Hero Cruz

Last updated
Hero Cruz
Hero Cruz.jpg
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Superboy and the Ravers #1 (September 1996)
Created by Karl Kesel (writer)
Steve Mattsson (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoHero Cruz
Team affiliationsThe Ravers
The Titans
AbilitiesDerive from Hero Dial artifact

Hero Cruz is a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics. Within the narrative of the fictional DC Universe, Hero is a portrayal of a Latino gay superhero of African descent. He first appeared in Superboy and the Ravers (September 1996) and was created by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson.

Contents

According to Richard T. Rodríguez in Graphic Borders, Hero is an updated take on the concept of a gay superhero: "Unlike the earlier, effeminate characterization of Extraño nine years before, Hero Cruz was fashioned as a character who was unmistakably masculine and who didn't wear his homosexuality on his sleeve". [1]

Fictional character biography

Hero (his actual name, which is Greek) first appeared as a member the superhero team The Ravers founded by Superboy. [2] He was a frequent regular of the Event Horizon, an intergalactic rave that featured hipsters and partiers from all over the galaxy. Though at first it was unclear what, if any, powers he possessed, it became apparent that his vest (later revealed to be the "Achilles Vest") emitted a force field that protected him from most forms of physical assault. He was somehow able to steal this from the lair of the Scavenger, a villainous packrat who stockpiles various items and gadgets from the DC Comics universe.

Hero eventually lost his vest, but found the even more interesting "H-Dial" (of Dial H for Hero fame), and soon realized that by spelling H-E-R-O on its dial, he would be granted the powers of and persona of one of several superheroes, supposedly merging with them using hypertime.

Since acquiring this device, Hero has taken on the roles of heroes like BadAxe (an axe-wielding warrior), and Human Justice (a powerful, deity-like figure). Later in the series, he would become the muscular Titanic in order to impress his female teammate Sparx. While at first it seemed like the beginning of a relationship, Hero became more and more distant from her, eventually avoiding her altogether. It wasn't until they took a trip to Sparx's family ranch in Canada that he finally admitted that he was gay.

For a time, Hero is the companion of the long-lived sentient canine Rex the Wonder Dog, whom he implies had been found in some sort of metal container.

Near the end of the Ravers series, Sparx began to lose her powers, and in frustration told Hero that she not only didn't want to be his friend any more, but what he was doing was "not natural" and "wrong". Hero has since been in a relationship with the alien Leander and has decided to keep tabs on everyone else in "The Rave".

Hero was also an associate of Titans L.A. in The Titans .

Powers and abilities

The H-Dial (Hero Dial) gives Hero the ability to turn into any of a number of superheroes. The extent of this power is unknown, yet it appears to utilize hypertime. Among the hero forms he has used are:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superboy</span> Fictional character in the DC Comics pantheon

Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to Adventure Comics and other series featuring teenage superhero groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Faust</span> Comics character

Sebastian Faust is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by Mike Barr and Paul Pelletier. He was introduced in the 1993 Outsiders comic book series and is loosely based on the protagonist of the German legend who sold his soul to the Devil. The character is the son of the super-villain, Felix Faust, and is depicted as both a superhero and anti-villain.

Dial H for Hero is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the dial causes its possessor to become a superhero with a different name, costume, and powers. These superheroes are usually new, but on one occasion the dial caused its user to become a duplicate of Plastic Man. Some versions of the dial, like the original, contain additional letters, allowing other kinds of transformations. The title of the series is a play on the title of the 1954 American crime mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock titled Dial M for Murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Justice</span> Fictional DC Comics superhero team

Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.

Earth Prime is a term sometimes used in works of speculative fiction, most notably in DC Comics, involving parallel universes or a multiverse, and refers either to the universe containing "our" Earth, or to a parallel world with a bare minimum of divergence points from Earth as we know it — often the absence or near-absence of metahumans, or with their existence confined to fictional narratives like comics. The "Earth Prime" of a given fictional setting may or may not have an intrinsic value to or vital connection to the other Earths it exists alongside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rex the Wonder Dog</span> Comics character

Rex the Wonder Dog is a fictional superhero dog in the DC Comics universe. Created in 1952 by Robert Kanigher of Wonder Woman fame and artist Alex Toth, Rex has sometimes been compared to Superman's dog Krypto, who was created three years later. While the two canine crime fighters do share some similarities, they are decidedly different.

Hypertime is a fictional concept in DC Comics which first appeared in the 1999 The Kingdom limited series. It is a variation of the Multiverse concept that existed in DC Comics before 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series and was created by Mark Waid and Grant Morrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superboy (Kon-El)</span> DC comics superhero

Superboy is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A modern variation on the original Superboy, the character first appeared as Superboy in The Adventures of Superman #500, and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis (DC Comics)</span>

"Genesis" is a comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that ran through a self-titled four-issue weekly miniseries and various tie-in issues, all cover-dated October 1997. The main miniseries was written by John Byrne and drawn by Ron Wagner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatal Five</span>

The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in Adventure Comics #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superboy-Prime</span> Supervillain alternate version of Superman

Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 and was created by Elliot S. Maggin and Curt Swan.

Twilight of the Superheroes is the title of a proposed comic book crossover that writer Alan Moore submitted to DC Comics in 1987 before his split with the company. Although various elements suggested by Moore later occurred in various comics, Twilight was never produced. The proposal gained fame after surfacing on the internet in the 1990s where its status as a lost work by one of the superstars of the medium, as well as its dark treatment of superheroes, garnered much attention.

Superboy and the Ravers is an American comic book series that ran for 19 issues, from September 1996 to March 1998. The comic book chronicles the adventures of Superboy (Kon-El) and a group of superhumans called the Ravers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worlds Collide (comics)</span> 1994 comic book event

"Worlds Collide" is an intercompany crossover event presented in July 1994 in the Milestone Comics titles and the Superman-related titles published by DC Comics. A one-shot comic title of the same name was written by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr. and Robert Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparx (character)</span> Comics character

Sparx is a fictional superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Adventures of Superman Annual #5 (1993) and was created by Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett and Ed Hannigan.

Raver or ravers may refer to:

"The Culling" is a 2012 DC Comic crossover story arc in their relaunched The New 52 line of superhero comics. It involves three titles: Teen Titans, Legion Lost and Superboy, which is the conclusion to story arcs in all three titles involving the villainous organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. It begins in Teen Titans Annual #1, and runs through the ninth issues of each of the three series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Kent (DC Comics)</span> Comic book superhero

Jon Kent is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the son of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, he first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2. Jon is the newest character in the DC Universe to assume the superhero persona of Superboy, and later Superman. As Superboy and Robin, Jon and Damian Wayne appeared in several Super Sons comic book series featuring their shared adventures. Jon later takes on the Superman mantle and stars in the comic series Superman: Son of Kal-El. The character was revealed to be bisexual in 2021 by DC Comics and is considered to be one of the most high profile LGBT characters in comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robby Reed</span> Comics character

Robby Reed is a fictional character from DC Comics and the original protagonist of the long running comic book series Dial H for Hero. In the series, he is portrayed as a normal boy who transforms himself as a variety of superheroes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris King and Vicki Grant</span> Characters from DC Comics

Chris King and Vicki Grant are depicted as two featured duo characters from DC Comics within the series Dial H for Hero. They are portrayed as normal kids who can transform themselves as superheroes replacing Robby Reed during the 1980s.

References

  1. Rodríguez, Richard T. (2016). "Gay Latino Superheroes and the Necessity of Disclosure". In Aldama, Frederick Luis; González, Christopher (eds.). Graphic Borders: Latino Comic Books Past, Present, and Future. University of Texas Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN   978-1-4773-0915-5.
  2. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 118–119. ISBN   978-0-345-50108-0.