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Commander Steel (also known as Captain Steel, Citizen Steel and Sergeant Steel) is the name of three
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
es appearing in media published by
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, all members of the same family. The first Steel appeared in ''Steel, The Indestructible Man'' #1 (1978), and was created by
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...
and
Don Heck Donald L. HeckDonald L. Heck
at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved on Septem ...
. His stories were set in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The two later characters called Steel are his grandsons. Nate Heywood / Steel, his grandfather Henry Heywood / Commander Steel, and Nate's father Hank Heywood all appear in ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'', portrayed by
Nick Zano Nick Zano (born March 8, 1978) is an American actor. He played List of What I Like About You characters#Vince, Vince in The WB's sitcom ''What I Like About You (TV series), What I Like About You''. He hosted MTV's former infotainment program abo ...
, Matthew MacCaull, and Thomas F. Wilson respectively.


Creation

The character served as an homage to the Marvel Comics character,
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
. "Steel was intended to be a tip of the hat to the original Captain America. My favorite Cap stories, when I was growing up, were the ones Stan and Jack set in World War II, so I was just trying to recapture that feeling."


Publishing history

Steel first appeared in a series set in 1939, ''Steel: The Indestructible Man'', written by
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
writer
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...
. The series was canceled after five issues, and Steel later made a guest-appearance in ''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
''.''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
'' #260 (March 1987)
Steel was also a member of the World War II era ''
All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...
'' team. He made a prominent appearance many years later in four issues of the ''Eclipso'' ongoing series, where he was killed. After this, he appeared in issue #2 of the 2010 series, ''DC Universe: Legacies'', which chronicled the superheroes of the 1940s. Starting in 1984, the second Steel appeared as one of the lead characters in ''Justice League of America'', until its cancellation during the ''
Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, comic books, and theater * ''Legend'' (Gemmell novel), a 1 ...
'' crossover in 1987. He made a single appearance several years later in issue #38 of ''Justice League America'', a continuation of ''
Justice League International Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
'', where he was killed. In 2006, he played a leading posthumous role in a single story arc of ''
JLA Classified The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'', which chronicled a previously unrevealed adventure of the Detroit-era JLA. In 2010, he played a major role in the two-issue ''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 tie-in to ''
Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in i ...
'', where he was temporarily resurrected. The third Steel made his debut in the 2007 relaunch of ''Justice Society of America'', where he appeared for several years until the team was split into two separate groups by writers
Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and ''Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the fam ...
and
Lilah Sturges Lilah Sturges (; born Matthew Sturges, October 1970) is an American writer of comics and fantasy novels. She is best known for co-writing with Bill Willingham the Eisner-award-nominated '' Jack of Fables'', and other comics published by Vertigo Co ...
, where he appeared as one of the lead characters in ''
JSA All-Stars The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in ''All ...
''. In 2011's
The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
reboot of DC's continuity, he is shown to exist on Earth 2, under the name ''Captain Steel''.


Fictional character biography


Henry Heywood

Henry Heywood is a biology student whose teacher, Gilbert Giles, gives him cybernetic enhancements to save his life following an attack by saboteurs under
Baron Blitzkrieg Baron Blitzkrieg is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history The character (also known as Baron Reiter and simply the Baron) was created by Gerry Conway and Don Heck, and first appeared in ''Worl ...
's command. Henry initially keeps his abilities secret, but becomes frustrated with doing so and chooses to become a superhero. Henry joins the
All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...
and participates in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He is later transported to
Earth-One Earth-One (also Earth-1) is a name given to two fictional universes (the Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis versions of the same universe) that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name i ...
during ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'', retires, and becomes the benefactor of
Justice League Detroit The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
.''Justice League of America'' #244 (November 1985) Following the death of his grandson, Henry Heywood III, Henry comes out of retirement and is killed battling
Eclipso Eclipso () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Lee Elias, the character first appeared in '' House of Secrets'' #61 (August 1963). The character bears notable similarities to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ...
. He is later resurrected following ''
The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
'' and ''
DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...
'' relaunches.


Hank Heywood III

The second Steel is Henry "Hank" Heywood III. Following the death of his parents, he is raised by his grandfather, the original Steel, and subjected to the same process that gave him powers. Hank later joins the Justice League. He is placed on life support after one of
Professor Ivo Anthony Ivo is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a mad scientist who is the creator of the android villain Amazo and, along with villainous scientist T. O. Morrow, the co-creator of the android Tomorrow Woman. As ...
's androids mortally wounds him and later killed by
Despero Despero () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #1 (October 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic ...
. In ''
Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in i ...
'', Steel returns as a
Black Lantern The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of wikt:corporeal, corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of d ...
until Doctor Light destroys him.


Nathan Heywood

Nathan Heywood is the grandson of Henry Heywood and the cousin of Henry Heywood III. He is a former football player at
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
who is forced to retire after his leg is injured and amputated. Nathan is attacked by the villain Reichsmark, who transforms his mother and brother into metal statues. He is exposed to Reichsmark's blood, regenerating his leg and transforming him into an organic metal being. Nathan then joins the
Justice Society In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes'' of Justinian, a ...
as Citizen Steel.


Powers and abilities

Originally Commander Steel could lift 1,000 pounds, but when he appeared in the pages of ''
All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...
'', he was attributed 'super-human' strength without an exact limit. Citizen Steel's metallic body grants him superhuman strength and allows him to take direct blows from opponents as powerful as Gog, and remain standing, and in turn knocking him to the ground—the only one in the JSA able to do so—but at the cost of reducing his sense of touch so that he cannot really feel anything he comes in contact with, making it hard for him to judge how much effort he should put into doing things. His alloy suit limits his strength to controllable levels but at a cost of slowing him down, as well as making him so heavy that he has been shown cracking pavements just by walking. Upon removing his suit, he can unleash his full strength without being slowed down.


Other versions


Earth 2

In September 2011, DC Comics cancelled and relaunched its entire line of monthly comics, in an initiative called "
The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
", and in so doing, rebooted the continuity the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
. There are two versions of Commander Steel on Earth 2:


Hank Heywood Jr.

In this new timeline, Hank Heywood Jr. appears as Captain Steel in the comic series '' Earth 2''. This version is a Filipino man whose bones were reinforced with experimental metal to prevent him from dying from a degenerative bone disorder. During
Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...
's invasion of Earth 2, Hank's father kills himself and destroys his research to prevent
Parademon List of alien races in DC Comics is a list of fictional extraterrestrial races that have appeared in comic book titles published by DC Comics, as well as properties from other media that are listed below, with brief descriptions and accompanying ...
s from obtaining it.


Sergeant Steel

Following a brief encounter with
Ultra-Humanite Ultra-Humanite (Gerard Shugel) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared as a recurring adversary of Superman, and was among the first villains faced by him. He was designed to be the polar oppos ...
, Fury opens the Pandora Vessel as a last resort to save the Wonders, with Earth-2 being recreated once again. A new version of Steel, Sergeant Steel, appears as the sole member of a super-soldier program called Americommando and the leader of an underground rebellion against the Ultra-Humanite.


In other media


Television

* Hank Heywood III / Commander Steel makes non-speaking appearances in ''
Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...
'' as a member of the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
. * Three characters based on the Heywoods appear in ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'': ** Historian Dr. Nathaniel "Nate" Heywood / Steel (portrayed by
Nick Zano Nick Zano (born March 8, 1978) is an American actor. He played List of What I Like About You characters#Vince, Vince in The WB's sitcom ''What I Like About You (TV series), What I Like About You''. He hosted MTV's former infotainment program abo ...
) is introduced in the second season as a
hemophiliac Haemophilia (British English), or hemophilia (American English) (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a long ...
until he is injected with a super serum that
Eobard Thawne Eobard Thawne, also known as the Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome (writer), John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''T ...
gave to the Nazis before the
Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, comic books, and theater * ''Legend'' (Gemmell novel), a 1 ...
retrieved it and
Ray Palmer Raymond or Ray Palmer may refer to: * Raymond A. Palmer, science-fiction writer and editor * Raymond F. Palmer, medical professor * Raymond Palmer, 3rd Baron Palmer (1916–1990), British peer and businessman * Ray Palmer (pastor), American pastor ...
modified it to save Nate. After receiving the serum, he becomes a metahuman with superhuman strength and the ability to transform into organic steel. Nate takes the name "Steel" and joins the Legends in their adventures before leaving them in the series finale after he loses his powers due to
mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...
exposure and retires to the Wind Totem to maintain his relationship with
Zari Tomaz Zari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi () are fictional characters portrayed by Tala Ashe in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, primarily the television series ''Legends of Tomorrow''. Loosely inspired by the characters Andrea Thomas and Adrianna Tomaz, both ...
. ** Nate's grandfather Henry Heywood I / Commander Steel also appears in the second season, portrayed by Matthew MacCaull. This version is a member of the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
(JSA) who operated during the 1940s before going missing and being presumed dead in the 1950s. In reality, Henry and the JSA assisted
Rip Hunter Rip Hunter (Michael Jon Carter Jr.) is a time-traveling superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, the character first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #20 ...
in breaking the
Spear of Destiny A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...
into several fragments and protecting them across different points in time, with Henry protecting his fragment in the 1970s, during which he became a NASA flight commander. Henry would later sacrifice himself to save the Legends from the
Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
. ** Nate's father and Henry's son Henry "Hank" Heywood II appears in the fourth season, portrayed by Thomas F. Wilson. This version is the Time Bureau's primary founder who secretly works with the demon Neron to capture mystical creatures and train them for use in the theme park "Heyworld", which he based on a drawing Nate made as a child. After discovering Nate is a superhero, Hank attempts to break off his partnership with Neron, only to be killed. Upon discovering Hank's true intentions, the Legends realize his dream.


Merchandise

* Henry Heywood / Commander Steel received an action figure in the
DC Universe Classics DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was sculpted by the Four Horse ...
line. * Commander Steel received an action figure in Mattel's ''Justice League Unlimited'' line.


References


External links


Steel
at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
* {{Portal bar, Speculative fiction, 1980s Groups of fictional characters 1978 comics debuts Characters created by Alex Ross Characters created by Chuck Patton Characters created by Don Heck Characters created by Geoff Johns Characters created by Gerry Conway Comics characters introduced in 1978 Comics characters introduced in 1984 Comics characters introduced in 2007 DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics military personnel Earth-Two Fictional amputees
Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
DC Comics cyborgs Fictional players of American football Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel United States-themed superheroes