Robotman (Robert Crane)
| Robotman | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Star Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) |
| Created by |
Jerry Siegel Leo Nowak |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Robert Crane |
| Team affiliations | All-Star Squadron |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, and endurance Superhumanly sharp vision |
Robotman is a Golden Age DC Comics superhero. He first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) and was created by Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman. Despite his name, Robotman is not a robot; he is a cyborg.
The first Robotman was a scientist named Robert Crane whose brain was placed inside a robotic body after he had been fatally shot. Since Crane had to be legally dead for his assailants to be charged with murder, he created a civilian identity as Paul Dennis, accomplished with lifelike face mask and gloves. As Robotman, he was a member of the World War II-era team, the All-Star Squadron. He also fought crime solo with help from his canine sidekick, Robotdog. His stories were mostly lighthearted in nature, featuring whimsical situations and plenty of comedy relief (usually provided by Robotdog).
In 1951, Crane helped Charles McNider, the original Doctor Mid-Nite, make the devices McNider needed to become Starman. McNider used the devices in that guise for a half a year and then gave them to David Knight, a Starman from the future who used them for the rest of the year before returning to the future and dying there.
Robotman was revealed to have been one of several other heroes involved in the first meeting of the charter members of the Justice League of America prior to the official forming of the team, an event which was suppressed from the public record.
Robotman's career came to an end by unique means. His former lab assistant, Charles Grayson, discovered that he was dying of a brain disease which left the rest of his tissues unharmed. He therefore bequeathed his body to Robotman to give him the possibility of a new life. Robotman had been trapped in suspended animation after being caught in a rockslide. His mechanical body shut down to preserve his brain, and it took twenty years for enough power to build up for him to reactivate and free himself. A power surge revived him, and after adjusting to being twenty years in the future, he learned what Grayson had done for him and gladly regained the humanity he'd thought lost forever.
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