snakes and then use the sound to destroy objects and create walls of noise. Oh, he also had a violin shaped car.

7. Asbestos Lady

With a name like that, it's pretty easy to assume what’s going on with this character. First appearing in Human Torch #27 (1947), her asbestos suit was a perfect counter to the Torch's flames. Well, not perfect. Asbestos girl sizzled out as quickly as she arrived.

8. Arm Fall Off Boy

Known also as Splitter, his power is being able to detach his limbs... that's it. I would like to know who thought detaching limbs was a useful superpower. First appearing in Secret Origins Vol. 2 (1989), he was denied membership in the Legion of superheroes and eventually landed in the Heroes of Lallor. With the alter ego Floyd Belkin, this DC dud didn't last.

9. Gin Genie 

Gin Genie first appeared in X-Force #116 and was a superhero for the alcoholics. Gin Genie's powers, as her name hints, has to do with her alcohol intake and creates seismic blasts. The more she drank, the bigger the blast. She could have been a huge help if it wasn't for the fact that she was a violent alcoholic and would often blast her teammates. 

10. Dogwelder

I feel like the name says it all, but I'll still explain why this is the worst superhero, yes superHERO, of all time. Dogwelder first appears in Hitman #18 and is part of the Section 8 superhero team full of a bunch of winners. As his name says, he fights crime by welding dead dogs (that he actively sets traps to kill) to the faces of criminals. I am not and could not make this up, but someone obviously mentally disturbed did. He was thankfully killed off in Hitman #52 by acidic demon vomit but I think maybe PETA got to him first.

There you have it, there are plenty of bad ideas for comic characters but these are just the ones that stuck out to me. Let me know down in the comments below who you think are the worst and why!

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