Vandal Savage is immortal, [1] and has plagued the earth with crime and violence since before the beginning of recorded human history. He is a brilliant tactician with immense technological prowess. He is one of DC's most persistent villains and has fought hundreds of heroes throughout history. In 2009, Vandal Savage was ranked as IGN's 36th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. [2] Dr. Curtis Knox has been alive for millennia. He has fought warriors from the Mayan culture, a civilization which reached its height between 250 and 900 AD. The Maya were still a viable empire during the time of the conquistadors, which may be when Knox encountered them. He also fought in the Crusades which lasted from the 11th to the 13th century.

Aliens once again threaten the Earth, but with the Justice League split and scattered, only Earth's first and greatest hero can save us!In his debut story, Vandal Savage has pointed ears, possibly demonic ears, but this is not seen again in subsequent stories. Vandal Savage manipulates the Green Lantern and his secret identity Alan Scott into helping his schemes, later revealing he knows they are the same person. Vandal Savage explains that he is "one million years old" and was once a Cro-Magnon man who was the chief of his tribe. When a meteor exploded above him, strange gases affected him. He was left in a comatose state for months, then woke up as an immortal "barring accidents", no longer aging but still vulnerable to injury. Savage does not reveal his original name to the Green Lantern, but claims that over the years he has lived under many identities, including an ancient king of Sumer, the Egyptian architect Cheops, Julius Caesar, and Genghis Khan. When he realized he could still die from injury, he decided to no longer act as a public man of power and instead would serve as an advisor to powerful leaders such as Napoleon, gaining resources and political influence while others could be the target for assassination. Now in the modern-day, he wishes to become a powerful figure in the government and war industry. In the end, he is defeated when Green Lantern opens a seemingly bottomless pit beneath him, causing him to fall out of sight. [3] Related in the Adaptation: This episode suggests that Nabu, the original Doctor Fate, is Vandal Savage's son.

Wham Shot: One of the alien invader's corpses spins around to reveal its face... and attached to it is Starro. Ultimately, Savage's enemy, the Immortal Man, erased himself from existence to save the world during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man, an amnesiac with similar powers, took over as Savage's nemesis. However, Savage's list of foes is not limited to those two individuals. Having lived so long, Savage has butted heads with possibly every single hero in past, present, and future, most notably the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America. At present, Savage is about 52,000 years old.In 1358 AD, Savage returned on hunt for the hanged man. Every time he returned he used the spheres in his possession to emit an emotional aura which pleasantly enrages him, and causes the city of Sapristi to erupt into rage and chaos. He toured the city over the centuries in hunt for his future rival [13] My hate will be everlasting. My enmity will never die. It will follow you from this life to the next and to the next and to the next." —Vandal Savage first attaining his immortality [src] Clark: What'd you do with Knox? Martian Manhunter: Your father and I had a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it came to crime and punishment. I suggest we abide by the same rules. Clark: You didn't kill him, did you? Martian Manhunter: Knox is immortal, Kal-El. You can't kill him. Notes [ ] According to the writer Bryan Q. Miller, Curtis Knox was originally intended to be Vandal Savage but the character was off limits so they had to change his name. The presumption is that he is Savage operating in present day under an alias. In recent years, Savage has been depicted in the comics as harvesting organs from his own long-lived descendants: he does this not to extend his wife's life, but to extend his own as his powers fade. Greg Weisman has praised this episode as "not merely a great YJ episode. To my mind, "Evolution" transcends YJ. It is a phenomenal, even revolutionary twenty-plus minutes of television," and credits Brandon Vietti's decision to add Olympia, over Weisman's initial objections, for elevating the story. [2]