Kirt Niedrigh

Kirt Niedrigh, also known as Absorbancy Boy, was rejected from the Legion of Super-Heroes despite his power to absorb and replicate other metahumans' abilities. Bitter over his exclusion, he became one of the Legion's adversaries, eventually operating under the villainous identity Earth-Man.

A deep-cut DC treasure for the true Legion devotee, Kirt Niedrigh made his catalog debut in 1988's Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes — fittingly introduced through a reference work, as if the universe itself wanted to make sure fans knew he existed. Across a publishing history stretching from the Copper Age into the Modern era, he surfaces in titles like Adventure Comics and DC Universe: Legacies, rubbing shoulders with luminaries including Green Lantern, Supergirl, and The Flash. With only a handful of appearances to his name, Kirt is the kind of rare, specialized find that rewards the collector who goes digging beyond the headliners — a small but genuine piece of the vast, rich tapestry of DC's future history.