Dr. Arthur Light's status as a major DC villain has dropped. If he returns, it'll be as what former wrestling announcer Bobby "The Brain" Henan called "Ham'n'Eggers". Given his baggage, he may not return, but the power of the Retcon is not to be denied. See the newest version of Toyman.
But let's look at where things went wrong.
When first introduced, he took on the entire League. Julius Schwartz didn't think he was really on that power scale, and his issue's sales were so so, and the decison was made to make him a 'villain without portfolio'. That is, he would show up to take on JLA members individually. This kept him from being a part of any hero's rogues gallery, which kept him from teaming up with the regular rogues.
As time went on, he got his head handed to him by the weaker heroes in Schwartzland, since losing is what villains do.
By the early 70s he was an established villain who didn't register high on the power meter with readers.
Ham'n'Egger: Text book edition.
Then disaster struck: Steve Englehart took over the JLA writing assignment. And he decided that he'd make Dr. Light a challenge to the whole League.
Which might have worked except he got lazy. A few pages showing individual powerful Leaguers getting creamed would have established that Light got a powerful upgrade and he could have the League meeting in fear about the menace of Dr. Light after that and had some credibility. Instead he started the story at that point.
In his arrogance, he thought his simply saying "The JLA fears Dr. Light" settled the issue. Instead it made the typical reader realize just how far Light had fallen.
The story finsihed and probably would have been considered an abberation except: Marv Wolfman took Light's near deification as a personal insult and a general one to fans everywhere.
Wolfman made Dr. Light into a doofus villain and topped it off by having him FAINT when confronted by Hawkman after being captured by the Titans. Wolfman degraded him past Doofus all the way to WIMP.
And followed it up a bit later by having Flash's then girlfriend Frances (Magenta) Kane beat the crud out of him without even bothering to get into costume. Light's plan was completely undone and he was beaten sensless and stuffed into a garbage can and he never had a clue about what or who was responsible. So the Doofus/Wimp was the STUPID Doofus/Wimp.
After that, he was used as a comedy relief type villain, but at least Wolfman had stopped urinating on him. He did throw one more brickbat at him. Wolfman introduced a Superheroine named Dr. Light who even wore his costume. An attempt to retire him. As it happened, the new Dr. Light was a pretty crappy character and the old Dr. Light worked his way back into occasionall use.
There things stood for quite a while, until Brad Metzer came along. Metzer remembered the incongruity of Dr. Light vs the JLA and Dr. Light vs the Titans and figured out a scenario that would reconcile the two.
He turned Light into a rapist. Other writers, freed to do rape as a topic made him a long time serial rapist who couldn't stop talking about it. They got a few panels of dialog that they could use to show their friends or fanboys hanging around them at Cons that they were SERIOUS writers!!!!!
In the process they pushed Light past the point where he wasn't an embarassment to DC Comics.
Thus he was 'snuffed'.
But let's look at where things went wrong.
When first introduced, he took on the entire League. Julius Schwartz didn't think he was really on that power scale, and his issue's sales were so so, and the decison was made to make him a 'villain without portfolio'. That is, he would show up to take on JLA members individually. This kept him from being a part of any hero's rogues gallery, which kept him from teaming up with the regular rogues.
As time went on, he got his head handed to him by the weaker heroes in Schwartzland, since losing is what villains do.
By the early 70s he was an established villain who didn't register high on the power meter with readers.
Ham'n'Egger: Text book edition.
Then disaster struck: Steve Englehart took over the JLA writing assignment. And he decided that he'd make Dr. Light a challenge to the whole League.
Which might have worked except he got lazy. A few pages showing individual powerful Leaguers getting creamed would have established that Light got a powerful upgrade and he could have the League meeting in fear about the menace of Dr. Light after that and had some credibility. Instead he started the story at that point.
In his arrogance, he thought his simply saying "The JLA fears Dr. Light" settled the issue. Instead it made the typical reader realize just how far Light had fallen.
The story finsihed and probably would have been considered an abberation except: Marv Wolfman took Light's near deification as a personal insult and a general one to fans everywhere.
Wolfman made Dr. Light into a doofus villain and topped it off by having him FAINT when confronted by Hawkman after being captured by the Titans. Wolfman degraded him past Doofus all the way to WIMP.
And followed it up a bit later by having Flash's then girlfriend Frances (Magenta) Kane beat the crud out of him without even bothering to get into costume. Light's plan was completely undone and he was beaten sensless and stuffed into a garbage can and he never had a clue about what or who was responsible. So the Doofus/Wimp was the STUPID Doofus/Wimp.
After that, he was used as a comedy relief type villain, but at least Wolfman had stopped urinating on him. He did throw one more brickbat at him. Wolfman introduced a Superheroine named Dr. Light who even wore his costume. An attempt to retire him. As it happened, the new Dr. Light was a pretty crappy character and the old Dr. Light worked his way back into occasionall use.
There things stood for quite a while, until Brad Metzer came along. Metzer remembered the incongruity of Dr. Light vs the JLA and Dr. Light vs the Titans and figured out a scenario that would reconcile the two.
He turned Light into a rapist. Other writers, freed to do rape as a topic made him a long time serial rapist who couldn't stop talking about it. They got a few panels of dialog that they could use to show their friends or fanboys hanging around them at Cons that they were SERIOUS writers!!!!!
In the process they pushed Light past the point where he wasn't an embarassment to DC Comics.
Thus he was 'snuffed'.