MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 731: THE PROFESSOR

(Silver Streak Comics 002, 1940)

The Professor sits right on that dividing line between "super-villain" and "gang boss with a cool nickname" and what pushed him over the line for me was the fact that he makes three absolutely classic comic book super-villain mistakes in this issue. MISTAKE #1: The Professor lures the Wasp and his aide Bill Barnes to an isolated area to eliminate them before they interfere with his plans as they have in the past, but they don't even know that he's out of jail, let alone planning a robbery. Don't call attention to yourself.

Just a brief action shot to show the Wasp really using that wing-cape he takes his name from before moving on to...

MISTAKE #2: Despite the fact that Barnes and the Wasp escape from his trap and know that he's about pull a big job, the Professor continues with his plans and ends up losing his loot to the Wasp. Don't be predictable - change your plans if you need to.

The Professor and his men set out in hot pursuit of the heroes and the loot, and this is where he commits MISTAKE #3: so intent is he on his goal that he ignores the risks involved in piloting his fragile speedboat too close to a freighter and gets everyone killed. The sunk cost fallacy can be deadly. Don't forget that cutting and running is always an option.

It's a harsh world out there for the low-level super-villains, but you don't have to go around making things harder for yourself.

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 013

More. MORE!

Spiritman: 

It's impossible to say if Spiritman's real name is Spirit Malcolm or if Spirit is just a nickname. The Golden Age is definitely a time in which nicknames are clearly signposted with quotation marks (including names like "Hank" half the time) but they're also an age of inconsistent editorial standards. Let's assume it is his given name, because then it's another fun case of comic book nominative determinism.

Spiritman is a scientific hero: armed with a Rayodine Pistol, he uses his Futurscope remote viewing device to hunt out evildoers and then - and this is where the "Spirit" part comes in - employs his Mistodine device to teleport to their location, or possibly to astrally project to their location. Either way, the effects are the same: the projected Spiritman can fly and is selectively invisible and intangible, allowing him to really just do whatever he wants. In his sole recorded adventure, this means killing about a dozen men for stealing US gold reserves. (Silver Streak Comics 001, 1939)

the Wasp:

Daily Free Press reporter Burton Slade is also masked vigilante the Wasp, so named because his weird cape looks a bit like insect wings if you squint. He also makes a buzzing sound sometimes. (Silver Streak Comics 001, 1939)

Black X:

Black X is Richard Spencer, a US espionage agent who travels around with his Indian manservant Batu (who of course is gifted with assorted mental powers). His stories are interesting enough to read but Black X himself is, appropriately enough, a bit of a cipher. Probably the most interesting thing about him is that the monocle he always wears is in fact more of an eye patch to cover his gouged-out eye. He also briefly went by the moniker Black Ace but that failed to stick. (Feature Funnies 013, 1938)

the Invisible Hood:

The fun thing about the Invisible Hood is that he doesn't get his signature invisibility cloak until his second appearance, which means that for an unknown number of adventures he was just a Sandman-style two-fisted gas gun jockey in a very impractical full length form-fitting robe. Perhaps he was simply looking for a challenge. (Smash Comics 001, 1939)

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 079: THE WASP

(All American Comics 016, 1940)

What makes them a super-villain? He's a master spy called the Wasp who engages in submarine espionage while wearing a tuxedo - basically a checklist of qualifying traits. Unfortunately, that's also the answer to the second question - he's only interesting because of his checklist, just a fleeting antagonist for a throwaway story.