Skeptic

The Skeptic

The mysterious mastermind behind an elaborate scheme to embarass and discredit the Daily Planet by using a diabolical "hate-gas" --a gas which "induces a feeling of hatred in whoever inhales it," causing its victims to commit uncharacteristically violent, destructive acts-- to ruin the reputations of four prominent citizens recently selected to be the subjects of laudatory articles in forthcoming issues of the Daily Planet. The Skeptic is in reality Charlie Frost, the janitor of the Daily Planet Building and the brother of Professor Milton Frost, a brilliant scientist, far ahead of his time, who committed suicide after becoming the subject of a jeering article in the pages of the Planet. Determined to wreak vengeance on the newspaper that he holds responsible for his brother's death, the Skeptic is nevertheless apprehended by Superman in Fall 1942 (WF No. 11: "The City of Hate!").