Disgruntled loser Martin Van Wyck was abducted by the alien Controllers and given fire-based powers before being deemed a failed experiment and sent back to Earth. When using his powers, Van Wyck transformed into a white-skinned, flame-headed being and took the name Effigy. With no other ambitions, he wreaked havoc, setting fire to the Hollywood sign. After a battle with Green Lantern, he was reclaimed by the Controllers. Effigy later returned to Earth, where he fell for Killer Frost, but when she was buried in an avalanche, he callously abandoned her. The villain then served in the Society and Libras Secret Society of Super-Villains and was briefly exiled to the planet of Salvation. Effigy suffered a gruesome death during Final Crisis, when The Spectre burned him alive in a lantern.