This underrated DC villain was a powerful opponent for heroes like Batman and Green Arrow

Batman has some of the most iconic villains in comics, with his enemies receiving their own titles and even movies. While his enemies aren't as well known, Green Arrow has faced his fair share of memorable foes. One of his most targeted antagonists has faced off against Batman and the Justice League, with a show based on the Emerald Archer also adapting it.

Prometheus is one of DC Comics' most ingenious villains, which is why he has been a thorn in the side of many heroes. In his confrontation with Batman and Green Arrow, Prometheus even angered the Wildstorm Universe's Midnighter. Later, when he enters the Arrowverse, the dangerous villain is a dark mirror of DC's more human heroes.

Prometheus has almost beaten the Justice League several times

First appearance: New Year's Eve Evil: Prometheus #1 by Grant Morrison and Arnie Jorgensen

The first version of Prometheus in DC Comics was a villain who went up against Ted Kord's version of Blue Beetle, though that character ultimately went nowhere. The incarnation fans are most familiar with debuted a few years later, with this character intended as a sort of foil to Batman.

Never given a name, the second Prometheus was the son of two hitmen who had a violent career committing murders across America. Unfortunately for them, their reign of terror came to an end when the police killed them in front of their son. This traumatic incident turned the hair of the child, later known as Prometheus, white. It also instilled in him a strong sense of hatred against the so-called righteous. It was an origin story that mirrored Batman's backstory, but played in reverse.

What the proto-Prometheus did next made these similarities to the Caped Crusader even stronger. He used his parents' money reserves to travel the world and study under the greatest masters, while engaging in all manner of conflict. Eventually, he stumbled upon a cult that worshiped the very idea of ​​evil. He used their teachings and alien technology derived from the cult's “god” to gain access to the Phantom Zone, which is somewhat similar to the Phantom Zone that Superman has access to.

I have to tell you, the odds aren't good.

Using his new abilities and technology to assume a costumed identity, he disguised himself as a hero named “Retro” to gain access to the Justice League of America. Thanks to gadgets such as a helmet that imparted knowledge of martial arts and combat, Prometheus could even counter Batman's abilities. Likewise, he used toxins and a computer virus to keep the powerful Martian Manhunter, Steel, and Green Lantern at bay. Only the timely intervention of the usually evil Catwoman saved the team, with Prometheus escaping to the Ghost Zone.

He later joined the Injustice Gang, with Batman solidifying himself as his main rival. Things got even more personal when Prometheus used fighting techniques downloaded from Batman himself. Of course, the Dark Knight fought him by neutralizing the villain's helmet, thus downloading Stephen Hawking's fighting prowess. Batman and Martian Manhunter later forcibly reduced Prometheus' mind to a borderline vegetative state, temporarily ending the villain's career.

Prometheus briefly had a replacement

First appearance: Batman: Gotham Knights #52 by Len Wein and Paris Cullins

The main version of Prometheus never had his real name revealed, but the identity of his successor was known. It was Chad Graham, who Prometheus had taken on as a sidekick before the two went their separate ways.

This relationship emulated the members of the Batman Family, namely Batman's sometimes tense relationship with the different versions of Robin. Despite their differences, this protégé saw fit to assume the identity of Prometheus when his mentor was mentally disabled by the Justice League. Although not as well trained as his predecessor, Graham even defeated powerful martial artists such as Lady Shiva with the knowledge of his helmet.

Unfortunately, This new Prometheus was a joke, as he constantly needed to be saved by Hush. Prometheus and Hush were described as “anti-Batmen”, which made it even more ironic. He also fought Green Arrow, cementing himself as an enemy of the Emerald Archer and the Dark Knight of Star City. Likewise, when he tapped into the potential of his helmet, he was more than capable of taking down certain enemies, proving he had potential.

Unfortunately, Chad Graham never reached this potential, with the real Prometheus killing his former partner after regaining his sanity. He also saw the reduced reverence for the Prometheus name as a positive thing, as the heroes no longer saw his true threat coming.

Prometheus once made the entire Justice League scream for justice

After the death of Martian Manhunter, Prometheus's mental blocks were severed, allowing him to regain his former intelligence. He soon returned to villainy, seeking revenge in the controversial Justice League: Cry for Justice miniseries.

Prometheus placed teleportation devices in numerous cities across the DC Universe to transport their respective heroes to different timelines, as revenge for the villain's lack of control over his own body. He also posed as Freddy Freeman (a member of the Marvel Family) to infiltrate the Justice League. Even when Red Arrow/Roy Harper found out, it was too late, with the archer brutally mutilated in the process. Similarly, one of Prometheus' devices exploded in Star City, killing thousands, including Roy's daughter, Lian Harper.

This turn of events had a traumatic impact on the Green Arrow family, with Red Arrow (now having lost his arm) reverting to Arsenal and Green Arrow responding by killing Prometheus. For this act, Oliver Queen was kicked out of the Justice League, with Black Canary divorcing him and his home of Star City exiling him. Considering how much pain Green Arrow caused Chad Graham, it can be argued that the real Prometheus had the last laugh, even though he died.

Since the New 52 reboot, Prometheus has returned in numerous guises and storylines, making his history in the DC Universe largely moot. This appears to be mainly due to the numerous elements of the post-Crisis on Infinite Earth story that remained for Green Arrow. The New 52 and later comics saw Prometheus irritating the Wildstorm Midnighter character, even seducing him into defeating him. Given that Prometheus is an anti-Batman and Midnighter is a darker replacement for the Dark Knight, this was certainly an ironic development.

The Arrowverse has profoundly changed Prometheus

In season 5 of the TV series Arrow, a rather different version of Prometheus was adapted and used as part of a ruse. The season introduced District Attorney Adrian Chase, who was named in honor of Vigilante's alter ego who was introduced in the pages of The New Teen Titans.

There was also a version of Vigilante on the show, which fans speculated was Chase. In reality, this was an original character named Vincent Sobel, with Adrian Chase as an alias used by Simon Morrison (apparently named after Prometheus co-creator Grant Morrison). Morrison sought revenge on Green Arrow because the Emerald Archer killed his father, Justin Claybourne. In the present day, Morrison/Prometheus attacked Oliver Queen from every angle, making his life a living hell.

Prometheus eventually sought ultimate revenge by kidnapping Oliver's son, William. However, once his plans were foiled, he took his own life when the island where Oliver was marooned exploded. Another incarnation of Adrian Chase/Simon Morrison was seen as an alternate version of Green Arrow in another Arrowverse universe, with Tommy Merlyn as the Earth-X version of Prometheus.

The series' version of Prometheus was a polymath and emulated Green Arrow's archery skills, similar to his premise in the comics. For the most part, however, he was quite different, even having a design that barely resembled the source material. However, this was probably the most mainstream push the character would ever receive, and since he fought Green Arrow in the series, it emulated the rivalry they had in the comics.