Monocle (character)

Jonathan Cheval is an honest businessman in the field of optics; however due to the scheming of a criminal he loses his business. Determined to get revenge on the people that cheated him, Cheval invents a number of monocles that can emit beams of energy.[2] He is eventually captured by the Golden Age Hawkman after killing two of the criminals, although the remaining one is jailed with him.

Decades later, after being released from prison, he is invited by the Ultra-Humanite to join his Secret Society of Super Villains which battles Hawkman along with the rest of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America.[3] He and his colleagues are defeated and banished into an interdimensional limbo until the Ultra-Humanite from 1942 contacts his future counterpart, enlisting the aid of all criminals then present in limbo. Monocle briefly resides once more in 1942 until he and his allies are defeated once again, this time at the hands of the All-Star Squadron.

Monocle joins up with a new version of the Secret society in JLA-80 Page Giant #1 (1998), but judging from the story's end, this entire adventure is a tall tale told between two other supervillains; Sonar II and the Rainbow Raider.

Monocle appears with Merlyn and other various villains and ex-Suicide Squad members in the mini-series Identity Crisis (2004). Though his appearance in Identity Crisis sets him up for the big time, he is killed by the most recent Manhunter (Kate Spencer) in Manhunter # 9 (June 2005).

In Blackest Night #1, it is revealed that Monocle's remains were gathered by the Justice League along with the remains of several other deceased super-villains after Nightwing found out about a rash of graverobbings.

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Monocle is reintroduced in the Forever Evil storyline where he thinks that the Crime Syndicate of America is actually the Justice League in disguise where they are tricking the villains. Monocle ends up killed by Ultraman's heat vision.[4]

The Monocle created a number of special monocles that emit different types of rays or beams. For example, one fires a destructive ray, another emits a laser like beam capable of cutting through most materials, and yet another emits an intense beam of white light capable of blinding an opponent. The monocles can be operated either when being held by Monocle or remotely, though Monocle tends to use them most often while holding them over his eye.[5]

• Unofficial Guide to DC Comics entry