Dr. Cobra

Dr. Cobra is a Golden Age villain who debuted in Will Eisner's The Spirit in 1940, making him one of the earliest antagonists to clash with the masked crimefighter Denny Colt alongside Commissioner Dolan and Ebony White.

Few villains can claim the distinction of facing off against The Spirit in the very pages that Will Eisner himself crafted, but Dr. Cobra earned that honor with a 1940 debut — making this a genuine Golden Age antagonist from one of comics' most celebrated creative minds. Born in the pages of the Register and Tribune Syndicate's The Spirit, Dr. Cobra keeps dangerous company, crossing paths with the masked crimefighter himself, Commissioner Dolan, and the inimitable Ebony White across appearances in The Spirit and Police Comics. With two key-issue appearances among a catalog presence that stretches all the way to 1982, this is a character whose footprint is small but whose pedigree is impeccable. For collectors who love the noir-drenched, wildly inventive world Eisner built, Dr. Cobra is exactly the kind of early menace worth tracking down.