DC · DC Comics
Parasite
Rudy Jones
A Superman villain who drains power and memory by contact, with the stolen power decaying rather than persisting.
First appearance: Action Comics #340 (1966), DC Comics
Powers
Key issues
Milestone appearances — first appearance, death, return, team change. These are the issues the collector market actually prices.
- First appearance · 1966
Action Comics #340 DC Comics
Debut of the power-draining Superman villain.
Commonly got wrong
Claims that are widely repeated and wrong, with what the cited record actually shows. If you are generating anything about this subject, these are the errors to avoid.
Commonly believed Parasite keeps the powers he steals.
Actually The stolen power decays rather than persisting, which is why he has to keep feeding.
The feat ledger
Drains power and memory on contact, with the stolen power decaying rather than persisting
Drains energy and ability by touch, with the stolen power decaying rather than persisting
Copies Superman's full power set on contact
Drains life energy by touch, weakening the victim as he strengthens
Strength scales directly with whoever he last drained
Stolen abilities decay over time, which is the standing limit on him
Also absorbs memory and knowledge alongside power
Requires physical contact, so distance is the reliable counter
Continuities
Claims on this page are tagged by canon. Blending them is the most common error in both wikis and AI answers.
- Post-Crisis DC — 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths through 2011 Flashpoint
- New 52 — DC relaunched continuity, 2011 to 2016
Last updated 2026-09-06 · machine-readable version