66 – The Ultra-Humanite!

A panel from the Superman story in Action Comics #13, May 1939
A panel from the Superman story in Action Comics #13, May 1939

In Action Comics #13 (May 1939), Jerry Siegel introduced the first super-villain to the Superman mythos with the Ultra-Humanite. A “paralysed cripple” who was also a genius bent on world domination. He is revealed to be the mastermind behind the “cab protective league”, a corrupt cab company that shakes down smaller cab companies for protection money.