Alter Ego: Dr. Robert Crane ( later uses the alias "Paul Dennis" )
Occupation: Research Scientist, Adventurer
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: none known, but are inferred to exist ( see history )
Group Affiliation: All-Star Squadron
Base of Operations: New York City, NY
Current Status: Retired
Height: 6' Weight: 475 lbs.
Eye Color: Photo-Electric Sensor Red Hair Color: none
First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics(v1) #7, April 1942
.....On October 30, 1941, the fruits of years of invention and research pushing the boundries of scientific inquery were about to be harvested. For years, Dr. Charles Greyson, investigator of the structures of the human body and Dr. Robert Crane, robotic pioneer, had joined forces to create the ultimate construct... a robotic body capable of housing human organs... including the brain! Just days before, the two had devised a method of connecting the nerve endings to circuitry that would enable a human brain to control mechanisms.
.....Overhearing a discussion, several crooks invaded the labs, looking for monies or objects easily sold. Overtaking Dr. Greyson and killing Dr. Crane, the crooks left. Seeing that his friend was dying, Dr. Greyson transplanted the brain and cortex of Bob Crane into the cybernetic body. As the body slowly began to come to life, the police came in as saw the collapsed Dr. Greyson and the mutilated Dr. Crane and charged Greyson with Crane's murder.
.....Hours after being taken in for the murder, the cyborg that was Dr. Crane began to move. He could control the body, but now looked like a robot. After disguising himself, he moved about in human society with no problem, later capturing the murderous crooks and freeing his partner. However, to charge them with his murder, "Bob Crane" had to stay dead, and he took the name "Paul Dennis". Crane/Dennis fought crime as the super-powered Robotman.
.....A little more than a month after his debut, Robotman became a founding member of the ALL-STAR SQUADRON, who aided him in coming to grips with his new condition. He met and befriended Commander Steel, another scientist who had many of his organs replaced with cybernetic parts (possibly designed by Crane and Greyson). The team was also helpful when an crooked lawyer named Sam Scutter, convincing unnamed trustees of the Crane estate, tried to take possession of Robotman, under the impression he was just a machine. During the course of the trial, Robotman revealed his true human nature and his identity. He received the full benefit and rights accorded to people at the time.
Robotman served with the Squadron, and made many friends, even falling under the spell of Mechanique, a time-travelling feminine robot of a possible 23rd Century.
In 1943, using advances he'd made, Robotman built an artificial intellegence into the shape of a dog and named it Robbie, the Robotdog. Robbie spoke and interacted as a human, but in dog form. He even used a costume to appear as a terrier to accompany Robotman in his "Paul Dennis" identity.
In 1950, using the technology of Ted Knight, Robotman and others created the gadgetry used by Charles McNider (and later, David Knight) in his "Starman II" identity.
Unlike his mysterymen friends, Robotman's body didn't age, so he kept up fighting crime into the 1960s until during one case he was trapped in a cave-in. Going into an emergeny suspended animation mode, preseving his human brain, he remain trapped for several decades until just before the current age of heroes when he was freed and captured the criminal, now an old man. He found out that his friend, Chuck Greyson, had passed away and had his body preserved so that Crane could have his brain transplated into the body of his friend. It has been rumored that the replacement surgery was performed by Dr. Niles Caulder, who used similar techniques on the second Robotman. He now lives his "third life", still experimenting and aiding others, last seen assisting Pat Dugan with the construction and design of his S.T.R.I.P.E armor. He now teaches Advanced Robotic Theory at Ivy University.
.....Robotman is, for all intents and purposes, the closest humankind has come to the "cyborg", that is, a cybernetic organism. Inside his steel and wired frame rests the remains of Dr. Robert Crane's humanity. While the specifics of the body's abilities have changed to meet the needs of the user, certain characteristics have been constant.
.....The structure itself is modular, so that it can be easily assembled and atattched to other pieces with the aid of an acetiline torch ( one of his fingers contains a small version on one ) and a set of plans easily readable by the layman mechanic is located in the hollow space in one of his heels.The strength of the body is several times that of the strongest human, while the outer casing is impervious to small arms fire, and even up to cannon fire can be withstood with minimum damage. His optics system consists of "photo-electric sensors" that can make out images in near total darkness, while at greater distances than those of the sharpest-eyed person. It is not known if Robotman can see in other ranges, such as infra-red or ultra-violet, or even if he can see simple color or only in black and white ( the common projection systems of that time used only B&W, but color was known to have been used ). His hearing range is to the upper limits, from sub to ultra sonic and can pick up radio waves as well. It is not known it he can smell or sense touch as normal human might.
This Page was Created October 25, 1999.
This Page was last Updated February 20, 2005.
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