Mala is a fictional supervillain in the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

universe. The male version first appeared in ''Superman'' #65 (July 1950) in the story "''The Three Supermen from Space!''"

Fictional character biography

Mala, along with his brothers Kizo and U-Ban, is a native of the planet

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...

, and a former member of the science council. Some years before Krypton exploded the trio attempts to take over the planet by threatening to remove all moisture from the atmosphere with one of their inventions. They are stopped by Superman's father

Jor-El Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superma ...

who places them in suspended animation and sends them into outer space, as an alternative to the death penalty. Many years later their rocketship is struck by a piece of space debris, which brings the trio out of suspended animation. Mala and his brothers find their way to Earth, where they meet Superman. Once there, the three siblings constructed a machine that hypnotizes all of Earth's population. Superman manages to destroy the machine, but soon finds himself overwhelmed by the combined might of Mala and his brothers. The quick thinking Man of Steel tricks the brothers into fighting each other, until the trio are exhausted. Superman then places Mala and his brothers back into hibernation and sends them back into space. In ''Action Comics'' #194 (Jul 1954), the three Kryptonians manage to escape again, after their rocket is once again struck by a piece of space debris. Kizo and U-Ban go to the planet Saturn (for a "vacation from trouble"), but Mala decides to get revenge on Superman. As Superman is off planet on a mission, Mala constructs a duplicate Earth in order to keep Superman out of the way. Mala, who looks exactly like Superman, decides to cause more problems for Superman by disguising himself as Clark Kent and then admitting to the public that she is Superman (never realizing that Superman really is Clark Kent). With his plan in place, Mala summons his brothers from Saturn and prepares to destroy Earth. Superman arrives and manages to trick the three evil Kryptonians into entering their space capsule, putting them back into suspended animation once again. This is the last appearance of Mala, Kizo, and U-Ban.

Powers and abilities

Mala, like all Kryptonians, has a number of inherent superpowers. These abilities are super strength, sonic speed, invulnerability, enhanced hearing, x-ray vision, and flight. Presumably, like Superman, Mala can only be harmed by

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

. The DCAU version of Mala is a trained and ruthless fighter, which gives her an advantage over Superman in combat.

In other media

Television

Animation

''Superman: The Animated Series''

*Mala first appeared in '' Superman: The Animated Series'', where she was voiced by

Leslie Easterbrook Leslie Easterbrook is an American actress and producer. She played Sgt./Lt./Capt. Debbie Callahan in the '' Police Academy'' films and Rhonda Lee on the television series '' Laverne & Shirley''. Early life Easterbrook was adopted when she was n ...

(Season 2) and Sarah Douglas (Season 3). This female version of Mala bears a strong resemblance to Ursa and

Faora Faora is a supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The character was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, and first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #471 (May 1977). Most commonl ...

(but named for a male Kryptonian from the comics). She serves as a trusted lieutenant and loyal partner of High General Jax-Ur who attempts to take control on Krypton, until Jor-El foiled their plan. In the episode "Blasts From the Past", they were sentenced to the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...

for committing treason. Since Mala was considered to have been just following orders, she had been given a thirty year sentence while Jax-Ur's was forever. On present day Earth, Superman found the Phantom Zone projector in his spaceship and able to communicate with Mala. After reviewing the official record of Mala's trail, he decided to release her. Though, initially disorientated by the loss of Krypton, Mala was delighted with her new powers and joins Superman to aid him in a fight for justice. However, she quickly became too aggressive and overly destructive in her efforts to "help" him stop crime. She was so jealous of

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

, because she loves Superman more than her. Mala broke her promise to do good, stole the projector, and freed

Jax-Ur Jax-Ur is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp, the character first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #289 (October 1961). He has b ...

. Together, they went on a rampage in

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

. The two fought Superman, but he lured them both into a trap. With another projector completed, Lois and

Professor Hamilton Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Superman. The character was portrayed by Richard Schiff in ''Man of Steel (film), Man of ...

sent them back to the Phantom Zone. In the episode "Absolute Power", Mala and Jax-Ur escaped from the Phantom Zone through a space rift. They were rescued by a science vessel, before nearly suffocating in the vacuum. After the rescue, they took over a nearby planet, remaking it and its people into their image of Krypton. Superman had no emphasis to dethrone them, since they have brought order and peace on their new homeworld, better than ever. Until, a member of the underground resistance, Cetea begs for Superman's help. She showed him that the two tyrants were preparing an invasion to Earth. With help from Superman, Cetea and the soldier Alterus flew off in an escape pod. During the fight with their battle fleet, Mala and Jax-Ur are sucked into a black hole, never to be seen again.

Video games

Mala appears as a boss in Superman 64. This version is a member of the

Superman Revenge Squad The Superman Revenge Squad is the name of two fictional organizations in the DC Comics universe. As their name suggests, it is a group of Superman villains who banded together to defeat the Man of Steel. Pre-''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' In Pre- ...

. ''Superman 64''

References

External links