The Unofficial Biography of...

Alter Ego: Henry "Hank" Heywood
Occupation: research assistant, later adventurer, later government agent, then owner Haywood Industries
Marital Status: widowed
Known Relatives: unnamed wife and daughter-in-law ( both deceased ), Hank Heywood Jr. ( son, deceased ), Hank Heywood III ( grandson, deceased )
Group Affiliation: All-Star Squadron
Base of Operations: mobile, but based mostly in Europe after 1942, later Detroit, MI
Current Status: deceased
Height: 6' Weight: 378 lbs.
Eye Color: blue Hair Color: black, later grey
First Appearance: Steel# 1, March, 1978

........ A brilliant college student majoring in Biology, young Hank Heywood assisted the eccentric Dr. Gilbert Giles, when Hank became concerned with the political situation in Europe in late 1939. Giles, an isolationist and a pacifist, argued with Heywood that America had no place with dealing with the threats that the Axis powers posed overseas. Feeling that he had to do something, Heywood joined the US Marines, alienating both Prof. Giles and his daughter Gloria, with whom he was in love.
........Gravely injured while uncovering a sabotage plot at the military base where he was stationed, Hank was secretly operated on by Dr. Giles, not only saving his life, but creating robotic replacement parts made Heywood a virtual superman. Using a steel mesh costme to conceal his identity, Heywood began to adventure and crimefight as one of the first mysterymen, calling himself Steel.

.....While undergoing a secret mission for both the British and US governments in early 1940, Steel was captured by the Nazis, only to be released in early 1942 as part of a failed attempt to kill the leaders of both countries. Meeting with members of the All-Star Squadron, Steel joined the group, changing his name to Commander Steel. He worked with the group at least thru mid-1942, when he began to work behind enemy lines in occupied Europe. It is not known how much of the remainder of the war he spent there, but he did survive, to mostly retire after the war.

.....He did marry after the war, and founded Heywood Industries, a major munitions and weapons manufacutrer thruout the 1960s and 1970s. His wife, son and daughter in law died, leaving Hank to raise his grandson, Hank III in a Detroit, MI "bunker/headquarters". Subjecting his grandson to similar operations, he created another hero, also called Steel, who joined an incarnation of the Justice League. After Hank III was killed, the senior Heywood volunteered his services to Amanda Waller against the armies of Eclipso, only to finally die in battle.

.....Commander Steel is considered the first modern "cyborg" (or cybernetic organism). He has various body parts replaced with mechanical replacements, far in advance of the medicine of that time period. Treated with a "bio-retardant" to stave off rejection of the foreign parts by his body, Steel uses mechanical legs, an arm and a lung which gives him strength and speed beyond normal human capabilites. His costume is a metal mesh, giving him limited invunerablity.

.....Commander Steel also uses a "laser" rifle, grappling hooks and other weapondry.

Chronological Listing of Comic Book Appearances

Steel #1-5 thru January '40
All-Star Squadron #9 ( flashback ) February, '40
All-Star Squadron #8-13 December 31, '41 thru early January '42
Justice League(v1) #208-209/All-Star Squadron# 14-16 may no longer be in continutiy
All-Star Squadron #17 January 24-28, '42
All-Star Squadron #18-25, Annual# 2, # 27 thru February 12, '42
All-Star Squadron #31-32 February 22-23, '42
All-Star Squadron #38, 50
Justice League Annual(v1) #2
Justice League(v1) #235, 237, 243
Infinity Inc #19
Justice League(v1) #244, 246, 260
Eclipso #11-13

This Page was Created September 24, 1999.
This Page was last Updated May 28, 2002.
thanks to "Tiberius" and "steveb"for their corrections!
All Characters and Concepts copyright DC Comics, 2002.

© 2002 dotymo@webtv.net

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