Influential authority figures wield as much power to drive comic book stories as the superheroes. Many such characters don’t even have superpowers; even when they do, they exist mainly to drive the moral ethics or control the actions of others. Perry White is a supporting Superman character, but he is responsible for shaping the journalistic principles of a young Clark Kent.
Even the Green Lantern Corps, a league of space cops, has bosses they must obey, the Guardians of the Universe. The Penguin and Ra’s Al Ghul are influential authority figures in the criminal underworld who make life difficult for Batman.
