Hero Cruz is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in comic books published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. Within the narrative of the fictional

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

, Hero is a portrayal of a

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

of African descent. He first appeared in ''

Superboy and the Ravers ''Superboy and the Ravers'' is an American comic book series that ran for 19 issues, from September 1996 in comics, 1996 to March 1998 in comics, 1998. The comic book chronicles the adventures of Superboy (Kon-El) and a group of superhumans called ...

'' (September 1996) and was created by

Karl Kesel Karl Kesel (born January 7, 1959, Victor, New York) is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow artis ...

and Steve Mattsson. According to Richard T. Rodríguez in ''Graphic Borders'', Hero is an updated take on the concept of a gay superhero: "Unlike the earlier, effeminate characterization of Extraño nine years before, Hero Cruz was fashioned as a character who was unmistakably masculine and who didn't wear his homosexuality on his sleeve".

Fictional character biography

Hero (his actual name, which is

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

) first appeared as a member the

team The Ravers founded by

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

. He was a frequent regular of the Event Horizon, an intergalactic

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

that featured hipsters and partiers from all over the galaxy. Though at first it was unclear what, if any, powers he possessed, it became apparent that his vest (later revealed to be the "Achilles Vest") emitted a force field that protected him from most forms of physical assault. He was somehow able to steal this from the lair of the

Scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...

, a villainous packrat who stockpiles various items and gadgets from the DC Comics universe. Hero eventually lost his vest, but found the even more interesting "H-Dial" (of ''

Dial H for Hero ''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the di ...

'' fame), and soon realized that by spelling H-E-R-O on its dial, he would be granted the powers of and persona of one of several superheroes, supposedly merging with them using

hypertime Hypertime is a fictional concept in DC Comics which first appeared in the 1999 '' The Kingdom'' limited series. It is a variation of the Multiverse concept that existed in DC Comics before 1985's ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' limited series and w ...

. Since acquiring this device, Hero has taken on the roles of heroes like BadAxe (an axe-wielding warrior), and Human Justice (a powerful,

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

-like figure). Later in the series, he would become the muscular Titanic in order to impress his female teammate Sparx. While at first it seemed like the beginning of a relationship, Hero became more and more distant from her, eventually avoiding her altogether. It wasn't until they took a trip to Sparx's family ranch in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

that he finally admitted that he was

. For a time, Hero is the companion of the long-lived sentient canine

Rex the Wonder Dog Rex the Wonder Dog is a fictional superhero dog in the DC Comics universe. Created in 1952 by Robert Kanigher of Wonder Woman fame and artist Alex Toth, Rex has sometimes been compared to Superman's dog Krypto, who was created three years later ...

, whom he implies had been found in some sort of metal container. Near the end of the ''Ravers'' series, Sparx began to lose her powers, and in frustration told Hero that she not only didn't want to be his friend any more, but what he was doing was "not natural" and "wrong". Hero has since been in a relationship with the alien ''Leander'' and has decided to keep tabs on everyone else in "The Rave". Hero was also an associate of Titans L.A. in '' The Titans''.

Powers and abilities

The H-Dial (Hero Dial) gives Hero the ability to turn into any of a number of superheroes. The extent of this power is unknown, yet it appears to utilize

. Among the hero forms he has used are: * Badaxe * Human Justice * Stormfront * Titanic * Feathered Serpent * Hot Head * Death's Head Moth * Ferronaut * Captain Elastic * Diamond Lord * Isis * Radio Ranger * Faust * Caduceus the Healer * Viridian Paladin * Port

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Hero African-American superheroes Fictional Afro–Latin American people Comics characters introduced in 1996 DC Comics LGBT superheroes Fictional gay males Characters created by Karl Kesel