While removing a bullet from a witness to a crime, Dr. Charles McNider was blinded by a grenade meant to silence his patient. During recovery from his injuries, McNider was startled when an owl crashed through his window. Removing his bandages to investigate, He could see in perfect darkness. He later found out that he could not see in daylight and developed special goggles and “black-out” bombs to help him see in light and fight crime. He adopted the owl, “Hooty,” and joined the Justice Society of America to continue his fight against evil. (more…)

When it comes to DC Universe, I’m still a young Padawan, so unless a character has appeared in one of the vehicles of the DC Animated Universe or has a DCU Classics figure, chances are I’ve never heard of em. I don’t feel too badly, though, since Mattel is rolling out some really obscure characters that are making even long-time fans scratch their heads and consulting Wikipedia to find out who the heck they are.

When Wave 12 was announced, there was only one character who was a must have, and that was Copperhead. He appeared in the episode ‘Injustice For All’ of Justice League along with Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, The Shade, Star Sapphire, the Ultra-Humanite, and Lex Luthor as the Injustice Gang. Copperhead appeared in further episodes of Justice League Unlimited and has even made an appearance in the new animated series, Batman: The Brave and The Bold.

Mysterious and menacing, the man only as Copperhead first emerged in Gotham City, carrying out a series of incredible thefts. When confronted, his poison fangs and constrictor coils were enough to defeat most opponents. Copperhead increased his powers by striking a deal with the demonic Neron, becoming a truly monstrous man/snake hybrid. In this horrific new form, he took on more lethal assignments as a super-assassin. His ghastly power and inhuman abilities make him one of the world’s most frightening villains.
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Every good villain needs to have a scheming second-in-command, a follower who pretends to be loyal, only to use every opportunity to stab them in the back and take power for themselves. Megatron has Starscream, Skeletor has Evil-Lyn, and Darkseid has Desaad.

Desaad’s origins are pretty twisted. Darkseid tricked a young Desaad into believing that his cat had killed his pet bird, and then then manipulated him into burying the cat alive to avenge the bird’s death. However when the bird returned, Desaad killed it also and fled from New Genesis.

When Desaad made his debut in DC Comics, he was a follower of Drax, heir to the throne of Apokolips. However he was plotting with Drax’s brother, Uxas, second in line to the throne to take control of the planet. When Drax attempted to claim the Omega Force for himself, Uxas murdered his brother taking the Omega Force for himself and took the name Darkseid. Desaad then served Darkseid as his torturer. (more…)

Since we first saw photos of Wave 13 back in October it gave rise to much discussion (as if any reveals don’t) to the characters selected for this wave. Many have said that it is one of the most obscure waves yet, and depending on your love of all things DC this can be either a good or bad thing. People are questioning how this wave will sell, especially with the little known characters, but I’m sure as with most waves of DCUC, it will have one or two peg warmers, but the majority collectors will be spending countless hours trying to locate the rest.

Fans of Wonder Woman can now rejoice as Cheetah has joined the ranks of DCUC. Wonder Woman does not have the most famous rogue’s gallery. Other than Ares and C&C Giganta, she really hasn’t had much to fight in terms of her own villains. Sure, Cheetah may look a little cheesy, especially when standing next to some of the more realistic characters, but not every villain needs to be a deranged psychopath.

Cheetah made her debut in Wonder Woman #6 in 1943. Over the years she has seen many changes as the character has developed. There have been three unique female Cheetahs, Priscilla Rich (Golden Age), Rich’s niece, Deborah Domaine (Silver Age), and Barbara Ann Minerva (modern and current). Priscilla Rich (the figure we are reviewing today) was a socialite with a split personality disorder. After being upstaged by Wonder Woman at a charity event, Priscilla had a breakdown and her inner evil self emerged taking upon the Cheetah mantle. Barbara Ann Minerva, the variant Cheetah, has more of a supernatural origin. As a British archaeologist, Barbara Minerva sought out an African tribe who worshiped a female guardian with the powers of a Cheetah. After the Guardian was murdered by a band of marauders Barbara Minerva volunteered to take her place after being told she would gain immortality. Barbara Minerva then desired for the Lasso of Truth when she learned that Wonder Woman possessed it. (more…)