The Spellbinder

The Spellbinder is a hypnosis-based villain from DC's Silver Age who debuted as a Batman foe, using his mastery of illusion and perceptual manipulation to confound his enemies — a threat capable enough to tangle with multiple Justice League-era heroes.

A hypnotic fixture of DC's Silver Age, The Spellbinder first materialized in the pages of Detective Comics in 1966, conjured by the creative team of John Broome and Sheldon Moldoff. This villain has kept remarkably distinguished company over the decades, sharing adventures with the likes of Robin, Dick Grayson, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Hawkman — a rogues-gallery résumé that speaks to a character woven into the broader fabric of the DC universe. Appearing across Detective Comics, Batman '66, and DC Comics Presents: The Teen Titans, The Spellbinder has persisted from the go-go Silver Age all the way through 2018 — a surprisingly durable run for a character well worth seeking out for fans who love the era's bold, visually inventive villainy.