Hero Cruz
| Hero Cruz | |
|---|---|
| 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 ego | Hero Cruz |
| Team affiliations | The Ravers The Titans |
| Abilities | Derive 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.
Hero (his actual name, which is Greek) first appeared as a member the superhero team The Ravers founded by Superboy. 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.
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Wikipedia