Vyndktvx

Vyndktvx is an impish supervillain who appears in DC Comics' Superman comic books.[1] He debuted in the company-wide relaunch of Action Comics as part of The New 52.[2]

Vyndktvx
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #1 (November 2011)
Created by	Grant Morrison Rags Morales
In-story information
Species	5th Dimensional Imp (Zrfffian)
Place of origin	5th Dimension
Notable aliases	The Little Man, Lord Vyndktvk, Master, "The envious One", countless others
Abilities	Reality manipulation Not bound by third dimensional laws Can alter 3-D laws in a manner that resembles magic

Fictional characters biography

Origin

Vyndktvx was originally the court magician for the King-thing Brpxz, of the fifth dimension world of Zrfff, until Mxyzptlk came along. Mxy outshone the other in the king's eyes because Mxy could make the king laugh, which Vyndktvx was unable to do. When Mxy declared his love for the king's daughter, Vyndktvx was outraged and took three weapons - the nothingcoat, the imaginator and the multispear. Planning on killing Mxyzptlk, he instead killed the king, who was at the time trying on Mxy's hat. Mistaking the king's shadow for Mxy's, he struck, and in the process killed 331 worlds across time and space, as well as almost killing Earth and Krypton. That feedback hurt Vyndktvx enough to where he wanted revenge on Superman for this and then began to target Superman's life, hoping to just as well clear his name and blame the entire massacre on Mxy and take Zrfff as his own.[3]

Menacing Superman

Vyndktvx made a deal with Glen Glenmorgan, shortly before Superman shows up to crash Glenmorgan's party.[2] Vyndktvx then appears shortly afterward to view his work, which is the derailing of a Metropolis bullet train, which results in the incarceration of Superman by the military. Once again Vyndktvx would appear while Superman is being tortured by Lex Luthor, posing as a scientist before Superman breaks free. Following this Vyndktvx is not seen for some time until the comic shifts to the adventures of the Superman of Earth-23, where he is shown to be the boss of Overcorp, a corporation in another parallel Earth. Here, Vyndktvx is responsible for the creation of the Beast of Superman, a terrible beast that hunts down its versions of Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Clark Kent. The Superman of Earth-23 stops it, and nothing is seen from it again. Once again Vyndktvx pops up, this time as a bartender inside a hotel during The Collector of All Worlds attack, harassing Glenmorgan until he has a mental breakdown.[4] Vyndktvx then appears through a meeting with Nimrod, hiring him to hunt down Superman and subsequently making him a member of The Anti-Superman Army after he visits him in the hospital (Nimrod suffering injuries following his battle with Superman). From then on Vyndktvx appears just after Superman is done with battling his enemies, initiating Susie Lane after the battle between Superman and Captain Comet, and then Dr. Xa-Du after he is put back into the Phantom Zone.[5]

When Superman meets with his landlady, she reveals that she is in fact named Nyxlygsptlnz, a creature exactly like Vyndktvx. She explains that Vyndktvx was once a prisoner of the multicornered prison Zrfff, of which he escaped after Superman's parents died in Smallville. She says that he killed "The King-Thing Brpxz" and then says that he hates Superman, more than he could understand, which is why everything he's done was to hurt him. After this, Nyxly shows Superman several future visions of his encounters with Vyndktvx, including Superman traveling to Mars to save a group of astronauts from Metalek and The Multitude, a tool of Vyndktvx, and his encounter with Dr. Xa-Du. After this Nyxly is shot dead by Nimrod before she can save Superman with a wish given to her by Mxyzptlk.[6]

At a time in the future, Vyndktvx is shown to be responsible for the creation of Kryptonite, having his army collect the engine of Superman's space ship. Inside the army's base inside a bullet actually inside Superman's brain, Vyndktvx is forced to unleash the Kryptonite after the Legion of Superheroes interferes with the army's meeting. Before he disappears, he shouts, "Give in! Kent next!".[7]

Vyndktvx's plan came to a head roughly five years after the creation of the Justice League, when he assembled a roster of super-villains, the Anti-Superman Army, and travel through time attacking Superman: once to steal the kryptonite engine from the rocket that brought him to Earth (an effort that failed thanks to the Legion of Super-Heroes), and once to trap Superman in a manhunt under a dying red sun in the ruins of future Metropolis. Finally, he fights Superman and his allies in modern Metropolis, with every resource at his disposal. He invites humanity to share in a paradise, on the condition that they say 'no' when Superman begs them for help. In the havoc that ensues, he links Superman's mind to every being on earth, so that he can feel their suffering. Ultimately, however, Superman uses this connection, along with every person on earth, to force Vyndktvx into saying his name backwards. Vyndktvx is banished to the Fifth Dimension and locked in a prison for all eternity.

Powers and abilities

Vyndktvx has the inherent godlike reality-warping powers of all five-dimension imps.

References

1. 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. 357. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
2. Action Comics (vol. 2) #1 (November 2011)
3. Action Comics (vol. 2) #15 (February 2013)
4. Action Comics (vol. 2) #8 (June 2012)
5. Action Comics (vol. 2) #10 (August 2012)
6. Action Comics (vol. 2) #14 (January 2013)
7. Action Comics (vol. 2) #16 (March 2013)