Clifford Steele (New Earth)

After an accident destroyed his body, Cliff Steele's brain was transplanted into a mechanical-electric body making him a cyborg and joining the Doom Patrol.

Place of Birth

Brooklyn, New York

Creators

Arnold Drake, Bob Haney

First appearance

My Greatest Adventure #80
(June, 1963)

History

Cliff Steele was an obsessive daredevil. He engaged in every extreme sporting event he could, from spelunking to racecar driving. He climbed the Himalayan Mountains, rafted down the Amazon River, and spent six months living in a tribal African village.

At one point in his career, Cliff became involved in the NASCAR circuit. He became a professional racecar driver and participated in the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 proved to be Cliff's final race however. During the race, his car slid through an oil slick and toppled over. The car exploded irrevocably destroying Cliff's body. A brilliant surgeon by the name of Dr. Niles Caulder volunteered to lend his assistance in the hopes of saving Cliff's life. Although his body was destroyed, Caulder managed to save Cliff's brain. He transferred the brain into a cybernetic body, and Cliff became informally known as Robotman. Caulder made arrangements so that his participation in the surgery remained completely anonymous.

When Cliff awakened in the hospital bed, he soon learned what had become of him. Faulty wiring inside of the Robotman systems had an adverse affect on Cliff's brain, driving him insane. He flew into a rage and began rampaging throughout the city streets. Niles Caulder eventually approached him and offered to cure Cliff of the affliction that was driving him to lunacy. He finally calmed Robotman down long enough to perform the operation.

After the operation, Caulder offered Cliff a new lease on life. He asked him to become part of a special team of misfits dedicated towards the fight against evil. Joining with Negative Man and Elasti-Girl, the three new heroes became the first Doom Patrol.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Cybernetic Enhancement: All of Robotman's powers originate from his cybernetic components. Robotman's body is outfitted with magnetic plates allowing him the ability to scale metallic surfaces with relative ease. He is also equipped with heat coils on his palm plating allowing him the ability melt dense material with a touch of his hands.

Superhuman Durability: The metal components of Robotman's body are highly durable and can withstand extremes in pressure. Even when some of his components are destroyed, so long as his brain is unharmed, Cliff can simply replace the damaged "organ" with a new prosthetic.

Superhuman Strength: Robotman possesses superhuman strength, many times greater than that of a normal human.

Abilities

Physically Active: Robotman is proficient in various physically related skills, including climbing, acrobatics, horseback riding, swimming etc.

Strength level

Robotman possesses superhuman strength.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: Robotman once utilized a mobile video transceiver, which he kept mounted on his chest plate. This allowed him to stay in constant communication with the Chief.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

Robotman's original body was invented by Dr. Niles Caulder who constructed it using a special ceramic polymer metal of his own design. Robotman later used an alternate body created by Dr. Will Magnus of the Metal Men. Cliff assumed this form for a brief period of time before reverting to a body more in line with his original design. In later years, the Lexcorp conglomerate began manufacturing cybernetic components that Cliff used as spare parts.

Trivia

According to the timeline provided in Zero Hour #0, the Doom Patrol were one of the earliest super-hero teams active during the Silver Age era of comics. JLA: Year One #6 shows the Doom Patrol as experienced heroes working alongside the neophyte Justice League of America.

In 2005, Robotman and the rest of the Doom Patrol appeared in the two-part "Homecoming" episode of the Teen Titans animated television series. Actor Peter Onorati provided the voice for Robotman.

Links and References

Footnotes

↑ In Doom Patrol (Volume 2) #1, Cliff states that he weighs "half a ton" (1,000 lbs.), which is a great departure from the accepted weight of 295 lbs. It is possible that he may have gained in weight as more upgrades were added to his robotic systems over the years.

[0] In Doom Patrol (Volume 2) #1, Cliff states that he weighs "half a ton" (1,000 lbs.), which is a great departure from the accepted weight of 295 lbs. It is possible that he may have gained in weight as more upgrades were added to his robotic systems over the years.

[1]

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