A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.

They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes. Whereas superheroes often wield fantastic powers, the supervillain possesses commensurate powers and abilities so that he can present a daunting challenge to the hero. Even without actual physical mystical, superhuman or superalien powers, the supervillain often possesses a genius intellect that allows him to draft complex schemes or create fantastic devices. Another common trait is possession of considerable resources to help further his aims. Many supervillains share some typical characteristics of real world dictators, mobsters, and terrorists and often have aspirations of world domination or universal leadership.^[1][2]

Superheroes and supervillains often mirror each other in their powers, abilities, or origins. In some cases, the only difference between the two is that the hero uses his extraordinary powers to help others, while the villain uses his powers for selfish, destructive or ruthless purposes.

Origins[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The definition of a supervillain is a villain who can defeat other villains. By some definitions, the first supervillain was John Devil, a proto-Fantômas, created by Paul Féval, père in his eponymous 1860 novel, or Féval's nearly-immortal, machiavellian Colonel Bozzo-Corona, leader of Les Habits Noirs introduced in 1863. Professor Moriarty, the archenemy of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes, was introduced in 1893. Dr. Fu Manchu, the antagonist of several popular novels of Sax Rohmer, is credited with popularizing many of the typical characteristics of the modern supervillain, including his sadistic personality, his desire for world domination, and his use of sinister lairs and themed crimes and henchmen. Rohmer's work had a strong influence on Ian Fleming, whose James Bond novels and their film adaptations further popularized the image in popular culture, like Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

The first supervillain who wore a bizarre costume was the Lightning, from the 1938 film The Fighting Devil Dogs. The first supervillain to regularly battle a superhero was the Ultra-Humanite, who first appeared in Action Comics #13 (1939). In contrast to the super-strong Superman, he was a crippled and bald genius, and could be seen as one of the first examples of the evil genius archetype, due to his deformed body and baldness.

Well known supervillains[link]

Comic book supervillians such as the Joker, The Green Goblin, Lex Luthor, The Riddler, Two-Face, Magneto, Venom, Bane, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom and Loki are well known in popular culture and have been adapted in several films.^[3][4] Some notable examples of comic supervillainesses (female supervillains) are Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Mystique, Enchantress, Circe, Lady Deathstrike and Cheetah.

Non-comic book supervillains of note include Ernst Stavro Blofeld from the James Bond series, Darth Vader and the Emperor from the Star Wars series, The Master from DoctorWho, Voldemort from Harry Potter, and Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes series.

See also[link]

	Speculative fiction portal
	Superhero fiction portal

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Wiktionary entry for supervillain
• Media related to Supervillains at Wikimedia Commons

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Powerman 5000 (sometimes abbreviated to PM5K) is an American heavy metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!. Frontman Spider One is the younger brother of Rob Zombie, and their styles have often been a source for comparison. He is also the founder and only original member.

Biography[link]

Early years & breakthrough (1991–2002)[link]

In 1991, Spider dropped out of art school, bought a cheap 4-track home studio and drum machine and recorded Much Evil with producer Lamar Lowder. Building on local success, Powerman 5000 was born. In 1993, longtime guitarist Adam 12 joined the band. In 1994 and 1995, Powerman released two independent records, True Force and The Blood Splat Rating System.^[1] Both albums were local successes. In 1996, they performed on the second stage of Ozzfest and appeared in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 where David and Donna filmed a music video for their song "Strike the Match".

In 1997, the band signed to Dreamworks Records and released a remastered edition of The Blood Splat Rating System titled Mega!! Kung Fu Radio.^[1] The band toured, performing on the main stage at Ozzfest 1997 but have not appeared since. They released singles such as "Organizized" and "Tokyo Vigilante #1". In 1999, guitarist M.33 (Mike Tempesta) joined the band as they got their biggest break. Creating a strange fusion of science fiction (which had always interested Spider) and "Action Rock" (the term for their own high-energy powerful rock), they released Tonight the Stars Revolt!, which contained the hit singles "When Worlds Collide", "Nobody's Real", and "Supernova Goes Pop". The album sold over a million copies.^[2]

A follow-up album to Tonight the Stars Revolt! was released titled Anyone For Doomsday?. The album was recorded and a single, "Bombshell", had been released to radio stations. But the album was canceled just before its scheduled release.^[2] Anyone For Doomsday? was later released under Spider's own new label, Megatronic Records, but went out of print due to legal issues. Arguments exist as to whether the record was canceled due to the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the negative title, but the album was finished and scheduled to be released in August 2001, one full month before the attacks. Spider has said in interviews that the album was dropped because it sounded too much like the previous album and that he wanted to release something fresh and different instead of repeating himself. Conflicts thereafter caused longtime members Dorian 27 (Dorian Heartsong) and Al3 (Allen Pahanish) to leave the band. Ad7 (Adrian Ost) and Siggy Sjursen were brought in to replace them.

One of the greatest mainstream exposures to the band came from their original remake of the 1980s club hit "Relax", originally by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The recrafted version was featured prominently during the credit roll for the 2001 comedy film Zoolander, and helped spread the band's appeal.

[edit] Transform & Destroy What You Enjoy (2003–2007)

In 2003, the band released Transform, a more punk-fueled album, completely dropping the costumes that had been featured throughout the band's Tonight The Stars Revolt! era. Containing the hit singles "Free" and "Action", Transform relied less on industrial metal effects.^[1] After the album's release, Dreamworks Records was bought out by Interscope Records, and had stopped promoting the band in the middle of a tour and would not explain the surroundings of what was going on, Powerman 5000 was not asked to make the move to Interscope. Undeterred, Spider continued with his own offshoot label, Megatronic Records. In 2005 new music was released, under Spider's new label, in the form of a rarities album titled The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Vol. 1. In August 2005, Powerman 5000 performed at the 6th annual Gathering of the Juggalos on the main stage.

A new tour was also started, but M.33 had been kicked out of the band for starting fights and Adam 12, while present on the album, was not touring. Former Alien Ant Farm guitarist Terry Corso and former Halfcocked, (the first band on Spider's label), guitarist Johnny Rock Heatley were brought in to round out the live show. The band then signed to DRT Entertainment, who released the album entitled Destroy What You Enjoy on August 1, 2006. The song "Wild World" was the first single on the album. The band also filmed a music video for the single "Wild World".

In 2007, Evan Rodaniche, singer and guitarist of Los Angeles band Cage9 (originally from Panama City, Panama), joined the band through his acquaintance with Adrian Ost. He toured as the band's sole guitarist until later that year, when Dave Pino was added to the mix. Pino had just moved to Los Angeles and heard about the open slot through his friendship with Piggy D (bassist for Rob Zombie). Upon the departure of Siggy from the band in 2008, Gustavo Aued was brought in to replace him on bass, and later that year, drummer Gordon Heckaman joined the band (both originally from Cage9 as well), solidifying the lineup for the next album.

[edit] Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere (2007–2011)

On May 21, 2007, Powerman 5000 claimed via a MySpace blog post that they will be releasing a new studio album in 2007. The following is taken directly from said post: "Considering the bands track record of putting out cds once every three years it seems hard to believe that, yes we will put out a new disc in 2007!! It's all just beginning to develop and the wheres, whos and whats are to be determined but new rock is on the way!!" However, talk about the record soon simmered, and no new information was released.

Finally, in December 2008, the new track "Super Villain" premiered on the band's Myspace page, showcasing their return to their platinum-selling sound of the late 1990s. On January 28, 2009, a preview of tracks from their upcoming sixth studio album were posted on the group's Myspace page, containing clips from the songs "Super Villain", "V is for Vampire", and "Horror Show". Powerman 5000 posted that "Super Villain" would become available for digital purchase on February 10 via iTunes and Amazon.com.

On April 7, 2009, Powerman 5000 released a blog on their MySpace page stating that Anyone For Doomsday? has officially been re-released. The legal battle ended and the album was released under the SKG Music License. The album is available on iTunes as a digital download. On April 21, the band released "V is for Vampire", the second single from their album, which is planned for a summer release.

On July 7, 2009, Powerman 5000 released a blog on their MySpace page^[3] stating that the new album has been finished, and that a release date, track listing, artwork, and additional tour dates was coming soon. On July 27, 2009, Powerman 5000 appeared on Rockline, announcing the title of the new album as "Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere". A tentative release date of October 6 was also announced. Three new songs were also premiered on the show, including "Timebomb, Baby", "Make Us Insane", and "Show Me What You've Got". On Myspace Spider posted a blog talking about the three new songs filled with comments of the fans liking the music.

On September 6, 2009, Powerman 5000 released the album cover design along with the promotion of their tour starting on October 24. They also released two new promotional videos on YouTube for their new album, confirming its release date as October 6.

On October 1, the full track "Do Your Thing" was leaked onto YouTube. The song was apparently taken from the Megatronic Records Forum, which frontman Spider One currently owns. The CD Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere was officially released on October 6 in the U.S. and was available in Canada on October 20, two weeks after the reported release date.

The band embarked on a national tour during October and November in support of the album.

On December 7, Spider, the band's lead singer posted links on his Twitter page linking to FearNET.com which is hosting the band's music video for their first single "Super Villain". The video is also available on YouTube and stars Johnathon Schaech as the infamous Super Villain.^[4]

Throughout 2010 Powerman 5000 continued to support their new album with various tours between March and November.

Powerman 5000 played at the U-Fest in Phoenix, Arizona on April 23, 2011 playing alongside Accept, Papa Roach, Drowning Pool, Nonpoint, All That Remains & Hollywood Undead. This was the band's third consecutive appearance at the yearly show.

[edit] Copies, Clones & Replicants (2011-present)

The band announced on May 23, 2011 that they had started work on a new album. On July 24, 2011, Powerman 5000 released a cover of Devo's "Whip It", a cover of "Space Oddity" by David Bowie on July 28 and a cover of "Jump" on July 31 on their website,^[5] all from their now released album, Copies, Clones & Replicants.^[6]

Musical style[link]

Spider One often uses spoken word or chanting in his vocalization.^[7]

Powerman 5000 in other media[link]

Various Powerman 5000 songs have been used in media, including television film soundtracks, and video games. This includes such game titles as Madden NFL 10, FreQuency, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder, NASCAR Thunder 2004, SX Superstar, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, the Twisted Metal series, Shadow The Hedgehog, NHL Hitz 2003, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and WWE Wrestlemania 21. Film soundtracks such as Evolution, Freddy vs. Jason, Titan AE, Little Nicky, Mission Impossible 2, and Zoolander have all featured the work of Powerman 5000. The song "Bombshell" was also used extensively as the entrance music for the WWE tag team The Dudley Boys. The game WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW featured three new songs from the band. Spider hoped the songs would gain popularity from the game alone, seeing the success of music through video games.^[8]

Soundtrack list[link]

• Bride of Chucky – "Son Of X-51" (1998)
• Dead Man on Campus – "Organizized" (1998)
• End of Days – "Nobody's Real" (1999)
• Universal Soldier: The Return – "Supernova Goes Pop" (1999)
• Dracula 2000 – "Ultra Mega" (2000)
• Little Nicky – "When Worlds Collide" (2000)
• Scream 3 – "Get On, Get Off" (2000)
• Titan AE – "The End Is Over" (2000)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - "When Worlds Collide" (2000)
• Evolution – "Bombshell" (2001)
• Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec - "Supernova Goes Pop" (2001)
• Zoolander – "Relax" (2001)
• Blade II – "Tonight! The Stars Revolt" (2002)
• Freddy vs. Jason – "Bombshell" (2003)
• Jailbait – "Good Times Roll" (2004)
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw - "Riot Time" "When Worlds Collide" (2004)
• Alone in the Dark – "The End Of Everything" (2005)
• Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave – "Where We Belong Tonight" (2005)
• Mission Impossible 2 - "When Worlds Collide"
• Shadow the Hedgehog - "Almost Dead" (2005)

Band members[link]

Current

• Spider One (Michael Cummings) – lead vocals (1991–present)
• Velkro (Dave Pino) – lead guitars (2007–present)
• X51 (Gustavo Aued) – bass (2008–present)
• Ad7 (Adrian Ost) – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2001–2008, 2012-present)

Former

• DJ Brian Collymore – turntables/keyboard (1991–1994)
• Lamar Lawder – production (1991–1994)
• Jordan Cohen – percussion (1994–1998)
• Dorian 27 (Dorian Heartsong) – bass (1991–2001)
• Al 3 (Allen Pahanish) – drums, percussion (1991–2001)
• M33 (Mike Tempesta) – rhythm guitars (1999–2005)
• Adam 12 (Adam Williams) – lead guitars (1991–2005)
• Johnny Rock Heatley – lead guitars, backing vocals (2005–2007)
• Terry Corso – rhythm guitars (2005–2007)
• Siggy 00 (Siggy Sjursen) – bass (2002–2008)

• Evan 9 (Evan Rodaniche) – rhythm guitars (2007–2011)
• GFlash (Gordon Heckaman) – drums, percussion (2008–2012)

Discography[link]

• True Force (1994)
• The Blood Splat Rating System (1995)
• Mega!! Kung Fu Radio (1997)
• Tonight the Stars Revolt! (1999)
• Anyone for Doomsday? (2001)
• Transform (2003)
• Destroy What You Enjoy (2006)
• Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere (2009)
• Copies Clones & Replicants (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Band's MySpace Page

Phoenix Jones
At an MMA event, fighting as "Fear the Flattop"
Born	Benjamin John Francis Fodor 1988
Nationality	American
Occupation	Costumed Vigilante[1] (Phoenix Jones disputes this label),[2] MMA fighter
Known for	Confronting alleged lawbreakers while dressed in a superhero costume.

Phoenix Jones^[3][4] (born Benjamin John Francis Fodor, 1988)^[5] is an American leader of a ten-member citizen crime-prevention patrol group who call themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement,^[6] operating out of Seattle and Lynnwood, Washington. In a CBS news broadcast, Jones is shown entering a back room of an unnamed comic book store in which he changes into costume which consists of a Dragon Skin bulletproof vest^[7] and stab plating, as well as equipment including a stun baton, pepper spray or tear gas, handcuffs and a first aid kit.^[7][8]

He says the best way to prevent getting mistaken for a criminal by the police is to wear a "supersuit",^[9] although local police have expressed concern that the strange costumes may lead to emergency calls from citizens who mistake the "superheroes" for criminals.^[10] Jones says that all members of the Rain City Superhero Movement have a military or mixed martial arts background.^[11] He does not condone other people dressing up and fighting crime.

Origin[link]

Jones says he wanted to take policing matters into his own hands after a few incidents changed his mind about Seattle. The first was when Jones says that his car was broken into and his son was injured after returning to the vehicle and falling on the broken glass. Jones was told that several people saw the break-in happen, but did not intervene.^[10][12] According to Jones the car window had been broken by a rock with a mask wrapped around it, which Jones left in the car's glove box.^[12] Later, Jones says that he encountered a friend being seriously assaulted outside a bar, and after calling 911 he put on the mask from the earlier break-in and "made a commotion" until the police showed up.^[12] "And I thought, why didn’t someone help him? There were seventy people outside that bar and no one did anything."^[4]

Jones went on to develop a full costume and pseudonym, when his crime-fighting behaviour made him too recognizable.^[10]

Reported actions[link]

• On Sunday, January 2, 2011, in Lynnwood, Phoenix Jones stopped and chased away a car thief as the car owner (Who asked to be identified only as "Dan") stood by in shock as Jones ran into action. CBS News introduced Dan and Phoenix Jones to one another the following Monday evening. Dan proceeded to thank Jones numerous times while later talking about Phoenix's gear.^[13]

• A few days later, ABC News aired a news story covering Jones.^[14] In this report, footage shows Phoenix Jones preventing an intoxicated man from entering his car. Jones resulted in him threatening to use a stun baton as the angry and inebriated man approaches Jones with the intent to fight. In the video, a police officer is shown later talking to Phoenix Jones and his group regarding the effect masks may have on an intoxicated individual.

• On Saturday, the 24th of September 2011, in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Phoenix Jones doused a man with pepper spray after he attempted to steal a bus. The driver of the bus had been handing out fliers when another individual attempted to steal the bus. Jones was reported to have intervened and the hijacker escaped with his skin dyed orange due to the spray. Jones says he didn’t receive any help from Seattle police, who took hours to respond to the incident.^[15]

• On Sunday, October 9, 2011, in Seattle, Jones was arrested for his role in an altercation involving pepper-spray.^[16] Close associates, who were present and equipped with a video camera, told reporters that Phoenix Jones broke up an unfair fight between two groups of nightclub patrons.^[17] According to police reports, the officers who responded determined that "there was no fight", with one member of the group denying that anyone among them had been fighting. They asked that the masked man be "arrested for attacking them."^[5] According to one woman who was involved in the altercation, after an argument had broken out between her group and another, Jones suddenly approached and pepper-sprayed them, saying "I'm a superhero". But the same woman shown on video footage appeared intoxicated as she chased Jones and others with a high heeled shoe. The video footage shows her slipping on the ground and having trouble walking due to being intoxicated.^[18] The next day, videographer Ryan McNamee uploaded a video online showing that Phoenix Jones did in fact respond to a large fight in progress and soon after a hit and run takes place.^[19][20] Jones was released on bail hours later with no charges having been filed. He later was acquitted of all accusations.

• In another incident several hours earlier, Phoenix Jones had come to the defense of a would-be fight victim. Police arrived after the aggressors had fled. In their report, the police called it a case of "questionable use of pepper spray", but the victim later told the Seattle Times^[21] that Jones was indeed a hero who had saved him from "a potential beat-down".

• On Sunday, the 27th of November 2011, near the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Phoenix Jones and crew followed a man accused of stabbing another man. They prevented the attacker from fleeing until the Seattle police arrived.^[22]

• On Saturday, the 31st of December 2011, in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Phoenix Jones and his crew provided police with valuable evidence of a New Year's Eve shooting.^[23]

• On Friday, the 6th of January 2012, Phoenix Jones and crew stopped a fight at the same location of the New Year’s Eve shooting in Belltown.^[24]

• On Tuesday, the 1st of May 2012 (May Day), Phoenix Jones allegedly pepper-sprayed protesters in downtown Seattle (Phoenix Jones denies this).^[25] In an interview on the Bob Rivers Show on 2nd May, Phoenix Jones asserted that, while undercover with the protesters, several of them revealed to him a plot to bomb the city courthouse. According to Phoenix Jones, after telling the police and receiving no support, he and another member of the Rain City Superhero Movement intercepted the protesters at the courthouse and acted in self defense as the protesters began throwing rocks and bottles through the windows and glass doors of the court house.^[26] Fellow costumed activists El Caballero and Midnightjack accompanied Phoenix Jones.^[27]

Stance on drugs[link]

When asked if he would have someone arrested for smoking marijuana, Jones said he considered it a low priority, and that he has no problem with people using drugs, but wants drug dealers to "sell somewhere else."^[28]

Injury[link]

Jones reports being stabbed with a knife while trying to intervene with a drug dealer and a citizen,^[7] damaging part of his costume which had to be repaired.^[11] He has told police that his ballistic vest helped stop a bullet during an incident in Tacoma.^[11]

In 2011, Jones claims to have had his nose broken by an assailant while attempting to break up a fight,^[7] when one of the men pulled a gun on him while another one kicked him, breaking his nose. This incident was never reported to police, and was treated by Jones' private doctor.^[7][29]

Rain City Superhero Movement[link]

In July 2011, local police recorded ten citizens patrolling the city in superhero costumes, using the names Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, The Mantis, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope and Phoenix Jones. An individual using the pseudonym "Red Dragon" has also self-identified as being a member of the group.^[30] Jones's wife is a member of the Rain City Superhero Movement, under the name "Purple Reign".^[31]

Criticism[link]

Phoenix Jones has an uneasy relationship with Seattle law enforcement and the city attorney there has called him a "deeply misguided individual."^[32]

Arrest record[link]

In October 2011, Jones was arrested for investigation of assault, after using pepper spray to break up an alleged fight.^[17][33] He spent approximately seven hours in jail before posting the $3,800 bail.^[34] No charges were filed and the case was dropped later that month.^[35]

Identity[link]

Although prosecutors had not filed charges, Jones appeared in court wearing a black and gray striped shirt over his costume on October 13, 2011. A court officer asked Jones to remove his mask, and he complied, putting the mask back on after the hearing. Jones then spoke with reporters and removed his mask again to reveal his identity as Ben Fodor. Fodor stated that he would continue patrolling the city:^[34]

I will continue to patrol with my team, probably tonight [October 13, 2011]. In addition to being Phoenix Jones, I am also Ben Fodor, father and brother. I am just like everybody else. The only difference is that I try to stop crime in my neighborhood and everywhere else. I think I have to look toward the future and see what I can do to help the city.^[34]

Fight Record[link]

Benjamin Fodor holds an 11-0-0 record in unsanctioned amateur mixed martial arts fights,^[36] and a 4-0-0 professional fight record.^[37] Fodor's fight name is listed as 'Fear the Flattop'.^[37] He is also the brother of [Strikeforce] MMA fighter Caros Fodor.^[38]

See also[link]

• Master Legend
• Superbarrio
• Real-life superhero

References[link]