Sergeant Franklin John Rock, also known as simply Sgt. Rock, is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s 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 ...

. Sgt. Rock first appeared in ''

Our Army at War ''Our Army at War'' is an American comic book anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed stories and featured the first appearances of Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series was published from August 1952 to February 1977, then wa ...

'' #83 (June 1959), and was created by

Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over ...

and

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawk ...

. The character is a

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 ...

soldier who served as an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

Publication history

Sgt. Rock's prototype first appeared in ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' is an American comics anthology featuring war comics, war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication histor ...

'' #68 (January 1959). His rank is not given in this story; instead, he is merely called "The Rock". The Rock returned as a sergeant in ''

'' #81 (April 1959) named "Sgt. Rocky" with his unit,

Easy Company E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is a company in the United States Army. The company was referred to as "Easy" after the radio call for "E" in the pho ...

(the precise US Army infantry regiment to which Easy belonged was never identified during the history of the character). This second prototype story was written by Bob Haney, but the character's creator,

, was the editor. Kanigher would go on to create the bulk of the stories with

as the artist. In issue #82 (May 1959), he is called "Sgt. Rock" (name only) and by issue #83 (June 1959), he makes his first full appearance as Sgt. Rock. ''Our Army at War'' steadily gained popularity, until, in 1977, the name of the comic was changed to ''Sgt. Rock''. The comic ran until ''Sgt. Rock'' #422 (July 1988). In addition to the semi-regular comic, several "

digests Digest may refer to: Biology *Digestion of food *Restriction digest Literature and publications *'' The Digest'', formerly the English and Empire Digest *Digest size magazine format * ''Digest'' (Roman law), also known as ''Pandects'', a digest ...

" were sold, under the ''DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest'' banner, reprinting stories from ''Our Army at War'' or ''Sgt. Rock''. Some were subtitled as ''OAAW'' or ''Sgt. Rock'', some as ''Sgt. Rock's Prize Battle Tales'' (the ''Prize Battle Tales'' title was also used on earlier 80-page annual specials). The digest format was " × ", softcover, with 98 full-color pages and no advertisements. A 21-issue run of reprints followed from 1988 to 1991, and two ''Sgt. Rock Specials'' with new content saw publication in 1992 and 1994. A Christmas-themed story appeared in ''DCU Holiday Bash II'' in 1997, again featuring new content. According to John Wells, in ''Fanzing 36'' (July 2001), an online fan magazine: In at least one Sgt. Rock comic book published in the late 1960s, it was revealed that Sgt. Rock had a brother who was an infantry officer in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

, fighting in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. In this episode, Sgt. Rock told his fellow soldiers about a weird combat incident that his brother had taken part in on a Pacific island, shown in the comic in a "flashback" style. Larry Rock became an aide to general

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

and was kidnapped by the Nazis and tortured for information on the planned re-taking of the Philippines. Sgt. Rock attempted to rescue him but Larry was presumed dead when he fell from a mountain cable car (SGT.ROCK ANNUAL #2). One of the last Kanigher SGT.ROCK issues showed Larry living as a peaceful amnesiac in neutral Switzerland. Rock never reported his survival, figuring Larry had earned his peace. A Viet Nam soldier by the name of Adam Rock appears in ''

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

'' #16 (May 1975), though it is never specifically stated if he is intended to be a relative of Frank Rock. DC Comics published ''Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion'', written and drawn by

William Tucci William Tucci () is an American comics creator. He is best known for his creator-owned title and character '' Shi''. Career Tucci founded Crusade Comics in Bayport, New York Its flagship title, '' Shi'', debuted in March 1994. Publisher Top Cow ...

, starting in November 2008. The story places Rock and Easy Company with the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, which was surrounded by German forces in the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

on October 24, 1944, and eventually rescued by the Japanese-American

442nd Regimental Combat Team The 442nd Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment including the 100th Infantry Battalion is best known as the most decorated unit in U.S. military history, and as a fighting unit composed almost ent ...

. ''The Lost Battalion'' also revives other World War II–era DC characters, such as the

Haunted Tank The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title ''G.I. Combat'' from 1961 through 1987. Publication history The Haunted Tank was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in '' ...

, and "Navajo Ace"

Johnny Cloud ''The Losers'' is the name of a war comic book feature published by DC Comics. The name was later given to a reimagined comic book series for DC's Vertigo imprint. The first ''Losers'' comic was a war comics feature set during World War II. ...

, and the story itself is mainly narrated by combat journalist William J. Kilroy, and German General Friedrich Wiese.

Fictional character biography

During

, Sgt. Rock fought in the

branch of the U.S. Army in the

European Theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and Franc ...

and eventually rose to authority within his unit,

. The unit was a collection of disparate individuals who managed to participate in every major action in the European war. Rock's dog-tag number was 409966, which had been, it was claimed, Robert Kanigher's own military serial number. Robert Kanigher mused in letters columns in the 1970s and 1980s that Rock probably belonged to "The Big Red One" ( First US Infantry Division) given his appearance on battlefields in North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. Rock's backstory was fleshed out in different comics over the years; generally he is considered to have come from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, where he worked in a steel mill. Enlisting after the attack on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, he went to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

as a private but promotion came quickly as his superiors were killed, to assistant squad leader, squad leader, and then platoon sergeant. During the main series, his unit is only ever given as "

", but no regiment or division is named nor is unit insignia ever shown. Rock is shown to have two siblings (''Sgt. Rock'' #421): Larry, a Marine fighting in the Pacific and Amy, a nun. In the 2003 graphic novel ''Sgt. Rock: Between Hell & A Hard Place,'' "Easy Company" is mentioned as being part of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, during the

Battle of Hürtgen Forest The Battle of Hürtgen Forest () was a series of battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, between United States Armed Forces, American and Wehrmacht, German forces on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War ...

. In the 2009 six-issue miniseries ''Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion'' Rock's unit is still referred to as "Easy Company" but is of the 141st Infantry Regiment. However, in the closing pages of the last issue, the narration states that, following the end of the story, "as usual, Sgt. Rock's 'Combat-Happy Joes' moved out to fill the ranks of another Easy Company left fractured by war", moving them to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division, under 2nd Lieutenant

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enli ...

. A famous tagline of Rock's is: "Nothin's easy in Easy Company". Rock also usually wears the chevrons and rockers of a Master Sergeant on his uniform and also applied, oversize, to the front of his helmet. It is likely Rock's official position in Easy Company was of senior platoon sergeant though dialogue and scripts are usually vague on his actual responsibilities and duties. He usually leads patrols and appears to have powers of command over the men of the company. Several officer characters also appeared in the comic, as both platoon and company commanders, all of whom were regarded by Rock as superiors. Ever the model NCO, Sgt. Rock always rendered proper respect to these officers, and was always quick to give advice to not only ensure success, but for that officer to gain confidence and experience as a leader. Easy's commander was usually referred to as "the skipper" by Rock. Rock in turn was referred to by others as the "topkick", or senior non-commissioned officer in the company. Most infantry companies did not have master sergeants; significantly, Rock does not have the diamond of a

first sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

on his rank insignia. In a flashback in "

The New Golden Age "The New Golden Age" is a crossover event in DC Comics publications. Written by Geoff Johns, the story follows the Justice Society of America unraveling a mystery following the Golden Age heroes and villains and the untold stories that come with i ...

", the Unknown Soldier presents Sgt. Rock and Easy Company with information about

Per Degaton Per Degaton is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a known time-traveling villain who is a recurring enemy of the Justice Society of America. Cory Grüter-Andrew portrays a young Degaton on the first se ...

's Nazi experiments.

Powers and abilities

* Rock is a crack shot, able to shoot down several German fighter planes with a single submachine gun, and able to throw hand grenades with amazing accuracy. * Rock is a highly effective close combat fighter, mostly shown using a style of street fighting mixed with boxing and judo. * Rock seems to have close to superhuman endurance and strength, surviving a large number of gunshot wounds, fragments from hand grenades, exposure to freezing water and other hazards. Rock's powers seem to be more realistic in Bob Kanigher's stories than in Joe Kubert's. * Rock's "Combat Antenna" is what he calls a kind of sixth sense to warn him of impending enemy attack. This usually allows him at least some time to warn Easy Co. even if it rarely allows them to get out of harm's way entirely. * With very few exceptions, Rock maintains complete calm and determination under fire, even when the odds are stacked high against his and Easy Co.'s success. * Rock also has a heart. The one thing that (almost) had him breaking down is when the Nazis scraped the very bottom of the barrel and were sending teenage boys out against Rock and his men, or when he and his company were guarding a group of children who had to be evacuated from an orphanage, and one died from a German bullet.

Equipment

The classic Rock was usually dressed in olive drab fatigues, with a .45-caliber M1A1

Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Arm ...

(although sometimes he is shown using an

M50 Reising The .45 Reising submachine gun was manufactured by Harrington & Richardson (H&R) Arms Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, and was designed and patented by Eugene Reising in 1940. The three versions of the weapon were the Model 50, the fold ...

instead) and .45-caliber

Colt M1911A1 The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge. History Early histor ...

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...

as his armament. Oddly, the classic artwork almost always depicts Rock with an M1 Garand cartridge belt which would be useless to him, as well as two belts of .50-caliber ammunition (drawn as .30 caliber fabric belted for M1917 Browning machine gun), which Rock considers lucky charms. Artists

John Severin John Powers Severin (; December 26, 1921 – February 12, 2012) was an American comics artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics '' Two-Fisted Tales'' and ''Frontline Combat''; for Marvel Comics, e ...

and

Russ Heath Russell Heath Jr. (September 29, 1926 – August 23, 2018) was an American artist best known for his comic book work, particularly his DC Comics war stories and his 1960s art for ''Playboy'' magazine's " Little Annie Fanny" feature. He also prod ...

sometimes attempted a more realistic portrayal of Rock's equipment, but the .50-caliber ammunition remained a personal trademark. Rock is always shown with a number of hand grenades secured to his equipment.

Fates of Sgt. Rock

The ultimate fate of Sgt. Frank Rock is complicated. There were initially two versions of the character, one residing on

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 ...

and the other residing on

Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...

. According to a number of stories, he was killed on the last day of the war by the last enemy bullet fired. However, DC has also published a number of stories incorporating a post-war Rock into the modern stories of superheroes, including appearances alongside

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, and the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

. In stories told after the demise of his own comic book, Rock's character was revived, explained to have survived the war, and went on to perform covert missions for the United States government. He also battled his old foe, the Iron Major, and went on an adventure to Dinosaur Island with his old second in command, Bulldozer. According to John Wells:

Kanigher had established Frank's post-war survival in ''OAAW'' #168, wherein he had Rock visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and
Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Lance Bruner, Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and ...
picked up on that fact in ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
''. In issue #84, he'd had Rock and Easy cross paths with
Bruce Wayne Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. In t ...
during the war (in an episode obviously set on Earth-Two) and followed up with a present-day sequel in ''Brave & the Bold'' #96. In that one, Bruce arrived at the United States Embassy in South America and was introduced to "our Military Attache and Chief of Embassy Security ... Sergeant Rock, U.S. Army". Two subsequent present-day episodes found Rock tracking a Satanic figure that he believed was Adolf Hitler (''B&B'' #108) and an Easy Company "ghost" that he'd been ordered to execute at the Battle of the Bulge (''B&B'' #117). In the bizarre ''Brave & the Bold'' #124, Bob Haney and
Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (; August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre (DC Comics character), Sp ...
actually guest-starred as Rock and Batman trailed a terrorist organization called the 1000.

Following this, he appeared as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and a

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

for

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

's administration. However, Frank Rock was involved with an incarnation of the Suicide Squad. At the end of the title, he peels off a mask and walks away from the team, while his companion "Bulldozer", assumed to be the original, stands up from his wheelchair, comments on how it was good to feel young again, and also walks away. Whether this was the real Frank Rock in disguise or an impostor is unknown; the series concludes with the line "Frank Rock died in 1945". The use of the Rock character in post-war stories had one major effect on Rock's backstory, according to Wells:

All of the super-hero crossovers were more than Kanigher could take. In the letter columns of 1978's ''Sgt. Rock'' #316 and 323 and 1980's ''Sgt. Rock'' #347 and 348, he announced that his hero had not lived past 1945, blunting most of Haney's ''Brave and the Bold'' episodes if nothing else. He also proclaimed: "It is inevitable and wholly in character that neither Rock nor Easy survived the closing days of the war".

Indeed, in the letter column for ''Sgt. Rock'' #374, Kanigher stated that:

As far as I'm concerned ROCK is the only authentic World War II Soldier. For obvious reasons. He and Easy Company live only, and will eventually die, to the last man, in World War II.

The first use of the Rock character after the demise of the series was an issue of ''

'', six months after the release of ''Sgt. Rock'' #422. The story was set in May 1945, intimating that Sgt. Rock had survived the war in Europe and raised the question of whether Rock transferred to the Pacific theater. During the Imperiex War set in the early 2000s, Rock acted as head of the Joint Chiefs, volunteering for the suicide mission to pilot a plane loaded with nuclear bombs as part of a plan to crack

Imperiex Imperiex () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He was initially introduced as an adversary to the superhero Superman before becoming a main antagonist for the crossover "Our Worlds at War". Imperiex has made limite ...

's armor and drain his energy. In a conversation with

Strange Visitor Strange Visitor (Sharon Vance) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #149 and was created by Randall Frenz and Ron Frenz. Fictional character biography Shar ...

, he states that he would prefer to be dead rather than live for so long after the war and seeing so many other good men die while he survived. Following the victory against Imperiex,

Amanda Waller Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len We ...

oversees his symbolic funeral in Arlington with other World War II heroes, informing Luthor over the phone that Rock had no interest in being remembered and would simply want to rest in peace with his peers. In keeping with Robert Kanigher's often-mentioned (in letter columns and interviews) but never-scripted conclusion to Rock's wartime adventures (Kanigher did not get the chance to write this tale himself before he died in 2002), Len Wein and Joe Kubert's 2010 back-up story "Snapshot: Remembrance" from the retrospective miniseries ''DC Universe: Legacies'' #4 (depicting a July 4, 1976 DC war heroes' reunion) reveals that Sgt. Rock did die at the close of WWII. Flashbacks illustrate Rock being killed on the last day of the war in Europe, while using his body to shield a small child who had wandered into crossfire. Easy Company learns later that the final bullet that killed him was the last bullet fired in the war. The other DC war heroes attending this bicentennial reunion (and toasting the memory of Sgt. Rock) are Jeb Stuart of the

, all four Losers, Ulysses Hazard/Gravedigger,

Mademoiselle Marie Mademoiselle Marie (often shortened to Mlle. Marie) is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Star Spangled War Stories'' #84 (August 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher ...

(who introduces her unnamed son, a soldier almost identical in appearance to Sgt. Rock—who is strongly implied to be his father) and the Unknown Soldier disguised (with one of his signature latex masks) as Bob the bartender.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Sgt. Rock appears in '' Flashpoint''. This version is a member of

Team 7 Team 7 is a comic book superhero team that appeared in titles published by Wildstorm Productions. The team has appeared in 3 self-titled miniseries: ''Team 7'', ''Team 7: Objective Hell'' and ''Team 7: Dead Reckoning''. The first 5-issue Gen13 ...

before being killed during an attack on a terrorist camp.

Reception

Sgt. Rock was ranked as the 183rd-greatest comic book character of all time by '' Wizard'' magazine.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

also listed Sgt. Rock as the 78th-greatest comic book hero of all time stating that Sgt. Rock represents the epitome of DC's often overlooked World War II comics.

In other media

Television

* Sgt. Rock appears in 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-part episode "The Savage Time", voiced by

Fred Dryer John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, and former professional football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 years, participating in 176 games starting in 1969 until ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Sgt. Rock appears in the teaser for the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "The Plague of the Prototypes!", voiced by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...

. * A soldier implied to be Sgt. Rock appears in the ''

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, ...

'' episode "Legendary", portrayed by Blair Penner. Series co-executive producer

Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...

said that Rock was intended to appear later in the series, though this never came to pass.

Film

* In the late 1980s and early 1990s,

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

was attached to play Sgt. Rock in a film produced by

Joel Silver Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer. Life and career Silver was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. His family is Jewish. He attended Columbia High School ...

, with screenplays written by

David Peoples David Webb Peoples (born February 9, 1940) is an American screenwriter who co-wrote ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and later wrote ''Unforgiven'' (1992) and ''12 Monkeys'' (1995). He has been nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards. Peopl ...

(1987), Steven E. de Souza (1988),

John Milius John Frederick Milius (; born April 11, 1944) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is considered a member of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s for writing the scripts for ''The L ...

(1993), and

Brian Helgeland Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film producer, and director. He is best known for writing the screenplays for the films '' L.A. Confidential'' (1998) and '' Mystic River'' (2003). He wrote and directed ...

(1996) depicting Rock as

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

before John Cox wrote a new screenplay unrelated to the previous drafts. Eventually, Cox stated that Schwarzenegger was no longer attached to star in the project. In April 2007, David Gambino, VP of

Silver Pictures Silver Pictures is an American film production company founded by Cinema of the United States, Hollywood producer Joel Silver in 1980. For many years, during the mid-1980s, the production company was based at 20th Century-Fox, but the productio ...

said, "The good news is we have a fantastic screenplay and everybody's really happy with it. It's really just about trying to attach cast right now and really decide what the movie is going to be, how we're going to make it".

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...

was reportedly in consideration for the role and

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

rumored to direct. However, in December 2008, Ritchie said that while the film was shelved due to his work on ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'', he confirmed that the ''Sgt. Rock'' film would be set during World War II and include the

. In February 2010, Silver announced that the film would now be set in the near future.

Francis Lawrence Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thriller ''Constantine ...

was later announced to be directing the film with Chad St. John writing the screenplay, but there has been no development since. * Sgt. Rock appears in '' DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock'', voiced by

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. ...

. * Sgt. Rock makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three''.

DC Universe

Sgt. Rock appears in media set in 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 ...

(DCU). * Sgt. Rock appears in a flashback in the ''

Creature Commandos The Creature Commandos are the name of several military special forces groups appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. Co-created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Pat Broderick, the team first appeared i ...

'' episode "Cheers to the Tin Man", voiced by

Maury Sterling Charles Maury Wallace Sterling (born September 1, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for playing Max Piotrowski in '' Homeland'', Rafferty in the comedy film '' Beverly Hills Chihuahua'', and Lester Tremor in the action film '' Smokin' Ace ...

. * On September 3, 2024, it was reported that

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominated filmmaker

Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alon ...

was attached to direct a Sgt. Rock film, with 2024 collaborator Justin Kuritzkes writing. On November 19, 2024, it was announced that the studio and Guadagnino were seeking recent ''

Queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

'' collaborator

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. His accolades include two National Board of Review Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards. ...

to play the titular role. However, in February 2025, Craig was reported to never have been attached to the film and

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

entered talks to star as Sgt. Rock by mid-March 2025. Filming was expected to begin in late 2025. However, on April 30, 2025, the film was revealed to have halted production with the intention of starting in the summer of 2026 instead. While the film was still in development previous Guadagnino collaborators

Mike Faist Michael David Faist (; born January 5, 1992) is an American actor. He is the recipient of a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy Award, with nominations for a Tony and a British Academy Film Award. An alumnus of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, ...

('' Challengers'') and

Taylor Russell Taylor Russell McKenzie (born July 18, 1994) is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. After playing a number of minor roles, Russell received recognition for starring in the Netflix science fiction series ''Lost in Space (2018 TV series), Lost in Spac ...

(''

Bones and All ''Bones and All'' is a 2022 romantic horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by David Kajganich, based on the 2015 novel '' Bones & All'' by Camille DeAngelis. Set in the late 1980s, the film stars Taylor Russell and Timot ...

'') were approached to potentially star in supporting roles, as well as Oscar-winner

Mikey Madison Mikaela Mikey Madison Rosberg (born March 25, 1999) is an American actress. She began her career acting in short films and received recognition for her role as a sullen teenager in the FX (TV channel), FX comedy series ''Better Things (TV se ...

Video games

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

confirmed at E3 1997 that they were developing a Sgt. Rock game for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

, set for release in 1998, but the game was never mentioned again. * Sgt. Rock appears in ''Sgt. Rock: On the Frontline'' for

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

. * Sgt. Rock appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

''. * Sgt. Rock appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Merchandise and collectibles

* A line of " action figures bearing the Sgt. Rock name was released in the 1980s by Remco Toys, likely as a result of the popularity of Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line. The figures had little resemblance to the World War II characters of the comic books. The Sgt. Rock figure was depicted in Vietnam-era fatigues and gear and had an M16 rifle instead of a Thompson submachine gun. Other generic figures were sold, with no other characters recognizable from the comics. These US troops also had Vietnam-era equipment and helmets/helmet covers or berets, and were collectively referred to as "Tough Action Soldiers". "Enemy" soldiers were simply toys produced from the same molds used to make the US soldiers, painted black with blue helmets. Each figure came with a plastic dog tag on which purchasers could ink their name and rank. A serial number was printed on a paper sticker affixed to the plastic tag, which also came with a silver-colored string to suspend the tag around the neck. Playsets included plastic machine gun and mortar bunkers. The quality of these toys was very low; soft plastic was used, and joints had limited movement, especially compared to the G.I. Joe line of " action figures. * There was also a range of diecast metal vehicles, produced by Universal Toys for

Azrak-Hamway Azrak-Hamway International, Inc. (AHI), was a New York toy company founded in 1964 that initially offered inexpensive novelty-type toy items. In 1974 Azrak-Hamway acquired the Remco Toy name and produced toys of more substance under the Remco bran ...

of New York. These were packaged on cards similar to the Remco Action Figures. The range included two tanks, a Jeep, a staff car and an ambulance. * In 2002, a limited edition of 12" Sgt. Rock figures was released by Hasbro, as part of the 12" G.I. Joe line, including four other characters from the comic book series; Bulldozer, Little Sure Shot, Jackie Johnson and Wildman. The figures wore World War II-era fatigues and mostly carried the same weapons as in the comic books (though the Bulldozer figure carries an M-1 rifle instead of an air-cooled Browning .30-calibre machine gun). A female figure was also released, portraying French Resistance fighter

, Sgt. Rock's only love interest during the comic book series. A number of playsets were also produced by Dreams and Visions in 2003. * Sgt. Rock received a figure in the

HeroClix HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially DC and Marvel universes. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, or characters from various video ...

line as part of the "Cosmic Justice" expansion. Additionally, a limited edition tournament prize figure of "General Frank Rock" was released as well.

In pop culture

* In the graphic novel ''

Tank Girl Tank Girl is a British comic created by Alan Martin (writer), Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It first appeared in print in 1988 in the British comics magazine ''Deadline (magazine), Deadline'', and then in the solo comic book series ''Tank Girl' ...

'', Tank Girl's helmet has "Sgt. Rock Can't Dock" written on it. * The English rock band

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...

included a song called " Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" on their 1980 album ''

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

''. The song was released as a single that December and reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Songwriter

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing a ...

would later pen songs about two other DC Comics characters, Supergirl (on their 1986 album Skylarking) and Brainiac's Daughter (on the 1987 Dukes of Stratosphear album Psonic Psunspots). * The character

Xander Harris Alexander Lavelle Harris is a fictional character created for the action-horror/fantasy television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). He was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the television series by Nicholas Brend ...

made frequent references to Rock on the TV series ''

Buffy The Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

''. * During the end credits of the 1987 film ''

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

'', Lt. Hawkins (

Shane Black Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor, known for his distinctive style of Action film, action and action comedy films. He is the original creator of the ''Lethal Weapon (franchise), Lethal Wea ...

) is shown reading ''Sgt. Rock'
#408
(February 1986). * One issue of the underground comic ''Dopin' Dan'' had a Sgt. Rock parody called Sgt. Jock. It featured the main character leading a dispirited platoon in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and taking out two deliberately anachronistic foes by impossible means, namely destroying a

Tiger Tank Tiger tank may refer to: *Tiger I, or ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf. E'', a German heavy tank produced from 1942 to 1944 *Tiger II The Tiger II was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of the World War II, Second World War. The final official ...

with nothing but a

brass knuckles Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in Hand to hand combat, hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the kn ...

assisted punch, then downing a

Stuka The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...

dive bomber by throwing a bayonet through the windshield, killing the pilot. * On the TV series ''

Trucks! PowerNation is a programming block of automotive how-to enthusiast television programs that began originally as the ''PowerBlock''. It is currently produced by Gray Media, which purchased the assets of PowerNation's former owner Raycom Media in ...

'', host

Stacey David Stacey David is the host of the TV series ''GearZ'' on MavTV and Velocity. He has worked on numerous vehicle modification and repair projects. Many of these projects are unique in terms of the final results. The types of vehicles David works o ...

built an off-road truck out of a 1941 Dodge WC-14 and named it Sgt. Rock. * Sgt. Rock is mentioned in

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

's song "Color Bars". * The back cover art of

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

' 1974 album '' Endless Summer'' depicts

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

reading a Sgt. Rock comic. * In the film '' ''The Package'''', the character played by Tommy Lee Jones is compared to Sgt. Rock.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

References

External links

Sgt. Rock
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 ...

.
Frank Rock Chronology
at the DCU Guide

Sgt. Rock
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Sgt. Characters created by Joe Kubert Characters created by Robert Kanigher Comics by Robert Kanigher Comics characters introduced in 1959 Comics magazines published in the United States DC Comics set during World War II DC Comics military personnel DC Comics male superheroes Defunct American comics Fictional characters from Pittsburgh Fictional generals Fictional military sergeants Fictional United States Army non-commissioned officers Fictional World War II veterans Vertigo Comics titles