Byth

Byth Rok is a cunning criminal from the planet Thanagar, renowned across his world as its greatest thief. His illegal use of a shape-shifting drug called Illium 349 gave him the power to transform into any creature, making him a formidable foe for the Hawk-Police.

Few villains can claim the distinction of launching a legend — but Byth did exactly that, debuting in The Brave and the Bold #34 in 1961, the very issue that introduced Silver Age Hawkman to the world, making this DC antagonist a genuine piece of comics history with three key-issue appearances to their name. Created by the legendary Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, Byth has cast a long shadow across more than five decades of comics, surfacing in Hawkworld, Hawkman, and beyond, right up to 2016. Throughout those years, Byth has kept remarkable company — sharing pages with Hawkman, Katar Hol, Shayera Thal, Batman, and Bruce Wayne — a rogues'-gallery résumé that speaks to the character's persistent place in DC's cosmic and superhero tapestry. For collectors who love tracing the roots of the Silver Age, Byth is a name worth knowing.