While most comics fans think of Superman as the first superhero, the title of 'first supervillain' is more ambiguous. Scholars and fans often point to characters like the Ultra-Humanite, Superman's first real threat, and Timely Comics' Sub-Mariner, originally an anti-hero who clashed with the original Human Torch. Both characters debuted in 1939, roughly a year after Superman officially ushered in the Golden Age of Comics. However, they were preceded by a wide range of comics supervillains like Flash Gordon's Ming The Merciless (1934), More Fun Comics' Fang Gow (1936), and Detective Comics' Ching Lung (1937), who graced the title's first cover. These were all evil masterminds with access to super science, much like the Ultra-Humanite, but they also all had an obvious antecedent who'd made his comics debut in 1931. While it's an uncomfortable and terrible fact, Fu Manchu was comics' first supervillain.
Source：https://www.cbr.com/ugly-racist-history-fu-manchu-marvel-comics-first-supervillain/
