Parasite is the name of several

supervillains A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Each iteration of the character has the ability to temporarily absorb the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch. The most well-known and recurring incarnation is Rudy Jones, who has become one of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his

rogues gallery A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes. History In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established ...

. The Rudy Jones incarnation of the Parasite has been substantially adapted from the comics into multiple forms of media, most notably in the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a Shared universe, shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with ''Batman ...

's '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' as well as the live-action TV series ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' and ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'', portrayed by

Brendan Fletcher Brendan Fletcher (born December 15, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He first gained recognition as a child actor, being nominated for a Gemini Award for his acting debut in the made-for-television film ''Little Criminals'' and winning a Leo Award ...

and

William Mapother William Reibert Mapother Jr. (; born April 17, 1965) is an American actor, known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' and starring in the film ''In the Bedroom''. He is also known for the film ''Anothe ...

respectively. Additionally, Raymond Jensen and Alexandra Allston, Ally Allston, appear in ''Supergirl'' and ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and ...

'', portrayed by Anthony Konechny and

Rya Kihlstedt Rya Kihlstedt (born July 23, 1970) is an American actress. She starred in the 1997 comedy film '' Home Alone 3'' as Alice Ribbons. Kihlstedt would go on to appear in the films '' Deep Impact'' (1998), '' Women in Trouble'' (2009) and '' The Atticu ...

respectively.

Publication history

The Raymond Jensen version of the Parasite first appeared in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #340 (August 1966) and was created by

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...

. Shooter, who began working for DC at age 13, says that his inspiration for the villain was learning about

parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

in his ninth-grade biology class. The Rudy Jones version of the Parasite first appeared in ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'' (vol. 2) #58 and was created by

John Ostrander John Ostrander (born April 20, 1949) is an American writer of comic books, including ''Suicide Squad'', '' Grimjack'' and '' Star Wars: Legacy''. He co-created the Oracle persona for Barbara Gordon and created the second and modern version of t ...

and Joe Brozowski. The Alex and Andrea Allston versions of the Parasite first appeared in '' The Adventures of Superman'' #633 and were created by

Greg Rucka Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', '' Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well ...

, Matthew Clark, and Andrew Lanning. The Joshua Allen version of the ''New 52'' Parasite first appeared in ''

'' (vol. 3) #23.4 and was created by

Aaron Kuder Aaron Kuder (born ) is an Americans, American comic book artist and writer, who has worked on books such as ''The Amory Wars, The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3'', ''Legion Lost'', ''Green Lantern: New Guardians'', ''Avenging S ...

Fictional character biography

Raymond Jensen

In pre-''

Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

'' continuity, Raymond Jensen was a lowlife who got a job as a plant worker for a research center. Wrongly believing that the company payrolls were hidden in storage containers, Jensen opened one and was bombarded with energies from biohazard materials (which was actually waste collected by Superman when he traveled into outer space), which transformed him into a purple-skinned, parasitic entity, and thus he became the Parasite. Any time he touched someone, he could absorb their physical and mental properties. Touching Superman would instantly absorb a fraction of his powers. Despite these abilities, the Parasite became depressed because he could no longer embrace his wife and children. The Parasite made a number of reappearances before the Crisis, yet he never successfully found a means to permanently defeat Superman.

Rudy Jones

The second Parasite, Rudolph "Rudy" Jones, is a janitor at a

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

S.T.A.R. Labs facility who is transformed after being exposed to radioactive waste. Forced to absorb energy to survive, Parasite attacks

and kills

Multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...

before the former stops him. Throughout his appearances, Parasite's abilities evolve, giving him the ability to absorb fire, electricity, and consciousnesses, and mimic the genetic makeup and appearance of others, before he is killed after accidentally absorbing

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...

radiation. Parasite is later resurrected and joins

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

. The 2009-10 miniseries '' Superman: Secret Origin'' redefines the Parasite's origin. In this version, Rudy Jones is a janitor at the ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics ...

'' who is selected to join LexCorp. There, he eats a donut imbued with Kryptonite radiation that transforms him into the Parasite. In the ''

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

'' relaunch, Parasite is a member of the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

. In ''

Dawn of DC Dawn of DC is a 2023 publishing initiative by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Following the events of the 2022 crossover events ''Dark Crisis, Dark Crisi ...

'', Parasite reforms, is employed at Supercorp, and is given a special wristband that supplies him with energy. He also develops the ability to create small duplicates of himself and adopts one of them as a pet. In ''Superman'' (volume 6), Parasite is killed by

Doomsday Doomsday may refer to: * Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions. * Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...

Alex and Alexandra Allston

Alex and Alexandra Allston are teenagers who are experimented on by the villain

Ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

and transformed into Parasites. Alex is later killed by an OMAC while attempting to escape prison. Alexandra successfully escapes and joins the

under

Alexander Luthor Jr. Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The son of Earth-Three's Lex Luthor, he played a large role in the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and ''Infinite Crisis'' events. Publication history ...

Joshua Allen

Joshua Allen is the fourth incarnation of Parasite, introduced in ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot. He is a misanthropic delivery boy who is wounded while attacking a creature that Superman was fighting. Allen is taken to S.T.A.R. Labs to recover, where the treatment transforms him into Parasite. In later appearances, Allen joins the

and the Suicide Squad.

Powers and abilities

All incarnations of the Parasite can temporarily absorb the

life energy Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...

superpowers Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to exert influence and project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, tec ...

, and knowledge of their victims through physical contact, and are also able to drain virtually any other form of energy and use it as a power source. In particular, Rudy Jones is granted enhanced strength, intelligence, agility, durability, and reflexes by absorbing the energy of other beings. When Jones drains other superpowered individuals, he gains their abilities for a limited period of time until he "runs out of life-energy" and must seek a new victim to "feed on". He is shown to have a heightened sense of perception that allows him to detect the life force and power within other beings.''All-Star Superman'' #5 (September 2006) While drawing the energy of ordinary humans is almost instantaneous, it takes a notably longer time in the case of immensely powerful beings, which gives the victim more time to react and free themselves from the Parasite's grip. Following an encounter with the

Strange Visitor Strange Visitor (Sharon Vance) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #149 and was created by Randall Frenz and Ron Frenz. Fictional character biography Shar ...

, however, the Parasite's powers were enhanced and enable him to retain the energy he takes for longer as well as granting Jones the ability to shapeshift; he can now physically morph into his victims right down to their DNA, being able to access their memories, gain their natural abilities, and mimic their voices. The Parasite's biggest weakness is that he also absorbs the weaknesses of his victims and cannot counter such susceptibilities even when he has other abilities that should do so; when he absorbed both Superman and Livewire's powers, he retained the latter's vulnerability to water despite possessing the former's near-invulnerability. The Parasite also maintains Superman's weaknesses, like kryptonite, even when the Parasite in addition already absorbed the powers of non-Kryptonians.

Other versions

* An alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in ''

All-Star Superman ''All-Star Superman'' is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008 (on sale date). The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Qu ...

''. He exploits Superman's rising power levels to absorb his energy and grow into a colossal form before being defeated. * An unidentified alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in '' JSA: The Liberty Files''. This version is a former

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

agent and freelance contract killer. * The Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'' as a member of the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

. * An alternate universe variant of Raymond Jensen / Parasite appears in ''

Kingdom Come Kingdom Come may refer to: * "Kingdom come", a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible Film * ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson * ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J * ''Kingdom Come'', ...

''. He ruptures

Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...

's outer shell, causing a massive nuclear explosion that kills them both and irradiates Kansas. * An original, alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in '' Just Imagine...''. This version is Lucinda Radama, an African-American female serial killer. * An alternate universe variant of Raymond Jensen / Parasite appears in '' Superman: Earth One''. This version has a sister named Theresa Jensen, who believes that he is a consultant with a real estate firm and is unaware of his criminal status. * An original incarnation of Parasite, Otis, appears in ''

Superman Family Adventures ''The Superman Family'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1974 to 1982 featuring supporting characters in the ''Superman'' comics. The term "Superman Family" is often used to refer to the extended cast of characters of c ...

''. * An unidentified alternate universe variant of Parasite appears in '' Superman: Red Son''. * An alternate universe variant of Rudy Jones / Parasite appears in ''Superman American Alien''.

In other media

Television

Live-action

* The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in the ''

'' episode "Injustice", portrayed by

. This version was a metahuman prisoner at the Black Creek facility before

Tess Mercer ''Smallville'' is an American television series developed by writer/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and was initially broadcast by The WB. After its fifth season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which was the second broadcaster fo ...

stages a prison break and recruits Jones, among other prisoners, into a team in a failed attempt at making them heroes. ** Additionally, an unrelated character called Eric Summers appears in the episodes "Leech" and "Asylum", portrayed by

Shawn Ashmore Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor whose career spans film, television, and interactive media. A former child actor, he first drew notice as Jake Berenson on Nickelodeon's ''Animorphs'' (1998–1999), Tyler Connell ...

. Throughout his appearances, he temporarily steals

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

's powers via

and electricity on two separate occasions, only to be defeated by him and lose them each time. * Two incarnations of Parasite appear in ''

''. Both versions are the result of humans being possessed by an alien parasite called an Angon: ** Dr. Rudy Jones appears in the episode "Changing", portrayed by

. This version is an environmental scientist who is infected by an Angon that had laid dormant in an

Arctic wolf The Arctic wolf (''Canis lupus arctos''), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a Subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Me ...

's corpse and gains the ability to drain life force through physical contact. While fighting

Alex Danvers Alexandra "Alex" Danvers Ph.D. M.D., also known as Sentinel, is a fictional character from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl'', portrayed by actress Chyler Leigh. Created by executive producers Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kr ...

, and

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

, Jones absorbs Supergirl and Manhunter's powers and transforms into a monster before Supergirl overloads and kills him with

plutonium Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...

. ** Raymond Jensen appears in the fourth season, portrayed by Anthony Konechny. This version is a

Department of Extranormal Operations Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

(DEO) agent who despises aliens for wreaking havoc on National City. Throughout the episodes "American Alien" and "Parasite Lost", he leaves the DEO to join anti-alien activists Otis and

Mercy Graves Mercy Graves is a supervillain appearing in multimedia and American comic books published by DC Entertainment and DC Comics. Created for the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), she first appeared in 1996 on '' Superman: The Animated Series'' as the perso ...

and

Agent Liberty Agent Liberty (Benjamin Lockwood) is a fictional character appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, he made his debut in ''Superman'' vol. 2 #60 (Oct. 1991), and was later given his own ...

. Jensen later volunteers to be exposed to an Angon obtained from the DEO, gaining energy-absorbing abilities in the process, only to eventually end up comatose and taken into DEO custody. * A character based on Alexandra Allston named Ally Allston appears in the second season of ''

'', portrayed by

as an adult and by Amber Taylor as a child. This version is a cult leader behind the Inverse Society who took over

Bizarro World The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae, which is "Earth" spelled backwards) is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and compani ...

with help from her Bizarro counterpart (also portrayed by Kihlstedt), who she later merges with, gaining flight and the ability to drain energy. Nonetheless, they are defeated and separated by

and incarcerated by the Department of Defense.

Animation

* An original incarnation of Parasite named I.C. Harris appears in '' The New Adventures of Superman'' episode "The Pernicious Parasite". This version is a balding thief who specializes in stealing radioactive materials and lacks purple skin. * The Raymond Jensen incarnation of Parasite appears in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'' episode "Performance", voiced by

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980). He later appeared in ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, and in the television series ''Firefly'' and its continuation f ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in the ''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on N ...

'' episode "Power Outage", voiced by

Max Mittelman Maxwell Braden Mittelman (born September 5, 1990) is an American voice actor who provides voices for English versions of anime, animation and video games. Early life Maxwell Braden Mittelman was born on September 5, 1990, in Los Angeles. He is ...

. This version sports a more monstrous appearance and the additional ability to sprout tentacles from his torso. * An unidentified Parasite makes non-speaking cameo appearances in ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'' and '' Kite Man: Hell Yeah!'' as a member of the

. * An original incarnation of Parasite appears in ''

My Adventures with Superman ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South ...

''. This version is a cybernetic armor called the Parasite 1.0, which was created and worn by Anthony Ivo (voiced by Jake Green) and is capable of growing larger and more monstrous in appearance as it absorbs energy.

=DC Animated Universe

= Two incarnations of Parasite appear in series set in the

(DCAU): * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in '' Superman: The Animated Series'', voiced by

Brion James Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999) was an American character actor. He portrayed Leon Kowalski in '' Blade Runner'' and appeared in '' Southern Comfort'', '' 48 Hrs.'', ''Another 48 Hrs.'', '' Silverado'', '' Tango & Cash'', ...

. This version is a S.T.A.R. Labs janitor who gained his abilities from exposure to stolen chemicals that were originally intended to boost the rate of energy absorption in humans. He goes on to battle Superman on two occasions and briefly join forces with Livewire before ending up in a coma and being remanded to

Stryker's Island This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

. * Jones appears in the ''

'' two-part episode "Secret Society", voiced by

Brian George Brian George (born 27 July 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt in ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), the Indian gynecologist father of Raj Koothrappali in ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), th ...

. Having recovered from his coma, he is recruited into

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''The Flash'' #106 (May 1959). He is an evil, super-intelligent gorilla who ...

Secret Society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

and fights the

, only to be defeated by

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

. * Jones makes cameo appearances in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' as a member of Grodd's expanded Secret Society before he is killed by

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

. ** A monstrous, unidentified incarnation of Parasite appears in the episode "Epilogue", voiced by

Marc Worden David Marc Worden is a Canadian actor. Early life and education David Marc Worden attended Churchill Heights Public School in Scarborough, Ontario from grades 4 through 8. He was a student in the gifted program. He made his first known stage app ...

. This version is a member of a future version of the Society called the Iniquity Collective.

Film

* The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite makes a cameo appearance in '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies''. * An unidentified Parasite, based on the ''All-Star Superman'' incarnation, appears in ''

'' (2011), voiced by

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in '' Superman: Man of Tomorrow'', voiced by

Brett Dalton Brett Patrick Dalton (born January 7, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Grant Ward and Hive in ABC's series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', as well as Detective Mark Trent in the NBC procedural drama series '' Found'', an ...

. This version is a decorated former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, a veteran of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and a loving family man who gained his abilities from exposure to an energy-absorbing biological weapon developed by S.T.A.R. Labs. Over the course of the film, Jones transforms into a massive, near-mindless beast as he absorbs energy until Superman appeals to his humanity, leading him to sacrifice himself to protect

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

from an exploding energy plant.

Video games

* The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a boss in '' Superman: Shadow of Apokolips'', voiced again by Brian George. * An unidentified Parasite appears as a boss in ''

Superman 64 ''Superman: The New Superman Adventures'', commonly referred to as ''Superman 64'', is a 1999 action-adventure game developed and published by Titus Interactive for the Nintendo 64. It is based on the television series '' Superman: The Animated ...

''. This version is a member of the

Superman Revenge Squad The Superman Revenge Squad is the name of two fictional organizations in the DC Comics universe. As their name suggests, it is a group of Superman villains who banded together to defeat the Man of Steel. Pre-''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' In pre ...

. * An unidentified Parasite appears as a boss in the

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

version of ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer, and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris, based on the DC Comics character Superman. It serves as a homage ...

''. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

'', voiced by Robert Faires. Additionally, weaker versions of Parasite called "Leeches" appear as well. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite makes a cameo appearance in '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' via the

stage. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a playable character in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'', voiced by

Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...

. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears as a playable character in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...

'', voiced by

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian voice actor based in the United States. He is mostly known for voicing several ''Looney Tunes'' characters, for which he won three Emmy Awards for his performances in '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (20 ...

Miscellaneous

* An amalgamated incarnation of Parasite appears in '' Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five'' #3. This version is identified as Joshua Allen and resembles Rudy Jones. He battles

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Yellow Lantern until Superman arrives and throws Parasite into the sun.''Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five'' #3. DC Comics. * The Rudy Jones incarnation of Parasite appears in ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'', also released as ''DC Superhero Girls'', is an American animated superhero web series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the third quarter ...