IRON CLAD
Real Name: Spencer Collins
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-93060/Ultraverse) human mutate
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Membership: Ultraforce
Affiliations: Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Siena Blaze, Cayman, Cromwell, Ghoul, Hardcase, Hellblade, Amber Hunt, Maxis, Prime (Kevin Green), Prototype (Bob Campbell), Reaper, Ripfire, Shuriken, Siren, 'Strike (Warstrike), Topaz
Enemies:
Tulkan Star Empire and the Alien
Elite (notably Aerie,
Khamuui,
Nyteflyt),
Demonseed,
Rafferty;
Known Relatives: Unnamed father, Katrina Collins (mother), Jenell Collins (sister)
Aliases: Ironclad (see comments)
Base of Operations: Mobile across the USA
First Appearance: Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3 (July, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Spencer Collins was a young male who had the ability to transform his skin into metal. This gave him a hardened exterior that could resist bullets and delivered enhanced strength and resilience, although the transformation itself was quite painful. Upon his "resurrection" by Maxis, he was left with nanites bonded to his bio-metallic form, giving him the ability to morph parts of his body into various forms including weapons such as hammers or spines. He was also then bound to stay in his metallic form. He was very good natured and helped those he could.
History:
(Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3 (fb)) - After breaking up with his girlfriend one spring, Spencer Collins wandered the streets and came across four young men assaulting a woman, threatening to rape her. Spencer decided to charge in but they quickly overpowered and viciously beat him. Lying bloody on the ground, he was suddenly engulfed in pain and energy which transformed his skin into hard metal that resisted the gang members' bullets.
(Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7 (fb) - BTS) - Unknown to Spencer, one of the bullets ricocheted off him and hit an innocent bystander several yards away, killing him.
(Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3 (fb)) - Iron Clad quickly punched the gang of four out and was thanked by the woman.
(Prototype#13/Ultraverse Premiere#6/1 (fb)) - That summer, Spencer went to the First Federal Bank to open an account but encountered several masked bank robbers and so quickly transformed into Iron Clad. After deflecting several bullets, he quickly overpowered them (but was later reprimanded by a security guard about the risk of a ricochet). He returned home, concerned that his identity may have been compromised, and likewise concerned that the ultra persona of Iron Clad would be the dominant one seen by others. Later he looked amazed at a newspaper's headline heralding his foiling of the bank robbery. Excited but nervous, he told his parents over the phone of his newfound powers, but cut the conversation when he saw a newsflash of a burning hospital not far away. He rushed over to help those still trapped inside.
(Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1 (fb)) - Iron Clad arrived at the fire and, despite many of the onlookers' doubts, ran in and volunteered to hold up girders so that the firefighters could go in and rescue any remaining survivors. Seeing one boy left behind, Iron Clad had him crawl over to him and he shielded the patient as the ceiling collapsed. Although the strain of maintaining his metal form was great, he held on and later emerged from the rubble cradling the boy.
(Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1 (fb) - BTS) - That next autumn, after many other heroic deeds, Spencer was waiting for a train to join other ultras in a bigger city when Rafferty struck, plunging his signature knife into his chest. Spencer was able to transform into Iron Clad, refusing to change for fear that he would die.
(Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3 /Prototype#13/Ultraverse Premiere#6/1 /Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1) - Iron Clad sat unmoving and watched trains go by, recollecting his days as a metal hero.
(Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1) - The ghost of the man killed from a ricochet during his first adventure as Iron Clad arrived and encouraged him to finally let go. Spencer transformed back into his form and seemed to die.
(All New Exiles#11 (fb) - BTS) - Spencer Collins was buried in a New York cemetery called Hero's Hill along with various other ultras. However, his body had once more reverted to its metal sheath and his wounds healed while in a hibernation-like state.
(All New Exiles#11) - The techno-organic creature called Maxis sought to rebuild its liquid metal body by leeching bio-energy from the ultras buried within the cemetery until it reached Iron Clad's. Suddenly awakened, the hero could not resist as Maxis washed over him and used his body to successfully reintegrate its own structural integrity. Maxis then went on a rampage against the Exiles and assorted heroes and villains, absorbing those it defeated.
(Ultraforce II#12) - Iron Clad's body was discarded by Maxis as it could now function without the need for a host body. Now revived but confused, Iron Clad was confronted by Amber Hunt at the devastated point of battle between Maxis and Ultraforce/Exiles. She asked him to help fight Maxis but, afraid of dying again, he declined.
(Ultraverse Unlimited#2) - Iron Clad climbed over the ruins to meet up with Ultraforce, the survivors of Maxis' devastating attack, only to witness the arrival of the vast alien fleet of the Tulkan Star Empire (which was hunting for the Demonseed) as they assembled over the ruins of part of New York (dubbed Ground Zero). Battle lines were drawn between Ultraforce and the extraterrestrial warriors called the Alien Elite, but the heroes were distracted by alien gunfire, allowing the alien warriors to spread through the city. The heroes split up to track the Alien Elite members down across Ground Zero, with Iron Clad joining Siena Blaze and the Black Knight, and they soon encountered Aerie, Khamuui and Nyteflyt. Iron Clad was left to battle the shapeshifter Khamuui, using his newfound morphing abilities, but was outclassed and the Black Knight helped him defeat the alien intruder. The heroes soon gathered together again among the rubble, only to meet Sh'r D'rath, commander of the Tulkan Fleet, who informed the newly revived Maxis that its mission to gather ultras was over. D'rath teleported back to his fleet along with the Alien Elite and they departed off into space. Black Knight then asked Maxis to send him home to his native Earth (Earth-616) via its inbuilt extradimensional warp and Iron Clad watched as the Black Knight, Reaper and Siena Blaze returned to their home dimension. An airborne force of Aladdin agents then arrived.
(Ultraforce II#13) - Along with the other assembled heroes, Iron Clad watched as the Aladdin force landed led by Jake Alexander, who led a discussion on the composition of Ultraforce. When it was suggested that the robot Maxis be disassembled, Iron Clad stuck up for it and accepted responsibility for the nanotech creature, if only to determine how it "resurrected" him. Prototype then welcomed Iron Clad into Ultraforce. The new team headed back to their base in Arkansas where a meeting was held to discuss how to handle the Demonseed. Iron Clad was amazed at how long the Demonseed was said to have existed and questioned whether they could actually defeat it. Frustrated with Maxis, Amber Hunt blasted it with intense flame but to no effect. Iron Clad cocooned her in a metal sphere and told her to cool off. At that point, all team members were called by Cromwell to see Prime's real identity of Kevin Green revealed on screen. And then Hardcase, long lost and forgotten, walked in to confront the team.
(Ultraforce II#14) - Iron Clad watched as a brief skirmish erupted between Hardcase, Hellblade and Amber Hunt. He and the rest of the team were amazed to hear Hardcase tell of his connection to the Demonseed as creator and opponent. An alert from Aladdin then had Ultraforce, including Hardcase, return to Ground Zero where the now gigantic Demonseed had begun his next attack.
(Ultraforce II#15) - At Prototype's command, Ultraforce charged at the Demonseed, firing their weapons but to little effect. Topaz and Ripfire began to sink into the grey quicksand generated by the Demonseed and Iron Clad tried to save them by morphing his arms to extend out, only to be sucked down himself and absorbed into the villain's structure. However, Hardcase and Maxis managed to overwhelm him, causing an explosion that released the captives, including Iron Clad. Ultraforce regrouped then, aided by Prime, attacked the Demonseed once more, seeking to overcome the powerful force field that he had generated around himself. The group soon triumphed and Iron Clad saw Hardcase and the Demonseed disappear into the interdimensional portal created by Maxis. The team, including Iron Clad, then looked to the future...
Comments: Created by Mark Paniccia (writer), Brian O'Connell (pencils) and Mike Christian (inks).
He was referred as Ironclad (one word) at the start of Ultraverse Premiere#6/1, and in All New Exiles#12.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Iron Clad has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3, p6 (transformed)
Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1, p9, pan4 (head shot)
Ultraverse Unlimited#2, p10, pan3 (morphing)
Ultraforce II#15, p3, pan3 (charging)
Appearances:
Firearm#11/Ultraverse Premiere#5/3 (July, 1994) - Mark
Paniccia
(writer), Brian O'Connell (pencils), Mike Christian (inks), Hank
Kanalz (editor)
Prototype#13/Ultraverse
Premiere#6/4 (August, 1994) - Mark Paniccia (writer), Brian O'Connell
(pencils), Larry Welch & Scott Reed (inks), Hank Kanalz (editor)
Hardcase#16/Ultraverse Premiere#7/1 (October, 1994) - Mark Paniccia
(writer), Keith Conroy (pencils), Mike Christian (inks), Hank Kanalz
(editor)
All New Exiles#11 (August, 1996) - Phil Crain (writer), John Fang
& Shannon Denton (pencils), Rod Whigham (layouts), Bruce
McCorkindale (inks), Mark Paniccia
Ultraforce II#12 (September, 1996) - Len
Wein (writer), Deodato
Studios, Rene Michelleti & Carlos Mota (artists), Mark Paniccia
(editor)
Ultraverse Unlimited#2 (September, 1996) - Len Wein (writer), Kevin
West, John Fang, Vinton Hueck, Shannon Gallant & Don
Hillsman
(pencils), Bob Almond, Phil Moy & David Mowry (inks), Phil
Crain (editor)
Ultraforce II#13 (October, 1996) - Len Wein (writer), Deodato Studios,
Rene Michelleti & Carlos Mota (artists), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Ultraforce II#14 (November, 1996) - Len Wein (writer), Renato Arlem
& Deodato Studios (pencils), Deodato Studios & Jose
Pimentel (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Ultraforce II#15 (December, 1996) - Len Wein (writer), Andy Park
(pencils), Norm Rapmund (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
First Posted: 03/23/2009
Last updated: 03/22/2009
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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