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Who was Superman’s first major enemy?

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Heath Ledger as the Joker sits at an interrogation table with Christian Bale as Batman standing behind him in a scene from the film The Dark Knight. — Supervillain Heath Ledger (seated) as the Joker and Christian Bale as Batman in *The Dark Knight* (2008).

While Lex Luthor is widely recognized as Superman's archnemesis, he was not the hero's first major adversary. The first two major foes to challenge Superman were the Ultra-Humanite and Lex Luthor.1

The Ultra-Humanite, a villain capable of transferring his mind into other bodies, was among the earliest threats to face the Man of Steel. Lex Luthor, who debuted in Action Comics no. 23 in 1940, eventually eclipsed other villains to become the character's most enduring and significant foe.12