Superman

Golden Age Origin
A mad scientist, a chemist named Professor Ernest Smalley, randomly chooses raggedly-dressed vagrant Bill Dunn from a bread line, and recruits him to participate in an experiment in exchange for "a real meal and a nice suit". When Smalley's experimental potion grants Dunn telepathic powers, the man becomes intoxicated by his power and seeks to rule the entire world. This superpowered man uses these abilities for evil, only to discover that the potion's effects are temporary. Having killed the evil Smalley, who had intended to kill Dunn and give himself the same powers, Dunn cannot recreate the secret formula. As the story ends, Dunn's powers wear off and he realizes he will be returning to the bread line to be a forgotten man once more.

Golden Age Appearances

 * Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization #3