Ozymandias

Few characters in comics carry the weight of a name like Ozymandias — evoking fallen empires before a single page is turned. Emerging from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark Watchmen in 1986, this Copper Age figure is one of the most intellectually charged presences DC has ever published, sharing the page with icons like the Comedian, Nite Owl, and even Batman himself. A presence across some 34 years of comics history, Ozymandias turns up in titles ranging from Before Watchmen: Minutemen to Detective Comics, proof that the character's gravitational pull extends well beyond a single series. If you care about the moments when superhero comics dared to ask harder questions, this is a name worth knowing.