Ferro Lad
Encyclopedia
Ferro Lad is a fictional character
, a comic book
superhero
and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes
in the 30th century of the . He is Andrew Nolan of Earth
. He is known in later continuity simply as Ferro.
, but editor Mort Weisinger
vetoed the idea, saying "we'll lose our distribution in the South."
This was in fact why Shooter chose Ferro Lad to be the one to die in the Sun Eater story. "Ferro Lad, I killed because my plan was that he was a black guy, and Mort said no. Then I said, "Well, let's see. I've got this idea for a story, and someone needs to die...Ah-ha! Him!" So basically, I killed him off because it annoyed me that I couldn't do with him what I wanted."
The Life and Death of Ferro Lad (ISBN 978-1-4012-2193-5), a hardcover trade paperback collecting the Silver Age appearances of Ferro Lad, was released in 2009.
with the power to transform himself into living iron
. He has a twin brother named Douglas who has the same power. Both twins have deformed faces as a side effect of the mutation
that gave them their powers, so both wear iron masks. He first appears in Adventure Comics
#346 (July 1966); he joined at the same time as Princess Projectra
, Karate Kid
and Nemesis Kid
.
Ferro Lad was only a Legionnaire for a short time when he was killed destroying the Sun-Eater
with a bomb in Adventure Comics #353. His self-sacrifice to save the galaxy made him legendary, despite his short tenure as a Legionnaire.
Many years later—during the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars—Earth fell under the covert control of the Dominators
, and withdrew from the United Planets
. Some time thereafter, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of Krypton
over a millennium earlier, a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires remained, and their version of Ferro Lad shortened his code name to Ferro.
continuity he is known as Ferro and comes from 20th century Earth.
Born in the 20th century, Andrew Nolan and his twin, Douglas, were the sons of a famous actress, Nancy Nolan, who abandoned them because of their grotesque facial deformities.
Left in the care of an unscrupulous scientist called "Doc 30", he escaped while Douglas remained behind. When the Earth was dying due to the extinguishing of the sun in the so-called the Final Night
, he first helps Perry White
, who was determined the Daily Planet
would not miss one day of delivery. Then he becomes involved with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who had become stranded in the present day. This team joins with dozens of other superheroes to help try to save the Earth. Ferro comes close to heroically sacrificing his life in an effort to stop the Sun-Eater At the last instant, he is saved by Hal Jordan
, who was maintaining the power and identity of Parallax
. Jordan seemingly sacrifices his own life and the sun is restored. Ferro remains with the team, although it was some time before they informed him they were from the 31st Century.
When the Legion were able to return to their home time, Ferro went with them and served with them for some time until several of the team were lost
in a rift, and the remainder ordered to disband. After this he went with Karate Kid
to a monastery
on the planet Steeple, a planet only accessible for short periods every ten years before a black hole
prevented access once more. While there, he finally learned to deal with his deformity, but he was savagely beaten by an escaped convict and, while the monks were able to save his life, he was trapped in iron form with the helmet he wore fused to his face. Moreover, he and Karate Kid, who had refused to leave his friend behind, were now trapped on the planet for ten years.
Or so it seemed. Brainiac 5
was able to use the Threshold technology he had learned of during his time lost to open a path to Steeple, but before anyone could use it, he, along with all of the Legion (bar Sensor
and Shikari
) and several whole planets were entranced by Universo
. Sensor and Shikari were forced to use the unstable link to Steeple to escape, and the four of them were able to free Saturn Girl
who, with aid from Apparition and Ultra Boy
's child, Cub, was able to defeat Universo, while Ferro and Karate Kid rejoined the team.
miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the pre-Crisis
Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga
" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America
, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics
. Andrew is depicted as a member of this version of the team in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #5 (June 2007), and Action Comics #858 (Late December 2007). However, this incarnation of the Legion shares roughly the same history as the original Legion up to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Therefore, this version of Andrew is presumably deceased.
is glimpsed by Andrew Nolan's brother, Douglas. Here, it is shown that shortly after Andrew's death against the Sun Eater, Douglas became the second Ferro Lad in a parallel timeline.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in the 30th century of the . He is Andrew Nolan of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. He is known in later continuity simply as Ferro.
Publication history
When Jim Shooter first created the character, he intended Ferro Lad to be blackBlack people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, but editor Mort Weisinger
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books...
vetoed the idea, saying "we'll lose our distribution in the South."
This was in fact why Shooter chose Ferro Lad to be the one to die in the Sun Eater story. "Ferro Lad, I killed because my plan was that he was a black guy, and Mort said no. Then I said, "Well, let's see. I've got this idea for a story, and someone needs to die...Ah-ha! Him!" So basically, I killed him off because it annoyed me that I couldn't do with him what I wanted."
The Life and Death of Ferro Lad (ISBN 978-1-4012-2193-5), a hardcover trade paperback collecting the Silver Age appearances of Ferro Lad, was released in 2009.
Silver Age
Andrew Nolan is a metahumanMetahuman
Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R...
with the power to transform himself into living iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
. He has a twin brother named Douglas who has the same power. Both twins have deformed faces as a side effect of the mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
that gave them their powers, so both wear iron masks. He first appears in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#346 (July 1966); he joined at the same time as Princess Projectra
Princess Projectra
This page discusses the humanoid version of the character. For the post-Zero Hour/pre-Threeboot version, see Sensor.Princess Projectra is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. She lives in the 30th and 31st centuries, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
, Karate Kid
Karate Kid (comics)
Karate Kid is a fictional character, a superhero in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of every form of martial arts to have been developed by the 31st century...
and Nemesis Kid
Nemesis Kid
Nemesis Kid is the alias of Hart Druiter, a comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He lives in the future, comes from the planet Myar, and is an enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
.
Ferro Lad was only a Legionnaire for a short time when he was killed destroying the Sun-Eater
Sun-Eater
A Sun-Eater is a fictional, artificially created living weapon in the DC Comics universe. It has played an important role in various storylines.-History:...
with a bomb in Adventure Comics #353. His self-sacrifice to save the galaxy made him legendary, despite his short tenure as a Legionnaire.
Many years later—during the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars—Earth fell under the covert control of the Dominators
Dominators
The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional alien race from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe. They are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead...
, and withdrew from the United Planets
United Planets
In the , the United Planets is a fictional governing body, traditionally depicted as active in the 30th and 31st century.-History of the published versions of the United Planets:...
. Some time thereafter, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
over a millennium earlier, a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires remained, and their version of Ferro Lad shortened his code name to Ferro.
Post-Zero Hour
In post-Zero HourZero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
continuity he is known as Ferro and comes from 20th century Earth.
Born in the 20th century, Andrew Nolan and his twin, Douglas, were the sons of a famous actress, Nancy Nolan, who abandoned them because of their grotesque facial deformities.
Left in the care of an unscrupulous scientist called "Doc 30", he escaped while Douglas remained behind. When the Earth was dying due to the extinguishing of the sun in the so-called the Final Night
Final Night
"The Final Night" was a 1996 comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and most of the comics published by DC Comics with a cover date of November 1996. It featured the main heroes of the DC Universe. At the end of each issue is an in-story text piece written by...
, he first helps Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
, who was determined the Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
would not miss one day of delivery. Then he becomes involved with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who had become stranded in the present day. This team joins with dozens of other superheroes to help try to save the Earth. Ferro comes close to heroically sacrificing his life in an effort to stop the Sun-Eater At the last instant, he is saved by Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
, who was maintaining the power and identity of Parallax
Parallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...
. Jordan seemingly sacrifices his own life and the sun is restored. Ferro remains with the team, although it was some time before they informed him they were from the 31st Century.
When the Legion were able to return to their home time, Ferro went with them and served with them for some time until several of the team were lost
Legion Lost
Legion Lost is a superhero team published by DC Comics.It was originally published as a 12-issue comic book limited series starring the Legion of Super-Heroes...
in a rift, and the remainder ordered to disband. After this he went with Karate Kid
Karate Kid (comics)
Karate Kid is a fictional character, a superhero in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of every form of martial arts to have been developed by the 31st century...
to a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the planet Steeple, a planet only accessible for short periods every ten years before a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
prevented access once more. While there, he finally learned to deal with his deformity, but he was savagely beaten by an escaped convict and, while the monks were able to save his life, he was trapped in iron form with the helmet he wore fused to his face. Moreover, he and Karate Kid, who had refused to leave his friend behind, were now trapped on the planet for ten years.
Or so it seemed. Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
was able to use the Threshold technology he had learned of during his time lost to open a path to Steeple, but before anyone could use it, he, along with all of the Legion (bar Sensor
Sensor (comics)
Jeka Wynzorr, codenamed Sensor, is a fictional character, a superheroine in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes....
and Shikari
Shikari (comics)
Shikari is a fictional character, a superheroine in the future of the DC Comics universe and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. She was created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Olivier Coipel and first appeared in Legion Lost #1....
) and several whole planets were entranced by Universo
Universo
Universo is the name of a fictional Legion of Super-Heroes supervillain in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe.-Pre-Zero Hour:...
. Sensor and Shikari were forced to use the unstable link to Steeple to escape, and the four of them were able to free Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
who, with aid from Apparition and Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in DC Comics. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. Ultra Boy gained these powers when the space-speedster he was flying was swallowed by an ultra-energy beast , exposing him to...
's child, Cub, was able to defeat Universo, while Ferro and Karate Kid rejoined the team.
The Lightning Saga
The events of the Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the pre-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga
The Lightning Saga
"The Lightning Saga" is a comic book crossover story arc that took place in DC Comics' two flagship team books: Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. It was written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, and illustrated by Ed Benes, Dale Eaglesham, and Shane Davis...
" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
. Andrew is depicted as a member of this version of the team in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #5 (June 2007), and Action Comics #858 (Late December 2007). However, this incarnation of the Legion shares roughly the same history as the original Legion up to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Therefore, this version of Andrew is presumably deceased.
Other versions
In Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #300, an alternate universeParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
is glimpsed by Andrew Nolan's brother, Douglas. Here, it is shown that shortly after Andrew's death against the Sun Eater, Douglas became the second Ferro Lad in a parallel timeline.
Television
- Ferro Lad first appeared in the Legion of Super HeroesLegion of Super Heroes (TV series)Legion of Super Heroes is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that debuted on September 23, 2006, based on characters appearing in the DC Comics comic book series. The series centers on the young Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside a...
episode "Chain of Command", voiced by Dave WittenbergDave WittenbergDavid Richard Paul "Dave" Wittenberg is a prolific South African-born American video game and anime voice actor with nearly one hundred titles to his credit. While Wittenberg was born in a hospital in South Africa, he was primarily raised in Boston...
. In that episode, he assists Cosmic BoyCosmic BoyCosmic Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 . He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was the original leader in all incarnations of the Legion...
(who recently returned to the Legion) to help save Lightning LadGarth RanzzLightning Lad , also known as Live Wire, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts. He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
's planet. True to the original story, he sacrifices himself destroying the Sun-Eater shortly after his joining of the Legion. At the end of the season one finale title "Sundown" a piece of floating rock, following the destruction of the Sun-Eater, shows the body of Ferro Lad curled into a ball. This was shown during Ferro Lad's funeral. He is the first character in the Legion of Superheroes TV series to die.