Julius Caesar was a prominent miltary commander who in 48 B.C.E. asserted dominance in Rome and officially ended the Roman Republic when he became "dictator for life". That life soon ended, in 44 B.C.E., when he was assassinated. However, on Earths One and Two, this historic figure met time traveling heroes from the 20th century... with one Caesar becoming more famous in that far future era.
On Earth-One, Rip Hunter and his fellow Time Masters journeyed in their Time Sphere back to Caesar's century (Rip Hunter #19), where they met Julius and his legendary mistress Cleopatra. Initially, Julius was incensed that Hunter seemingly portrayed himself as Caesar when the time traveler met Cleopatra. Once this misunderstanding was rectified, the two parted peacefully. Some time after this, Julius was assassinated in 44 B.C.E. within the Roman Senate by various senators, who stabbed him. But this wasn't the first attempt on his life, as we shall see.
On Earth-Two, Jay Garrick the Flash followed a professor who developed time pills back to Caesar's era (All-Flash #4), and helped save the aspiring emperor's life. However, tension already brewed, which would simmer into an adversarial relationship centuries later. The Flash never suspected the Roman’s true nature. In fact the Julius Caesar of Earth-Two was actually immortal villain Vandal Savage*! He would later admit that he had assumed the aliases of various conquerors throughout the ages, among these was Caesar himself. While he too fell prey to the assassination attempt in 44 B.C.E., Savage's immortal nature allowed him to revive himself. However, seeing as his authority in Rome had ebbed, Vandal retreated into the background, until a new opportunity to become a ruler presented itself.
Back over on Earth-One, Daily Planet photo-journalist Jimmy Olsen arrived some time after Rip's departure from that time, via a psyche-ray projector**. There, he briefly encountered (and nearly assassinated) Caesar! Meanwhile on Earth-Two, the Law's Legionnaire named Vigilante was sent back to the same year by his arch-foe the Dummy, where he prevented a preemptive slaying of Caesar!
Some years before this, the Earth-Two Wonder Woman was brought to ancient Rome by a time beast, and there met and curried favor with Caesar. Little did either know that over two thousand years later, Julius as Vandal Savage would capture Wonder Woman along with her fellow Justice Society allies, soon freed by her world's Flash and the Flash of Earth-One!
Although in 1943 the first member of the Justice Society whom Savage clashed with was Green Lantern, it was in fact the Flash whom the indignant Vandal believed was his his greatest costumed foe (as he would later state). While his oldest enemy was Immortal Man, who like Vandal gained the ability to live for centuries via the same comet, Savage never appreciated the first impression the Flash made when the two met during his days as Caesar. Savage and the Flash clashed multiple times, not just in the 20th century but also in the era of Camelot when Vandal possessed as King Arthur. While Savage briefly ventured to Earth-One as had Immortal Man, Vandal returned to the world of his birth when plans of conquering that parallel planet were also dashed by Superman... both in the present day and at different key points in history.
* During an adventure (in Flash Comics #41) the European-based Fred, Pedro and Slim encountered a Julius Caesar pulled forward into the 20th century existing concurrent with his future-self Vandal, just as Savage had briefly co-existed earlier that decade with another version of himself from the past in Genghis Khan when the time traveling scientist Doctor Doome brought the Mongol to his century to battle Law's Legionnaires!
** An after-effect of exposure to this time ray later pulled Jimmy Olsen back to Ancient Rome decades after Caesar’s death (in World’s Finest #198-199). This occured when the Earth-One counterpart to modern day Vandal Savage. Superman’s evil cousin Kru-El (along with three other Kryptonian prisoners), unleashed Anachronids throughout time onto their universe from the Phantom Zone.
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