Villain file · 09

Toyman.

No powers. Just very dangerous toys.

The file

The facts, in one place.

Toyman is a Superman villain who uses deadly toys and gadgets rather than superpowers. The original, Winslow Schott, first appeared in Action Comics #64 (1943). Later Toymen include Jack Nimball (1974) and Hiro Okamura (2002), who later became a hero. In the 1990s Schott took a much darker turn.

First appearance: Action Comics #64, 1943

Through the years

Every era, a new plan.

Golden Age (1938–1956)
Winslow Schott debuts in Action Comics #64 (1943).
Bronze Age (1970–1986)
A second Toyman, Jack Nimball, appears in 1974.
Post-Crisis (1986–2011)
The 1990s Schott becomes far darker, in a story involving Cat Grant's son. A third Toyman, the young Hiro Okamura, arrives in 2002 and later becomes a hero.
Film and TV
Sherman Hemsley in Lois & Clark, Chris Gauthier in Smallville and Henry Czerny in Supergirl; Bud Cort voiced him in the DC animated universe.

The full file

The whole story.

Toyman is proof that you don’t need superpowers to be a Superman villain. His weapons look like they belong in a nursery, and that’s exactly why people underestimate them.

Who is Toyman?

Toyman is a criminal who builds deadly toys and gadgets. He has no superpowers at all. In a Metropolis full of aliens and monsters, he relies on cleverness and surprise.

Toyman’s first appearance

The original Toyman, Winslow Schott, first appeared in Action Comics #64 (1943), during the Golden Age. That makes him only three years younger than Lex Luthor, who arrived in 1940.

Every Toyman

Toyman	Debut	Notes	Confidence
Winslow Schott	Action Comics #64 (1943)	The original	Confirmed
Jack Nimball	1974	A second Toyman	Confirmed
Hiro Okamura	2002	A young Toyman who later becomes a hero	Confirmed

A darker turn

After 1988 Toyman was British: the post-Crisis Winslow Schott is an English toymaker who blames Lex Luthor for losing his job. In the 1990s, writers took him in a much darker direction, in a story involving Cat Grant’s young son. It’s a reminder that a villain without powers can still do terrible harm.

How Superman beats him

Our sources don’t describe one standard way, so here are his key published stories instead:

Story	What happens	Confidence
Action Comics #64 (September 1943)	His debut, by Don Cameron and Ed Dobrotka, with Toyman on the cover	Confirmed
Superman #182 (1966)	His first Silver Age appearance	Confirmed
Action Comics #432 (February 1974)	Jack Nimball becomes the second Toyman	Confirmed
Superman #305 (November 1976)	Schott returns to crime	Confirmed
Superman (vol. 2) #13 (January 1988)	Reintroduced as a British toymaker who blames Lex Luthor for losing his job	Confirmed
Superman (vol. 2) #84–85 (1993–94)	The darkest Toyman story, for older readers	Confirmed
Action Comics #865 (2008)	Geoff Johns and Jesús Merino reveal that the killer in that story was one of Schott’s robots; a good modern place to start (Likely)	Confirmed

Toyman on screen

Sherman Hemsley played him in Lois & Clark, Chris Gauthier in Smallville and Henry Czerny in Supergirl. Bud Cort voiced him in the DC animated universe. For other villains, see Superman’s villains, and for a very different kind of trickster, Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Questions

Asked and answered.

Does Toyman have powers?

No. Toyman has no superpowers. His weapons are toys and gadgets that look harmless and turn out to be deadly.

How many Toymen are there?

Three main ones: Winslow Schott, the original from Action Comics #64 (1943); Jack Nimball, from 1974; and Hiro Okamura, from 2002, who later became a hero.

Who played Toyman?

Sherman Hemsley in Lois & Clark, Chris Gauthier in Smallville and Henry Czerny in Supergirl. Bud Cort voiced him in the DC animated universe.