Superman Upgrades a Classic Villain Beyond Even Kryptonian-Level

Summary Parasite, empowered by Paras-Mite, is now a universal-level threat capable of draining any form of energy from his targets, making him more dangerous than ever before.

In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #26, Imps from the Fifth Dimension are empowering DC villains, escalating the danger level in the universe.

Superman's iconic foe, Parasite, has evolved over the years with abilities to drain energy, memories, and skills from his targets, posing a significant threat to even the Man of Steel.

Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #26!

Superman often goes up against some of the most dangerous enemies in the world, and DC has just kicked this up a notch by turning Parasite, one of Superman's most iconic villains, into a threat even beyond Kryptonian strength. While Parasite has always been dangerous, he's become a universal threat after Paras-Mite powered him up and extended his powers more than ever before.

The DC Universe is currently facing a threat unlike anything it's seen before. In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #26 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Imps from the Fifth Dimension that worship villains have begun invading Earth. With their powers, they've been empowering the villains of the DC Universe, and it's become a major problem.

Characters like Kadabra and Sinestro have had their abilities massively enhanced, with Kadabra gaining access to real magic. While this is certainly different, the most dangerous threat is the Parasite, who's been empowered by Paras-Mite. With his powers boosted, Parasite can now drain any form of energy out of someone, which allows him to drain the Third Dimension out of Batman, Superman, and Robin.

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Parasite Drains The 3D Energy Out Of Batman, Superman, And Robin

Parasite has a long history in the Superman comics. The first Parasite, Raymond Maxwell Jensen, debuted all the way back in 1966's Action Comics #340 by Jim Shooter and Al Plastino. Raymond gains his powers while working at a research facility. Erroneously believing that the employee payrolls are being hidden inside radioactive waste containers, Raymond decides to pop one open, only to immediately be bathed in radioactive waste. This causes him to gain the power to drain energy from anyone he touches. Considering Superman is powered by the sun, his body has plenty of solar energy that can be drained.

Raymond demonstrates the ability to drain abstract qualities from his targets as well, such as draining Superman of his popularity.

This makes Parasite a perfect threat to Superman, as simply coming into contact with Parasite can reduce the Man of Steel's strength and increase Parasite's. This isn't the only thing Parasite can do, though, as Raymond demonstrates the ability to drain abstract qualities from his targets as well, such as draining Superman of his popularity. He's also been shown to drain memories and skills from his targets, which shows that his powers have always been far more deadly than simply draining energy.

This version of Parasite was last seen in Action Comics #578 by Craig Boldman, Kurt Schaffenberger, Gene D'Angelo, and Milt Snapinn!

Parasite Has Always Been One Of Superman's Most Dangerous Villains

A new Parasite later appears in 2010's Superman: Secret Origins #3 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. This version is a man named Rudy Jones who is much the same as the previous Parasite. However, instead of opening up radioactive waste, Rudy eats donuts that were placed a bit too close to some radioactive waste. This transforms him into the purple-skinned terror known as Parasite. This new Parasite has many of the same abilities as Raymond Maxwell Jensen, but with one major difference. Instead of simply absorbing the powers or memories of his victims, Rudy can absorb their entire DNA make-up, allowing him to steal their very form and identity right down to the cellular level.

Parasite's impressive draining abilities aren't without their downsides, though, as Parasite finds out in 1977's World's Finest #247 by Bob Haney and Kurt Schaffenberger. Not only is Parasite able to absorb the powers, memories, and skills of his victims, but he also absorbs their weaknesses.

This is showcased when, after draining Superman's power, Parasite also inherits Superman's weakness to Kryptonite. This has made defeating Parasite significantly easier over the years, but his new team-up with Paras-Mite has completely bypassed this weakness. Due to the power he now has, Parasite has become a universal-level threat.

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Paras-Mite Has Increased Parasite's Power Like Never Before

With Paras-Mite's power boost, Parasite claims he can drain the atomic bonds that hold materials together.

With all of this history in mind, it's clear that Parasite has always been able to drain more than just direct energy from someone. From being able to drain popularity or even memories, his abstract-draining power has now been boosted to unimaginable heights. With Paras-Mite's power boost, Parasite claims he can drain the atomic bonds that hold materials together. This allows him to completely melt the rope binding him, causing it to just disintegrate into dust, which would have horrifying applications if he used it on people. With his power able to drain any form of energy now, no matter how abstract, he should be able to do some truly terrifying feats.

Hypothetically, Parasite could now drain the light out of a room if he wanted, or the motion out of objects. Everything in the world revolves around energy to some degree, and now Parasite can eat all of it. The human brain can generate small amounts of electricity with every thought, which Parasite would be able to drain as well, effectively rendering someone brain-dead. This is far more dangerous than he's ever been, and it could escalate very quickly, such as Parasite draining the energy that keeps realities separate. This could potentially cause the collapse of the Multiverse.

Parasite Is At His Absolute Strongest Now, Far Stronger Than Superman

Superman has faced off against foes like Darkseid and Multiverse-destroying gods, but Parasite has potentially become an even bigger threat now. He's always been a terrifying enemy, but he's rarely been a planet-level threat. Now that he can drain the energy out of anything he could potentially imagine, there's truly no limit to what his powers can do. With a single attack, Parasite brought down Superman, Batman, and Robin, with little effort on his part. This makes Parasite a villain so dangerous that not even Superman can handle him now.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #26 is on sale now from DC Comics!

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #26 (2024) Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Dan Mora

Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist: Dan Mora