The Many Faces of Mxyzptlk (2020 Update)

Superman has faced many enemies throughout the years. Some have challenged him on a physical level, some on a mental level. There is one foe, however, who has challenged his patience more than anything else. The mischievous imp from the 5th Dimension known as Mr. Mxyzptlk has annoyed, confounded and confused the Man of Steel for decades, usually in the name of a good laugh. This magical prankster can appear on Earth once every 90 days, playing jokes and causing trouble on an epic scale until Superman can outsmart him (which usually involves tricking him into saying his name backwards) and send him back to his own dimension. Sound crazy? That’s exactly the point.

Mxy first appeared in Superman #30 in 1944, in a tale written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel. Initially spelled “Mxyztplk” (note the “t” and “p” are reversed), this first story had the imp bringing a nude statue to life, causing the mayor to bray like a donkey, and setting circus animals loose in the streets. The issue ended with a note asking fans to write in if they wanted to see more of Mr. Mxyztplk.

The “Adventures of Superman” TV series in the 1950s didn’t involve many supervillains from the Man of Steel’s rogues gallery, opting instead to put George Reeves’ Superman up against gangsters and mad scientists. It’s no surprise then that they didn’t include Mr. Mxyzptlk. The closest they came was a diminutive alien with otherworldly powers called Mr. Zero who appeared in the show’s fifth season. Could the show’s creators have been drawing some inspiration from Mxy with this character? It’s certainly possible. Mr. Zero was played by Billy Curtis, who had also played one of the Mole Men in “Superman and the Mole Men” a few years prior. Billy Curtis was also the man beneath the mask playing the lead role of Bark Bent / Superpup in “The Adventures of Superpup” pilot! (And if you don’t know what that is… don’t ask!)

The first animated adaptation of Mr. Mxyzptlk came in 1966, in “The New Adventures of Superman” episode titled “Imp-Practical Joker.” In this episode, Mr. Mxyzptlk takes over a carnival and has some fun with the Man of Steel. Since this was the first time the character was officially adapted into another medium, it has the notable distinction of being the first official attempt at pronouncing his name! It was pronounced here as something like “mix-yez-PITTLE-ik.” Mxyzptlk was voiced here by voice actor Gilbert Mack.

Mr. Mxyzptlk made several animated appearances throughout the various “Super Friends” series that spanned from 1977 – 1986, in such episodes as “Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp,” “Mxyzptlk Strikes Again,” and “Uncle Mxyzptlk” (which featured Red Kryptonite turning Superman into a little kid!). Voice actor Frank Welker provided the voice of Mxyzptlk, as well as several other characters in the series. The prolific Welker has voiced hundreds of cartoon characters throughout his amazing career, with roles ranging from Kermit on “Muppet Babies” and Abu the monkey in “Aladdin” to Dr. Claw on “Inspector Gadget” and Megatron on “Transformers.”

Did you know Mxyzptlk was almost in “Superman III”? In 1980, Ilya Salkind, one of the producers of the Christopher Reeve “Superman” films, wrote a treatment for the third installment of the franchise that was very different from what ultimately ended up on screen. Though some elements from this outline are present in the final film (i.e. Lana Lang, and the fact that Superman’s personality is altered to make him violent and destructive), Salkind’s version also included not only Mr. Mxyzptlk, but Brainiac and Supergirl as well! Superman and Supergirl would not have been cousins in this version; in fact, they fall in love! Though this version never got to the casting process (we were four years away from Helen Slater as Supergirl), Dudley Moore was reportedly the top choice for Mr. Mxyzptlk. You can read the full treatment at http://meatfighter.com/superman3/part4/s3_original_idea.pdf if you are so inclined. It’s an interesting read, to be sure!

Mxy then popped up on the live-action “Superboy” TV series, which aired from 1988- 1992. In the first season episode “Meet Mr. Mxyzptlk,” Superboy removes a magic totem pole from the ground and accidentally opens a gateway to another dimension, releasing Mxyzptlk. The imp uses his magic to steal Lana Lang away from the Boy of Steel. Michael J. Pollard played Mxyzptlk, and his visual appearance was straight from the comics, right down to his purple bowler hat. Pollard reprised the role in season two, in the episode “Mr. and Mrs. Superboy.” Mr. Pollard passed away last year at the age of 80.

On “Lois & Clark,” Howie Mandel portrayed Mr. Mxyzptlk in the fourth season episode “Twas the Night Before Mxymas.” In this Christmas-themed tale, Mxy created a time loop that trapped Superman in the same day, but with hope and good cheer giving way to gloom and despair with each cycle. Mandel shares a few credits with his Mxyz predecessor Frank Welker, as Mandel also lent his voice to the “Muppet Babies,” playing Animal and Skeeter. He was also the voice of Bobby on “Bobby’s World,” while Welker provided the voice of Roger the Dog. Howie is probably best known to today’s audiences as a host of such shows as “America’s Got Talent” and “Deal or No Deal.”

Gilbert Gottfried was the next to give voice to Mr. Mxyzptlk, on “Superman The Animated Series” in 1997. The character first appeared in the episode “Mxyzpixilated,” which was based very heavily on the initial Jerry Siegel story from Superman #30. Mxy later returned and teamed with Bizarro in the episode “Little Big Head Man.” Other screen credits for Mr. Gottfried include Mr. Peabody in the “Problem Child” movies, and some episodes of “Crank Yankers.” His distinctive yell was also the voice of the Aflac duck for quite some time. And he also has a tie to Frank Welker… Gottfried voiced Iago the parrot in “Aladdin.” Gottfried has reprised the role of Mxyzptlk in episodes of “Justice League Action” as well as in a couple of video games.

In the fourth season of “Smallville,” Mxyzptlk appeared not as an imp from the 5th dimension but as a foreign exchange student with verbal mind control powers. Mikhail Mxyzptlk appeared in the episode titled “Jinx,” running a sports gambling racket. He would influence the outcome of games by causing the players to fumble or trip via his spoken suggestions. The episode ended with a de-powered Mikhail being taken to Lex Luthor’s mysterious Level 33.1. (He did not appear again, though the Level 33.1 subplot would pay off several seasons later.) Mikhail Mxyzptlk was played by Trent Ford, who later appeared on “The Class” and “The Vampire Diaries.”

In 2011, Mr. Mxyzptlk made a brief appearance on “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” in the episode titled “Battle of the Superheroes.” Batman and Superman confront Mxy as he is using his magic to cause mayhem in Metropolis, and Superman tricks him into saying his name backwards via a knock-knock joke. Mxyzptlk is voiced here by Kevin Michael Richardson. Richardson had previously voiced The Joker on the 2004 series “The Batman,” among many other voice roles.

In late 2013, reports began circulating that Ben Affleck (who had been just recently cast as Batman) wanted his friend Larry David to play Mr. Mxyzptlk in the live-action DC film universe. While it’s unlikely that the mischievous imp’s brand of humor would have fit in very well with the decidedly dark “Batman vs. Superman,” it’s hard to deny that Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) as Mxy would be, as he would say, “pretty, pretty, pretty good!”

We would next find Mr. Mxyzptlk popping into the dimension of CW’s “Supergirl,” appearing in the closing moments of the 2017 episode titled “Luthors” and professing his love for Kara Zor-El. This cameo led to a full appearance in the following episode, “Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk.” (A callback to the “Superboy” episode title, perhaps?) Upon finding that Supergirl didn’t reciprocate his romantic feelings, Mxy began conjuring up chaos to both challenge and impress the Girl of Steel. This version of Mxy was played by Peter Gadiot, who previously played Cyrus on “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.”

Mxy made his return to “Supergirl” this season much the same way he did previously, with a quick cameo just before the credits rolled on last week’s “Back From The Future, Part Two.” With this week’s episode, the series’ landmark 100th, Mxy will provide Kara with a glimpse into some possible alternative versions of her own history if she had made some different choices along the way. Thomas Lennon, a comedic actor known for a reboot of “The Odd Couple,” “Reno 911!” and MTV’s “The State,” is portraying Mxy this time around. (Whether his change in appearance is attributed to his magical nature or some kind of fallout from Crisis is almost certain to be addressed at some point.)

The thing that fans seem to love about Mxyzptlk is the sense of fun that he adds to any story that he appears in. Because his powers are magical in nature and his personality is so wild and unpredictable, fans know that all bets are off and anything can happen. Superman’s other foes may be able to trade punches with him or plan elaborate schemes, but Mxy can literally turn his world upside down with a wave of his hand. That playful mischief and sense of wonder was what got fans to respond to the query at the end of Superman #30, and that’s the same thing that keeps them coming back for more today.

Mxyzptlk returns in Supergirl Episode 100 TONIGHT (Feb. 23, 2020) at 9PM ET/PT on The CW!