In 2011, IGN ranked him #33 of the "Top 100 Comic Book Villains".
Publication history
Hank Henshaw first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990), and was created by Dan Jurgens.[2][3][4] The story was a dark pastiche of the Fantastic Four, with astronauts being mutated by cosmic rays, only for in Jurgens' words, "a tragic, rather than heroic, result". This was later referenced in the 1999 crossover Superman/Fantastic Four, where Henshaw notes the similarities and serves as a replacement for Mister Fantastic during his absence. Originally intended as a one-shot, once the story was finished Jurgens "thought there might be more to play with — that there was an interesting character we shouldn’t let go of yet",[5] leading to his reinvention as Cyborg Superman in the Reign of the Supermen storyline.[6] In 2015, as DC started a new continuity with The New 52, Jurgens tried to give a new origin for Henshaw and his subsequent transformation into the Cyborg, considering that the Fantastic Four parallels were better off as "a single event, never referred to again", and that "it’s much more fair to the everyone—including all the characters involved—if the stories are distanced."[5]
Fictional character biography
Left: Hank Henshaw and the Excalibur crew after being exposed to the radiation. Right: Henshaw as his body decays, art by Dan Jurgens.
Hank and the other three members of the Excalibur crew, including his wife Terri, were part of a LexCorp radiation experiment that was affected by a solar flare, causing their shuttle to crash.[1] As a result of their radiation exposure, the human bodies of two crew members were destroyed. However, their minds survive and they construct new bodies out of radiation and the ship's wreckage. Initially, Henshaw and his wife suffer no ill effects from the radiation. Henshaw's body later rapidly decomposes, while his wife begins to phase into another dimension. With Superman's help, Henshaw uses the LexCorp facilities to save Terri. The remaining member of the shuttle crew commits suicide, using an MRI booth to tear apart the metallic components of his body.[7]
Though Henshaw's body dies, he is able to transfer his consciousness into the LexCorp mainframe. Now able to control technology, Henshaw appears to his wife in a robotic body. The shock of this bizarre rebirth was too much for Terri to bear and, in a fit of insanity, she jumps to her death. By this point, Henshaw's electronic consciousness has disrupts 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.[1] He creates a small exploration craft from the matrix and departs into outer space alone.[8] Henshaw spent some time traveling between planets, bonding with local lifeforms to learn about the culture and history of various worlds. He becomes delusional, believing that Superman was responsible for the tragedy of Excalibur.[9][10]
Cover of Superman (vol. 2) #79, art by Dan Jurgens.
With Superman apparently dead after his battle with Doomsday, Henshaw poses as him to destroy his reputation. To that end, Henshaw claims to be Superman reborn, the result of his body being pieced together and revived with technology. Henshaw then uses knowledge obtained from Superman's birthing matrix to construct a body that is genetically identical to Superman's.[9] Henshaw's arrival as Superman is simultaneous with that of three others: John Henry Irons (the self-styled Man of Steel), the Eradicator (the self-styled Last Son of Krypton), and Superboy, a clone created to replace Superman.[11] The endorsement of the president ensures that Henshaw eclipses the rest of the heroes claiming to be Superman's heir. During this time, two cults spring up in anticipation of Superman's return from the dead: one that deifies the Eradicator and another that venerates Henshaw. Supporters of both eventually come to blows over which is the real Superman.
Destroying Coast City
When Mongul's spaceship appears over Coast City, Henshaw attacks and injures the Eradicator, allowing Mongul to destroy the city.[12] After tricking and defeating Superboy, Henshaw prepares to launch a nuclear warhead to convert Metropolis into a second Engine City.[13][14]
Superboy is able to escape and warn Steel, Supergirl and the resurrected (but powerless) original Superman of Henshaw's plans.[9][15] The quartet travels to the site of the former Coast City, and Superman (whose powers are slowly returning), Supergirl and Steel confront Mongul and Henshaw, while Superboy stops the missile from hitting Metropolis.[16] Henshaw lures Superman and the Eradicator to the Engine City main reactor and attempts to kill Superman with the kryptonite that powers the engine. When he tries to kill Superman with kryptonite radiation, the Eradicator intercepts the blast at the expense of his own life. As the kryptonite energy passes through the Eradicator, the radiation is altered and restores Superman's powers. Superman destroys Henshaw by sticking his arm through his chest, shattering his body.[17]
Henshaw in his later, less Superman-based configuration, art by Doug Mahnke.
Before exiling Doomsday, Henshaw installed a device on him to detect if Doomsday ever escaped. After the destruction of his body, Henshaw transfers his consciousness into this device. Henshaw and Doomsday are brought on board a spaceship, kill the crew, and land on Apokolips. Henshaw successfully takes over most of Apokolips, but is captured by Darkseid during a battle with Superman.[18]
Apokolips and beyond
Darkseid did not kill the Cyborg; rather, the Omega Effect captures Henshaw in a small orb, with Darkseid planning to use him against Superman at a later date. Darkseid eventually frees Henshaw with the understanding that he will never return to Apokolips.
Henshaw later allies with an intergalactic Tribunal which is seeking to bring Superman to trial for the crimes of his ancestors. He assists the Tribunal in capturing the Eradicator, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, and Alpha Centurion, who had intended to rescue Superman. However, Henshaw betrays the Tribunal and attempts to conquer their planet for conversion into a new Warworld. Superman and his allies stop Henshaw's plan and, when Henshaw's involvement in the destruction of Coast City is brought to the attention of the Tribunal, they find him guilty of genocide and sentence him to death. As an electronic consciousness, Henshaw cannot be killed by normal means and is transported beyond the event horizon of a black hole.
Manhunters
Henshaw returns in a form similar to his original body, having become the Manhunters' new Grandmaster.[19] With his influence, the Manhunters have been upgraded with organic material, most notably with blood. On the Manhunter home world of Biot, Henshaw is holding captive several Green Lanterns, most of whom were presumed dead during the Emerald Twilight event.
Henshaw has also used Kryptonian technology to upgrade the Manhunters. During the Green Lantern story arc No Fear, Kryptonian robots are seen servicing the Manhunters. Henshaw allows the Green Lantern Corps to rebuild for unspecified reasons as a part of his master plan. Henshaw is defeated when Biot explodes, destroying most of his body aside from his head. Henshaw's head is brought to Oa, where he is interrogated for his knowledge of the Manhunters and the multiverse.[20]
Cover art for Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Cyborg Superman #1, by Ethan Van Sciver
Sinestro Corps
Henshaw's head is taken by the Sinestro Corps after their invasion of Oa to Qward. Henshaw reconstructs his cyborg body and joins the Sinestro Corps, hoping that the Anti-Monitor can kill him and allow him to rest in peace.[21][22]
Meanwhile, the Manhunters begin an assault on the JLA satellite. Hawkgirl, Black Lightning, and Red Arrow retaliate; however, all three are neutralized when Henshaw assists in the attack and tampers with the satellite. As the satellite is thrown out of orbit, Superman appears and engages Henshaw in battle. Henshaw puts Superman in a choke hold, thinking that victory is near.[10]
When the Green Lantern Corps detonate New Warworld and the central power battery of the Sinestro Corps to destroy the Anti-Monitor, Henshaw allows himself to be trapped behind a shield and is grievously injured in the explosion. His head is recovered by the Manhunters, who manage to reactivate him.[23]
Death and retrieval
In the Brightest Day crossover, Henshaw returns and works with the Alpha Lanterns as they attempted to augment every Green Lantern, including Ganthet, into an Alpha.[24][25] Henshaw forces Ganthet to work on reversing the augments that turned the Green Lanterns into Alpha Lanterns, hoping to restore his original human body.[26] Henshaw is seemingly killed when the Lanterns separate his life force from his body, and subsequently attempts to possess Alpha-Lantern Boodikka. However, she manages to overpower and kill him after a one-on-one battle.
In the Reign of Doomsday crossover, Boodikka is attacked by Doomsday while investigating the remains of New Krypton. Henshaw is revealed to still be alive inside Boodikka, forming a new body out of her internal circuitry to fight Doomsday.[27] Doomsday absorbs the nanotechnology from Henshaw's body and heals itself, becoming a new being dubbed Cyborg Doomsday. Cyborg Doomsday tears one of Henshaw's arms off before departing.[28]
The New 52 and DC Rebirth
In The New 52 continuity reboot, Hank Henshaw is a human doctor working for the Advanced Prosthetic Research Centre and a colleague of Caitlin Fairchild.[29] His role as Cyborg Superman is taken by Zor-El, a cyborg Kryptonian and servant of Brainiac.[30] Following the 2016 DC Rebirth relaunch, Henshaw's role as Cyborg Superman is restored.[31]
Powers and abilities
Hank Henshaw is a "technomorph". Unlike a simple technopath which can physically manipulate technology with their mind, Henshaw can extend his consciousness into any machine.[32] Through his technomorphic abilities, Henshaw gained Kryptonian powers similar to Superman while editing out weaknesses, such as his vulnerability to kryptonite. Henshaw can commandeer complex alien technology, including power rings and the batteries that fuel them.[33][34]
Other versions
Hank Henshaw appears in the DC/Marvel crossover Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances. This version was pulled from the DC Comics universe and brought to the Marvel Comics universe by Thanos, who sought to test a multiversal rift created during Oa's destruction. After destroying a planet due to the tidal stresses generated when he tried to convert it into a new Warworld, Henshaw battles the Silver Surfer until they are interrupted by Hal Jordan / Parallax, who seeks revenge on the former for destroying Coast City.
Hank Henshaw appears in Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction. He seeks out Galactus in the hopes of becoming his herald, only to be transformed into an inanimate metal rod.
In the crossover story Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future, Henshaw learns of the existence of Skynet in the future and uses a salvaged Terminator skull to provide Skynet with information on Superman's weaknesses, subsequently allying with a T-X unit to eliminate John Connor and the Superman family. Despite Henshaw merging with the T-X to battle Superman, he is forced to withdraw when Supergirl infects him with a computer virus that irreparably damages the T-X.
In other media
Television
Hank Henshaw appears in Supergirl, portrayed by David Harewood.[36] This version is the founder of the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) who was seemingly killed during an attempt to kill J'onn J'onzz, who subsequently impersonated him. In the second season, Henshaw resurfaces as the self-proclaimed "Cyborg Superman", having received metallic armor from Project Cadmus, and works for Cadmus' leader Lillian Luthor until she is arrested in the third season and he is defeated by Alex Danvers. Discussing his character, Harewood said that "Hank Henshaw ends up becoming Cyborg Superman in the comics, battling Superman. So I'm looking forward to that. He's a bit of a supervillain. He seems pretty indestructible. Which I kind of like because I keep getting blown up in these things. I'm kind of looking forward to being indestructible".[37]
Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman appears in the DCAMU film Reign of the Supermen, voiced by Patrick Fabian and Jerry O'Connell respectively.[41][38] Prior to the film, Darkseid transferred his consciousness into a cyborg body and brainwashed Henshaw into serving him, indoctrinating him to resent Superman's failure to save the shuttle. Henshaw tricks Metropolis into letting him create a group of cyborgs loyal to him so he can create a Boom Tube and allow Darkseid's forces to invade Earth, but Steel, Superboy, and the Eradicator join forces to revive Superman, who battles Henshaw and eventually kills him using a crystal containing the Eradicator's consciousness.
Hank Henshaw appears in Smallville Season 11.[47] This version previously piloted Lex Luthor's anti-alien Guardian Defense Platform before being severely burned and paralyzed in a radiation leak that forced him to pilot the shuttle to safety.[48] Henshaw nearly kills Luthor, but the former's wife Terri convinces him that Superman is to blame and fight him via his new S.T.A.R. Labs-built robot body until Superman tears Henshaw's head off. Henshaw apologizes before his head is placed in S.T.A.R. Labs' storage. Over the next few months, he befriends Tess Mercer before breaking out to battle Eclipso while Superman was away in another universe.[49] Once Eclipso is defeated, Henshaw joins forces with Green Lantern to transport Eclipso's diamond into deep space.[50]
1 2 3 4 "Cyborg Superman / Hank Henshaw Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024. 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.
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