Metallo is a fictional supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben. Metallo first appeared in Action Comics #252, May 1959. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... For other uses, see Cyborg (disambiguation). ... Superman is a fictional character and comic book superhero , originally created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian artist Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... This article is about the fictional substance. ... Cover of Action Comics #1, which featured the debut of Superman. ...

History

Cover of Superman Family #217 (April 1982). Artwork by Rich Buckler (pencils) and Dick Giordano (inks)

Image File history File links Superman_family217. ... Image File history File links Superman_family217. ... Cover to Daredevil #131. ... Richard Joseph Dick Giordano (born July 20, 1932) is an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics Action Heroes stable of superheroes, and serving as editor of then industry-leader DC Comics. ...

The Golden Age Metallo

The Golden Age Superman battled an unnamed scientist calling himself "Metalo" (note the alternate spelling) who wore a powered suit of steel armor (World's Finest Comics #6, Summer 1942) in a story titled "Man of Steel Versus Man of Metal". Years later, Superman encountered the villain a second time in Superman Family #217 (April 1982) in a story with the same title, in clear tribute to the story published forty years earlier. Metalo, his real name now revealed as George Grant, had a new suit of armor and had also taken a serum to increase his personal strength to superhuman levels. He exposed Superman to a ray that reduced the hero's power significantly, giving Metalo superior strength in their first battle. Superman engaged in a lengthy regimen of exercise and training to restore his powers and easily defeated Metalo. Kal-L is the Kryptonian birth name of the Earth-Two Superman, a fictional character who is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe. ... Worlds Finest Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. ... Superman Family was a DC Comics comic book series which ran from 1974 to 1982 featuring primarily stories starring supporting characters in the Superman comics. ...

The Silver Age Metallo

John Corben was originally a journalist (and secretly a thief and murderer) who had just committed what he thought was the perfect murder. While fleeing from the scene of the crime, Corben suffered a near-fatal accident that mangled his body beyond repair. However, elderly scientist Professor Vale happened to come upon Corben, and used his scientific skill to transfer Corben's brain into a robotic body covered by a fleshlike artificial skin. However, Corben discovered that his power source, a capsule of uranium, would only last a day, but was told by Vale that kryptonite would provide him an indefinite power supply. General Name, symbol, number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, period, block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Standard atomic weight 238. ...

After obtaining a job with the Daily Planet, Corben briefly tried to romance Lois Lane, while deciding that he'd use his powers to eliminate Superman, the one person who might expose his criminal deeds. After setting a kryptonite death-trap for Superman, Corben stole what he thought was another sample of kryptonite from a museum as a new power supply, not knowing it was in reality a fake prop; this mistake caused him to die. Superman eventually escaped from the kryptonite trap. The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper that appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. ... For the Dutch girl group, see Loïs Lane. ...

A second Metallo, John's brother Roger, debuted in Superman #310 (April 1977). This Metallo was created by a secret organization that transferred Roger's brain into a new robotic body, so that Roger could get revenge on Superman for his brother's death. Like the previous Metallo, this one was also powered by kryptonite.

The Modern Age Metallo

After John Byrne rewrote Superman's origins in the 1986 miniseries The Man of Steel, Metallo was also given an altered backstory. This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... The Man of Steel was a six-issue comic book limited series released in 1986 by DC Comics, several months after the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths completed. ...

In the current version, John Corben was a small-time con man who was fatally injured in a car crash, but to his luck Professor Emmet Vale happened to pass by. Professor Vale was a pioneer in robotics, and erroneously believed that Superman was the first in a wave of superpowered Kryptonian invaders. Vale transplanted Corben's brain into a robotic body, which was powered by a two-pound chunk of kryptonite, and instructed him to kill Superman. Metallo—the alloy his body was made of, and now Corben's new moniker—thanked Vale by snapping his neck, killing him. Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application. ... Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe. ... For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... This article is about the fictional substance. ...

Despite ignoring Vale's commands, Metallo came into conflict with Superman on various occasions, in large part to his continued activities as a petty thug. Metallo later lost his kryptonite heart to Lex Luthor, though back-up life support systems allowed Metallo to reactivate himself and escape. He remained a thorn in Superman's side, and due to his sheer power no other superhero save Superman could quickly and effectively handle him although an Indian-born woman named Arani Desai who called herself Celsius blew him apart with her thermal powers. Metallo later received a major upgrade via an unholy bargain with the demon Neron. As a result, Metallo was now able to morph his body into any mechanical shape he could imagine (turning his hands into guns or "growing" a jet-pack from his back) and project his consciousness into any technological or metallic device (powers very similar to those of the Cyborg Superman). He could also now grow to monstrous size. During one battle, his gigantic fists were separated and later actually turned into housing by other superheros. In another incident, Metallo was rendered more insane by the Joker and used his height to destroy an elevated train of commuters. Lex Luthor is a fictional supervillain owned by DC Comics and the noted archenemy of Superman. ... Celsius is the superhero alias of Arani Desai Caulder, a fictional character in the DC Comics series, Doom Patrol. ... Neron is also an alternative name of the Roman Emperor Nero. ... Technology (Gr. ... Hank Henshaw is a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe and is primarily an enemy of Superman. ...

As Superman and others learned on various occasions, the most effective way to neutralize Metallo was to remove his (largely invulnerable) head and isolate it from other metallic items.

In recent comics, evidence was uncovered that implicated John Corben as the criminal who shot and killed Thomas and Martha Wayne, the parents of Bruce Wayne. This proved to be a ruse by Lex Luthor, however, orchestrated in order to lure both the Dark Knight and Superman into a "final" confrontation. More recently, Corben's mind was removed from the Metallo body, and placed into a cloned version of his original human body, by the (second, post-Crisis) Toyman, Hiro Okamura, whose family had invented the metallo alloy. Despite the fact he is once again just a man, he is still a dangerous foe to Superman. It is unknown if Corben retained any of his Neron-granted abilities. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ... The Toyman is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe and an enemy of Superman. ...

It is widely believed that the modernized Metallo was influenced by the film The Terminator. Metallo's mechanical design, as well as his fake human skin, greatly resemble the Terminator's endoskeleton and Arnold Schwarzenegger's body. The Terminator (also known as Terminator in some early trailers and posters) is a 1984 science fiction/action film featuring former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in what would become his best-known role, and also starred Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. ... Endoskeleton of a swordfish An endoskeleton is an internal support structure of an animal. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ...

One Year Later

One year after the events of Infinite Crisis Metallo resurfaced, now in a fully human looking body with an enhanced titanium-alloy frame and plastisteel musculature over forced-growth vat-clone organics (Action Comics #837). In a plan engineered by Lex Luthor (who needed vast quantities of Kryptonite), Metallo was incapacitated and Lex, with the help of another Toyman, removed his Kryptonite energy core. The fact that Metallo was captured at all and helpless against the Toyman and Lex Luthor would indicate that Corben has lost the ability to control and possess machinery. 52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ... Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... General Name, symbol, number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 47. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ...

Recently in Action Comics Annual #10, Luthor gave Metallo an upgrade by placing green, blue, gold, and red kryptonite into Metallo's chest cavity for what looks to be the beginning of a new Superman Revenge Squad. The Superman Revenge Squad was an organization in DC Comics. ...

In Superman/Batman #34 Metallo resurfaced, his new body now appearing to be rotting, attempting to steal a new alloy from Waynetech to replace his skin. He was captured, but indicated to be working for someone else. Superman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publishers two most popular characters: Superman and Batman. ... WGBS redirects here. ... Brainiac is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and frequent opponent of Superman. ...

Metallo is later seen amongst the new Injustice League members, in the Justice League of America Wedding Special. The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror, Agamemno. ...

In other media

In the Amalgam Comics universe, Metallo was fused with Marvel Comics' Ultron to create Ultra-Metallo. Amalgam Comics was a metafictional American comic book publisher, and part of a collaboration between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters to create new ones (e. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... For other uses, see Ultron (disambiguation). ... Ultra-Metallo was an android developed by Nazi scientists to fight Super-Soldier in the Amalgam Comics world. ...

One version of Metallo appeared in a single episode of the show Super Friends. This version also had a brief appearance in the show Harvey Birdman, also made by Hanna-Barbera. This article is about the Hanna-Barbera television series. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is a comedic television animated series that airs on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. ... Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ...

In the second-season Superboy episode "Metallo", John Corben (played by Michael Callan), a bungling bank robber, tries to rob an armored car even though he is having extreme chest pains. Superboy arrives and apprehends the bank robber, but the small time crook has a heart attack and is taken to a hospital. After being there a while he recovers and escapes by murdering his doctor. After he leaves he suffers another attack and his car crashes into a tree and explodes. The police presume he is dead, but journalist Clark Kent is not so sure. Meanwhile, Corben is actually alive, having fallen into the hands of a mentally-unbalanced doctor who turns him into more of a machine than human being, and replaces his failing human heart with the radioactive power source Kryptonite. The unearthly power source transforms the villain into the powerful cyborg Metallo. Metallo made several more appearances in the Superboy series, specifically in the episodes "Super Menace", "People Vs. Metallo", "Threesome" (parts 1 and 2), and "Obituary for A Super-Hero". Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics character Superboy. ...

In the Lois & Clark episode Metallo, Johnny Corben was the boyfriend of Lucy Lane and, unknown to her, a petty criminal. Corben was shot when a holdup went wrong. Dr. Emmett Vale, formerly a Lexcorp scientist, rebuilt him into a Kryptonite-powered cyborg. He was played by Scott Valentine. Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action television series based on the Superman comic books. ... Lucy Lane is a fictional character published by DC Comics. ... Scott Valentine (June 3, 1958 in Saratoga Springs, New York) is an American actor. ...

Metallo appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell. Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title given to Warner Bros. ... Malcolm McDowell (born June 13, 1943) is an English actor probably best known for his portrayal of Alex in A Clockwork Orange. ...

Metallo as he appeared in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited

John Corben was an Australian criminal-for-hire who was involved in a plot by Lex Luthor to sell the LEXO-SKEL SUIT 5000 to Kasnian terrorists (Luthor knew that the Pentagon would want him to design something bigger and better to combat the suit the terrorists had "stolen"). Corben was caught by Superman and jailed, but while in jail he contracted a rare and lethal disease. Luthor offered him a chance at new life, as a cyborg, by having his mind transplanted into a robotic body; a Dr. Vale assisted in the procedure. Corben's new body, made of a revolutionary new metal called Metallo, was powered by a kryptonite "heart", which Corben was eager to use against Superman. Metallo is also almost as strong as Superman in series. At first, Corben revelled in his new body, but when he learned it had no sense of touch, no way to sense even a simple kiss, the sensory deprivation drove him insane and he took to referring to himself as Metallo. When Superman later revealed to Corben that Luthor himself had arranged for Corben to get ill while in prison, Corben turned on Luthor, but in the battle he was thrown off of Lex's yacht, and his non-buoyant body sank. Image File history File links Metallo2_1_. ... Image File history File links Metallo2_1_. ... Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title given to Warner Bros. ... Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ... A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national of a Party to the conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a... Lex Luthor is a fictional supervillain owned by DC Comics and the noted archenemy of Superman. ... Kasnia is a fictional country which appears in the Superman, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman cartoons. ... This article is about the United States military building. ... For other uses, see Cyborg (disambiguation). ...

Metallo walked across the ocean floor, eventually reaching the shore of a small island that Superman was helping to evacuate due to an impending volcanic eruption. Initially, Metallo had no memory of who he or Superman were, and befriended two children on the island (the son and daughter of one of the seismologists studying the eruption). Metallo eventually did regain his memory, however, and attacked Superman, but was caught in the lava flow. It cooled around him, leaving only part of his head and one arm exposed, the rest trapped in rock. Unable to free himself, he began to recite his name and history to himself, so he would not forget again. Metallo was eventually rescued and repaired by Intergang, who modified him with Kryptonite Vision, and he returned to plague Superman repeatedly. He even had a battle against Steel III (John Henry Irons). Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the Earth. ... Intergang is a fictional organized crime organization in Superman comics. ... Steel is a name used by several fictional characters owned and published by DC Comics. ... John Henry Irons is the third hero known as Steel, a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. ...

Metallo has also appeared in an episode of Justice League as a member of the Superman Revenge Squad but was defeated by Wonder Woman and the Flash. He was voiced by Corey Burton. Hereafter is an episode of season two of the animated series Justice League Unlimited. ... Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. ... The Superman Revenge Squad was an organization in DC Comics. ... Wonder Woman is a fictional DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. ... The Flash is a name shared by several DC Comics superheroes. ... Corey Burton (born August 3, 1955), is an animation voice actor. ...

He later returned in Justice League Unlimited as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Legion of Doom, once more voiced by McDowell. He, along with Silver Banshee, were sent on a mission to Skartaris (an area in the center of the Earth) to obtain a large kryptonite rock, but were thwarted by the Justice League, when Supergirl removed his kryptonite power supply. He was coerced to give them information in exchange for his power source, but just before divulging the information, he was forcibly shut down by an outside source. He was taken to the Watchtower waiting so that his mind could be probed for information. Malcolm McDowell reprises his vocals. Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ... Gorilla Grodd is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an opponent of The Flash. ... This article is about the supervillain group. ... Silver Banshee is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an opponent of Superman. ... Skartaris is a fictional Hollow Earth milieu invented by comic book writer/artist Mike Grell for his sword and sorcery comic book Warlord, published from 1976-1989. ... For other uses, see Supergirl (disambiguation). ...

In the Superman DVD sets, the producers noted that the character was difficult to write for since his kryptonite power source would logically enable him to kill Superman easily. As a result, plots had to be carefully contrived to give the superhero believable means to fight him.

He also appears in Superman: Shadow of Apokolips as a final boss for GameCube and PlayStation 2. Most recently, Metallo has appeared in the Superman Returns video game as a recurring villain throughout the game. In the game he was able to assemble metal cars, light poles, etc. to become a larger and stronger version of himself. The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... “PS2” redirects here. ... For the Game Boy Advance version, see Superman Returns: Fortress of Solitude. ...

Metallo is also slated to appear in season 5 of the animated series The Batman. He will be voiced by Lex Lang. The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. ... Walter Alexis Lang, better known as Lex Lang, is an American voice actor, musician, singer, and co-founder of Love Planet Records. ...

See also

• List of Superman enemies

This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are or have been enemies of Superman. ...

References