| Mala | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman #65 (July 1950) |
| Created by | Williams Woolfolk (story) Al Plastino (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Kryptonian |
| Place of origin | Krypton |
| Partnerships | Kizo U-Ban |
| Abilities |
|
Mala is asupervillain in theDC Comics universe who first appeared inSuperman #65 (July 1950) in the story "The Three Supermen from Space!".
A female incarnation of Mala appears inSuperman: The Animated Series, voiced byLeslie Easterbrook in the second season andSarah Douglas in the third.
Mala, along with his brothers Kizo and U-Ban, is a native of the planetKrypton, and a former member of the science council. Some years before Krypton exploded, the trio attempted to take over the planet by threatening to remove all moisture from the atmosphere with one of their inventions. They were stopped bySuperman's fatherJor-El, who placed them insuspended animation and sent them into outer space as an alternative to thedeath penalty.[1][2]
Many years later, the three's rocket ship is struck by a piece of space debris, freeing them from suspended animation. Mala and his brothers find their way to Earth, where they meet Superman. Once there, the three siblings construct a machine that hypnotizes all of Earth's population. Superman manages to destroy the machine, but is overwhelmed by Mala and his brothers. Superman tricks the brothers into fighting each other until they are exhausted, then returns them to suspended animation and sends them back into space.[2]
InAction Comics #194 (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 planetSaturn on vacation while 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 he is Superman, never realizing that Superman 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 into entering their space capsule, putting them back into suspended animation once again. This is the last appearance of Mala, Kizo, and U-Ban.[3]
Mala, like all Kryptonians, has a number of inherent superpowers.[2] These abilities are super strength, sonic speed, invulnerability, enhanced hearing, x-ray vision, and flight.
A female incarnation of Mala appears inSuperman: The Animated Series, voiced byLeslie Easterbrook in the second season andSarah Douglas in the third.[4] This version is a trusted lieutenant and partner of High GeneralJax-Ur who participated in his attempt to take over Krypton years prior until Jor-El foiled their plot and imprisoned them in thePhantom Zone. After being freed, she battles Superman on two occasions before being killed by a black hole.
TheSuperman: The Animated Series incarnation of Mala appears as a boss inSuperman 64. This version is a member of theSuperman Revenge Squad.
