Hero Cruz
Encyclopedia
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.
) 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 D.C. (aka 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.
. Among the hero forms he has used are:
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in comic books published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. Within the narrative of the fictional DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, Hero is a portrayal of a Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
of African descent. He first appeared in Superboy and the Ravers (September 1996), and was created by Karl Kesel
Karl Kesel
Karl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics...
and Steve Mattsson.
Fictional character biography
Hero (his actual name, which is GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
) first appeared as a member the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team The Ravers founded by Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
. He was a frequent regular of the Event Horizon, an intergalactic rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
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
Dial H for Hero
Dial H for Hero is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a mysterious dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, 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,...
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
Hypertime
Hypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
.
Since acquiring this device, Hero has taken on the roles of heroes like BadAxe (an axe-wielding warrior), and Human Justice (a powerful, deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
-like figure). Later in the series, he would become the muscular Titanic in order to impress his female teammate D.C. (aka Sparx
Sparx (comics)
Sparx, is a fictional superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Adventures of Superman Annual #5, , and was created by Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett and Ed Hannigan.-Fictional character biography:...
). 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
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that he finally admitted that he was gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
.
For a time, Hero is the companion of the long-lived sentient canine Rex the Wonder Dog
Rex the Wonder Dog
Rex the Wonder Dog is a fictional 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. However, though the two canine crime fighters do share some...
, 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 hypertimeHypertime
Hypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
. Among the hero forms he has used are:
- Badaxe -
- Human Justice -
- Stormfront -
- Titanic -
- Feathered Serpent -
- Hot Head -
- Death's Head Moth -
- Ferronaut -
- Captain Elastic -
- Diamond Lord -
- Isis -
- Radio Ranger -
- Faust -
- Caduceus the Healer -
- Viridian Paladin -
- Port -