Parasite (comics)

Parasite
The Rudy Jones version of Parasite as seen on the cover of Superman #684. Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	(Jensen) Action Comics #340 (August 1966) (Jones) Firestorm (vol. 2) #58 (April 1987) (Allstons) The Adventures of Superman #633 (December 2004) (Allen) Superman (vol. 3) #23.4 (September 2013)
Created by	(Jensen) Jim Shooter[1] (Jones) John Ostrander and Joe Brozowski (Allstons) Greg Rucka, Matthew Clark, and Andrew Lanning (Allen) Aaron Kuder, Dan Brown
In-story information
Alter ego	Raymond Maxwell Jensen Rudolph "Rudy" Jones Alex & Alexandra Allston Joshua Michael Allen
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Secret Society of Super Villains Legion of Doom Superman Revenge Squad Suicide Squad
Abilities	(All): Absorption of energy, knowledge, and powers through physical contact (Jones): DNA mimicry

Parasite is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC 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 is Rudy Jones, who has become one of Superman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery. In 2009, Parasite was ranked as IGN's 61st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.^[3]

The Rudy Jones incarnation of the Parasite has been substantially adapted from the comics into multiple forms of media, most notably in the DC Animated Universe's Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League as well as the live-action TV series Smallville and Supergirl, portrayed by Brendan Fletcher and William Mapother respectively. Additionally, Raymond Jensen and Alexandra Allston, Ally Allston, appear in Supergirl and Superman & Lois, portrayed by Anthony Konechny and Rya Kihlstedt respectively.

The Raymond Maxwell Jenson version of the Parasite first appeared in Action Comics #340 (August 1966) and was created by Jim Shooter.^[4]

Shooter, who began working for DC at age 13, says that his inspiration for the villain was learning about parasites in his ninth-grade biology class.^[5]

The Rudy Jones version of the Parasite first appeared in Firestorm (vol. 2) #58 and was created by John Ostrander and Joe Brozowski.

The Alex and Andrea Allston versions of the Parasite first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #633 and were created by Greg Rucka, Matthew Clark, and Andrew Lanning.

The Joshua Allen version of the New 52 Parasite first appeared in Superman (vol. 3) #23.4 and was created by Aaron Kuder.

In the Pre-Crisis, Raymond Maxwell Jensen was a lowlife who got a job as a plant worker for a research center.^[6] 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.^[7] Any time he touched someone, he could absorb their physical and mental properties. Touching Superman would instantly absorb a sizable fraction of his superhuman powers (it was established early on that he is not capable of acquiring the whole of Superman's powers).^[8] On one occasion, while attempting to absorb a greater portion of his adversary's powers than previously, his body disintegrated for a period of time due to the pressure in his cells. Despite these abilities, the Parasite became depressed because he could no longer embrace his wife and children.^[9] The Parasite made a number of reappearances before the Crisis, yet he never successfully found a means to permanently defeat Superman.^[10] Despite this, he knew Superman's alter ego and often used this to attack Clark Kent. Gaining sizable intellect from his multiple encounters with Superman, the Parasite devised the means to reanimate dormant plant remains left behind from the Earth-Two supervillain Solomon Grundy, creating a newer and stronger version of the creature to plague his adversary. On another occasion, the Parasite devised the means to transfer the powers of the hero Air Wave to the young hero's adversary Casey Jones temporarily.^[11]

In Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, Parasite and Terra-Man are revealed to have killed each other sometime prior.

The second Parasite, Rudolph "Rudy" Jones, is a janitor at a Pittsburgh S.T.A.R. Labs facility who is transformed after being exposed to radioactive waste. Forced to absorb energy to survive, Parasite attacks Firestorm and kills Multiplex before the former stops him.

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 absorbing Kryptonite radiation.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]} Parasite is later resurrected and joins Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains.^[19][20]

The 2009-10 miniseries Superman: Secret Origin redefines the Parasite's origin. In this version, Rudy Jones is a janitor at the Daily Planet who is selected to join LexCorp. There, he eats a donut imbued with Kryptonite radiation that transforms him into the Parasite.

In the DC Rebirth relaunch, Parasite is a member of the Suicide Squad.^{[21][22][23][24]} In Dawn of DC, Parasite reforms, gets a job 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.^[25] In Absolute Power, Parasite is forced to work for Amanda Waller before being killed by the Amazo robot Last Son.^[26]

Alex and Alexandra Allston are teenagers who were experimented on by the villain Ruin and transformed into Parasites.^[27]

Alex is later killed by an OMAC while attempting to escape prison. Alexandra successfully escapes and joins the Secret Society of Super Villains under Alexander Luthor Jr.^[28][29]

Joshua Allen is the fourth incarnation of Parasite, introduced in The 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.^[30][31]

In later appearances, Allen joins the Secret Society of Super Villains and the Suicide Squad.^[32][33][34]

All incarnations of the Parasite have the ability to temporarily absorb the life 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.^[35] 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 the Strange 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 and Livewire'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 in All-Star Superman. He exploits Superman's rising power levels to absorb his energy and grow into a colossal form before being defeated.^[36]
• An unidentified alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in the JSA: The Liberty Files miniseries JSA: The Unholy Three. This version is a former KGB agent and freelance contract killer.^[37]
• The Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in Justice as a member of the Legion of Doom.^[38]
• An alternate universe variant of the Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in Kingdom Come. He ruptures Captain Atom's outer shell, causing a massive nuclear explosion that kills them both and irradiates much of Kansas.^[39]
• An original, alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in Just Imagine.... This version is Lucinda Radama, an African-American female serial killer. ^[40]
• An alternate universe variant of the Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in Superman: Earth One Volume Two.^[41] 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.
• An alternate universe version of Parasite appears in Superman Family Adventures. This version is Otis, who was transformed by a purple alien rock. He attempts to take over Superman's life before his powers eventually wear off.^[42]
• An unidentified alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in Superman: Red Son.^[43]
• An alternate universe variant of the Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in Superman American Alien.^[44]

• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in the Smallville episode "Injustice", portrayed by Brendan Fletcher.^[45] This version was a metahuman prisoner at the Black Creek facility before Tess 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 called Eric Summers appears in the episodes "Leech" and "Asylum",^{[citation needed]} portrayed by Shawn Ashmore. Throughout his appearances, he temporarily steals Clark Kent's powers via Kryptonite and electricity on two separate occasions, only to be defeated by him and lose them each time.
• Two incarnations of Parasite appear in Supergirl. 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 by William Mapother.^[46] This version is an environmental scientist who is infected by an Angon that had laid dormant in an Arctic wolf's corpse and gains the ability to drain life force through physical contact. While fighting Supergirl, Alex Danvers, and the Martian Manhunter, Jones absorbs Supergirl and Manhunter's powers and transforms into a monster before Supergirl overloads and kills him with plutonium.
  • Raymond Jensen appears in the fourth season, portrayed by Anthony Konechny.^[47][48] This version is a Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) agent who despises aliens for wreaking havoc on National City. Throughout the episodes "American Alien" and "Parasite Lost", he leaves the DEO to join anti-alien activists Otis and Mercy Graves and Agent 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 named Ally Allston appears in the second season of Superman & Lois, portrayed by Rya Kihlstedt as an adult and by Amber Taylor as a child. This version is a cult leader behind the Inverse Society who took over Bizarro 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 by Superman and incarcerated by the Department of Defense.

• An original incarnation of Parasite named I.C. Harris appears in The 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 the Young Justice episode "Performance", voiced by Adam Baldwin.^[49]
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in the Justice League Action episode "Power Outage", voiced by Max Mittelman.^[49] This version sports a more monstrous appearance and the additional ability to sprout tentacles from his torso.
• An unidentified Parasite makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Harley Quinn and Kite Man: Hell Yeah! as a member of the Legion of Doom.
• An original incarnation of Parasite appears in My Adventures with Superman. This version is a cybernetic armor called the Parasite 1.0, which was created and worn by Dr. Anthony Ivo (voiced by Jake Green) and is capable of growing larger and more monstrous in appearance as it absorbs energy.^[50]

Two incarnations of Parasite appear in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU):

• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in Superman: The Animated Series, voiced by Brion James.^[49] This version is a S.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 with Livewire before ending up in a coma and being remanded to Stryker's Island.
• Jones appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Secret Society", voiced by Brian George.^[49] Having recovered from his coma, he is recruited into Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society and fights the Justice League, only to be defeated by Wonder Woman.
• Jones makes minor, non-speaking appearances in Justice League Unlimited as a member of Grodd's expanded Secret Society. Prior to and during the episode "Alive!", Lex Luthor takes command of the Society, but Grodd mounts a mutiny. Jones sides with the latter, only to be frozen by Killer Frost and killed off-screen by Darkseid along with Grodd's other loyalists.
  • A monstrous, unidentified incarnation of Parasite appears in the episode "Epilogue", voiced by Marc Worden.^[49] This version is a member of a future version of the Society called the Iniquity Collective.

• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite makes a cameo appearance in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.
• An unidentified Parasite appears in All-Star Superman, voiced by Michael Gough.^[49] This version possesses infrared vision and is on death row at Stryker's Island.
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, voiced by Brett Dalton.^[51][49] This version is a decorated former U.S. Marine, a veteran of the Middle East, and a loving family man who gained his abilities from exposure to an energy-absorbing biological weapon developed by S.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 protect Metropolis from an exploding energy plant.

• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a boss in Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, voiced again by Brian George.^[49]
• An unidentified Parasite appears as a boss in Superman 64. This version is a member of the Superman Revenge Squad.
• An unidentified Parasite appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS version of Superman Returns.
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Robert Faires.^[49] Additionally, weaker versions of Parasite called "Leeches" appear as well.
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[52]
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us via the Stryker's Island stage.
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Travis Willingham.^[53]
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced by Eric Bauza.^[54]

• An amalgamated incarnation of Parasite appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #3. This version is identified as Joshua Allen and resembles Rudy Jones. He battles Cyborg and Yellow Lantern until Superman arrives and throws Parasite into the sun.^[55]
• The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Tom Kenny.

• List of Superman enemies

• Parasite at Comic Vine