History Characters / DCComicsMongul

[[Characters/GLGreenLanternCorps Green Lantern Corps]] ([[Characters/GLGreenLanternCorpsEarthLanterns Earth Lanterns]], [[Characters/GreenLanternHalJordan Hal Jordan]]) | [[Characters/GLSinestroCorps The Sinestro Corps]] ([[Characters/GreenLanternThaalSinestro Thaal Sinestro]]) | [[Characters/GLRedLanternCorps The Red Lantern Corps]] ([[Characters/GreenLanternAtrocitus Atrocitus]]) | [[Characters/GLBlueLanternCorps The Blue Lantern Corps]] | [[Characters/GLStarSapphireCorps The Star Sapphire Corps]] | [[Characters/GLOrangeLanternCorps The Orange Lantern Corps]] | [[Characters/GLIndigoTribe The Indigo Tribe]] | [[Characters/GLOtherLanternCorps The Black, White, Ultraviolet and Gold Lantern Corps]] | [[Characters/GLOtherVillains Other Villains]] ([[Characters/SupermanCyborgSuperman Cyborg-Superman]], [[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]], '''Mongul''', [[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | [[Characters/GreenLanternSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/GreenLantern1941 Golden Age]] -]]]]]

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Regarding the Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis versions, it's implied at the end that Mongul is perfectly content with the fantasy of bloody conquest the Black Mercy is giving him. Whereas Superman is able to break free because, being a hero, he was able to comprehend ''something'' wrong with the fantasy he was given. In the animated version, Mongul even goes as far as to speculate that Superman is living out a fantasy of conquest.

* TheHedonist: Hedonistic sadism is pretty much his entire raison d'être. The guy spends his whole life cruising around the galaxy in a gigantic, heavily-armed pleasure-palace looking for people to inflict suffering on in entertaining ways, with elaborate GladiatorGames being his personal favourite.

* AbortedArc: Early ads for his place in the War of Light heavily implied he'd be [[GottaCatchThemAll collecting the rings of each Corps]], and fans noted he's one of the few villains who genuinely does have some concepts of Love and Hope (see DependingOnTheWriter). Given that the Indigo Ring is a LotusEaterMachine in disguise, it's entirely possible this was the intended final twist. Instead, Mongul II simply collected Sinestro Corps rings before challenging Arkillo and Sinestro for leadership of the corps.

* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** His decimation of xenophobic Daxam was horrific, but also very satisfying to watch. As Sodam Yat notes, "Congratulations mom and dad. You finally got the alien you deserve."
** He's [[BadBoss an awful boss]] to the Sinestro Corps members he controls and murders a number of them for slightly annoying him, but as the Sinestro Corps are comprised of some of the worst psychos in the universe it'd hard to feel bad for them.

* WhatMightHaveBeen: See the character pic? At one point, he was going to try to collect all the rings, but that storyline got rewritten into a civil war with the Sinestro Corps.

A GalacticConqueror who is more than a physical match for the Man of Steel, Mongul I was a major foe of Superman's during UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, serving as the main antagonist of ''ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything'', widely regarded as one of the greatest Superman stories ever written. Post-Crisis, he allied with Cyborg-Superman to destroy Coast City and was eventually slain by the demon lord Neron. The New 52 has recently returned him to life as the villain of a ''Superman/Batman'' crossover; where he will go from here remains to be seen. In all three continuities, he is characterized as a brutal despot who enjoys watching others fight and die for his amusement, feels that the universe owes him its fealty, and runs every planet he rules into the ground with his limitless ambition and cruelty.

* BigBad: Of ''For The Man Who Has Everything'', and several other [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] arcs.

* NearVillainVictory: Came closer to killing Superman than any other [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] or [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] foe ever did, and was seconds away from delivering a killing blow when the Black Mercy interrupted him.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: While [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] Mongul was a definitive Superman villain, both Monguls I & II have become more associated with ComicBook/GreenLantern Post-Crisis. As of the ''New 52'' he's clashed with the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight in the pages of ''Superman/Batman'', and his ''Villains Month'' title has him facing the GL Corps.

** NighInvulnerability: Perhaps the only [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] villain who could survive blows from an enraged, Pre-Crisis Superman, let alone nearly defeat him in combat. Even after his power was scaled down Post-Crisis, it still took a hit from Neron to kill him.

[[Characters/SupermanCentralRoguesGallery Central Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/SupermanCyborgSuperman Cyborg-Superman]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]], [[Characters/DCComicsLobo Lobo]], [[Characters/SupermanMisterMxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk]], '''Mongul''', [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone Phantom Zone Criminals]] [[[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]]]) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]])\\

[[WMG:[[center:[-''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Superman}} Main Character Index]]'''\\

* GeniusBruiser: While Post-Crisis Mongul is arrogant and not particularly brilliant, the Pre-Crisis version was usually portrayed as an intelligent, if vain conqueror, who was more than capable of out-thinking his adversaries. See ''For The Man Who Has Everything'' for a good case study. The New 52 has him revert to type coming up with complex stratagems involving taking the natural bloodlust in humanity and turning it against the [[Franchise/{{Superman}} world's]] [[Franchise/{{Batman}} finest]] via video game as well as using ComicBook/{{Sinestro}}'s vindictive nature against him.

* HeManWomanHater: He makes a lot of comments to this effect during his battle with Franchise/WonderWoman--though he may just be doing it to screw with her.

* HumiliationConga: His last few Post-Crisis appearances. As noted above, his control of Warworld was usurped, and he was turned into Cyborg-Superman's abused lackey. Then he was defeated by Hal Jordan (despite his [[WeaksauceWeakness yellow skin]] giving him the edge), and not long after, by the rookie Franchise/GreenLantern, Kyle Rayner (To be fair, Kyle didn't have the yellow weakness). Soon after that, he was curb-stomped by a newly-upgraded [[Franchise/TheFlash Wally West]]. Finally, he was effortlessly beaten to death by the demon Neron.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Regularly gave one to Pre-Crisis Superman. Casually delivers one to Franchise/WonderWoman in ''For the Man Who Has Everything''. Post-Crisis Mongul received one from Neron, which eventually killed him.

-->'''Mongul:''' I'm unfamiliar with this planet's customs. Which of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} you]] [[Franchise/WonderWoman two]] is it polite to kill first?

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: While [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] Mongul was a definitive Superman villain, both Monguls I & II have become more associated with Franchise/GreenLantern Post-Crisis. As of the ''New 52'' he's clashed with the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight in the pages of ''Superman/Batman'', and his ''Villains Month'' title has him facing the GL Corps.

* FreudianExcuse: Just try growing up with Mongul as a father, being told that his father is the hero and the [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica dorks in bright colors]] are the evil villains keeping him from bringing the beauty of monstrous tyranny to the Universe. This doesn't justify dog shit of course, but it's at least an explanation. Also, a flashback to his childhood shows his father was just as much of a dick to him as he was to everyone else and flat out told him he didn't care about him at all.

* TheJuggernaut: Much like his father, he's a hulking brute who can take lumps from the likes of Superman and Franchise/WonderWoman and keep on swinging.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: First appeared in Franchise/{{Superman}}'s comics but has since become a foe to Green and Yellow Lanterns alike.

* EvilIsBigger: Mongul I is always enormous.

* TheHedonist: Mongul takes a lot of delight in spending time with his preferred activities to lustful levels. Much of his hedonism devices from a compulsion to satisfy his sadistic urges, which is why he holds gladiatorial games in Warworld so that he could find glee and comfort in watching combatants fight and kill each other viciously.

[[Characters/SupermanCentralRoguesGallery Central Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/SupermanCyborgSuperman Cyborg-Superman]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}, [[Characters/SupermanMisterMxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk]], '''Mongul''', [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone Phantom Zone Criminals]] [[[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]]]) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]])\\

* DiminishingVillainThreat: Like Killer Croc once was to Batman, Mongul used to be a monstrous foe who could pummel Superman into unconsciousness back during a time when that Superman could sneeze away solar systems and pull endless chains of planets and even when Superman was enraged, Mongul could take all his punishment and give it back just as good. Over time, however, Mongul has turned into just another big bruiser alien villain who, at best, can give a length brawl to Superman before being knocked out or, at worst, gets taken out easily in the span of one page. The only times he can even temporarily knock out Superman these days are those moments where Superman is distracted somehow. And that's not even getting into all the times Mongul and/or [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute his son Mongul Jr]] have been beaten up by Neron, Green Lantern, Flash, or Sinestro.

* FlatCharacter: Over the decades, many of DC's other supervillains have been given more depth and sympathetic qualities but Mongul has been given practically none in all these years, remaining as a cruel, alien villain who simply wants to make others suffer, conquer, and do things ForTheEvulz. This was directly lampshaded by Superman himself during [[ComicBook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis the Bendis run]] where Clark stated to himself in the narrative that being a ruthless conqueror who can't be reasoned with IS what Mongul is all about and that there's really nothing else to him so the only you can talk to him in his language is with your fists.

* EvilOverlord: Of any planet he overruns. These have included his own homeworld and Throneworld pre-Crisis, Warworld and an unnamed planet post-Crisis and finally Warworld along with countless thousands of other worlds (if he's to be believed) in New 52.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: Initially a dumb brute in Post-Crisis, his Rebirth version in ''[[ComicBook/SupermanPhillipKennedyJohnson Philip Kennedy Johnson's Superman run]]'' has seen him be depicted as a lot more smarter and craftier than his past depictions ever were.

* UndignifiedDeath: For a feared and powerful alien tyrant who was able to go toe-to-toe with and even infuriate Superman on a personal level, getting your neck snapped easily sure is a pathetic way to go out on. [[AssholeVictim Not that he deserved it]].

* ExpyCoexistence: As noted above Mongul is an expy of Thanos and lives in the same universe as Darkseid -- expect ''Thanos himself'' is a Darkseid expy.