Many DC fans were over the moon when they learned that the immortal supervillain Vandal Savage would not only be the main antagonist of the second Arrowverse crossover between Legends Of Tomorrow throughout time as their primary foe. Unfortunately, his subsequent portrayal by Casper Crump left many underwhelmed, as he lacked much of the power, intellect, and physical presence of the comic book character he was meant to embody.
Whether the fault lies with the actor, writers, producers, or, more likely, a combination of all three, fans were justified in their feelings of betrayal. Savage has a rich and intriguing history in the pages of DC Comics that could have been ripe for many seasons worth of captivating stories. Assuming he’s gone for good from the Arrowverse and they won’t be exploring the character further, here are 15 Things You Never Knew About Vandal Savage.
15. His Story Begins A Long, Long Time Ago
Though Legends Of Tomorrow retold Vandal Savage’s origin as beginning with a meteorite strike in ancient Egypt, thus tying him to the Hawks, his true beginning takes place a bit further back. While Savage does gain his immortality from the radiation emitting out of a meteorite that landed on Earth, he actually dates back to 50,000 BC. Back then, he was a Cro-Magnon and leader of the vicious Blood Tribe.
The space rock not only grants him immortality, but also a healing factor and superhuman strength and agility-- extra abilities he didn’t appear to possess in Legends. He wasn’t alone in gaining powers from the meteor, either. After Savage, then known as Vandar Adg, is blessed by the meteorite, an onlooker named Klarn from the rival Bear Tribe decides to fashion an amulet out of a piece from it. The stone grants him telekinesis and super strength, along with the ability to reincarnate himself. Using these powers, he becomes the Immortal Man, and Savage’s eternal rival.
14. Savage Has Been Many Of History’s Most Notorious Figures
Given his existence since the dawn of humanity, one of Savage’s greatest powers is actually the wealth of knowledge and skills he’s gained over his many thousands of lifetimes. As such, he’s considered one of the greatest tactical minds on the planet and is proficient in an untold number of fighting styles. He’s used these skills to conquer untold civilizations throughout the course of human history, using a number of familiar names. Like a murderous Forrest Gump, his deeds and destruction are woven throughout history.
Though his preferred name is well-known as one of DC’s greatest tyrants, he’s also terrorized the world as some of history’s greatest rulers, despots, and murderers. He’s conquered vast swathes of the world as Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, struck fear in the hearts of innocents as Vlad the Impaler and Jack the Ripper, and shaped history as Julius Caesar and Cheops, the builder of the pyramids. While lives like these were hinted at in Legends, Savage has a legacy not easily summarized in a single season of television.
13. He’s Had A Prominent Role In DC Animation
If you’re interested in seeing Vandal Savage in all of his glory, the animated side of the DC Universe has a number of great examples. His most prominent role was as an antagonist in the Justice League series from the early 2000s. Said to be half the age of his comic counterpart, a measly 25,000 years old, he’s still a fairly perfect copy from the pages of DC. Throughout multiple episodes of the series, Savage wreaks untold havok across the timestream. Mirroring his escapades in Legends, he’s regularly thwarted by the Justice League. Unfortunately, even Batman’s own contingency plans in a multi-pronged attack against them.
Echoing his multi-leveled scheming from previous incarnations, the Vandal Savage we meet in Legion Of Doom in Savage's absence.
12. Vandal Has A Daughter Named Scandal
With his over 50,000 years of existence on the planet Earth, it’s unsurprising to know that Vandal Savage has fathered a few children. His abilities don’t appear to transmit to his kin, thus leaving many of them to perish to time. One of his offspring, however, has become a prominent villain in her own right. Created by Gail Simone and Dan Eaglesham, Scandal Savage is the daughter of Vandal and a Brazilian woman. Though she doesn’t appear to have inherited her father’s immortality, his abilities seem to have manifested a form of super-resilience in her. Surviving nearly every wound inflicted upon her, Scandal wields a dual set of wrist-mounted blades that she uses to stab and slash her opponents.
As one of the few lesbian supervillains in DC comics, and a woman of color at that, it’s a shame that Scandal didn’t make her way into the Arrowverse. Instead, the writers and producers of Legends combined her with Vandal’s New 52 daughter, Kassandra, into the original character Cassandra Savage. While ditching Scandal’s overly-punny name was probably a good move, the loss of her signature weapons and viciousness was another Savage Family letdown.
11. He’s Said To Have Fathered The Monster Grendel
Speaking of Vandal Savage’s children, this one is a real doozy. In the world of comics, stories and myths are often taken as ancient reality. In this case, the epic poem Beowulf, AKA the Vandal Savage of literature, is non-fiction. Two of Beowulf’s primary foes in the story are the monster Grendel and his mother. Given his age and proclivity for meddling in history, it’s no surprise that Vandal Savage encountered these creatures during his life. What is shocking, however, is that Grendel claims to be the child of Savage.
In the pages of Secret Six #14, Grendel reveals that Savage mated with his monstrous mother, who then gave birth to him. It seems that after a few millennia of existence, Savage’s proclivities grew more adventurous. Knowing this bit of comic lore, it’s hard to decide whether it’s best that Legends avoided this particular story, or if it would have made for some amazing genre TV.
10. Savage Is Originally From Earth-2
Vandal Savage hasn't always existed on the same plane of reality as the many of DC’s greatest heroes and villains. Long before Crisis On Infinite Earths rebooted the DC universe, Savage was a resident of the parallel Earth-2. First appearing as an antagonist to Alan Scott in Green Lantern #10 way back in 1943, Savage has fittingly had a long history in comics. During his time, he’s fought against or worked with nearly every character, from the Golden Age to the Bronze Age.
Just as they did with the original Green Lantern, Flash, and the rest of the Justice Society Of America, DC eventually established that Savage and many of his fellow supervillains actually existed on an alternate Earth. This world was home to all of the Golden Age characters from the comics, while Earth-1 housed the Silver Age characters created in the 60s just before the retcon was enacted.
9. He’s One Of The Justice Society’s Oldest Villains
Given their long, shared history, it’s not really surprising that Vandal Savage and the Justice Society of America have long been rivals. Beginning as a foe of the Golden Age Green Lantern, Savage has battled nearly every member of the JSA. Given their shared origins in the early 1940s, in fact, Savage may be the team’s oldest antagonist. Over the decades, Savage has orchestrated a number of plans in an attempt to kill of both the JSA and the Justice League of America.
During his first Silver Age appearance in The Flash #137 in 1963, Savage crossed between Earths and forced the Jay Garrick and Barry Allen versions of the Flash to face off. When the heroes eventually triumphed, the JSA was revived and a long history of Earth-hopping adventures began. Savage later attempted to counter the combined might of Justice Society by forming the Injustice Society, composed of other villains like The Wizard, The Thinker, Brainwave, and Degaton.
8. Savage Helped Sink Atlantis
Atlantis may just be a myth in our world, but in the comics, it’s one of many fables that are actual history. Once a continent, Atlantis was first settled 65 million years ago by a group of aliens known as the Hunter/Gatherers. Over the millennia, many people settled it and civilizations would rise and fall. Around 45,000 BC, Vandal Savage came to the great city and formed a secret cabal with a magician named Garn Daanuth. The villainous brother to the High Mage of Atlantis, Daanuth and Savage created the Children Of The Light, better known as the first Illuminati.
While much of their actions are shrouded in secrecy, the entire continent of Atlantis would soon sink into the sea. The future king of Atlantis, Aquaman, would eventually learn that the regents of the city knew of a plan to sink it. Many believe that Savage and his Illuminati are actually the ones responsible for this feat, which, given his history, doesn’t seem farfetched.
7. He’s Worked Alongside Hitler and Napoleon
Vandal Savage is responsible for many of the planet’s greatest tragedies, which he often perpetrates personally. There have been just as many times, however, where Savage decided to step out of the spotlight and simply advise other tyrants and rulers. With a nearly limitless source of knowledge from which to draw, Savage has found himself advising many prominent military leaders throughout human history. If his claims can be believed, he’s stood alongside some of history’s greatest tacticians, from Erik the Red to William the Conqueror. He’s even believed to have assisted Napoleon Bonaparte in his campaigns of conquest, adopting the name Marshall Savage lest his deeds be completely ignored by history.
While many debate the merits of those men, there’s no denying that Savage sealed his villain status when he decided to aid Adolf Hitler in his genocidal war. Knowing this, it’s unsurprising that the tyrant would face off against the Justice Society of America, who were DC's answer to Hitler’s evil.
6. Savage Was Briefly A Hero With The Demon Knights
The Crisis On Infinite Earths reboot brought Vandal Savage into the world of the Silver Age heroes. Likewise, the New 52 reboot attempted to flesh out his backstory and make him a bit more sympathetic. While the man who fought with Hitler would be a hard sell as a villain, the New 52 continuity was able to retool a number of characters and their backstories. In doing so, they tried to add some heroic shades to Savage. Released in 2011, Demon Knights told the tale of a Camelot beset by hordes of demons, and Lucifer himself. Savage bands together with other immortals, like Madame Xanadu and Etrigan the Demon, to thwart these forces of darkness and take back the city.
The group is ultimately triumphant and Camelot’s wizard Merlin dubs the group the initial incarnation of Stormwatch, a popular WildStorm team brought into the DC fold during the reboot. Thanks to some triple-crossing, Savage ends up on the side of the righteous heroes who save the world from shadowy, alien threats. His true allegiances, however, are left ambiguous, thus keeping the New 52 Savage in line with his previous incarnation.