Malevolent Manipulating Mental Masterminds

Mustached male masterminds of the mind, exerting their knowledge to create a new form of man. Each used their genius in different ways. Hector Hammond of Earth-One and Roger Romaine of Earth-Two chose to use their intellect for evil, transforming themselves into mental manipulators.

Hector Hammond was a criminal who stumbled upon a strange iron ore meteor that could mutate the minds of men tens of thousands of years advanced. At first using four scientists, whom Hammond had kidnapped and mutated in order to provide him futuristic inventions, after a battle with the Green Lantern he found his plans quashed. Hector then used the meteorite on himself, gaining telekinetic power and immortality, although the process had debilitating effects on his body.

Roger Romaine was a criminal who through inexplicable means gained as Spirit King wherein he was a recurring foe of both Mister Terrific in Gateway City throughout the 1940s, recruiting a wide variety of agents whom he mentally manipulated. In the late 1970's, Spirit King returned and this time faced the Flash while in Keystone City. Years later, he would execute his revenge on his two remaining enemies by mentally controlling the Flash into slaying Terrific*. He could exercise his will power over others while in a phantom form, which he later did to his Flash on their second meeting.

Hammond suffered a side effect of immobility, driving him to find a cure for his interminable condition. Hammond continued to also scheme while tormenting Lantern and his Justice League allies repeatedly over the years. Although he was paralyzed, Hammond was able to manipulate others mentally to do his bidding including Sonar, the Shaggy Man** and others villains. He did this in a phantom form.

Romaine was preceeded in a life of crime by his cousin, who was named for the same common ancestor they both shared. This Roger Romaine*** was an officer in the e-corp of the U.S. army who was dishonorably discharged for insubordination and turned to crime to exploit his aptitude for tinkering. As the Gadgeteer, Romaine found himself opposed by the hero known as Steel. Although equipped with a wide-range of cutting-edge gadgets and weaponry, Romaine found himself outmatched by Steel and possibly perished in an explosion.

Eventually, Hammond created a new incarnation of his old ally Amos "Mr. Memory" Fortune's Royal Flush Gang, which he led as their leader "Wildcard", using a robotic Ace as his cybernetic proxy. Later, he joined forces with his ex-girlfriend Carol Ferris in her Star Sapphire identity versus their adversary Green Lantern.

There are conflicting reports as to the eventuality of the second Romaine. During their congressional America vs. the Justice Society hearing, the Flash admitted that they never apprehended the Spirit King. However, he never reappeared to torment his foes, and seemingly never satisfied his insatiable greed after decades running from the law in his multiple identities.

Hammond and Romaine's allies Sonar and Gadgeteer had access to technology they invented, such as Sonar’s sonic tuning fork gun and Gadgeteer’s sonic harmonica emitter (as well as flight technology from Sonar’s nucleo sonic motor and Gadgeteer’s auto-gyro allowing them to fly). Yet these pale in comparsion to the mental might of "Wildcard" Hammond and "Spirit King" Romaine. 

* Spirit King/Roger Romaine first encountered Mister Terrific as the Swami (Sensation Comics #33). Then he worked through his agents Don Grieco (Sensation Comics #49) and Dr. I.M. Smart (Sensation Comics #62). Similarly, Hector Hammond worked through his agents such as Dr. Evart (Green Lantern v.2 #5) and Silver Skates (Green Lantern v2 #64).

** Both Hector Hammond, through the Shaggy Man, and Roger Romaine, through the golden age Flash, attacked their Worlds’ Greatest Heroes… the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America… aboard the JLA’s satellite headquarters orbiting Earth-One.  On this occasion, Romaine finally battled Alan “Green Lantern” Scott, the counterpart of Hammond’s arch-enemy Hal “Green Lantern” Jordan.

*** Just like the two Roger Romaines of Earth-Two, there were two Hal Jordans of Earth-One who were cousins named after a common relative, with the older Hal becoming Green Lantern and the younger Hal becoming Air Wave.