Iron Cross is the name of two fictional characters appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

Publication history

The Helmut Gruler version of Iron Cross first appears in ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

'' #35 (Dec. 1978) and was created by

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

and

Don Heck Donald L. HeckDonald L. Heck
at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved on Septembe ...

. The Clare Gruler version of Iron Cross first appeared in ''All-New Invaders'' #9 (Aug. 2014) and was created by James Robinson and

Steve Pugh Steve Pugh ( ;) is a British comic book artist who has worked for American and British comic producers including DC Comics, DC, Marvel Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse and ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''. He broke into the industry in ...

Fictional character biography

Helmut Gruler

Helmut Gruler is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

German soldier that first appears in the title '' Invaders''. Gruler volunteers to wear armor created by Professor Franz Schneider for use against the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forces. Using the alias "''Iron Cross''", the character creates havoc until apparently killed during a battle with

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, ...

team the ''Invaders''. Iron Cross reappears in the modern Marvel universe in the title ''

Midnight Sons Unlimited Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours ...

'', having apparently been saved and sustained by his armor. Iron Cross is revealed in the

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

to be a founding member of the modern version of the ''

V-Battalion The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...

'', a secret group dedicated to hunting down war criminals. Iron Cross apparently dies preventing the spread of nanotechnology throughout the world by terrorist organization HYDRA.

Clare Gruler

Clare Gruler is the daughter of Helmut Gruler who took on her father's legacy and became a hero in Germany. As part of the ''

All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline " Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...

'' event, Clare Gruler's

Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe *Kristoff Vernard, ...

gene activated when she was inside the Iron Cross armor which caused her to have powers that molecular-bonded her to the Iron Cross armor transforming her into a cyborg. Iron Cross was later kidnapped by Kurt Dagmar due to her new nature alongside the other robots and AIs. Iron Cross managed to send a signal for help which was received by Winter Soldier. The control Dagmar had over Iron Cross was interrupted when he was killed by one of his

Deathlok Deathlok (also referred to as Deathlok the Demolisher) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Astonishing Tales'' #25 (Aug. 1974), created by Rich Buckler. At least three subs ...

s. She thanks Namor for absolving her father of any war crimes during the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

. She later battles Neo-Nazis in Germany and requests help from the

All-New Invaders ''All-New Invaders'' was a reboot of the classic comic book series ''Invaders'' Publication history The series was published by Marvel Comics between 2014–15. It was created by James Robinson, Mukesh Singh and Steve Pugh. It featured many of t ...

. They are interrupted by the Inhuman Lash, who is attempting to recruit Iron Cross, Toro, and the Neo-Nazis leader, who had no idea he was an Nuhuman. Medusa and the Inhuman Royal Court appear, so Lash leaves with the Neo-Nazi, who abandons the Nazi cause since he does not have pure Aryan blood. The Invaders later disband and Iron Cross returns to Germany to protect it from evil.

Powers and abilities

Helmut Gruler wears an advanced suit of armor that provides superhuman strength and durability, and

flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

via boot jets. The armor also has several offensive features, and is capable of releasing electric current,

sleeping gas The term incapacitating agent is defined by the United States Department of Defense as: :"An agent that produces temporary physiological or mental effects, or both, which will render individuals incapable of concerted effort in the performance o ...

and an inky fluid similar to that discharged by an octopus. The suit provides some longevity by sustaining Gruler's body. Clare Gruler's Iron Cross armor grants her flight and energy discharge. Her molecular bonding appears to have only worked once when her Inhuman gene activated.

In other media

The Helmut Gruler version of Iron Cross appears in the video game '' Captain America: Super Soldier'', voiced by

Michael Donovan Michael Donovan is a Canadian voice actor and director known for his roles as Suikotsu in ''Inuyasha'' and Zoken Mato in ''Fate/stay night''. He has also directed many animated series and feature films. Roles Animation * ''3-2-1 Penguins!''K ...

.http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/112/1125597p1.html#ixzz11WLb93H2 ''Captain America: Super Soldier Announced" This version works for Hydra under the

Red Skull The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...

and

Arnim Zola Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers (comics), Avengers. The character first appeared in ''Captain America (comic ...

. He is assigned to capture

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

and obtain his blood so Hydra can recreate

Abraham Erskine Earth Lord Earth Sentry Earth Sentry (John Foster) was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, and first appeared in '' A-Next'' #2 (1999) in the MC2 universe. When John and his father Bill were investigating a UFO crash site, they discovered ...

's super-soldier serum. However, Captain America defeats Iron Cross.