Parasite is the name of severalsupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Each iteration of the character has the ability to temporarily absorb the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch.[2] The most well-known and recurring incarnation isRudy Jones, who has become one ofSuperman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery.
The Raymond Jensen version of the Parasite first appeared inAction Comics #340 (August 1966) and was created byJim Shooter.[3] Shooter, who began working for DC at age 13, says that his inspiration for the villain was learning aboutparasites in his ninth-grade biology class.[4]
The Rudy Jones version of the Parasite first appeared inFirestorm (vol. 2) #58 and was created byJohn Ostrander and Joe Brozowski.
The Alex and Andrea Allston versions of the Parasite first appeared inThe Adventures of Superman #633 and were created byGreg Rucka, Matthew Clark, and Andrew Lanning.
The Joshua Allen version of theNew 52 Parasite first appeared inSuperman (vol. 3) #23.4 and was created byAaron Kuder.
In pre-Crisis continuity,Raymond Jensen was a lowlife who got a job as a plant worker for a research center.[5] Wrongly believing that the company payrolls were hidden in storage containers, Jensen opened one and was bombarded with energies from biohazard materials (which was actually waste collected by Superman when he traveled into outer space), which transformed him into a purple-skinned, parasitic entity, and thus he became the Parasite.[6] Any time he touched someone, he could absorb their physical and mental properties. Touching Superman would instantly absorb a fraction of his powers.[7] Despite these abilities, the Parasite became depressed because he could no longer embrace his wife and children.[8] The Parasite made a number of reappearances before the Crisis, yet he never successfully found a means to permanently defeat Superman.[9]
The second Parasite,Rudolph "Rudy" Jones, is a janitor at aPittsburghS.T.A.R. Labs facility who is transformed after being exposed to radioactive waste. Forced to absorb energy to survive, Parasite attacksFirestorm and killsMultiplex before the former stops him.
Cover toAction Comics #715, art by Kieron Dwyer
Throughout his appearances, Parasite's abilities evolve, giving him the ability to absorb fire, electricity, and consciousnesses, and mimic the genetic makeup and appearance of others, before he is killed after accidentally absorbingKryptonite radiation.[10] Parasite is later resurrected and joinsLibra'sSecret Society of Super Villains.[11][12]
The 2009-10 miniseriesSuperman: Secret Origin redefines the Parasite's origin. In this version, Rudy Jones is a janitor at theDaily Planet who is selected to join LexCorp. There, he eats a donut imbued with Kryptonite radiation that transforms him into the Parasite.
In theDC Rebirth relaunch, Parasite is a member of theSuicide Squad.[13] InDawn of DC, Parasite reforms, is employed at Supercorp, and is given a special wristband that supplies him with energy. He also develops the ability to create small duplicates of himself and adopts one of them as a pet.[14] InSuperman (volume 6), Parasite is killed byDoomsday.[15]
Joshua Allen is the fourth incarnation of Parasite, introduced inThe New 52 continuity reboot. He is a misanthropic delivery boy who is wounded while attacking a creature that Superman was fighting. Allen is taken to S.T.A.R. Labs to recover, where the treatment transforms him into Parasite.[19][20]
All incarnations of the Parasite can temporarily absorb thelife energy,superpowers, and knowledge of their victims through physical contact, and are also able to drain virtually any other form of energy and use it as a power source.
In particular, Rudy Jones is granted enhanced strength, intelligence, agility, durability, and reflexes by absorbing the energy of other beings. When Jones drains other superpowered individuals, he gains their abilities for a limited period of time until he "runs out of life-energy" and must seek a new victim to "feed on". He is shown to have a heightened sense of perception that allows him to detect the life force and power within other beings.[24] While drawing the energy of ordinary humans is almost instantaneous, it takes a notably longer time in the case of immensely powerful beings, which gives the victim more time to react and free themselves from the Parasite's grip. Following an encounter with theStrange Visitor, however, the Parasite's powers were enhanced and enable him to retain the energy he takes for longer as well as granting Jones the ability to shapeshift; he can now physically morph into his victims right down to their DNA, being able to access their memories, gain their natural abilities, and mimic their voices. The Parasite's biggest weakness is that he also absorbs the weaknesses of his victims and cannot counter such susceptibilities even when he has other abilities that should do so; when he absorbed both Superman andLivewire's powers, he retained the latter's vulnerability to water despite possessing the former's near-invulnerability. The Parasite also maintains Superman's weaknesses, like kryptonite, even when the Parasite in addition already absorbed the powers of non-Kryptonians.
An alternate universe variant of Parasite appears inAll-Star Superman. He exploits Superman's rising power levels to absorb his energy and grow into a colossal form before being defeated.[24]
An unidentified alternate universe variant of Parasite appears inJSA: The Liberty Files. This version is a formerKGB agent and freelance contract killer.[25]
An alternate universe variant of Raymond Jensen / Parasite appears inKingdom Come. He rupturesCaptain Atom's outer shell, causing a massive nuclear explosion that kills them both and irradiates Kansas.[27]
An original, alternate universe variant of Parasite appears inJust Imagine.... This version isLucinda Radama, an African-American female serial killer.[28]
An alternate universe variant of Raymond Jensen / Parasite appears inSuperman: Earth One.[29] This version has a sister named Theresa Jensen, who believes that he is a consultant with a real estate firm and is unaware of his criminal status.
The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in theSmallville episode "Injustice", portrayed byBrendan Fletcher.[33] This version was a metahuman prisoner at the Black Creek facility beforeTess Mercer stages a prison break and recruits Jones, among other prisoners, into a team in a failed attempt at making them heroes.
Additionally, an unrelated character calledEric Summers appears in the episodes "Leech" and "Asylum",[citation needed] portrayed byShawn Ashmore. Throughout his appearances, he temporarily stealsClark Kent's powers viaKryptonite and electricity on two separate occasions, only to be defeated by him and lose them each time.
Two incarnations of Parasite appear inSupergirl. Both versions are the result of humans being possessed by an alien parasite called an Angon:
Dr. Rudy Jones appears in the episode "Changing", portrayed byWilliam Mapother.[34] This version is an environmental scientist who is infected by an Angon that had laid dormant in anArctic wolf's corpse and gains the ability to drain life force through physical contact. While fightingSupergirl,Alex Danvers, andMartian Manhunter, Jones absorbs Supergirl and Manhunter's powers and transforms into a monster before Supergirl overloads and kills him withplutonium.
Raymond Jensen appears in thefourth season, portrayed by Anthony Konechny.[35][36] This version is aDepartment of Extranormal Operations (DEO) agent who despises aliens for wreaking havoc onNational City. Throughout the episodes "American Alien" and "Parasite Lost", he leaves the DEO to join anti-alien activistsOtis andMercy Graves andAgent Liberty. Jensen later volunteers to be exposed to an Angon obtained from the DEO, gaining energy-absorbing abilities in the process, only to eventually end up comatose and taken into DEO custody.
A character based on Alexandra Allston namedAlly Allston appears in thesecond season ofSuperman & Lois, portrayed byRya Kihlstedt as an adult and by Amber Taylor as a child. This version is a cult leader behind the Inverse Society who took overBizarro World with help from her Bizarro counterpart (also portrayed by Kihlstedt), who she later merges with, gaining flight and the ability to drain energy. Nonetheless, they are defeated and separated bySuperman and incarcerated by the Department of Defense.
An original incarnation of Parasite namedI.C. Harris appears inThe New Adventures of Superman episode "The Pernicious Parasite". This version is a balding thief who specializes in stealing radioactive materials and lacks purple skin.
The Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in theYoung Justice episode "Performance", voiced byAdam Baldwin.[37]
The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in theJustice League Action episode "Power Outage", voiced byMax Mittelman.[37] This version sports a more monstrous appearance and the additional ability to sprout tentacles from his torso.
An original incarnation of Parasite appears inMy Adventures with Superman. This version is acybernetic armor called theParasite 1.0, which was created and worn byAnthony Ivo (voiced by Jake Green) and is capable of growing larger and more monstrous in appearance as it absorbs energy.[38]
Two incarnations of Parasite appear in series set in theDC Animated Universe (DCAU):
The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears inSuperman: The Animated Series, voiced byBrion James.[37] This version is aS.T.A.R. Labs janitor who gained his abilities from exposure to stolen chemicals that were originally intended to boost the rate of energy absorption in humans. He goes on to battle Superman on two occasions and briefly join forces withLivewire before ending up in a coma and being remanded toStryker's Island.
Jones makes cameo appearances inJustice League Unlimited as a member of Grodd's expanded Secret Society before he is killed byDarkseid.
A monstrous, unidentified incarnation of Parasite appears in the episode "Epilogue", voiced byMarc Worden.[37] This version is a member of a future version of the Society called the Iniquity Collective.
The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears inSuperman: Man of Tomorrow, voiced byBrett Dalton.[39][37] This version is a decorated formerU.S. Marine, a veteran of theMiddle East, and a loving family man who gained his abilities from exposure to an energy-absorbing biological weapon developed byS.T.A.R. Labs. Over the course of the film, Jones transforms into a massive, near-mindless beast as he absorbs energy until Superman appeals to his humanity, leading him to sacrifice himself to protectMetropolis from an exploding energy plant.
The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears inDC Universe Online, voiced by Robert Faires.[37] Additionally, weaker versions of Parasite called "Leeches" appear as well.
An amalgamated incarnation of Parasite appears inInjustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #3. This version is identified as Joshua Allen and resembles Rudy Jones. He battlesCyborg andYellow Lantern until Superman arrives and throws Parasite into the sun.[43]
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 112.ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 227.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^Eury, Michael (2006).The Krypton Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 73.ISBN9781893905610.
^abcdefghi"Parasite Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedDecember 15, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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