Intergang

Intergang is an organized crime group appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Armed with technology supplied by the villainous New Gods of the planet Apokolips, they're potent foes who can seriously challenge the world's most powerful superheroes.[1]

Intergang
A giant Bruno Mannheim from Superman #654 (September 2006).
Art by Carlos Pacheco.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970)
Created byJack Kirby
In-story information
Type of organizationOrganized crime
Leader(s)Darkseid
Bruno Mannheim
Lex Luthor
Moxie Mannheim
Agent(s)Frank Sixty
Whisper A'Daire
Kyle Abbot
Morgan Edge
Vincent Edge

Publication history

Intergang first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970) and was created by Jack Kirby.[2] Members of Intergang were first shown in the first issue of Kirby's Forever People in 1971.[3][4]

Fictional organization history

Pre-Crisis

Intergang was founded by a gangster, Boss "Moxie" Mannheim, in the 1920s but Boss Moxie was then killed by rivals.[3] It was then revived by Morgan Edge and run by Boss Moxie's son, Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, as revealed in Jimmy Olsen #139.[3] Bruno was, however, getting orders and weaponry from Darkseid, who was using Intergang to help track down the Anti-Life Equation.[5]

Morgan Edge was the head of the Galaxy Broadcasting System television network (which had recently purchased the Daily Planet and had Clark Kent transferred to its Metropolis affiliate WGBS-TV as its anchorman). It was later revealed that this was not the real Morgan Edge, but a clone from the "Evil Factory". When the clone could not bring itself to kill the original Edge at the order of Darkseid, the real Edge was imprisoned. The original Edge would later escape with the help of Jimmy Olsen. During an ensuing battle with Intergang, the clone was mistaken for the original by Intergang hitman Tombstone Gear and incinerated. The real Edge was soon free to resume his role as Galaxy's president.

Following the clone's death, different Intergang members had to run Intergang in Edge's absence. Joe Danton was the first to run Intergang and he was later killed by a car bomb.[6] Then Max Danner became the new Intergang leader.[7] He led Intergang in some criminal activities until he got apprehended. Clark Kent appeared as a key witness until he had to briefly leave to rescue Mr. Xavier. The outcome of the trial was not shown.[8] When Intergang was dissolved, SKULL took over their territories. When a SKULL assassin was sent after Intergang crime boss Samuel Simeon, he was saved by Superman. Though he was later busted by Superman trying to start a new mob outside of Metropolis.[9]

Post-Crisis
Vincent Edge as seen in The Adventures of Superman #500

In the Post-Crisis DC Universe, Edge was the leader of Intergang, until he suffered a heart attack due to stress. While he believed he was working for Darkseid, his Apokoliptian contact was actually DeSaad, whose only aim in supplying him with weaponry was to cause suffering. While he was in the hospital his legitimate businesses were taken over by his father Vincent Edge, and Intergang was taken over by Ugly Mannheim, who trained on Apokolips with Granny Goodness. A later retcon has it that Mannheim was the original leader of Intergang, dealing knowingly with DeSaad. How Edge took over is unrevealed.

Eventually, Intergang was brought down by Clark Kent and Cat Grant, Mannheim was arrested, but managed to escape. He attempted to disappear through a "Boom Tube" (a New Gods transporter), but it collapsed when he was halfway through.

Some time later, Mannheim's father "Boss" Moxie Mannheim, a gangster who had been in prison since the 1940s after being captured by the Newsboy Legion, was released. Discovering that the Newsboys were, seemingly, the same age as when he first fought them, he determined to find out how such a thing could be. Meeting renegade Project Cadmus geneticist Dabney Donovan, he arranged for himself and his former gang members from the 1940s to be cloned into youthful bodies with superpowers. This led to his henchmen Ginny "Torcher" McGee, Mike "Machine" Gun, Noose, and Rough House being cloned and receiving superpowers. Using Vincent Edge to arrange a meeting between Metropolis' gang-leaders, he killed them all, and declared himself the new head of Intergang. The new Intergang spent much of their time tracking down Jimmy Olsen, whom Moxie believed knew Superman's secret identity.[10][11][12]

Following a short-lived attempt by Morgan Edge to regain control, Lex Luthor gained control of Intergang, retaining Moxie as a figurehead. Moxie and his lieutenants were later captured by Superman. When last seen, Intergang was run by a criminal cyberneticist named Frank Sixty.

Infinite Crisis

There was some suggestion that Boss Moxie (who was a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time) was slain during the miniseries Infinite Crisis. The suggestion comes from a sequence during the Battle of Metropolisuring which Superboy-Prime snaps a villain's neck, killing him. In an interview DC editor-in-chief Dan DiDio confirms that Boss Moxie did indeed die in Infinite Crisis #7 by stating that Superboy-Prime snapped his neck.

52

In the pages of 52, Intergang members Noose and Rough House visit Kahndaq and offer Adrianna Tomaz as tribute to Black Adam in exchange for safe passage for their group's smuggling activity. Both of them are killed by Black Adam.[13]

In week 9, Question tells Renee Montoya that Intergang is preparing for an invasion of Gotham City. Two weeks later, the pair finally have a confrontation with the two operatives of Intergang in Gotham, Whisper A'Daire and Kyle Abbot, known in the public eye as the manager of HSC International Banking, an holding connected to Intergang itself, and her bodyguard. In the weeks that follow, the further investigations of Montoya and the Question reveal Intergang to be operating a mining company called Ridge Ferrick in regions such as Australia, and also having expanded into nations such as Oolong Island, Bialya and Yemen, reorganized along quasi-religious lines, complete with a "holy" text known variously as the Book of Crime or the Crime Bible, which treats Cain as a heroic, if not semi-divine, figure for his role according to Judeo-Christian theology in creating the "most sacred" crime of murder. It has even been revealed that the original text is bound by the stone with which Cain slew Abel. In issue #25, Bruno Mannheim was revealed as the current head of Intergang, which is also behind the kidnapping of many of the world's "mad scientists", in a grand plan to take over America by the end of the year. He shows himself now acting like a cult leader, exalting the power of crime as the dominant order in the 21st century, and now becoming a cannibal, eating anyone he kills who refuses to join Intergang. At the same time, Magpie and Ventriloquist swear their allegiance to Intergang.[14]

In Superman #654, Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim returns as a giant wielding alien technology, claiming that someone other than Darkseid is behind Intergang's current activities.[15]

Gotham Underground

In the storyline Gotham Underground, Intergang is in a gang war with Tobias Whale.[16] Intergang buys him out and makes Tobias Whale the CEO of Kord Enterprises which has become a front for Intergang's criminal activities.[17]

The New 52

In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Gotham City has fallen to Intergang's Religion of Crime branch.[18] During a gunfight between his gang and the police, Mister Untouchable claimed that Intergang has cut him out of the action occurring in Metropolis by selling the location of their meth laboratory to the law enforcement.[19]

Attackers from Intergang ambush Lois Lane and Jon Kent when she was driving him home from school. They run Lois' car off the road and into the woods. While Jon knocks out one of the attackers, Lois contacts Superman who defeats the attackers. Later at their barn, Lois and Clark figure out that their attackers are from Intergang and had followed Lois from her meeting with Cora Benning suspecting that she is "Author X."[20] Bruno Mannheim was informed by two of his men that the attack on "Author X" has failed. He throws the two men into the swimming pool and electrifies it.[21] Lois and Jon later visit Cora Benning's office and find a note stating that she was taken by Intergang. While leaving the office, the three of them encounter Bruno Mannheim in the hall who claims that he is asking for directions. Lois thinks to herself that Mannheim is trying to get her to lower her guard.[22] When Lois goes to pick up Jon from school and finds him in the library, they are ambushed by Intergang agents who then trap them in a tool closet which they set on fire. Jon's superpowers manifest as he manages to break down the door.[23] When Jon gets Lois out of the burning tool closet, they are then surrounded by Intergang thugs. Breaking off his fight with Blackrock, Superman manages to save Lois and Jon as the Intergang thugs are caught in the explosion.[24]

Membership

Here is the known membership of Intergang:

Leaders
  • Moxie Mannheim - First leader of Intergang and the father of Bruno Mannheim. Known as "Boss Moxie". [25]
  • Morgan Edge - Second leader of Intergang and the son of Vincent Edge.
  • Vincent Edge - Third leader of Intergang and the father of Morgan Edge.
  • Bruno Mannheim - Fourth and current leader of Intergang and the son of Moxie Mannheim. He was later retconned as the original leader of Intergang.
  • Lex Luthor - Fifth leader of Intergang.
  • Frank Sixty - Sixth leader of Intergang.
  • Darkseid - The benefactor of Intergang.

Other members
  • Alistair Bendel-White - A fixer.[26]
  • Aku Kwesi - A criminal who was responsible for murdering Vixen's mother.[27]
  • Blackrock - [28]
  • Chiller -
  • Dabney Donovan - A mad scientist that worked for Project Cadmus.
  • Doctor Moon -
  • Doctor Polaris -
  • Doctor Sivana -
  • Gillespie - [29]
  • Ginny "Torcher" McCree - A pyrokinetic operative of Intergang and girlfriend of Mike "Machine" Gunn who Dabney Donovan cloned from one of Moxie's original henchmen.[11] She later committed suicide following the death of Mike "Machine" Gunn.
  • Hellgrammite -
  • Joe Danton - An Intergang operative who was a short-time leader following the death of Morgan Edge's clone. He was killed by a car bomb.[6]
  • Johnny "Stitches" Denetto - A crime boss who had his face peeled off by Tobias Whale back when he used to work for him. Desaad sewed a new face onto him which was made from dead humans and animals.
  • Key -
  • Kyle Abbot - An operative for Ra's al Ghul who can turn into a wolf and a werewolf-like creature. Normally paired with Whisper A'Daire.
  • Magpie -
  • Mantis - [28]
  • Mari Nichol - The daughter of the second Doctor Polaris.
  • Max Danner - An Intergang operative who become leader following Joe Danton's death.[30]
  • Mike "Machine" Gunn - An operative of Intergang and boyfriend of Ginny "Torcher" McCree who Dabney Donovan cloned from one of Moxie's original henchmen. He can shape his hands into guns that can fire bone bullets.[11] Mike was later killed during a jailbreak.
  • Neutron -
  • Noose - An operative of Intergang who Dabney Donovan cloned from one of Moxie's original henchmen. He can extend his fingers to give them a tentacled appearance.[11] He was later killed by Black Adam.
  • Parademons - [28]
  • Pestilence - Member of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips.
  • Prankster -
  • Radion - a henchman with irradiated powers.
  • Rough House - A super-strong operative of Intergang who Dabney Donovan cloned from one of Moxie's original henchmen.[11] He was later killed by Black Adam.
  • Samuel Simeon - An Intergang crime boss who Superman saved from an assassin sent by SKULL.[9]
  • Shockwave -
  • Tobias Whale - He ended up bought out by Intergang and made the CEO of Kord Industries to serve as a front for Intergang's activities.
  • Torque - Dudley Soames is a detective from the Blüdhaven Police Department who was secretly on Blockbuster II's side. His head was twisted 180 degrees by Blockbuster II for crossing him yet survived. Due to his head remaining at this angle, Torque uses mirrored glasses to see forward which allowed him to see all 360 degrees of the battlefield.[31]
  • Toyman -
  • Ventriloquist -
  • War - Member of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips.
  • Whisper A'Daire - An operative for Ra's al Ghul who can turn into a snake or a half-snake creature. Normally paired with Kyle Abbott.

Other versions

JLA/Avengers
Main article: JLA/Avengers

Intergang is seen in Metropolis robbing a bank during the Justice League's absence, only to be stopped and beaten by the Avengers.

Armageddon 2001
Main article: Armageddon 2001

In the first probable future of Superman, seen by Waverider, Intergang takes Metropolis hostage with a nuclear bomb, which detonates due to a member of Intergang being too nervous, leading to Lois Lane's death (among others), and thus, Superman destroying every nuclear weapon that exists on Earth.

In other media

Film
  • Intergang appears in the two-part The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen. In the first part, Mannheim assisted Darkseid in creating a New God soldier and later to capture Superman. In the second part, Intergang got a Mother Box in their hands. The Mother Box got stolen from them by Lois Lane and Lex Luthor in order to rescue Superman.

Television
  • Intergang appeared in several episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Some names were changed; Vincent and Morgan Edge became Bill Church, Sr. (portrayed by Peter Boyle), and Bill Church, Jr. (portrayed by Bruce Campbell), Galaxy Broadcasting became Multiworld Communications, etc. No mention was made of Apokolips. By the end of the series, both Churches were in prison and Intergang was being run by Bill Church, Sr.'s young wife Mindy (portrayed by Jessica Collins), who appeared to be an airhead, but was actually a ruthless mastermind. Mindy and Bill worked together to frame Bill Church, Sr. after going straight, but Mindy double crossed Bill Church Jr. and both Bill Churches went to jail. In a Christmas episode, Mindy worked with another person to poison Superman with a Kryptonian disease. Superman was later cured. Mindy got her accomplice arrested by making the authorities think that her office was his office.
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, Intergang was run by Bruno Mannheim (voiced by Bruce Weitz, who also played Church Sr.'s lawyer on Lois & Clark). Mannheim spent some time being targeted by the Toyman, a villain who used incredible—and lethal—toys, to get revenge on him for framing the Toyman's father for embezzlement. Darkseid later supplied Mannheim with Apokoliptian technology to further his own agenda, using his personal assassin Kanto as an intermediary. Mannheim was later presumably killed in the explosion of a nuclear power plant when helping Darkseid when the resulting wave capsized the boat he was escaping in. In a later episode, Intergang was reorganized under the leadership of Granny Goodness.
  • In Justice League, Morgan Edge was portrayed as living on an island with his own personal army and then is frozen offscreen by Killer Frost as the Secret Society (Gorilla Grodd, Parasite, Sinestro, Giganta, The Shade and Frost) freed Clayface (who was being held in different containers by Edge).
  • Intergang received a brief mention in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy". During a stakeout, an impatient Wonder Woman asked Batman what the criminal organization would want with the Rosetta Stone. Batman replied with the remark "Intergang moves in mysterious ways".
  • Intergang appears in Smallville episode "Stiletto" as Bruno Mannhaim murders fellow gangster Ron Milano, then head of the Ace o' Clubs. They appear in Season 11 comic book continuum, where Mannheim escapes from Stryker's and in possession of the Crime Bible provided by Granny Goodness. Later, Bruno was "visited" by Batman because he knew about Bruno's connection to the Intergang and tried to find out Joe Chill whereabouts. Additional Intergang members included Mr. Freeze and Prankster. [32]
  • Intergang appears in Young Justice. Known members include Bruno Mannheim, Whisper A'Daire, Cairo DeFrey, and Scorpia A'Daire. In "Disordered", Bruno Mannheim and Whisper lead some Intergang operatives into robbing gold from an underground bank vault until Superboy and the Forever People arrive. The Forever People are surprised that Intergang is using technology that is from Apokolips. Upon bringing their battle to the surface, the Forever People summon Infinity-Man who repels Intergang. Intergang escapes through a Boom Tube leaving Whisper behind. Upon probing Whisper's mind, Beautiful Dream reveals that Intergang's weapon supplier is Desaad. When Superboy and the Forever People find an abandoned warehouse consisting of technology from Apokolips, they are ambushed by Desaad and Intergang. Desaad throws the Father Box into the formation of Infinity-Man in order to control them. With help from the New Genisphere, Superboy reclaims control of Infinity-Man and defeats Intergang. In "Performance", it is referenced that Intergang hired Parasite to steal components for a black hole generator. In "Salvage", Superboy and Blue Beetle spot Bruno Mannheim and Whisper heading towards the Hall of Justice. Bruno and Whisper end up using a special Apokolips technology to combine the Appellaxian bodies into an Appellaxian Golem that attacks Superboy, Blue Beetle, Wolf and Sphere. Bruno and Whisper then get away on the Appellaxian Golem. Bruno and Whisper land in the woods where Bruno plans to make the Appellaxian Golem its enforcer in order to expand Intergang. Superboy, Wolf and Blue Beetle catch up and Sphere jams all Apokoliptian signals in the area, causing Bruno to lose control of the Appellaxian Golem which heads to the Arlington Nuclear Power Plant. Superboy restrains Bruno and Whisper as Blue Beetle restrains them with special locks. After the Appellaxian Golem is destroyed by the Partner of The Light, Bruno and Whisper are found in a catatonic state, having been silenced by Sportsmaster as a warning to anyone who challenges The Light. In the third season, Mannheim and Whisper A'Daire appear fully recovered whilst attempting to steal Reach technology alongside Cairo and Scorpia. They were thwarted by the Outsiders and were arrested by the authorities.
  • Intergang is featured in the television series set in the Arrowverse:
    • Intergang is mentioned in an episode of Supergirl called "The Adventures of Supergirl". It is described as an organization who connects various terrorists and mercenaries around the world. One known member who had association with them is John Corben.
    • Intergang is mentioned in the Arrow episode "Docket No. 11-1941-73". When Oliver Queen and Felicity find out that the prosecution in Oliver's upcoming trial is headed by Alexa Van Owen, Felicity does a background check on her and mentions that she has taken down Intergang and Bruno Mannheim in court.

Video games
  • Intergang appears in DC Universe Online. In the hero campaign, the players help Question and Batwoman investigate Intergang's activity in Gotham City's Diamond District where they send the players to an Intergang penthouse in Gotham City to interrogate the underboss. Upon investigating the Intergang, the players learn that the Crime Bible's prophecy states that it promises infinite power once Bruno Mannheim kills the twice-named daughter of Cain. When the players go through the sewers to get to a mysterious warehouse, they witness Batwoman getting captured with her being the twice-named daughter of Cain. After the players defeat Kyle Abbot and Whisper A'Daire, Oracle sends the players some possible locations where Bruno Mannheim and his Crime Bible might be which eventually led them to the Temple of Crime. In the villain campaign, Deathstroke and Calculator send the players to an Intergang penthouse in Gotham City to interrogate the underboss on the location of the Crime Bible. Upon interrogating the Intergang underboss, the players learn that the Crime Bible's prophecy states that it promises infinite power once Bruno Mannheim kills the daughter of Cain. When the players go through the sewers to get to a mysterious warehouse, they witness Batwoman getting captured with her being the twice-named daughter of Cain. After the players defeat Kyle Abbot and Whisper A'Daire, Calculator sends the players some possible locations where Bruno Mannheim and his Crime Bible might be which eventually led them to the Temple of Crime. Intergang's soldiers consists of Crime Cultists, Intergangsters, Maulers, Shooters, Slashers, and Stabbers.
  • Mannheim appears as a boss in the Game Boy Advance game Superman: Countdown to Apokolips. Here too, he is supplied weapons by Darkseid through Kalibak.

References
  1. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  2. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. Gina Renée Misiroglu; Michael Eury, eds. (2006), The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood, Visible Ink Press, ISBN 9780780809772
  4. Michael Eury, ed. (2006), The Krypton Companion, TwoMorrows Publishing, ISBN 9781893905610
  5. Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 139–140. ISBN 9780345501066.
  6. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #23. DC Comics.
  7. Superman #296. DC Comics.
  8. Superman #297-299. DC Comics.
  9. Superman #301. DC Comics.
  10. Guardians of Metropolis #1. DC Comics.
  11. Adventures of Superman #544. DC Comics.
  12. Adventures of Superman #550. DC Comics.
  13. 52 #3. DC Comics.
  14. 52 #25. DC Comics.
  15. Superman #654. DC Comics.
  16. Gotham Underground #6. DC Comics.
  17. Gotham Underground #8. DC Comics.
  18. Batwoman Vol. 2 #0. DC Comics.
  19. Resurrection Man Vol. 2 #7. DC Comics
  20. Superman: Lois and Clark #2. DC Comics.
  21. Superman: Lois and Clark #3. DC Comics.
  22. Superman: Lois and Clark #4. DC Comics.
  23. Superman: Lois and Clark #6. DC Comics.
  24. Superman: Lois and Clark #7. DC Comics.
  25. Guardians of Metropolis #1
  26. Nightwing #42-44. DC Comics.
  27. Vixen: Return of the Lion #1. DC Comics.
  28. New Challengers #3. DC Comics.
  29. Superman Vol. 2 #28. DC Comics.
  30. Superman #296. DC Comics.
  31. Nightwing #1. DC Comics.
  32. Smallville Season 11 #6
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