MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 189: THE MASTER BRAIN

(Crack Comics 007, 1940)

Comics set in the future feature a lot of villains who would be suitable for inclusion here if it weren't for the fact that they are rendered unremarkable by context. Rock Braddon of the Space Legion, hero of this piece, has for instance faced off against several very villainous space pirates and alien conquerors over the prior six issue of Crack Comics, but the Master Brain is his first foe to make the cut.

The Master Brain (also styled the Brain Master) kidnaps brilliant men and, with the help of his brain-stealing machine and his pal Gor, sucks the knowledge out of their heads and into his own. A classic scheme, with a classic consequence: the Master Brain's brain gets too much brain in it, and goes insane. A shame.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 096: PYTHON

(Feature Comics 036, 1940)

What makes them a super-villain? Simply put, Python lives in a creepy castle somewhere in New York State and spends his time stealing the brains of great thinkers to wire up to his machine so that he can plunder their knowledge. And he decorates with the shrunken heads of his victims, and he has a surgically mind-controlled goon named Kreeper.

What is interesting about them? Aside form the above which is pretty solid villain stuff, the most interesting thing about Python is that he has absolutely no connection to snakes in any way. It just seems to be, like, his name? Wild stuff.