History ComicBook / VandalSavage

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->''"Send me your superheroes from past, present'' '''OR''' ''future. I'll kill all of them."''
-->-- '''Vandal Savage,''' ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion'' Vol. 1, #2

Vandal Savage is a DC Comics super-villain created by writer Creator/AlfredBester and artist Martin Nodell. He first appeared in ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' Vol. 1, # 10 (Winter, 1943) as an enemy of Alan Scott, the Green Lantern of the GoldenAge. Since then, he has appeared across various DC Comics titles and clashed with individual superheroes and superhero teams.

Savage's history goes back to prehistoric times. Previously known as Vandar Adg (translated as Vandar The Stone) of the Cro-Magnon Blood Tribe, in 50,000 B.C. he encountered [[MagicMeteor a meteor]] that fell to Earth one cold night. Depending on the version of the character, he either [[Franchise/TheDCU lapsed into a coma from its radiations]] or [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse willingly slept near the meteor for warmth]]; either way, in the process, he was bathed in its rays and ended up as an immortal being.

Since then he has appeared throughout history under different aliases and in different positions of power among different empires, all to further his own aims of eventual global conquest. Due to his immortality, he's had several lifetimes to acquire great combat, military, tactical and leadership skills, and is vastly knowledgeable in the world's history, sciences, arts and technology--adding to this, in all versions of the character, the meteor's power also gave him SuperIntelligence. On top of that, he also possesses [[SuperStrength superior physical strength]] and endurance, [[HealingFactor can regenerate from almost all wounds,]] [[EvilSorcerer is versed in magic,]] and is able to [[VillainTeleportation create inter-dimensional warps.]]

He is the leader of the DC Universe's Illuminati and founder of the Fourth Reich and Tartarus, and has also been associated with the Secret Society of Super-Villains and the Injustice Society. He was also part of the inner circle of Libra's Society during ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''.

His primary archenemy is the Immortal Man, who also hails from the Cro-Magnon period and gained the power of repeated reincarnation from the same meteor Savage got his powers from. Following The Immortal Man's death, the title of archenemy for Savage went to the ComicBook/ResurrectionMan, an unrelated superhero with similar powers.

Savage has also fought against the Comicbook/TeenTitans, the [[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders Outsiders]], the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica and the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, and butted heads with individual heroes such as Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/TheFlash, ComicBook/GreenLantern, ComicBook/MartianManhunter, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, both versions of ComicBook/TheQuestion, [[ComicBook/BoosterGold Rip Hunter]] and ComicBook/TheRay.

Savage also appeared in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse's ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' series (voiced by Creator/PhilMorris), as the BigBad of the three-part episode "The Savage Time" and the two-part "Maid of Honor," and he also appeared in the second half of the two-part "Hereafter." He has also appeared in ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'' (voiced by Brian Talbot) and more recently he has appeared in the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' animated series (voiced by Creator/MiguelFerrer in the first two seasons and Creator/DavidKaye in ''Outsiders'') and the animated movie, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom'' (with Phil Morris reprising the role).

Savage made his first live-action appearance in the Series/ArrowVerse played by Casper Crump in a crossover between ''Series/TheFlash2014'' and ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' that set up his role as the BigBad for ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''.

He was ranked [[http://comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/36.html the 36th "Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time"]] by IGN in 2009.

[[AC:Some of the comic book titles where Vandal Savage has appeared:]]
* ''ComicBook/ActionComics''
* ''All-Star Comics''
* ''Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}''
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}: The Return Of Bruce Wayne''
* ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Vol. 1, #4''
* ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion''
* ''DC Universe Presents ... Savage''
* ''ComicBook/DemonKnights''
* ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics''
* ''{{Elseworlds}}''
** ''Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty''
** ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}''
** ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''
* ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''
* ''Franchise/TheFlash''
* ''Franchise/GreenLantern Vol. 1, #10''
* ''Guns of the Dragon''
* ''ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Vol. 3, #0''
* ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]''
* ''ComicBook/{{JSA}}''
* ''ComicBook/JSAClassified''
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational Vol. 2, #66''
* ''Justice League Task Force''
* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica''
* ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity''
** ''Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1''
* ''ComicBook/TheRay Vol. 2''
* ''ComicBook/ResurrectionMan''
* ''ComicBook/SalvationRun''
* ''ComicBook/SecretSix''
* ''Franchise/StarTrek[=/=]ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}''
* ''ComicBook/SwampThing Vol. 5''
* ''Time Masters''
* ''Titans''
* ''Villains United Vol. 1, #5, #6''
* ''ComicBook/ZeroHour Vol. 1, #4''

----
!!Tropes associated with Vandal Savage:

* AboveGoodAndEvil: Often claims to be this. In the {{Creator/Christopher Priest| Comics}}-penned stories, he even believes it, and behaves accordingly.
* AbusiveParents: He essentially threatened his daughter Scandal with the death of her teammates in the Secret Six if she didn't [[IWantGrandkids produce an heir for him]]. [[BerserkButton She did not take it well.]] He also admitted he's sired hundreds of children over the centuries and during those centuries he's never cared for a single one.
* AdaptationalHeroism: A half-measure in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Instead of a savage brute who turns to world domination more or less as a hobby, he is a KnightTemplar who wants world domination for a higher purpose (implied to be establishing Earth as a universal superpower and protecting it from alien incursions). He's still a murderous tyrant, but he sees himself as Earth's greatest hero. He is also shown to legitimately care about his children, but shows no hesitation in (quickly and painlessly) killing one when she unintentionally poses a threat to his plans.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy:
** In the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, even in the present day, he's less an EvilOverlord as he once was, and more a guy with [[WalkingTheEarth a lot of time on his hands]] who doesn't see any reason not to occasionally conquer places when he gets bored, particularly in ''ComicBook/DemonKnights'', ''DC Universe Presents'', and a brief appearance in ''ComicBook/SwampThing''. He's still evil, but he's much more personable. Thoroughly subverted in the ''New 52'' Franchise/{{Superman}} arc ''[[ComicBook/SupermanSavageDawn Savage Dawn]]'', where he's at his absolute worst.
** Same rules apply to the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' version, which might be the predecessor to this.
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: When he was manufacturing and distributing ''Velocity 9'', a drug that granted super-speed at the cost of burning out the user's body.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: He's generally been portrayed as Caucasian, but his skin tone has changed shades across various media, with ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom'' and ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' portraying him with something akin to a ScaryBlackMan appearance.[[note]] Though ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'''s Savage - who is a Neanderthal rather than Cro-Magnon - doesn't really resemble ''any'' contemporary human ethnic or racial group. He's far bigger and bulkier than any other human on the show, and though his facial features have a somewhat African cast, his skin is a light brown-gray color that no other character shares.[[/note]] It helps that he's of Cro-Magnon origin, and that Genghis Khan was said to be one of his conquering aliases in history.
* ApocalypseHow: Achieves it off-screen in the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter." [[PyrrhicVillainy He's not happy about it, however]], as this resulted in him being the single intelligent being on Earth for tens of ''[[TimeAbyss thousands of]]'' years without anyone to interact with except giant cockroaches ([[BlessedWithSuck And, since he's immortal, unable to commit suicide]]) until a time-traveling Superman showed up to keep him company. When offered the opportunity to send Superman back to the past in order to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, he gladly takes it.
* ArchEnemy: Primarily to the Immortal Man and later to the Resurrection Man, as explained above, but also arguably to [[Franchise/GreenLantern Alan Scott,]] [[Franchise/TheFlash Wally West,]] the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Titans.
* ArchnemesisDad: To his daughter Scandal.
* AristocratsAreEvil: His character design is clearly meant to evoke this, as whenever he's not the BadassInANiceSuit he's wearing some [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes stylish-yet-menacing outfit]] meant to evoke this (indeed, for most of his history he's been this exclusively, with the suits only really becoming a thing post-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'').
* ArtifactOfDoom: He's wielded a few, including TheSpearOfDestiny.
* TheAtoner: In the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter," [[IHatePastMe he sincerely regrets his past actions]].
-->'''Vandal Savage:''' ''(about Superman's "death" in the past)'' Your funeral was lovely. It was on all the networks. I used to have the DVD.\\
'''Superman:''' I'm glad you enjoyed it.\\
'''Vandal Savage:''' As a matter of fact, I did. But I've had 30,000 years to reconsider.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He learned a very long time ago that the two go hand-in-hand in the DC Universe, and it helps that he's been doing both since literally before the dawn of history.
* {{Autocannibalism}}: Having lost his immortality in one story, he restores it by eating a disfigured clone of himself.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Vandar Adg, his true name. Of course, Vandal Savage isn't a wimpy name either.
** In ''Franchise/StarTrek[=/=]ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' he still goes by the name Vandar Adg in the far future, which roughly translates as Vandar The Stone.
* AxCrazy: But he's cultured and intelligent enough that it's not obvious on the surface.
* BadBoss: He tends not to think much of his subordinates, which makes sense when you consider that for a character as old as he is, ordinary human beings might as well be mayflies.
* BadassBeard[=/=]BeardOfEvil[=/=]BeardOfBarbarism: He often (though not always) has a neat-trimmed beard and is definitely badass, evil, and (when he's feeling like it) barbaric.
* BadassBoast: See the page quote for just one example.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Picked up this style post-''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. It definitely works for him.
* BadassLongcoat: He's capable of being stylish if he's in the mood...
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' call Savage a caveman, at least not if you don't want to be beaten around like a red-headed stepchild. Tomcat (and Wildcat) learn this the hard way in JSA.
* BigBad: In most of the stories he appears in, most recently and prominently in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom''. One exception is the Fernus storyline in ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' (see EnemyMine below).
* BigEater: In ComicBook/TheRay's first run he was often shown eating big buckets of Clucky Chicken (the place Ray worked before Savage offered him a better job) and drinking liters of soda right from the bottle.
* {{BFG}}: In the ''Justice League'' episode "Maid of Honor," he used a meteorite-shooting rail gun mounted on a space station to terrorize the planet, and even gave an ocean-targeted demonstration to show he wasn't afraid to use it.
* BoisterousBruiser: Demon Knights Vandal is a wandering, violence-loving immortal who hasn't reached "world domination" stage yet. The result is basically Creator/BrianBlessed.
* BreakTheHaughty: The Fall and Rise of Vandal Savage Arc is one long one as Savage's immortality has apparently run out as a cancerous brain tumor is now killing him leaving him a handful days left to live. During that time he receives non-stop speech after speech about how awful he is, especially from his daughter Scandal who he actually tries to reconcile with, causing to him to rethink how badly things have gone in his immortal life. As a last hurrah, Savage devotes his final days towards getting revenge on an old enemy, Alan Scott, who beats him and leaves him to die after getting another speech on how Vandal has pretty much wasted his life being selfish and evil towards people of better character. Savage survives and maintains his immortality by eating a deformed clone of himself, but remains bitter and miserably alone.
* BreakThemByTalking: He's able to influence people just by words alone.
* {{Cain}}: In Franchise/TheDCU, Vandal is eventually revealed to be the man who inspired the story of "Cain". DependingOnTheWriter, Savage can be the ''real'' Cain who survived many centuries as well being [[IHaveManyNames one of his aliases]], all thanks to his {{immortality}}. [[spoiler:Of course, Vandal never met ''House of Mystery'''s Cain before.]]
* CannibalismSuperpower: He regenerates his powers, whenever they start showing signs of failing, by drinking his enemies' blood.
* TheCasanova: By his own admission, he's bedded countless women throughout the ages for the sole purpose of having [[GuineaPigFamily numerous descendants from whom he can harvest organs for himself when needed]].
* TheChessmaster: Not especially surprising, given how he predates the game of chess by tens of thousands of years.
* ClassicVillain: He hails from as far back as the Golden Age of Comic Books!
* ColdBloodedTorture: He's not afraid to indulge in this.
* CombatPragmatist: He's not above using anything within reach as a weapon.
* ContemplativeBoss: This is a staple of Creator/DCComics villain bosses (one even provides the trope's page image) so it's no surprise that Savage follows suit.
* ContemporaryCaveman: It's easy to forget he's from the Cro-Magnon period.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: One ''Justice League Task Force'' storyline portrays him this way.
** Played with in the Ray's book, where it's revealed he runs several companies (one of which he offers Ray a job at) but they're all entirely legitimate.
* CrazyPrepared: As only the oldest immortal on Earth can be. He has plans within plans within plans and probably more resources available to him than any other villain around. It's not often emphasized, but he probably would make Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor look like paupers in a raw by-the-numbers comparison.
* DaddysLittleVillain: He wants his daughter Scandal to be this, but she's not about to comply.
* DarkMessiah: To the Religion of Crime, who worship him as [[NameOfCain Cain]].
* DeadlyDoctor: By his own declaration, he conducted syphilis experiments on France's royal family while posing as their court physician.
** His ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' counterpart, Curtis Knox, proves to be this as well.
* DeadpanSnarker: And very gifted at it, too. For example, in the ''Justice League'' episode "Maid of Honor," when Wonder Woman's trying to crash his wedding to Princess Audrey:
--> '''Wonder Woman:''' Audrey, stop! I won't let you marry him! He's...\\
''(Savage shoots her with an energy bolt)''\\
'''Savage:''' ''(calmly re-holstering his gun)'' Does anyone else have any objection?
** Another example drawn from the episode "Hereafter," after Superman's arrived in the desolated future Earth and has met the future Savage:
---> '''Superman:''' You're insane.\\
'''Vandal Savage:''' True, but that doesn't mean I'm not good company. Say, you want to come over to my house?\\
'''Superman:''' ''(gives him a look)''\\
'''Vandal Savage:''' Like you've got something better to do.
** And later in the same episode:
---> '''Superman:''' Self-help books? You don't seem the type.\\
'''Vandal Savage:''' I read whatever I can find. Anyway, I've got issues, what with my destroying the Earth and all.
* DealWithTheDevil: He ''offers'' to make one with Neron in ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed'', offering up his soul to the archdemon in exchange for leaving Ray alone. When Neron isn't interested, Vandal tempts him with a "purer soul" in the first Atomic Skull (the one who thought he was a superhero) and asks for Ray to be spared as a "finder's fee." The smirking Neron agrees -- but only on the condition that Savage admits he loves the boy.
* DeathByIrony: In ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion'', it's posited that after having lived to the 853rd century, Savage goes back in time to the 20th-century Montevideo, Uruguay just in time to get smacked with [[BigBulkyBomb a nuclear payload]] that obliterates the city... the irony is, that attack is ordered by 20th-century Savage.
* DeathIsCheap: Being immortal does have its perks.
* {{Determinator}}: He just will not stay defeated or dead.
* DelusionsOfEloquence: He attempts to act cultured and sophisticated to hide from others the fact he is still the same cannibalistic monstrous caveman he has been over the centuries.
* DiabolicalMastermind: One of the very first in DC Comics and still to this day one of the best and most iconic, even if he tends to get second billing to the likes of Lex Luthor or even Ra's Al-Ghul.
* DisappearedDad: Is this to most of his progeny and has been since at least the Dark Ages, as ''Demon Knights'' gives him an amusing (and satisfying) HumiliationConga storyline where he gets captured and held prisoner by a tribe of feral children... who are ''all'' his. Ironically, centuries later in the modern day Savage became a surrogate father figure to the Ray in place of ''his'' Disappeared Dad.
* DoNotCallMePaul: As one of the few beings alive who knows Savage's birth name, Neron calls him by nothing else. Savage is shown to be annoyed (but not particularly surprised) by it.
* DoomsdayDevice: He loves these. In the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter," for example, he used a gravity-manipulating device that upset the balance of the solar system and ''wiped out the entire human race as a result''.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In Vandal Savage's debut appearance, the date the meteor came down to earth was 1,000,000 BC rather than 50,000 BC.
* EnemyMine: On at least two occasions.
** In one ''JLA'' storyline, he had to team up with the Justice League to stop [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Fernus]] [[EldritchAbomination the]] [[MeaningfulName Burning]], J'onn J'onzz's SuperpoweredEvilSide.
** In ''Justice League Task Force'' Savage and the JLTF team up to stop someone threatening his company. Between a GambitPileup and Savage's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, the Task Force soon lose track of whether they're still on the same side or not...
* TheEmperor: Became Emperor of the Imperial Planets, a ''very'' powerful version of [[TheEmpire The Terran Empire]] from Franchise/StarTrek, after somehow [[spoiler: ''[[CapturedSuperEntity trapping Q]]''.]]
* EvilChancellor: He's served as an adviser to Erik the Red, UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, and ComicBook/RasAlGhul.
* EvilCounterpart: To the Immortal Man, and later to the Resurrection Man.
* EvilGenius: A downplayed example compared to the likes of Lex Luthor, but the meteor Vandar Adg was exposed to heightened his intelligence, and... well, let's just say that ''anyone'' could be an Evil Genius given fifty thousand years of time to learn and grow.
* EvilMentor: Another trope played with in the Ray's book, where Vandal certainly ''looks'' like he's angling to play this role. Ironically, he ends up being a nearly entirely positive influence in Ray's life.
* EvilPlan: Take over the world and stay immortal.
* EvilSorcerer: He'll dabble in magic if it'll suit his purposes.
* EvilVsEvil: With ComicBook/LexLuthor in ''ComicBook/TheBlackRing''.
* EvolutionaryStasis: Despite being born millennia in the past, Vandal still looks identical to modern ''Homo sapiens''. An easy HandWave for this is that Vandal is probably a common ancestor for most of humanity by this point, but the point still stands.
* ExpositionOfImmortality: In addition to his origin as Cro-Magnon caveman, Vandal's maintained a variety of identities in concert with several historical figures; advising William of Normandy during his invasion of England, UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte as Marshall Savage, and Otto von Bismarck as the Baron von Savage. He claims that he ''was'' Alexander The Great, UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan and UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper - though he's also claimed to have [[UnreliableNarrator participated in Caesar's murder and to have BEEN Caesar]].
** If he was Caesar and history records Caesar as dead, he could have had a hand in Caesar's "death".
* {{Expy}}: The character of Dr. Curtis Knox in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is likely based on Savage. See [[http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/828/828674p1.html here]] and [[http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Curtis_Knox here.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: Savage (who, having been alive since caveman days, is ''a little bit more'' than ReallySevenHundredYearsOld) has often acted quite genteel towards Earth's heroes. He also had an unsatisfactory minion for dinner with some of his colleagues and other subordinates. Sorry, he had the minion ''as'' dinner. He's an unabashedly cannibalistic sociopath who is surprisingly persuasive. Not actually likable, but still fairly persuasive, if only through the controversial "agree or I burn your parents alive" technique.
* ForTheEvulz: Savage's reason for joining Libra's Society in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''? He was ''bored.''
* ForWantOfANail: [[spoiler:If Rip Hunter hadn't mistaken Savage's father for Savage himself...]]
* FromASingleCell: He can be physically injured and could conceivably be killed, but his HealingFactor takes care of whatever injury he might sustain (though how quickly it does depends on the severity of the injury). He is also susceptible to infections and disease (he suffers a brain tumor at one point, but he gets better).
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Once upon a time, Vandal Savage was Vandar Adg, who in turn was just one of many Cro-Magnon cavemen trying to survive.
* GadgeteerGenius: A mild example, as he doesn't have the inborn knack of most characters of this type, but has picked up enough to qualify over his very long life.
* GeniusBruiser: The genius part is obvious, but he's also a ''very'' dangerous hand-to-hand combatant.
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* AGlassOfChianti: One comic, in which Savage is shown holding a glass of wine in one hand, reveals that he is ''such'' a connoisseur of fine wines that he can identify the vineyard and vintage of a particular bottle [[RuleOfCool just by the sound it makes when poured into a glass]]. That image of him with the wine glass previously provided the image for this page.
* GlovedFistOfDoom: In ''Justice League Unlimited's'' story arc "The Savage Time" he defends himself with one of these. It's a piece of SchizoTech provided to him by ThoseWackyNazis.
* AGodAmI: He declares it to Green Lantern in the ''Justice League'' episode "The Savage Time":
--> '''Green Lantern:''' Say your prayers, Savage!
--> '''Vandal Savage:''' A god doesn't grovel.
* GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel: In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' series, Savage sends information to his past self (including plans for superweapons) specifically so he could usurp the power of Nazi Germany from Hitler, and conquer the world using the Axis forces, making it an InvokedTrope.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: He has three scars across his face in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. WordOfGod mentions that he gained these during a fight with a cave bear, which would eventually be shown in the third season.
* GuineaPigFamily: He uses his own descendants for [[{{Squick}} spare parts]] to heal himself and maintain his immortality.
* HealingFactor: A side-effect of his powers.
* HeroKiller: He once set up Wally West to fall into a DeathTrap that resulted in Wally getting shot through the heart (he got better).
* HistoricalRapSheet: He claims to have been many historical figures including UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler, UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}} and UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper. He was also an advisor to many famous conquering, and may have either been Julius Caesar or participated in Caesar's murder, depending on which version of the story you believe.
* IWantGrandkids: He has pressured his daughter Scandal to provide him with grandchildren. She refuses because (a) he likely wants them simply as a GuineaPigFamily, and (b) she's a lesbian anyway.
* TheIlluminati: He's the leader of the DC Comics version.
* ImAHumanitarian: He's described by ComicBook/LexLuthor as quite possibly being the first cannibal on record.
* ImmortalityHurts: He often drinks alcohol or takes drugs like opium to dull the pain of his intestinal cancer, which he had at the time he gained his immortality. His HealingFactor keeps it from killing him, but makes it impossible to remove.
* ImmortalityImmorality: At 50,000 years old, Vandal Savage is one of the oldest beings on Earth and is responsible for an ''astonishing'' range of sins, even personally inventing more than a few.
* ImmortalityPromiscuity: Has had a lot of descendants, partly [[TimeAbyss because of his age]] but partly because he ReallyGetsAround. One of his identities was UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, who had several hundred kids minimum. This also serves a practical purpose [[GuineaPigFamily as harvesting their organs sustains his immortality]].
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: He makes a Victorian-era outfit look good in the 20th century.
* ItAmusedMe: The primary motivation for his constant attempts to TakeOverTheWorld in the present day, as thanks to his TimeAbyss he's ''long'' since cycled through [[VisionaryVillain all]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans the]] [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans other]] [[AmbitionIsEvil usual]] [[AGodAmI reasons]] for villains of this type to attempt this. Savage truly ''has'' SeenItAll, and in the present day he only acts for two reasons: to see if he can do something (rare, because usually he not only can but already has), or this.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In ''Dark Knight Dynasty'', he has spent at least thirteen centuries killing members of the Wayne family to stop them interfering in his own efforts to acquire the meteorite that gave him his powers because he ''believes'' it will teach him the reason why he became immortal, ignoring the simpler explanation that it's just a fluke. By the twenty-fifth century, he's willing to destroy all of Gotham to give him the chance to retrieve the meteorite.
* {{Jerkass}}: Quite possibly the kindest thing anyone can ever say about this man.
* JokerImmunity: As if being immortal wasn't bad enough...
* JuliusBeethovenDaVinci: UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar, UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}}, UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler, UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, [[Literature/TheBible Cain]] the first murderer, and countless more.
** Parodied in the 1991 ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'' miniseries, when he claims he was Cheops. Reincarnated pharaoh ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} isn't impressed.
--->'''Hawkman''': The liar! He was never Cheops! What a blowhard!
** It's revealed in ''Franchise/StarTrek[=/=]ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' that in the main ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' timeline, he's none other than [[FridgeBrilliance Mr.]] [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Flint Flint,]] the old immortal soldier who [[ForWantOfANail at some point in ancient Mesopotamia]] had a HeelFaceTurn away from conquest and towards art and science, and so never became the conqueror Vandal Savage is. Instead, he had the identities of thinkers, visionaries and artists throughout history: Socrates, Solomon, Alexander The Great ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation again]]) and Creator/LeonardoDaVinci.
** The Blackbeard example above is worth further mention, since Edward Teach (the actual historical Blackbeard) was shown to exist in pre-''[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]]'' continuity. Whether this is another case of Savage lying like with Cheops, or whether the ''Crisis'' switch resulted in him overwriting Edward Teach as Blackbeard, is never really made clear. He's definitely the one true Blackbeard on ''ComicBook/Earth2'', though.
* KarmaHoudini: Thanks to his immortality. ComicBook/TheSpectre finds this outrageous and just wants Vandal to be mortal ''once'' so he can unleash some CoolAndUnusualPunishment on him.
* KickTheDog: Oh, where to start...
* KnifeNut: He's fond of bladed weapons. In fact, he's said to have terrorized London as Jack the Ripper.
* LargeHam: His DCAU incarnation has traces of this.
* LightIsNotGood: His doomsday cult in the "Finish Line" story arc in ''The Flash''. [[spoiler:And the aptly-named "The Light" in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''.]]
* LightningBruiser: Savage is a very large man, almost but not quite freakishly large (which is a case of ArtisticLicense, as cro-magnon's were slightly shorter than modern homo sapiens on average) but he can move with the best of them. At one point he claims to have trained in every fighting style known to man.
* LikeASonToMe: He eventually comes to see Ray Terrill as this, even if he can't bring himself to tell him.
* LivingForeverIsAwesome: He certainly enjoys being immortal, and takes steps to ensure he stays that way. Which makes his [[WhoWantsToLiveForever moods of weariness]] all the more hypocritical. The only time he's ever truly felt WhoWantsToLiveForever was in the animated Justice League, when he trapped himself in a hell of his own creation for 30,000 years because he wiped out every intelligent being on Earth.
--> "[[HeelRealization I deserved to be punished]]."
* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/GreenArrow Roy Harper, a.k.a. Arsenal]], is one of his blood descendants]]. Means less than it might for a shorter-lived villain. Even putting aside the time-spans involved and his tendency to have several sexual partners at any given time, one of his more confirmed personas is Genghis Khan, making him a blood ancestor of most of Eurasia's population.
** Eurasia, nothing. Given his tendency to bed down with the nearest willing woman (and being rather good at convincing them to do so), combined with the sheer amount of time he's been alive, he's probably an ancestor to a significant percentage of the ''entire world population''.
** In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', he's revealed to be the first Meta-Human to ever live, his DNA having been altered by his exposure to the meteorite that made him immortal. Every Meta-Human on Earth inherited the meta-gene from him.
* MadScientist: He's dabbled in cloning and has created an addictive super-speed-granting drug, for starters.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: His daughter Scandal.
* ManBehindTheMan: When he's not being the BigBad openly, he's working behind the scenes to achieve his ends. Also see the VisionaryVillain quote below.
** In ''Dark Knight Dynasty'', he is single-handedly responsible for the deaths of thirteen generations of the Wayne family because they interfered with his plans; Brenna Wayne (the Wayne who opposes his plans in the twenty-fifth century) assumed that she was dealing with a conspiracy.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: In a character as mutable as Savage is, this is a rare constant. Pretty much all his incarnations, from apathetic immortal to maniacal conqueror, feature his impeccable taste as a cornerstone of his personality.
* ManipulativeBastard: A mixture of TheCharmer and TheSpock subtypes. He puts his well-honed charisma to work when manipulating potential allies, while with enemies he just tends to go full [[BatmanGambit Batman]] on them.
* MasterPoisoner: Did this to the king of Kasnia in the ''Justice League'' episode "Maid of Honor."
* MeaningfulName: Self-explanatory.
* MoralityPet: Ray Terrill's Ray served as one for him for a while. Savage came to view Ray almost like a son, and would fight off other super villains to protect him. He even offered his soul to the Devil in place of Ray's in what's probably his biggest PetTheDog moment to date.
* MyGrandsonMyself: In the ''Justice League'' episode "Maid of Honor," he claims to be Vandal Savage '''III''' -- the grandson of the Vandal Savage the Justice League met in "The Savage Time." Of course, Franchise/WonderWoman doesn't buy it.
* NameOfCain: The Religion of Crime worship him as the reincarnation of the Biblical first murderer, and ComicBook/LexLuthor says there is evidence that Vandal was the first cannibal.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Well, with a name like '''Vandal Savage,''' what else would you expect?
** NonIndicativeName: On the other hand, he's a lot more cool, calculating, and decisive than the brutish implications his name suggests.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Throughout history, he would periodically fake his death and assume a new identity and/or role whenever he saw that his then-current plans were about to fail.
* NighInvulnerability: Thanks to his HealingFactor, to the point that not even ''dropping a meteor on him'' will keep him down.
* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: Not usually, but if he feels good enough, he is known to be chummy with at least some of his enemies, sometimes inviting them for good old fashioned wine and fancy foods.
* NonActionBigBad: Most iterations of the character outside of the comics are much more schemers than fighters. Comics Savage, on the other hand, is always up for a brawl.
* ObviouslyEvil: He's a large, menacing presence, dresses in anything that evokes AristocratsAreEvil, and is almost always sporting some manner of PsychoticSmirk. It's safe to say he qualifies.
* OhCrap: Gives a very impressive one right before his jet crashes into the ocean in the ''Justice League'' episode "The Savage Time." He later inspires this reaction in Kasnia's Princess Audrey in "Maid of Honor," by demonstrating his HealingFactor right after she slaps him and leaves a nasty scratch on his face in the process.
* OmnicidalManiac: During his most villainous moments he has affected this over-the-top demeanor.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: [[spoiler:"The Light" in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', of which he may be the leader or at least the ''Primus Inter Pares'' of the group]].
* PalsWithJesus: Savage isn't friends with Jesus, but he ''is'' friends with the other guy -- or rather, Neron, since the latter was retconned into being "merely" a very high-ranking demon. But as Neron was being sold as the devil at the time of his meeting Savage, this trope still counts.
** He also brags about having known the actual Jesus, telling Ray in a Christmas note that "FYI -- Today was not his birthday. I know. I was there." While this ''could'' just be more of his blowharding like with Cheops above, Savage ''is'' old enough for it, and he's actually correct about Christmas not being the true birthday of Jesus.
* PapaWolf: In 2005's ''Villains United'' he took Lex Luthor ([[spoiler:or rather, an interdimensional doppelganger of Lex]]) hostage to force him to call the Society off of its massive manhunt of the ComicBook/SecretSix. He cared nothing for five of the Six, of course, but the sixth was his daughter, Scandal Savage.
* PetTheDog: Genuinely cares for Ray Terrill (the second Ray), going so far as to offer his own soul in exchange for Neron leaving Ray alone. It's not an isolated incident, either; he's an almost entirely positive influence in Ray's life, encouraging and enabling him to live up to his potential, up to and including giving Ray a high-paying (and ethically ok) job in the field he's most qualified for. Part of the irony of the book is that Savage is actually a better father figure than Ray's true father, an actual superhero.
* ThePlan: A master of this in all its forms, having had over five hundred centuries to perfect the art.
* PowerCreepPowerSeep: The efficacy of Savage's immortality varies from story to story and writer to writer. Most of the time he has near-CompleteImmortality, being TheAgeless and having a very powerful HealingFactor, but sometimes said healing factor is much weaker and he is written as being dependent on the regular consumption of organs harvested from members of his bloodline to sustain himself.
* ThePurge: Once organised one to get rid of all the living relatives of superheroes. It did manage to kill some of them, including Mister America, and most of Captain Steel's family, but it also created the new Citizen Steel in the process.
* PuttingOnTheReich: Several times throughout history in whichever medium he appears, including usurping UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler to take command of the Axis powers in the ''Justice League'' episode "The Savage Time."
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: He's definitely not shy of this considering he's been at it since his caveman days. Before he hooked up with his daughter Scandal's mother in her Brazilian home village, he conscripted the men into his army and raped the women. He also once threatened a female underling with this as punishment for failing to capture Arsenal.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: One of the few villains who has ever gotten the better of Savage in wordplay is Libra, the MouthOfSauron villain from ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', as seen in this exchange:
--> '''Libra:''' I don't want to take your place at all, please... But people ''have'' been waiting 50,000 years for Vandal Savage to crush civilization beneath his bootheel. [[SoLastSeason Excuse me if I... heh... stifle a yawn]].
--> '''Vandal Savage:''' [[SuddenlySHOUTING I AM NOT AVERSE TO THE TASTE OF HUMAN FLESH, SIR]]!
--> '''Libra:''' Spoken like a ''true'' gentleman.
* ReligionOfEvil: During the "Finish Line" storyline in Franchise/TheFlash Vol. 2, he creates a cult dedicated to the re-summoning of the meteor that gave him his powers in the first place.
** He's also been associated with the Religion of Crime, who used TheSpearOfDestiny in a ritual to have him receive the Mark of Cain.
* {{Sadist}}: Perhaps one of the most sadistic and monstrous of all the other DC villains, only rivaling said sadism with the likes of ComicBook/TheJoker. He takes full pleasure in committing whatever hideous atrocity he could possibly find, or even invent.
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: One story has Savage seemingly losing his immortality due to a unidentified enemy secretly tracking down and murdering his every single descendant. Considering Ghenghis Khan alone, one of his old identities, is thought to have descendants numbering in the hundreds of thousands, that's an impressive feat.
** WritersCannotDoMath: With as old as Savage is, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that ''every human alive'' has him in their family tree if you dig back far enough. It's estimated that a sixth of all people alive are descended from Ghenghis Khan, and not just because he slept around a lot. Every generation back you double the number of ancestors you have (excluding incest, but that's rare enough to be insignificant, noble families included). Twenty generations ago there were over a million people who are your ancestors. Given the average length of a generation and Vandal Savage's age... If you live in Franchise/TheDCU, it's quite probable that Vandal Savage is in your family tree more than once.
** While it's never stated explicitly, it's very likely that Savage needs to consume or transplant the organs and flesh of close relatives, as after so many generations, normal people that are descended from him would be to dissimilar to count.
* SeenItAll: Having lived as long as he has, in a universe as bizarre as the DC universe can get, this does tend to happen. His ''Demon Knights'' iteration was overjoyed to see a pirate sea serpent, something he'd never seen before, nor [[ARareSentence exclaimed about]].
* SocialDarwinist: Several times.
* SocietyMarchesOn: In his first appearance, Savage abruptly learns that he will need a birth certificate to pass a background check for a government position, something he has never needed before and has no idea how to get. He resorts to stealing Doiby Dickles' certificate, attracting the attention of Alan Scott.
* TheSociopath: Being as old as he is, Savage places very little value on human life and lives primarily for any cause or deed that can stimulate him.
* SoftSpokenSadist: When he is not hammy or acting like a regular super villain, Savage can actually be terrifyingly calm, which only makes him more menacing and awesome. ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' particularly portrays him like this.
* SoleSurvivingScientist: He ends up a sole surviving scientist in the episode "Hereafter" from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''.
* StrawMisogynist: Being an age-old caveman who lived through and possibly led notably patriarchal cultures across human history, Vandal is notably misogynistic and quite dismissive or abusive towards women unless they serve a means to him that include being used as sexual playthings or pawns.
* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Almost literally the case in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. His exposure to the meteorite in ancient times not only granted him immortality and other physical and mental enhancements, it also altered his very DNA. He's the first Meta-Human, and the meta-gene that all other Meta-Humans possess was inherited from him.
* SuperStrength: Consistently maintains a baseline level of this.
* SupremeChef: Demonstrated in the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter."
* TakeOverTheWorld: Usually the focus of whatever his current EvilPlan is. Being as old as he is, he's actually done it before in the past, only for the world to [[SocietyMarchesOn outgrow him]] and for him to have to start all over again. Aside from his [[AdaptationalHeroism New 52 and alternate-future self]] in the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter," where he's TheAtoner instead.
** And the partial exception of his Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes 'main Star Trek timeline' incarnation (Flint), which did a heel-face turn at some point in ancient Mesopotamia. He was still Alexander the Great, but otherwise Flint appears to have focused much more on art and science than Vandal Savage (culminating in quitting Earth and setting up shop on a remote planetoid to live in peace).
** In Franchise/StarTrek[=/=]ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}, he takes care of ''that'' around 100 BC, [[spoiler: using the power of [[CapturedSuperEntity the captive Q]]]]. And since one planet is never enough, he goes on to expand.
* TakingYouWithMe: In ''Dark Knight Dynasty'', he basically does this when fighting Bruce Wayne in orbit outside a space shuttle, sending himself and Bruce back into Earth's atmosphere while they're both only in spacesuits, Bruce being burnt to a skeleton while Savage regenerates after a few days.
* TimeAbyss: Although he [[OlderThanTheyLook appears to be]] in his late 30s to mid-40s.
* TooKinkyToTorture: In ''Demon Knights'', and very occasionally elsewhere.
* TopOneHundredComicBookVillains: Number 36, as stated above.
* TranquilFury: In ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica (v3), when Tomcat [[BerserkButton calls him a caveman]].
* {{Ubermensch}}: To borrow a quote from the ''Justice League'' episode "The Savage Time":
--> '''Vandal Savage:''' Who would have thought the ''ubermensch'' would be green?
--> '''ComicBook/MartianManhunter:''' ''Ubermensch?''
--> '''Vandal Savage:''' The superior man.
* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: His daughter, Scandal Savage, who is a member of the Secret Six.
* TheUnfettered: His philosophy boils down to the idea that because he's been around longer than pretty much everyone else, he gets a free pass to do whatever the hell he wants.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: ''Sweet'' might be the wrong word for it, but Savage was '''definitely''' more social and jovial during the ''Demon Knights'' series, which took place during the Dark Ages and featured Savage as a member of the team of titular antiheroes.
* VillainousBreakdown: Had one that lasted for a few issues (''ComicBook/JSAClassified'' #10-13) when he discovered he was dying of a brain tumor that his HealingFactor couldn't fix. During his breakdown, he suddenly understood why normal people are so desperate to stave off death. He got better after he ate his own disfigured clone to fix the problem.
** Has another when [[TheKirk Kirk]] gives him a piece of his mind.
* VillainousBSOD: During the ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil'' storyline the immortal wanderer Pandora came to Savage with her titular box, hoping to get him to open it since the box could only be opened by someone 100% good or 100% evil (she'd already tried Superman, who she believed to be 100% good). Savage was unable to open the box, and collapsed weeping (whether he was weeping because of his failure or because the box made him remember the small pang of conscience left within him is left for the reader to decide).
* VillainRespect: In ''Dark Knight Dynasty'', Savage often expresses an admiration for the Wayne family, to the extent that he saved Thomas and Martha Wayne from the mugging that killed them in most other continuities, although this doesn't stop him killing them when they interfere with his plans.
* VillainTeleportation
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He'll play this card if it will suit his purposes; in such a case, only superheroes and the reading/viewing audience are completely aware of what sort of individual he actually is.
** The ''Justice League'' episode "Maid of Honor" is an immediate example of him milking the trope.
** In the early 1980s, Savage emigrated from his original Earth-Two to Earth-One so that he could take advantage of this. It worked until he decided to make Superman a HeroWithBadPublicity and the Man of Steel tricked him into an EngineeredPublicConfession.
* VisionaryVillain: As he says in volume 3, issue 3 of ''Justice Society of America'':
--> I am not a caveman. I am a visionary. [[ManBehindTheMan A veteran and orchestrator of every significant war mankind has ever had]]. And I will continue to shape the world for the war of tomorrow. My tomorrow.
* WeAreEverywhere: Savage has operatives everywhere, especially through the Illuminati.
* [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude Who Names Their Daughter Scandal?]]: And apparently this is a mark of ''favor'' in his books, as Savage has had at least thousands of children and to date Scandal is the only one we know of that he stuck around for even long enough to give a name.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: There are hints at times that he's rather world-weary. In the ''Justice League'' episode "Hereafter," he's had 30,000 years to be TheAtoner, indicating this trope's spirit when he appears in person in the episode.
* WickedCultured: One of the most Cultured [[ManOfWealthAndTaste Men of Wealth and Taste]] characters in the entirety of the DCU.
* WorthyOpponent: Has quite a few. When he finally kills Resurrection Man for good in ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion'', he says, "Goodbye, old friend."
* WouldHitAGirl: And he has.
* WouldHurtAChild: Yes, he would, whether to [[GuineaPigFamily upgrade his own immortality]] or to [[HeroKiller murder a superhero]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness
* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:Rip Hunter did, in an attempt to kill Savage before he became immortal]].
----

--> '''Libra:''' I don't want to take your place at all, please... But people ''have'' been waiting 50,000 years for Vandal Savage to crush civilization beneath his bootheel. [[SoLastSeason Excuse me if I]]... heh... [[SoLastSeason stifle a yawn]].

* AdaptationalHeroism: A half-measure in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Instead of a savage brute who turns to world domination more or less as a hobby, he is a KnightTemplar who wants world domination for a higher purpose (implied to be establishing Earth as a universal superpower and protecting it from alien incursions). He sees himself as Earth's greatest hero. He's still a murderous tyrant. He is also shown to legitimately care about his children, but shows no hesitation in (quickly and painlessly) killing one when she unintentionally poses a threat to his plans.

* LivingForeverIsAwesome: He certainly enjoys being immortal, and takes steps to ensure he stays that way. Which makes his [[WhoWantsToLiveForever moods of weariness]] all the more hypocritical. The only time he's ever truly felt WhoWantsToLiveForever was in the animated Justice League, when he trapped himself in a hell of his own creation for 30000 years because he wiped out every intelligent being on Earth.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vandal_savage_5.png]]

* AmbiguouslyBrown: He's generally been portrayed as Caucasian, but his skin tone has changed shades across various media, with ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom'' and ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' portraying him with something akin to a ScaryBlackMan appearance.[[note]] Though ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'''s Savage - who is a Neanderthal rather than Cro-Magnon - doesn't really resemble ''any'' contemporary human ethnic or racial group. He's far bigger and bulkier than any other human on the show, and though his facial features have a somewhat African cast, his skin is a light brown-gray color that no other character shares.[[/note]] It helps that he's of Cro-Magnon origin, and that Genghis Khan (who was of Mongoloid ancestry) was said to be one of his conquering aliases in history.

* IWantGrandkids: He has pressured his daughter Scandal to provide him with grandchildren. She refuses because (a) he likely wants them simply as a GuineaPigFamily, and (b) she's a lesbian anyway.

** WritersCannotDoMath: With as old as Savage is, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that ''every human alive'' has him in their family tree if you dig back far enough. It's estimated that a sixth of all people alive are descended from Ghengs Khan, and not just because he slept around a lot. Every generation back you double the number of ancestors you have (excluding incest, but that's rare enough to be insignificant, noble families included). Twenty generations ago there were over a million people who are your ancestors. Given the average length of a generation and Vandal Savage's age... If you live in Franchise/TheDCU, it's quite probable that Vandal Savage is in your family tree more than once.

* VillainousBreakdown: Had one that lasted for a few issues (''JSA: Classified'' #10-13) when he discovered he was dying of a brain tumor that his HealingFactor couldn't fix. During his breakdown, he suddenly understood why normal people are so desperate to stave off death. He got better after he ate his own disfigured clone to fix the problem.

* VillainousBreakdown: Had one that lasted for a few issues (''JLA Classified'' #10-13) when he discovered he was dying of a brain tumor that his HealingFactor couldn't fix. During his breakdown, he suddenly understood why normal people are so desperate to stave off death. He got better after he ate his own disfigured clone to fix the problem.

* VillainousBreakdown: Had one that lasted for a few issues when he discovered he was dying of a brain tumor that his HealingFactor couldn't fix. During his breakdown, he suddenly understood why normal people are so desperate to stave off death. He got better after he ate his own disfigured clone to fix the problem.

** In ''Franchise/StarTrek[=/=]ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' he still goes by the name Vandar Adg in the far future, which roughly translates as [[AwesomeMcCoolname Vandar The Stone]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Maid of Honor", he marries the Crown Princess of Kaznia, Audrey. After their wedding, she's shown waking up in bed wearing nothing but a skimpy nightgown, and is confused when she looks to the other side of the bed and sees Vandal isn't there, making it entirely clear that he consummated his union with her.

* TakeThat: One of the few villains who has ever gotten the better of Savage in wordplay is Libra, the MouthOfSauron villain from ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', as seen in this exchange:
--> '''Libra:''' I don't want to take your place at all, please... But people ''have'' been waiting 50,000 years for Vandal Savage to crush civilization beneath his bootheel. [[SoLastSeason Excuse me if I]]... heh... [[SoLastSeason stifle a yawn]].
--> '''Vandal Savage:''' [[SuddenlySHOUTING I AM NOT AVERSE TO THE TASTE OF HUMAN FLESH, SIR]]!
--> '''Libra:''' Spoken like a ''true'' gentleman.

Since then he has appeared throughout history under different aliases and in different positions of power among different empires, all to further his own aims of eventual global conquest. Due to his immortality, he's had several lifetimes to acquire great combat, military, tactical and leadership skills, and is vastly knowledgeable in the world's history, sciences, arts and technology--adding to this, in all versions of the character, the meteor's power also gave him SuperIntelligence. He possesses [[SuperStrength superior physical strength]] and endurance, [[HealingFactor can heal from most wounds,]] [[EvilSorcerer is versed in magic,]] and is able to [[VillainTeleportation create inter-dimensional warps.]]