Hourman (Rex Tyler) is a fictional

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, ...

appearing in comics 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 ...

. He is known as the original

Hourman Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...

(spelled Hour-Man in his earliest appearances, also referred to as The Hour-Man, and The Hourman). He was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist

Bernard Baily Bernard Baily (April 5, 1916 – January 19, 1996)
at the

Adventure Comics'' #48 (April 1940), during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

. He continued to appear in ''Adventure Comics'' until issue #83 (Feb 1943). Rex Tyler made his live-action debut in the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

season of ''

DC's Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American time travel superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, who are also executive producers alon ...

'' before becoming a guest star in the

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

season, portrayed by

Patrick J. Adams Patrick Johannes Adams (born August 27, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Mike Ross, a college dropout turned unlicensed lawyer in USA Network's series '' Suits''. For his role in ''Suits'', Adams was nominated for Outstanding ...

. Rex Tyler also appeared in the first season of the

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 ...

series '' Stargirl'', portrayed by Lou Ferrigno Jr.

Fictional character biography

Scientist Rex Tyler, raised in upstate New York, developed an affinity for

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, particularly

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

. Working his way through college, he landed a job researching

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

s and

hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...

supplements at Bannermain Chemical. A series of discoveries and accidents led him to the "miraculous vitamin" Miraclo. He found that concentrated doses of the "miraclo" given to test

mice A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

increased their strength and vitality several times that of normal, but only for one hour. After taking a dose himself, Rex found he could have superhuman strength and speed for an hour, before returning to human levels. Keeping the discovery of Miraclo a secret, Tyler decided that human trials would be limited to the only subject he could trust: himself. Feeling that the Miraclo-induced abilities should be used for good purposes, he decided to use the abilities to help those in need; in other words, he would become a

, based in Appleton City. He received his first mission by placing an ad stating that "The Man of The Hour" would help the needy. Tracking down one responder to the ad, he aided a housewife whose husband was falling in with the wrong crowd, and stopped a robbery. Using a costume he found in an abandoned costume shop, he started to adventure as The Hour-Man (later dropping the hyphen). In November 1940 Hourman became one of the founding members of the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. After leaving the JSA in mid-1941 Tyler became one of

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...

's initial group of Freedom Fighters. He later became part of the wartime All-Star Squadron. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "Hourman fights a variety of Doctors: the robot-wielding Dr. Darrk, the hypnotist Dr. Feher, the big-headed genius Dr. Glisten; the occultist and alchemist Dr. Iker; and the bio-engineer Dr. Togg. There is also the 90-Minute Man, who gains Hourman-like powers for 90 minutes from his radium armor". Hourman was one of many heroes whose popularity began to decline in the post-war years. Eventually, his adventures ended, but with the resurgence of super-heroes in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, interest in the Golden Age heroes returned, and Hourman was soon appearing as a guest star in issues of ''Justice League of America''. Like all the other Golden Agers, he was now considered an elder statesman of the super-hero set. Unlike some other Golden Age heroes, his character continued to grow more complex. The idea that Miraclo was addictive, combined with the suggestion that Tyler himself was addicted to crime fighting, made Hourman one of the superhero world's first cautionary tales. Rex continued to fight both of his addictions throughout the rest of his appearances. His character was seemingly killed off along with other Golden Age heroes fighting a time-traveling villain named Extant, during the Zero Hour crisis, when Extant increased Rex's temporal rate to age him to death. He was rescued from that fate by the third Hourman and put in a pocket dimension called the Timepoint. Rex would remain there for one hour, but that time would only pass when he was visited by his son, after which Rex would have to return to the confrontation with Extant so that history would unfold as it had. For a time, Rick used this to talk with Rex about various issues, ranging from his own issues with his and Rex's past relationship, his personal issues with his gambling addiction, or even asking Rex for advice in dealing with the latest plot of the

Ultra-Humanite Ultra-Humanite is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared as a recurring adversary of Superman. The Ultra-Humanite is the first supervillain faced by Superman and he is among the first supervillai ...

after he possessed Johnny Thunder and took the power of the Thunderbolt for himself. However, when Rick was wounded in a fight with Nemesis, he transferred himself to the Timepoint and placed his tachyon-infused hourglass (one of the components that let him travel to that pocket dimension) around his father's neck. Rex was sent back in the role of Hourman until the android Hourman returned to take the JSA to the Timepoint and retrieve Rick. When the Timepoint ended just as Rick's injuries had been treated, Rick and Rex fought to try to return to Zero Hour, but the android Hourman took his place in that battle. Rex now lives in semi-retirement with his wife Wendi, noting that he intended to rebuild his relationship with Wendi and also work on reconstructing the android Hourman based on his remaining pieces. Rex has his old Hourman costume, and a bowl full of Miraclo inside a secret compartment of the grandfather clock in his bedroom which opens when both hands are turned to 12. Due to the addictive nature of Miraclo (he later invented a non-addictive formula), the way that Hourman accessed his powers changed somewhat over the years. At one point in his career, he would use a black light lantern (similar to the Golden Age Green Lantern) that would activate a residue of Miraclo still in his body. Later, in ''JSA'' (Vol 2),

Johnny Quick Johnny Quick are two fictional DC Comics characters, each with the power of superhuman speed. The first was a superhero who first appeared in '' More Fun Comics'' #71 (September 1941) during the Golden Age. The other was a supervillain, an evil ve ...

theorized that his power stemmed from Rex's metagene, and that his powers could be accessed without the need for Miraclo. Rex used the mantra "Man of the Hour" taught to him by Quick (who used a similar mantra to access his own powers) to gain his strength and speed, though they were still limited to one hour's time. Rex later provides technical support for the new JSA All-Stars team, of whom his son was a member, helping them put together their new headquarters. He is enjoying a semi-retirement with his wife, Wendi. In the "

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...

" sequel "

Doomsday Clock The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...

", Lois Lane finds a flash-drive among the mess while at the ''Daily Planet''. It shows her footage of Hourman and the rest of the Justice Society. During the " Dark Nights: Death Metal" storyline, Hourman is among the superheroes that were revived by

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

using a Black Lantern ring.

Powers and abilities

Through the use of Miraclo, Hourman can possess superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability, night vision, underwater survival, and expert martial arts skills for one full hour.

In other media

Television

* Rex Tyler appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "The Golden Age of Justice!", voiced by Lex Lang. This version uses an hourglass-shaped device to fuel his powers instead of Miraclo and appears as a member of an aged

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

. * Rex Tyler appears in ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...

'', portrayed by

. This version is the leader of the Justice Society of America, who were active in the 1940s. At the end of the first season, he warns the

Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...

not to travel to 1942 due to their impending deaths, only to vanish shortly afterwards. In the second season, the team meets Tyler's past self when they ignore his warning. Tyler is later killed by the

Reverse-Flash The Reverse-Flash is a name used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy of the Flash. Characters Edward Clariss Edward Clariss (also known ...

, erasing his future self who had discovered the Reverse-Flash's plans and warned the Legends from existence. Before his death, Rex was in a relationship with

Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, who goes after and later joins the Legends to avenge Rex. * Rex Tyler appears in '' Stargirl'', portrayed by Lou Ferrigno Jr. This version uses an hourglass amulet to achieve his powers and is a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA). Ten years prior to the series, he was with the JSA when the

Injustice Society of America Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

(ISA) attacked their headquarters, during which he fought off Tigress and Wizard. Having survived the attack, he and his wife Wendi tracked the ISA to Blue Valley before they were killed by Solomon Grundy. They are survived by a son,

Rick Tyler Richard Seburn Tyler Jr. (born October 10, 1957) is an American pastor, and political candidate from Tennessee. Tyler first attracted significant media attention in 2016 when he erected a billboard that read "Make America White Again" when runni ...

, who would go on to take up his father's mantle and amulet to avenge his parents. * Rex Tyler was parodied in the '' Robot Chicken'' episode "Tapping a Hero", voiced by Seth Green. He promotes an erectile dysfunction pill guaranteed to make people "an hour-man, just like im.

Film

* Rex Tyler appears in the opening credits of '' Justice League: The New Frontier'', in which he falls to his death while running from police officers due to a ban on vigilantes. * A variation of Rex Tyler appears in '' Justice Society: World War II'', voiced by

Matthew Mercer Matthew Christopher Miller (born June 29, 1982), better known as Matthew Mercer, is an American voice actor. He is best known for his work with Studiopolis, Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Viz Media, and NYAV Post in anime, cartoons, and ...

. This version hails from Earth-2 and is a founding member of the Justice Society of America, who are active during their Earth's version of the titular war.

References

External links

Grand Comics Database

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on February 5, 2016.

DC Indexes: Earth-2 Hourman I
{{GoldenAge Comics characters introduced in 1940 DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics scientists DC Comics titles Earth-Two DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics metahumans DC Comics martial artists Golden Age superheroes