Hank Henshaw
Hank Henshaw is a male supervillain who features in DC.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Hank Henshaw was a male human who was born in the modern age where he grew up to be a scientist and astronaut with him coming to marry a woman that became his wife Terri Henshaw. He became part of a secret NASA shuttle launch that was headed by LexCorp who wanted radiation experiments to be conducted in zero-gravity. Thus, Henshaw along with his wife Terri, along with co-pilots Jim Garrison and Steve were sent into space on-board the Excalibur. Whilst in orbit, a solar flare emerged that affected the experiment thus exposing the crew to radiation and leading to the shuttle crashing back to the surface. Each of the Excalibur crew faced lethal transformations from the radiation where Hank gained technopathy but a dying body, his wife Terri began to phase out of existence, Steve became a creature of radiation who lost his sanity and Jim was transformed into a rock creature incapable of speech as well as being in constant pain. Henshaw looked to find a means of curing himself and his crew where they travelled to LexCorp leading to a confrontation with security until the arrival of Superman. The Man of Steel looked to help the Excalibur crew in finding a cure. During this time, Steve went insane from his transformation and plunged into the sun thinking it would give him ultimate power whilst Jim committed suicide as he could not handle the pain anymore. Hank used the last of his skill in using the LexCorp equipment to create a chamber to help cure his wife Terri before he expired as his body decomposed to bones. This left Terri Magnus seemingly the only survivor of the Excalibur mission. (Adventures of Superman v1 #466)
From the LexCorp computers, he managed to fashion himself a crude bipedal body where he went in search for Terri. He came to find her in the hospital where he was startled by his appearance. As the guards approached, Hank sent is essence elsewhere but promised to return to his wife after finding a new body for himself. This saw him manifest at NASA which was when he was confronted by Superman who had been tracking a disturbance created by Henshaw who inadvertently was disrupting key communications in the area such as those for airplanes. During the encounter, Superman came to learn that the machine before him was Hank Henshaw and was overjoyed at the scientists survival where he looked to help re-unite Hank with his wife. However, Terri's psychiatrist revealed that the prior brief encounter with her Hank had resulted in Mrs Henshaw falling into a coma due to trauma. Saddened at inadvertently hurting Terri, Hank decided that he had no place left in the world. Despite that, he still had a passion for knowledge and wanted to explore the universe where he asked Superman to convey his love for Terri. Henshaw then transferred his intellect into the NASA computers and used the radio dish to transmit himself into the depths of space. (Adventures of Superman v1 #468)
Cyborg Superman
Despite his defeat, Henshaw survived in a small piece of technology that he kept on the body of Doomsday with it serving as a receptacle of his mind. The creature later found its way to Apokolips after resurrecting where it tore a path of destruction in its wake. The Cyborg then sent his mind into an Apokoliptian Exo-Armor which he reformatted its cybernetics and the body inside into a copy of his Cyborg Superman form. He then participated in attacking Apokolips with the intention of allowing Doomsday to destroy all resistance whereupon he intended to take it over as a new Warworld. Henshaw was surprised to find Superman had arrived on Apokolips and battled him though the Man of Steel later attempted to stop the escape of Doomsday. (Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey v1 #1) He attempted to launch the arsenal on Apokolips against the food supplies to starve the population but was confronted by Superman and his physical form was destroyed by Darkseid's Omega Beams. (Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey v1 #2)
During a crisis involving the Godwave, Superman - wearing his blue energy suit - traveled to New Genesis, and encountered Henshaw again. Henshaw had become part of the Godwave's structure and crafted a small world comprised of his memories, which he used to taunt Superman after seemingly being defeated. Unknown to Superman, the Cyborg stored his own consciousness in Superman's technological containment suit. Once Superman returned to Earth, Henshaw escaped and eventually constructed a new body, posing as a substitute high school teacher, Mr. Sormon, in an attempt to become human again, even managing to convince Ashbury Armstrong that he possessed some good. However, in a fit of rage, Henshaw revealed his true identity as the Cyborg and this body was destroyed in a short fight with Superman. To escape detection, Henshaw stored his consciousness in a toy. This toy was later stolen by the Toyman, leading the two villains to join forces to kill Superman. To this end, the Cyborg designed a machine that would break Superman's energy form down into multiple components and beam them to different points in the galaxy, preventing Superman from reforming. A malfunction in the machine caused Superman to split into Superman Blue and Superman Red, the latter of whom eventually defeated and captured the Cyborg. (Superman Red/Superman Blue v1 #1)
With the captive Green Lanterns, he came to leech both information and energy from the Central Power Battery that was used to power his Manhunters. This included closely guarded secrets held by the Guardians of the Universe that was not shared with their Green Lantern Corps. When Hal Jordan came to Biot, he looked to free the captive Green Lanterns leading to a confrontation with the Manhunter Grandmaster. He attempted to recapture the Green Lanterns and use them as living power batteries for his Highmasters. However, Hal Jordan and Arisia Rrab came to subvert the control of one Highmaster and used it to destroy Biot. The Green Lanterns survived the planet's destruction whilst Henshaw's consciousness was believed to had survived and set to rebuild his Manhunters again. (Green Lantern v4 #13)
He remained in the custody of the Green Lanterns with the Guardians looking to interrogate him about his knowledge of the 52 universes that made the Multiverse as fears over the forbidden chapter of the Book of Oa coming to pass. During this time, Oa came under attack from the Sinestro Corps who killed many Green Lanterns though the assault was designed to free both Hank Henshaw and Superboy-Prime. The pair were taken to the Anti-Matter Universe to join the Parallax-possessed Kyle Rayner and Sinestro as they became the heralds of the Anti-Monitor. The Cyborg Superman's body was restored and he came to lead the Manhunters as a War of Light began with the start of the Sinestro Corps War. (Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special v1 #1)
Unknown to anyone, Henshaw had actually survived where his mind lay within Boodikk's cybernetic body. While surveying the remains of New Krypton, Boodikka was attacked by Doomsday, seemingly unprovoked. However, when Supergirl and Batman got her to the JLA Watchtower, Doomsday quickly followed, revealing why he was attacking her due to Henshaw being present within her. (Justice League of America v2 #55) Taking over the Watchtower, the presence of Doomsday overrode Henshaw's desire to die, vowing to destroy the beast once and for all even with Batman and Supergirl stuck in the crossfire. With one mighty blow, Henshaw tore through Doomsday, ripping his body apart. However, Doomsday recovered and, to the Cyborg's horror, he became "Cyborg Doomsday." The amalgam creature took over the Watchtower and vanquished Henshaw, kidnapping him and Supergirl in the process. (Superman/Batman Annual v1 #5) Henshaw and Supergirl were taken to a satellite along with other Supermen such as the Eradicator, Steel, and Superboy. Instead of assisting his fellow captives, Henshaw explored Doomsday's satellite on his own and subsequently discovered that the Doomsdays that fought the heroes were clones of the original created by Lex Luthor. (Action Comics v1 #900) Although Henshaw was then willing to fight alongside the Supermen against the Doomsdays, Superman incapacitated him by ripping his central node off, knowing that they would not survive a confrontation with the Doomsdays. (Action Comics v1 #901) After the Doomsday clones were sent to another dimension, Henshaw was taken into custody of S.T.A.R. Labs. (Action Comics v1 #904)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Hank Henshaw
Hank Henshaw using a disguise to mask his appearance began assembling his Superman Revenge Squad consisting of a number of supervillains. (Action Comics v1 #978) He led them to take over Batman's lunar base that was taken over by his team of villains who he dispatched to retrieve the Oblivion Stone from Superman's Himalayas refuge. After getting the stone, he used it to transform himself back into the Cyborg Superman and used his power to enforce his will over Mongul who had challenged him. He then decided to task his team to free Zod as he desired him to join the Superman Revenge Squad. (Action Comics v1 #979)
Though imprisoned, he managed to extend his consciousness outwards allowing him to invade the Central Power Battery thus allowing him to exert control over Green Lantern Power Rings. Through that connection, he learnt of the Phantom Ring and after he gained enough strength over the machines he made his presence known to the Guardian Kada Sal. He also made his intent known to steal the ring which the Oan sought to protect but this was part of Henshaw's plan as in that moment it was away from the vault on Mogo at which point he had Kada Sal murdered. This prompted a crisis in the Corps where no one knew who had murdered the Guardian with Simon Baz the first at the murder scene. Henshaw had the Phantom Ring cloak itself and had it on place itself on Baz's hand without his knowledge whereupon the Cyborg Superman orchestrated a crisis for the Corps. Around this time, he manifested as a garbled transmission to Simon Baz's Power Ring where he claimed he was Superman who had been trapped by Brainiac within his own Fortress of Solitude. He separated Baz from the others by claiming a traitor was in the ranks and had the Green Lantern break through the Fortress thus freeing the Cyborg Superman. After being freed, he attacked Baz and revealed that the Green Lantern had on his hand without his knowledge the Phantom Ring which Henshaw claimed for himself. After brutally beating Simon Baz, he decided to let the Green Lantern live as he departed for the next part of his plan. (Green Lanterns v1 #54) This involved him rendezvousing with his allies in the Ravagers of Olys and Eon as they prepared to attack Mogo. Henshaw through his link to the Green Lantern Central Power Battery managed to manifest himself through it and he attacked the Guardians where he defeated them through his use of the Phantom Ring. (Green Lanterns v1 #55) He and Eon along with the Ravagers of Olys managed to subdue the Green Lanterns where they intended to take over Mogo. However, Simon Baz who was assisted by John Stewart managed to come to the rescue from their comrades by disabling Eon. Despite the victory, Henshaw managed to escape with the Phantom Ring and arrived on Earth where he intended to destroy Coast City once more. (Green Lanterns v1 #56) Despite his attempt, he was defeated by Hal Jordan who called in Green Lantern reinforcements forcing Henshaw to retreat where he vanished along with the Phantom Ring. (Green Lanterns v1 #57)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Exposure to radiation caused his hair to change to pure white. (Adventures of Superman v1 #466)
Hank was said to had held a hunger for knowledge that did not abate even when his body had died. He came to be attracted to the mysteries of the cosmos at one point. (Adventures of Superman v1 #468)
He came to see love as a cruel trick of life with its bond being broken by death that was unable to be fixed again. Thus, he came to seek to erase anything related to his wife Terri and was the reason he sought the destruction of Coast City. (Green Lantern v4 #13)
Henshaw meant that by eliminating organic life he would eliminate the suffering inherent in it. (Green Lantern v4 #13)
Powers and abilities
After the death of his physical body, he became a disembodied being that could manifest in machines and technology. He could travel through machinery and use it to construct bodies for himself. Hank had said that the method he used to manifest himself a physical form emitted vast amounts of excess energy that was strong enough to disrupt communications. The energy emissions were a natural by-product of the use of his powers and he could not stop them. (Adventures of Superman v1 #468)
Any nearby machinery becomes an extension of his conscious self. (Action Comics v1 #691)
He can take any apparatus and, once it is a part of him, transform it into anything his mind can imagine, and thanks to time spent traveling across many universes, he can imagine a lot. (Adventures of Superman v1 #468)
His power to subvert technology even allowed him to extend his consciousness into the Oan Central Power Battery and thus take control of Green Lantern Power Rings. (Green Lanterns v1 #54)
Notes
- Hank Henshaw was created by Dan Jurgens where he made his first appearance in Adventures of Superman v1 #466 (May, 1990).
- On Comicbook.com, writer Jurgens stated in an interview commented that the story arc with Henshaw was meant as a take on the Fantastic Four that was initially meant as a one-shot but felt there was more story to tell and thus brought the character back. He also stated that, "I think the entire motivation for Henshaw rests on him being the only survivor of the adventure. He really has to be alone."
Alternate versions
- In Smallville Season 11 v1 #2 (2012), Hank Henshaw appeared in the setting set after the events of the Smallville live-action television series. Commander Hank Henshaw was an astronaut recruited by LexCorp to command the shuttle to deploy the company's Guardian Defense Platforms in orbit to protect the world from threats.
- In Freedom Fighters v3 #6 (2019), an alternate version of Hank Henshaw appeared in a world designated as Earth-10. The Earth-X counterpart was named Heinrich Henshaw who was a Nazi citizen in a world where Hitler won World War II through the use of Overman. After the death of Overgirl, Overman departed Earth and Nazi scientists recovered samples of his genetic material where they attempted to fuse it to a substitute. Heinrich was the only successful test subject in 2018 where he was bonded with the genetic material along with cybernetics being added onto his body that made him a Cyborg Overman. His skin was disguised to make him appear as the original and he underwent extensive mental programming to make him loyal to the Fuhrer. When Uncle Sam was released by the Freedom Fighters, the Overman was dispatched to apprehend the rebels where his true nature was exposed after an explosive hit from the Human Bomb.
In other media
Television
- In Supergirl, Hank Henshaw was part of the cast of the live-action series where he made his first appearance in the pilot and was played by actor David Harewood. This version was an African-American who became a government agent that headed the Department of Extranormal Operations that was charged with ombating extraterrestrial threats. He was aware of the secret identity of Supergirl and though he worked with her he stated that he did not trust her. It was revealed that years ago Henshaw managed to recruit Jeremiah Danvers to serve in the DEO in exchange for his adoptive daughter Kara Danvers allowed to live a normal life. At one point, Hank and Jeremiah went on a machine tracking down an alien on Earth. Danvers protected the innocent alien but died in the process along with Henshaw. The alien decided to honor Jeremiahs sacrifice and took on the identity of Henshaw allowing the last Green Martian to remain in disguise. In "The Darkest Place", it was revealed that Henshaw had survived where he was recovered by Project: Cadmus and transformed into the Cyborg Superman.
Films
- In The Death of Superman, Hank Henshaw appeared in the 2018 animated film where he was voiced by actor Patrick Fabian. He was shown as being part of a four-manned astronaut team sent by NASA into orbit where they were tending to the space station. During one mission, a meteor was heading towards Earth with Henshaw commanding the crew to go back into the shuttle where he had faith that Superman would save them as meteorite fragments impacted the station along with their ship. The turbulence ripped open the shuttle killing his crewmates whilst the shuttle smashed into the meteor that contained Doomsday and brought the creature to Earth. During the end-credit scenes, after the death of Superman it was shown that several figures came to take the mantle of the Man of Steel with one being the Cyborg Superman who came from space to Earth's surface.
- In Reign of the Supermen, Hank Henshaw appeared in the 2019 animated film where he was voiced once again by actor Patrick Fabian whilst his Cyborg Superman incarnation was voiced by actor Jerry O’Connell. It was revealed that prior to the destruction of the shuttle that he was taken by Apokolips where he came to blame Superman for the death of his wife with this being further reinforced Darkseid who moulded him into a weapon. Henshaw's body was transformed to resemble a cybernetic version of Superman with his memories blanked and sent to Earth to claim that he was Superman reborn. Ultimately, the goal was for him to gain the peoples trust and create a Cyber Corps from willing citizens that would merge to form a gateway to allow the invasion of Earth. Hank after regaining his memories rebelled against Darkseid and desired to get revenge against Superman by destroying all he cared and loved with him starting by razing Metropolis. He ultimately battled a reborn Superman where he was killed when the Man of Steel plunged a Kryptonian data crystal in his cybernetics allowing the Eradicator to shut him down.
Video games
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Cyborg Superman appeared as a downloadable skin for Superman in the videogame.
- In DC Legends, the Cyborg Superman appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game. Hank Henshaw was mentioned in the backstory of the character.
Appearances
- Adventures of Superman v1: (1990)
- Superman:
- Green Lantern:
- Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey v1:
- Green Lantern v4:
- Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special v1:
- Action Comics:
- Green Lanterns v1:
External Links
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