Hank Henshaw
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Hank Henshaw is a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe. He first appeared as the Cyborg Superman during the Reign of the Supermen storyline following the death of Superman. He has also been referred to as the Man of Tomorrow and the Cyborg-Superman, but most frequently is known simply as The Cyborg; not to be confused with long-time Teen Titans member Victor Stone (Cyborg).
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Hank Henshaw first appeared as a crew member of the doomed LexCorp space shuttle Excalibur.[1] In a pastiche of the origin of the Fantastic Four, Hank and the other three members of the Excalibur crew (including his wife, Terri) were exposed to cosmic radiation, resulting in the crash of their shuttle. As a result of the radiation exposure, the human bodies of two crew members were destroyed. However, their minds survived and they were able to construct new bodies out of pure cosmic radiation and bits of earth and the shuttle (homages to the Human Torch and the Thing, respectively). Initially, Henshaw and his wife suffered no ill effects from the radiation and the crew travelled to Metropolis, in the hope of using LexCorp facilities to cure their transformed crewmates. During a brief battle with Superman, the crew member now composed of radiation became unhinged and flew into the sun. By this time, Henshaw's body had begun to rapidly decay while his wife was beginning to phase into an alternate dimension. With Superman's help, Henshaw was able to use the LexCorp facilities to save Terri, but died immediately afterwards. The remaining member of the shuttle crew committed suicide using an MRI booth.
However, Hank Henshaw had not truly died. Though his physical body had expired, he was able to transfer his consciousness into the LexCorp's mainframe. Now able to control technology, Henshaw appeared to his wife in a robotic body; the shock of the shuttle accident, Henshaw's death and his bizarre rebirth was too much for Terri and eventually led to her insanity and death. By this point, Henshaw's electronic consciousness had begun to disrupt Earth's communications networks. Using NASA communications equipment, Henshaw beamed his mind into the 'birthing Matrix' which had carried Superman from Krypton to Earth as an infant. Henshaw crafted a small exploration craft from the birthing matrix and departed the planet.[2]
Henshaw spent some time travelling between planets; bonding with local lifeforms to learn about the culture and history of various worlds. Over time, Henshaw became delusional and paranoid, believing that Superman had caused the deaths of himself and his wife, then driven him from the Earth. Arriving on a planet controlled by alien overlord (and Superman nemesis) Mongul, Henshaw learned of the Warworld and forcibly recruited Mongul as part of a plan for revenge against Superman.
[edit] Reign of the Supermen: The Man of Tomorrow
With Superman dead after his battle with Doomsday, Henshaw was unable to directly seek revenge against the man he had come to perceive as his enemy and instead sought to destroy Superman's reputation. To that end, the Cyborg claimed to be Superman reborn; using knowledge obtained from the birthing matrix to construct a cybernetic body with organic portions genetically identical to Superman and technological components built with Kryptonian alloys. Along with destroying a Superman memorial plaque in front of the Daily Planet, the Cyborg exiled Doomsday into space, prevented a nuclear meltdown, and defended the President of the United States from an assassination attempt. As a result of the latter incident, the White House endorsed the Cyborg as the 'true' Superman and he provided the President with a communications device. When confronted by Lois Lane, the Cyborg claimed his memory was "blurry" but he could see a "spaceship on a farm. The name 'Kent,'" suggesting Henshaw may be aware of Superman's secret identity.[3]
Henshaw's arrival as Superman was simultaneous with three others: John Henry Irons, Eradicator (the self-styled Last Son of Krypton), and the modern Superboy.[4]
[edit] The Destruction of Coast City
When an alien ship appeared over Coast City, the Cyborg revealed his true intentions, attacking and severely injuring the Eradicator as Mongul's craft destroyed the city, killing millions. The Cyborg was then able to convince the White House and the public that the Eradicator had been responsible for the destruction of Coast City, turning the public against the Kryptonian. He also came within a hairsbredth of killing the Eradicator in direct combat. After tricking and defeating Superboy, Henshaw set about preparing to launch a warhead that would convert Metropolis into a second Engine City. However, Superboy was able to escape and warn John Henry Irons, Supergirl, and the resurrected true Superman of the Cyborg's plans. The quartet traveled to the site of the former Coast City where Superman, Supergirl and Steel confronted Mongul and the Cyborg while Superboy stopped the missile from destroying Metropolis. While Green Lantern defeated Mongul, the Cyborg lured Superman and the Eradicator to the Engine City main reactor and attempted to kill Superman with the kryptonite that powered the engine. Henshaw attempted to kill Superman using a concentrated blast of kryptonite radiation, but the Eradicator intercepted the blast at the expense of his own life. However, as the Kryptonite energy passed through the Eradicator, the radiation was altered and acted to restore Superman's powers. Superman was then able to easily defeat the Cyborg (partially due to the kryptonite weakening the Cyborg's Kryptonian form) by vibrating Henshaw's body to pieces.
[edit] Cyborg returns
Before exiling Doomsday into space, Henshaw had installed a device on the monster to allow him to detect if Doomsday were to ever escape. After the destruction of his 'Cyborg Superman' body, Henshaw transferred his consciousness into this device, as Doomsday was "the safest place in the galaxy" for the Cyborg to hide. Doomsday was eventually brought on board a space cruiser and managed to escape, landing on Apokolips. Henshaw re-emerged once again, reconfiguring an exo-armored Apokoliptian trooper into a new body, establishing his standard appearance with long hair and red armor, and began to lay siege to Apokolips alongside Doomsday (although the Cyborg's body possessed Superman's Kryptonian DNA, Doomsday did not seem to perceive the Cyborg as a threat). The Cyborg successfully took over most of Apokolips, but was destroyed by Darkseid's Omega Beams after a short battle with Superman.[5]
[edit] Apokolips and Beyond
Darkseid's attack did not kill the Cyborg; rather, the Omega Effect had stored Henshaw's consciousness in a small orb, with Darkseid planning to use the Cyborg against Superman at a later date. Darkseid eventually freed Henshaw, with the understanding that Henshaw was to leave Apokolips and never return. The Cyborg eventually aligned himself with an intergalactic 'tribunal', which was seeking to bring Superman to trial for the crimes of his ancestors. Henshaw assisted the tribunal in capturing Eradicator, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel and Alpha Centurion, who had been preparing to rescue Superman. However, the Cyborg betrayed the tribunal and attempted to conquer their planet for conversion into a new Warworld. Superman and his allies stopped the Cyborg's plan and, when Henshaw's involvement in the destruction of Coast City was brought to the attention of the tribunal, they found the Cyborg guilty of genocide and sentenced him to death. As an electronic consciousness, Henshaw could not be killed by normal means and was transported beyond the event horizon of a black hole, where not even energy could escape from the gravity.
Rather than being destroyed, the Cyborg was transported to the Marvel Universe, as seen at the beginning of the Green Lantern/Silver Surfer crossover. The Cyborg destroyed a planet in another attempt to recreate Warworld, attracting the attention of the Silver Surfer. Their short battle was interrupted by the arrival of Parallax, who had been tracking the Cyborg for some time, seeking vengeance for the destruction of Coast City. In the confusion, Henshaw managed to escape and was returned to the DC Universe by the end of the story.
The Cyborg would again encounter Hal Jordan,[6] at the very brim of the Source Wall, a nexus of statues that flow forth energy vital to the preservation of the Fourth World. Parallax used his powers to generate representations of the victims of Coast City, who tore the Cyborg's body apart. Jordan than dispersed Henshaw's consciousness and the Cyborg was once again seemingly destroyed.
During a crisis involving the Godwave, Superman (wearing at the time his "Blue Energy Costume") travelled to New Genesis, and encountered Henshaw again, Henshaw had become part of the Godwave's structure and had crafted a small world comprised of his memories, which he used to taunt Superman, after seemingly being defeated. However, unknown to Superman, the Cyborg stored his own consciousness in Superman's technological containment suit. After Superman returned to Earth, Henshaw escaped and eventually constructed a new body, posing as a substitute high school teacher in an attempt to become human again (even managing to convince Asbury Armstrong that he possessed some goodness). However, in a fit of rage, Henshaw revealed his true identity as the Cyborg and this body was destroyed in a short fight with Superman. To escape detection, Henshaw stored his consciousness in a toy. This toy was later stolen by the Toyman, leading the two villains to join forces to kill Superman. To this end, the Cyborg designed a machine that would break Superman's energy form down into multiple components and beam them to different points in the galaxy, preventing Superman from reforming. A malfunction in the machine caused Superman to split into Superman Blue and Superman Red, the latter of whom eventually defeated and captured the Cyborg.
In a firm sense of irony, Henshaw shared with Superman a crossover encounter with the Fantastic Four, convincing Superman that Galactus was the true ravager of Krypton for a time. The result transformed Superman into the herald of the world devourer for a while. Galactus transformed Henshaw into an inanimate slab of metal after Henshaw demanded he be made his heir, and be made "perfect;" since he was half-human, his reduction to this state, void of all human matter, was as perfect as the merciless Galactus could perceive.
He later attempted to take over Kandor, but this failed when he was defeated by Superman and sent to the Phantom Zone. Shortly after Y2K, Henshaw escaped the Phantom Zone and attacked Superman, who was suffering from Kryptonite poisoning at the time. He was defeated with the help of the Kandorians and sent back to the Phantom Zone, swearing revenge. However, he was not encountered on subsequent visits to the Zone.
[edit] Manhunters
Henshaw returned[7] and he was revealed to be the mysterious new "grandmaster" of the Manhunters. He is once again wearing the red and black version of Superman's insignia, which doubles as the Kryptonian symbol for hope. That variant was most recently used by Superboy-Prime and Kon-El. With his influence, the Manhunters have been upgraded with organic material, most notably with blood. On the Manhunter homeworld of Biot, in sector 3601, Henshaw is holding captive several thought to be dead Green Lanterns (all of whom "died" during Emerald Twilight).
The Cyborg has used Kryptonian technology to upgrade the Manhunters. During the first Green Lantern story arc No Fear,[8] Kryptonian robots are seen servicing the Manhunters. Henshaw, the Grandmaster, allowed the Green Lantern Corps to rebuild for unspecified reasons, as a part of his master plan. While Henshaw explains that he first encountered the Manhunters around the time he was imprisoned in the Source Wall by Parallax, it has yet to be revealed how the Cyborg was able to escape the Phantom Zone and take control of Biot.
At the beginning of issue 15, the head of Cyborg Superman is being brought by a Guardian back to Oa so that they can learn of how he was able to take control of Biot, what he has learned from the Manhunters, and to learn about 52.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Following his exposure to cosmic radiation and subsequent 'death', Henshaw's consciousness survived in an electronic state, with the power of technopathy. Henshaw is able to 'inhabit' any machine or technology and manipulate said devices as though they were living metal. Among other abilities, Henshaw can animate machines, construct any technological device, control any mechanical system (during Reign of the Superman, the Cyborg briefly 'possessed' Steel's armor) and change the shape of the mechanical components of his 'bodies' (most frequently changing one or both of his hands into various energy weapons). Since he is, at the core, an energy being, Henshaw is extremely difficult to permanently destroy, as he can transfer his electronic consciousness into any nearby machine. The maximum distance range of this transfer is unknown, although Henshaw was able to somehow transmit his mind from the 'Cyborg Superman' body on Earth to the tracking device attached to Doomsday, following Reign of the Supermen.
Thanks to his interactions with Superman's birthing matrix, the Cyborg possesses knowledge of both Superman's Kryptonian genetic code and Kryptonian technology. This information allows the Henshaw to construct cyborg bodies with organic portions that are genetically identical to Superman and mechanical components built from Kryptonian alloys. Using Superman's genetic code gives the Cyborg access to all of Superman's powers such as vast superhuman strength, speed, invulnerability, super acute senses, x-ray, heat/ laser, and infrared vision, and ultrasonic hearing. It could also be implied that were the Cyborg Superman to have a humanoid mouth rather than a mechanical skeletal jaw structure, that he would be capable of feats of superbreath such as exhaling super compressed air capable of flash freezing, or simply exhaling hurricane force winds. In addition, Henshaw's 'Cyborg' body has a number of other mechanical sensors, can interface with any machine and the technological components can transform into a myriad of weapons and tools; since his first appearance as the Cyborg Superman, Henshaw has consistently used some version of that body. The Cyborg has been depicted in some instances using a heat beam only from his mechanical eye and in other instances using beams from both eyes. Henshaw's invulnerability also may not be equal to Superman, as he was shown melting and burning up in Earth's sun during a battle with Superman Red, an exposure which the true Superman has survived repeatedly with no ill effects. However, Henshaw's 'Cyborg' body was able to withstand one attack from Darkseid's Omega Beams, although the assault did cause some damage. Using Superman's genetic code for his organic components means the Cyborg is vulnerable to kryptonite radiation, which appears to weaken both the organic and technological components of his body and prevents Henshaw from altering the body's form. However, even though his organic half might be mortally weakened by kryptonite, the mechanical components of his body will allow Henshaw to still function, albeit without any of his kryptonian powers. It can be assumed that because the Cyborg shares organic components identical to Superman's, that the living parts of his body are as vulnerable to magic and red solar radiation as Superman.
[edit] Toys
A Cyborg Superman toy, using Henshaw's costume from the Reign of the Superman storyline, was released for the DC Direct Superman line in 2003. A Cyborg Superman figure was also produced for the Japanese Microman toy line in 2006, but this figure bears little resemblance to any of the Cyborg's comic book appearances and it is unclear whether the Microman toy represents the same character. The Cyborg Superman is also slated to receive a new figure in the upcoming sixth wave of the DC Superheroes toy line. Cyborg Superman received a slot in Origin expansion of the WizKids game Heroclix.
[edit] See also
- The Death of Superman
- Superboy
- John Henry Irons
- Eradicator
- Mongul
- Warworld
- Doomsday
- List of Superman enemies
[edit] References
- ^ Adventures of Superman #466
- ^ Superman (vol. 2) #81
- ^ Superman (vol. 2) #79, 1993
- ^ Adventures of Superman #500, 1993
- ^ Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey, 1994
- ^ Final Night, 1997
- ^ Green Lantern (vol. 4) #11, 2006
- ^ Green Lantern v4 #1-3, 2005
| Superman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster |
| Characters: | Superman (Clark Kent) • Lois Lane • Jimmy Olsen • Perry White • Jor-El • Ma Kent • Pa Kent • Lana Lang • Steel • Supergirl • Superboy (Kon-El) • Krypto |
| Villains: | Lex Luthor • Bizarro • Brainiac • Cyborg Superman • Darkseid • Doomsday • Eradicator • General Zod • Metallo • Mongul • Mr. Mxyzptlk • Parasite • Toyman • Ultra-Humanite • Intergang • Phantom Zone villains |
| Locations: |
Daily Planet • Fortress of Solitude • Krypton • Metropolis • Smallville |
| Storylines: | Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane • The Death of Superman • Alternate versions of Superman • Publications • Superman in popular culture |
| Miscellanea: | Kryptonite • Powers • Symbol |
