World's Wickedest Wednesdays: Bad Bugs

Mister Mind had a long and storied golden age career as the mysterious progenitor for the insidious Monster Society of Evil, most of the while being an ominous voice behind the scenes. Until confronted by his most frequent foe, Captain Marvel. Revealed to be nothing more than an alien worm, possessed of tremendous mental abilities and genius level ingenuity, Mind was electrocuted for his various crimes against humanity. Or was he?

Praying Mantis wasn't always that green, or that preying. He was Hunter Mann, a foul scientist plagued with green skin from his excessive use of chlorophyll, obsessed with turning his creations against his fellow man. Turning into a human insect himself, his first foray against the silver age Blue Beetle didn't go quite well. But was he truly finished or simply biding his time until another more opportune occasion?

In fact, Mantis returned once more but fell to his death when the Beetle slayed the rogue's flying insecti-steed. No more Mantis!

Mr. Worm returned in the modern day, revived from his state of hibernation which his species was prone to when exposed to adverse conditions. Alas for him, his latter day ventures into world domination were equally unsuccessful, even on the one occasion when he devised an artificial body of the Invincible Man to house his evil mind. Whether bugs or baddies, this pair lacked the winning touch to complement their massive intellect and huge egos.

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.