Villain file · 10

Mr.
Mxyzptlk.

Say his name backwards to send him home.

The file

The facts, in one place.

Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp from the fifth dimension whose magic can bend reality. He first appeared in Superman #30 (1944), created by Jerry Siegel and Ira Yarborough. Superman beats him by tricking him into saying his name backwards, Kltpzyxm, which sends him home for at least 90 days.

First appearance: Superman #30, 1944

Through the years

Every era, a new plan.

Golden Age (1938–1956)
Debuts in Superman #30 (1944), by Jerry Siegel and Ira Yarborough, first spelled Mxyztplk (Likely).
Bronze Age (1970–1986)
Alan Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1986) shows a dark, menacing Mxyzptlk.
Film and TV
Michael J. Pollard in Superboy, Howie Mandel in Lois & Clark, Trent Ford in Smallville, and Peter Gadiot and Thomas Lennon in Supergirl; Gilbert Gottfried voiced him in the DC animated universe.

The full file

The whole story.

Most of Superman’s villains can be out-punched. Mr. Mxyzptlk can’t. The imp from the fifth dimension bends reality with magic, and the only way to win is to outwit him.

Who is Mr. Mxyzptlk?

Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp from the fifth dimension. His powers are reality-warping magic that ignores the laws of physics. Because Superman is vulnerable to magic, brute strength won’t help.

His first appearance

He first appeared in Superman #30 (1944), created by Jerry Siegel, Superman’s co-creator, and artist Ira Yarborough. In that first story his name was spelled Mxyztplk (Likely); the familiar spelling came later.

Kltpzyxm: how Superman beats him

Superman can’t punch his way out of a Mxyzptlk problem. The published rule is that if Mxyzptlk can be tricked into saying his name backwards, “Kltpzyxm”, he’s sent back to the fifth dimension for at least 90 days. So every Mxyzptlk story becomes a battle of wits.

Fact	Detail	Confidence
Home	The fifth dimension	Confirmed
Powers	Reality-bending magic	Confirmed
Weakness	Saying his name backwards	Confirmed
Time away	At least 90 days	Confirmed
Pronunciation	Disputed: sources differ	Disputed

Best Mxyzptlk story

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1986), Alan Moore’s farewell to the pre-Crisis Superman, shows a dark and menacing side of Mxyzptlk.

Mr. Mxyzptlk on screen

Michael J. Pollard played him in Superboy, Howie Mandel in Lois & Clark, Trent Ford in Smallville, and Peter Gadiot and Thomas Lennon in Supergirl. Gilbert Gottfried voiced him in the DC animated universe. For more villains, see Superman’s villains.