INTERGANG!

The criminal organization Intergang was a major threat to the safety of the citizens of Metropolis before Superman came to town. No criminal activity was beneath them or outside of their sphere of influence.

Intergang's activities were directed by Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, an underworld boss who handed out assignments to his hirelings. Mannheim reported to Morgan Edge, president of Galaxy Communications. But Edge was not the real power behind Intergang.

That individual lived on another planet, in another solar system, on the far side of the galaxy: Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips! Darkseid supplied Intergang with Apokoliptian technology to fuel their criminal activities.

Superman first gained Intergang's attention through his articles as Clark Kent, written to expose the criminal agency to the light of justice. Edge told Mannheim to have Kent killed, but as it turned out the assassin mistakenly killed a private investigator who had been searching Kent's apartment (Kent was, of course, in exile as Superman following his adventure in the Pocket Universe). When Clark Kent turned up alive, Edge was not happy. He ordered both Kent and Lois Lane killed.

Edge learned that Catherine Grant, whom he had recently hired as a private secretary, had been Kent's source for his series of exposes on Intergang. She, too, was ruled a liability and numerous attempts were made on her life.

When Superman discovered that it was Edge who was behind the attempts to kill Lois, Cat, and himself, he confronted the Galaxy Communications president in his office. Edge suffered a heart attack which left him in the hospital and Mannheim in charge of Intergang. Mannheim felt that it was too risky to allow Edge to live, and ordered him executed as well.

Intergang continued to be a malevolent presence in Metropolis. The organization financed drug dealers and gang activity, as well as sponsoring criminals like the Toyman.

Superman continued his efforts to stop Intergang's activities, both by breaking up its organization as Superman, and by revealing their dealings to the public as Clark Kent. These attacks on the criminal organization finally led to a battle between Superman and Mannheim. Mannheim was beaten, arrested, and taken to Stryker's Island prison, although he escaped some time later. Superman found him, and in their final battle, Mannheim attempted to open a boom tube to transport him to Apokolips. Superman shorted the tube out, and Mannheim disappeared in a flash of smoke.

In short order, working with the Special Crimes Unit, Superman managed to find and break up most of the remaining pockets of Intergangsters working in Metropolis.

Some time later, ex-Cadmus geneticist (and all-around mad scientist) Dabney Donovan started up a new Intergang by creating clones of some of the greatest mobsters from Metropolis' past: Boss Moxie, Mike "Machine" Gunn, Torcher, Noose, and Rough House. These gangster clones soon moved to take control of all gang activity in Metropolis by destroying any competition. They also set their sights on young Jimmy Olsen, whose promised expose on the secret identity of Superman caught their attention.

Meanwhile, Morgan Edge, who had escaped from Stryker's Island during a jailbreak by Dr. Killgrave, was determined to retake control of Intergang. With assistance from Apokalips, Edge managed to get hold of some impressive hardware as he prepared for an all out gang war.

Unfortunately for Edge (but perhaps fortunately for Metropolis), Lex Luthor arranged a meeting with Moxie. Using his own brand of unique persuasion, Luthor persuaded Moxie to switch sides, giving Luthor control over gang activity in the city.

Between the rock of Superman and the hard place of Luthor, Intergang decided to take its activities elsewhere for a time.