Super-Chief
Encyclopedia
This article is about the DC Comics
character. For the Major League Baseball
pitcher nicknamed "Superchief" see Allie Reynolds
.
Super-Chief is the name of several fictional characters, three superheroes
and one supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe. Created by Gardner Fox
and Carmine Infantino
, the first Super-Chief debuted in All-Star Western
#117 (March 1961). The second (villainous) Super-Chief debuted in Adventures of Superman Annual #9 (1997) in a story by Mike W. Barr
(writer) and Dale Eaglesham
(artist). The third Super-Chief debuted in 52
Week 22 (October 2006), which was written by the writers' consortium of Geoff Johns
, Greg Rucka
, Grant Morrison
and Mark Waid
, and artist Eddy Barrows
. The fourth debuted in Superman
#709, (May 2011), and was created by writer Chris Roberson
and artist Eddy Barrows.
. Out of jealousy, Flying Stag's rivals trapped him in a pit where he prayed to the Great Spirit Manitou
for help (the term "Manitou
" is Algonquian
). A meteorite
fell from the sky and when Flying Stag wore it he gained incredible powers. He honored Manitou and called himself Saganowhana, or Super-Chief. He became a hero and married White Fawn. The powers of the mystical meteorite caused him to outlive everyone he knew.
. He allied himself with several Western heroes along with the superhero Firebrand
and her former lover Cyclotron
at one point during the Crisis.
Super Chief is one of the reanimated Black Lanterns in Weird Western Tales
#71.
.
Week 22. A young Native American veteran and ex-con
named Jon Standing Bear travels to Metropolis. He saves a young girl named (Sierra) from sexual assault
by throwing a sleazeball through the window of their bus. No charges are pressed because the man already had a rape conviction.
Jon attends the funeral of his estranged father. Before his death of a liver disease, Jon's father had been caring for Jon's grandfather. Both had been upset with Jon, claiming he'd neglected his heritage and his obligations. Saying Jon is the last of the line, Jon's grandfather charges him with the duty of becoming Super-Chief. Per the old man's request, Jon suffocates his grandfather, releasing him from life, and takes the meteorite fragment.
Super-Chief joins an effort by Firestorm to found a new Justice League of America. In its first mission, the "JLA" attempt to settle a chronal disruption created by the now-villainous robot majordomo of Booster Gold, Skeets
. Skeets kills Super-Chief, and Jon ends up in an otherworldly location. An elder named Flying Stag, apparently the original Super-Chief, indicates that Jon is no longer among the living and repossesses the amulet. Flying Stag admonishes Jon's ignorance of the price that must be paid for magic. Railing about his failures, Jon disappears into a vortex of clouds.
Super-Chief's corpse appears as a Black Lantern in the 'Blackest Night' series.
After the 52 series was over, writer Grant Morrison
stated "If there had been space in the last issue I would have included a coda to the Super-Chief story. I had plans for John Standing Bear's return but we couldn't fit them in when issue #52 went from 52 pages to 40. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere else."
#709, a new young Super-Chief is seen thanking Superman for an assist on capturing runaway supervillains in the Colorado desert. Superman refers to him as "Saganowahna," and the young man claims that he gains his powers from a "manitou stone" he wears around his wrist; he claims that some believe the stone to be Kryptonian in origin, though Superman is skeptical of the idea. Evidently, the powers have a set time limit for daily use.
Saganowahna wears a uniform consisting of a red jacket with a yellow symbol on the back, a white shirt, black tights, and red boots. He is a Native American man who wears a mohawk. It is insinuated that Saganowahna is a Wisconsin
native, because he invites Superman to visit Green Bay the next time the Metropolis Meteors play against the Green Bay Packers
.
This new Super-Chief later accepts membership in Superman's new team, the Supermen of America
.
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...
character. For the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher nicknamed "Superchief" see Allie Reynolds
Allie Reynolds
Allie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
.
Super-Chief is the name of several fictional characters, three superheroes
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 —...
and one supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the 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...
universe. Created by Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
, the first Super-Chief debuted in All-Star Western
All-Star Western
All-Star Western was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1972 and the third is part of the DC New 52 released in...
#117 (March 1961). The second (villainous) Super-Chief debuted in Adventures of Superman Annual #9 (1997) in a story by Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
(writer) and Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham is a comic book illustrator who has been working in the industry since 1986. He is best known for his work on titles like Conan, Punisher, Green Lantern, Villains United, Justice Society of America and Fantastic Four...
(artist). The third Super-Chief debuted in 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
Week 22 (October 2006), which was written by the writers' consortium of Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
, Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and Mark Waid
Mark Waid
Mark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
, and artist Eddy Barrows
Eddy Barrows
Eduardo Barros is a Brazilian comic book artist, better known by his pen name of Eddy Barrows. He is best known for his work at DC Comics on such titles as Birds of Prey, Countdown to Adventure, Action Comics, Superman, Teen Titans, and 52.-Early life:Barrows was born in Belém do Pará, Brazil...
. The fourth debuted in Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#709, (May 2011), and was created by writer Chris Roberson
Chris Roberson (author)
Chris Roberson is a science fiction author, tromboner, and publisher based in Austin, Texas, best known for alternate history novels and short stories.-Biography:Chris Roberson grew up near Dallas, Texas, and attended the University of Texas, Austin...
and artist Eddy Barrows.
Flying Stag
Flying Stag was a member of the Wolf Clan in the 15th century. He was by far their best warrior and knew he'd be able to win the contest to become Royaneh, or Supreme Chief, of the IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
. Out of jealousy, Flying Stag's rivals trapped him in a pit where he prayed to the Great Spirit Manitou
Gitche Manitou
Gitche Manitou means "Great Spirit" in several Algonquian languages. The term was also utilized to signify God by Christian missionaries, when translating scriptures and prayers, etc...
for help (the term "Manitou
Gitche Manitou
Gitche Manitou means "Great Spirit" in several Algonquian languages. The term was also utilized to signify God by Christian missionaries, when translating scriptures and prayers, etc...
" is Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
). A meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
fell from the sky and when Flying Stag wore it he gained incredible powers. He honored Manitou and called himself Saganowhana, or Super-Chief. He became a hero and married White Fawn. The powers of the mystical meteorite caused him to outlive everyone he knew.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Super-Chief experienced a couple of time jumps into the 20th century during the event known as Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
. He allied himself with several Western heroes along with the superhero Firebrand
Firebrand (DC Comics)
Firebrand is a name that has been used by four heroes by DC Comics.-Rod Reilly:Published by Quality Comics from August 1941 to November 1942, Rod Reilly was the bored and wealthy socialite son of a steel tycoon, who decided to fight crime with his servant and friend, "Slugger" Dunn...
and her former lover Cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
at one point during the Crisis.
Super Chief is one of the reanimated Black Lanterns in Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales is a Western genre comic book title published by DC Comics which ran from June-July 1972 to August 1980. It is perhaps best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series...
#71.
Villainous Super-Chief of Dry Gulch
In Adventures of Superman Annual #9 (1997), a young Native American is revealed to be in possession of the meteorite amulet and has agreed to use the powers of Super-Chief to clear out the town of Dry Gulch to make way for a gambling resort. He is defeated by SupermanSuperman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
.
Jon Standing Bear
A new Super-Chief is introduced in 5252 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
Week 22. A young Native American veteran and ex-con
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
named Jon Standing Bear travels to Metropolis. He saves a young girl named (Sierra) from sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
by throwing a sleazeball through the window of their bus. No charges are pressed because the man already had a rape conviction.
Jon attends the funeral of his estranged father. Before his death of a liver disease, Jon's father had been caring for Jon's grandfather. Both had been upset with Jon, claiming he'd neglected his heritage and his obligations. Saying Jon is the last of the line, Jon's grandfather charges him with the duty of becoming Super-Chief. Per the old man's request, Jon suffocates his grandfather, releasing him from life, and takes the meteorite fragment.
Super-Chief joins an effort by Firestorm to found a new Justice League of America. In its first mission, the "JLA" attempt to settle a chronal disruption created by the now-villainous robot majordomo of Booster Gold, Skeets
Skeets
Skeets is a fictional artificial intelligence robot from the future in the . Usually seen as a companion to Booster Gold, he co-stars in the limited series 52 and the subsequent Booster Gold vol...
. Skeets kills Super-Chief, and Jon ends up in an otherworldly location. An elder named Flying Stag, apparently the original Super-Chief, indicates that Jon is no longer among the living and repossesses the amulet. Flying Stag admonishes Jon's ignorance of the price that must be paid for magic. Railing about his failures, Jon disappears into a vortex of clouds.
Super-Chief's corpse appears as a Black Lantern in the 'Blackest Night' series.
After the 52 series was over, writer Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
stated "If there had been space in the last issue I would have included a coda to the Super-Chief story. I had plans for John Standing Bear's return but we couldn't fit them in when issue #52 went from 52 pages to 40. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere else."
Saganowahna of Wisconsin
At the beginning of SupermanSuperman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#709, a new young Super-Chief is seen thanking Superman for an assist on capturing runaway supervillains in the Colorado desert. Superman refers to him as "Saganowahna," and the young man claims that he gains his powers from a "manitou stone" he wears around his wrist; he claims that some believe the stone to be Kryptonian in origin, though Superman is skeptical of the idea. Evidently, the powers have a set time limit for daily use.
Saganowahna wears a uniform consisting of a red jacket with a yellow symbol on the back, a white shirt, black tights, and red boots. He is a Native American man who wears a mohawk. It is insinuated that Saganowahna is a Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
native, because he invites Superman to visit Green Bay the next time the Metropolis Meteors play against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
This new Super-Chief later accepts membership in Superman's new team, the Supermen of America
Supermen of America
The Supermen of America is the name of two fictional superhero teams published by DC Comics. The original group first appeared in a special written by Stuart Immonen published in 1999, and a later mini-series written by Fabian Nicieza, which was published in 2000...
.
Powers and abilities
- A radioactive meteorite fragment, worn in a necklace, grants Super-Chief super-strength, super-speed, and flight for one hour.
- Prolonged use of the meteor fragment apparently grants its users an extended lifespan.
- The newer Super-Chiefs may have slightly different powers than the original, since mention is made of super-senses but not flying. The third Super-Chief's powers are specified as "the strength of a thousand bears, the speed of a thousand running deer, the keen senses of the wolf nation, and the power in his legs to leap higher than the tallest trees in the forest."