Iron Cross (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Iron Cross is a fictional character
that appears in comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appears in Invaders
#36 (Jan. 1979) and was created by Roy Thomas
and Frank Robbins
.
German
soldier
that first appears in the title Invaders
. Gruler volunteers to wear armor created by Professor Franz Schneider for use against the Allied
forces. Using the alias Iron Cross, the character creates havoc until apparently killed during a battle with superhero
team the Invaders.
The character reappears in the modern Marvel universe in the title Midnight Sons Unlimited, having apparently been saved and sustained by his armor. The Iron Cross is revealed in the limited series
to be a founding member of the modern version of the V-Battalion
, a secret group dedicated to hunting down war criminals. The character apparently dies preventing the spread of nanotechnology
throughout the world by terrorist organization HYDRA
.
via boot jets. The armor also several offensive features, and is capable of releasing electrical current, sleeping gas
and an inky fluid similar to that discharged by an octopus
. The suit provides some longevity
by sustaining Gruler's body.
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...
that appears in 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...
s published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The character first appears in Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
#36 (Jan. 1979) and was created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Frank Robbins
Frank Robbins
Franklin "Frank" Robbins was a notable American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his paintings was featured in the 1955 Whitney Annual Exhibition of American...
.
Fictional character biography
Helmut Gruler is a World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
that first appears in the title Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
. Gruler volunteers to wear armor created by Professor Franz Schneider for use against the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
forces. Using the alias Iron Cross, the character creates havoc until apparently killed during a battle with 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 —...
team the Invaders.
The character reappears in the modern Marvel universe in the title Midnight Sons Unlimited, having apparently been saved and sustained by his armor. The Iron Cross is revealed in the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
to be a founding member of the modern version of the V-Battalion
V-Battalion
The V-Battalion is the name of two incarnations of a fictional secret organization composed of Golden Age superheroes and their descendents in stories from Marvel Comics...
, a secret group dedicated to hunting down war criminals. The character apparently dies preventing the spread of nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
throughout the world by terrorist organization HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
.
Powers and abilities
Helmut Gruler wears an advanced suit of armor provides superhuman strength, durability and flightFlight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
via boot jets. The armor also several offensive features, and is capable of releasing electrical current, sleeping gas
Sleeping gas
Sleeping gas is an oneirogenic general anaesthetic that is used to put a subject into a state where they are not conscious of what is happening around them...
and an inky fluid similar to that discharged by an octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
. The suit provides some longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
by sustaining Gruler's body.
Video games
- Iron Cross appears as a villain in the video game Captain America: Super SoldierCaptain America: Super SoldierCaptain America: Super Soldier is a third person single player video game loosely based on the film Captain America: The First Avenger...
, voiced by Michael DonovanMichael DonovanMichael David Donovan is a voice actor for many TV shows and anime. He is most known for his voice on the series ReBoot for his voices of Phong, Mike the TV, Cecil, and Al. He has also provided the voice of Sabretooth for X-Men: Evolution and Carnage for Spider-Man Unlimited. He played the lead...
.