Perry White

Few supporting characters in comics history have earned their place at the table quite like Perry White — the no-nonsense editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, who made his debut in Superman #7 back in 1940, courtesy of G. B. Armbruster, making him a genuine Golden Age institution. Over an astonishing 86-year publishing span across Superman, Action Comics, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, and beyond, Perry has anchored the human heart of Metropolis through 544 catalog appearances and 22 key issues — a record that speaks to just how indispensable he is. He shares his pages with the cream of DC's crop: Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, and even Batman and Bruce Wayne have crossed his path. If you want to understand the Daily Planet — and by extension, the world Superman fights to protect — Perry White is exactly where you start.