CYBORG SUPERMAN (Hank Henshaw)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Dan Jurgens

Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw)

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Hank Henshaw
Aliases: Cyborg
Occupation: Sinestro Corps member; former astronaut
Homeworld: Earth
Marital Status: Widower
Known Relatives: Terri Henshaw (wife; deceased)
Group Affiliation(s): Manhunters; Sinestro Corps
Gender: Male
Height: N/A
Weight: N/A
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black (formerly white)
First Appearance: (as Hank Henshaw): Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990): "The Last Son of Krypton"
(as Cyborg Superman): Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993): "First Sighting..."
Creators: Dan Jurgens

HISTORY

While conducting experiments aboard the Space Shuttle Excaliber, scientist Hank Henshaw and his crew were exposed to an unknown form of radiation. Despite assitance from Superman, only Henshaw's wife Terri, survived the disaster-- or so they thought. Adventures of Superman #466

Later, Hank's consciousness was found inhabiting the computer terminal at which his body died. Eventually constructing a robotic body for himself, he attempted to greet his wife. The shock of seeing her husband like that, unfortunately killed Terri. With nothing to live for on Earth, he transmitted his intelligence to Superman's Kryptonian birthing matrix (at the time in orbit around Earth). He used its materials to build a tiny vessel with which he could explore the cosmos. Superman attempted to stop him, but Henshaw soon accelerated beyond his reach.

During his self-imposed exile, whatever was left of Henshaw's sanity completely collapsed. He now blamed Superman for the death of his wife and his banishment from Earth. Vowing revenge, he finally encountered Mongul, another of Superman's enemies, imprisoned on a barren, backward planet. In exchange for passage from that world, and the privelige of being an accessory to Superman's death, Mongul pledged himself to Henshaw's service. Unfortunately for them, Superman was already dead at the hands of Doomsday.

With the object of his hatred gone, Henshaw concocted a new plan: Impersonate Superman returned from the dead, then destroy the Earth in his name, tarnishing Superman's reputation forever. Using data about Kryptonian alloys and Superman's DNA from the matrix, he created a body, half clone, half machine to pose as Superman rebuilt.

With his Superman cover successfully in place, Henshaw proceeded to "fail" to stop an alien vessel piloted by Mongul from destroying Coast City. Beneath the clouds of smoke from the blast, they began construction of a massive fortess, which would serve as an engine powerful enough to move the Earth from its orbit-- once a second engine was in place in Metropolis. Once the scheme was uncovered by Superboy, the real Superman, along with Supergirl and the other Supermen (later known as Eradicator and Steel) attacked Engine City and defeated the Cyborg.

With the Cyborg's defeat in Engine City at the hands of Superman, his intellegence fled the Earth. Superman and his friends assumed that he was either inactive or dead. In fact, the mind of Hank Henshaw was residing on a small device planted on the body of Doomsday. Acting as Superman, the Cyborg had thrown the body of Doomsday into space chained to an asteroid. This was a failsafe for the madman in case his plans for Earth failed. Doomsday, dead or alive, was indestructible, and the Cyborg's intellegence could hide on his back without fear of attack.

The Cyborg assumed that eventually Doomsday would land on yet another world, which he could conquer and transform into a massive planet/ship, a Warworld. His old ally Mongul had once used such a device to rule an Empire, and the Cyborg was determined to have one of his own. Failing on Earth, he soon arrived on Apokolips, the home of the godlike tyrant Darkseid. With Doomsday revived and crushing all opposition on the planet, the Cyborg tried to take over Apokolips. With help from Superman, Darkseid imprisoned the Cyborg in a tiny shpere. Eventually, Darkseid released him to make trouble for Superman. [Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey #1-3; Superman Vol. 2 #104]

The Cyborg began a new plot by enlisting his services to the Galactic Tribunal. Taking advantage of the Tribuunal's alien notions of justice, the Cyborg arranged for them to arrest Superman and execute him for Krypton's destruction. In the meantime, he prepared to incorporate himself into the technologically advanced Tribunal Planet so he could transform it into a Warworld. Superman, along with the self-styled "Superman Rescue Squad" (Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, Supergirl and the Alpha Centurion), put an end to his plans, and informed the Tribunal of the Cyborg's crimes. [The Trial of Superman ran through: Superman: The Man of Steel #50, Superman Vol. 2 #106, Adventures of Superman #529, Action Comics #716, Superman: The Man of Steel #51, Superman Vol. 2 #107, Adventures of Superman #530, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #3, Action Comics #717, Superman: The Man of Steel #52, Superman Vol. 2 #107, Adventures of Superman #531]

Seeking to execute a being of energy that can inhabit machines, the Tribunal banished the Cyborg to a black hole, positive that he could not escape. Instead, his mind ended up in another universe. Not to be discouraged, he picked up where he left off, attempting to create a Warworld by destroying a planet. He was forced to escape, when the Silver Surfer challenged him, and Parallax hunted him down. After an encounter with Doctor Doom (the details of which are unknown), the Cyborg returned to his own universe via another black hole. Adventures of Superman #531 and Green Lantern/Silver Surfer

During Final Night, Parallax and the Cyborg met at the Promethean wall when Parallax used his superior power to make the Cyborg pay for his crimes by recreating every single person killed in Coast City to execute him. His body was destroyed, but it was later revealed that Henshaw bonded with the promethean wall in his energy form. Parallax: Emerald Night #1

Superman, as the energy powered version, discovered this during the Genesis storyline when the section Henshaw absorbed attacked Superman. Superman beat Henshaw, but Henshaw bonded with Superman's energy suit when he returned to earth, and the Cyborg "piggy-backed" home.

Once returning, he decided he wanted to feel like an ordinary person like he once had, and adopted the identity of "Mr. Sormon," a high school art teacher (of course he wore a disguise!) Due to his intense hatred of Superman, Superman caught on and tried to apprehend him with an energy grid the Cyborg couldn't escape and his body exploded.

Before Superman attacked, Sormon at super speed sculpted for his class sculptures of himself pulping Superman. After their real fight, the only part of the clay was a standing statue of the Cyborg. One of his students took quite a liking to her teacher and decided to keep the statue.

The statuette was soon found by a foe of Superman's called "The Toyman." The Toyman was shocked to find one of his toys animate on it's own, but even more so when it morphed into the Cyborg's true form. They soon teamed up to stop Superman, and this team up was successful in capturing the new "Man of Energy." The Cyborg planned on taking Superman and tearing him up apart his energy into different places as a way of killing him. He was successful in tearing up Superman, but what he didn't realize was that Superman reformed as two different Supermen: Superman Red and Superman Blue. Superman Blue in personality was how Superman's personality was before he separated, calm, rigid and coordinated. The Red Superman was much more of a fiery character given to be a little more impulsive and was less likely to hold back from a good fight.

Superman Blue calmly retrieved the Toyman and brought him to justice. Superman Red did the same with the Cyborg, but instead he ended beating the pulp out of him, then grabbing a high tech rod and took the Cyborg on a ride to wards the sun. He threatened the Cyborg that if he didn't bond with the rod, he'd let the Sun destroy him. The Cyborg gave in and bonded with the rod which is currently being held in stasis at S.T.A.R. Labs.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Cyborg Superman in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Superman Villains Secret Files #1 (June 1998)