Clifford Steele (New Earth)

{{DC Database:Character Template
 * Image                  = Cliff Steele.JPG
 * RealName               = Clifford Steele
 * CurrentAlias           = Robotman
 * Distinguish1           = Robotman
 * Aliases                = Cliff Steele; Automaton; Robot Man; Rust-Bucket;
 * Identity               = Public
 * Affiliation            = Doom Patrol
 * Relatives              = Randy Steele (brother); Helen Steele (sister-in-law)
 * Universe               = New Earth
 * BaseOfOperations       =


 * Gender                 = Male
 * Height                 = 5'11"
 * Height2                = ; 6'2" (as Robotman)
 * Weight                 = 187 lbs
 * Weight2                = ; 295 lbs (133.80 kg) (as Robotman)


 * Eyes                   = brown
 * Eyes2                  = (as Steele); Red optical sensors (as Robotman)
 * Hair                   = brown
 * Hair2                  = (as Steele); none (as Robotman)
 * UnusualFeatures        = Cliff Steele is a cyborg. His only biological system is his brain.


 * Citizenship            = American
 * MaritalStatus          = Single
 * Occupation             = Adventurer, former International sports champion; professional racecar driver
 * Education              = Dartmouth


 * Origin                 = After an accident destroyed his body, Cliff Steele's brain was transplanted into a mechanical-electric body making him a cyborg and joining the Doom Patrol.
 * PlaceOfBirth           = Brooklyn, New York
 * Creators               = Arnold Drake; Bob Haney
 * First                  = My Greatest Adventure #80


 * HistoryText            =

Origin
Cliff Steele was an obsessive daredevil. He engaged in every extreme sporting event he could, from spelunking to racecar driving. He climbed the Himalayan Mountains, rafted down the Amazon River, and spent six months living in a tribal African village.



At one point in his career, Cliff became involved in the NASCAR circuit. He became a professional racecar driver and participated in the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 proved to be Cliff's final race however. During the race, his car slid through an oil slick and toppled over. The car exploded irrevocably destroying Cliff's body. A brilliant surgeon by the name of Dr. Niles Caulder volunteered to lend his assistance in the hopes of saving Cliff's life. Although his body was destroyed, Caulder managed to save Cliff's brain. He transferred the brain into a cybernetic body, and Cliff became informally known as Robotman. Caulder made arrangements so that his participation in the surgery remained completely anonymous.

When Cliff awakened in the hospital bed, he soon learned what had become of him. Faulty wiring inside of the Robotman systems had an adverse affect on Cliff's brain, driving him insane. He flew into a rage and began rampaging throughout the city streets. Niles Caulder eventually approached him and offered to cure Cliff of the affliction that was driving him to lunacy. He finally calmed Robotman down long enough to perform the operation.

After the operation, Caulder offered Cliff a new lease on life. He asked him to become part of a special team of misfits dedicated towards the fight against evil. Joining with Negative Man and Elasti-Girl, the three new heroes became the first Doom Patrol.

"Death"
Madame Rouge  teams up with a former Nazi U-boat commander named Captain Zahl. Zahl and Rouge pilot their submarine to the the DP's secret island base. Zahl blames Niles Caulder for his disability and wants to kill him, but Rouge wants the Doom Patrol left alive so they can continue to suffer unending humiliation. Zahl launches several weapons designed to counter each of the Doom Patrol members' special abilities. He then tells them that he has planted a bomb in a small fishing village in Maine named Codsville, population: 14. He has a second bomb ready to destroy the Doom Patrol's island. He leaves it to the Doom Patrol to decide which bomb he shall detonate – confident that they will elect to save their own lives rather than that of fourteen strangers. Surprisingly, the Doom Patrol decide to sacrifice themselves rather than risk the deaths of the people of Codsville. Zahl pushes the plunger and the island explodes, killing the Doom Patrol.

Resurrection


It was later revealed that Steele had survived the blast, barely.

Doc Magnus of the Metal Men outfitted him with a new robotic body to replace his old one.

New Career
TBD

Cybernetic Enhancement: All of Robotman's powers originate from his cybernetic components. The outer body shell is formed by multiple layers of special flexible ceramic metal. Other attributes of his robotic body include:
 * Powers                 =
 * Magnetic plates allowing him the ability to scale metallic surfaces with relative ease.
 * Heat coils on his palm plating allowing him the ability melt dense material with a touch of his hands.
 * Transistorized voicebox
 * Shock-Mounted Steel Brain Case with protective fluid
 * Renewable brain nutrients liquid
 * Emergency oxygen supply
 * Computer interface for general check-up
 * Neuro-Electric Converter Amplifier
 * Mercury power batteries
 * Outer joints are invisible



Superhuman Durability: The metal components of Robotman's body are highly durable and can withstand extremes in pressure. Even when some of his components are destroyed, so long as his brain is unharmed, Cliff can simply replace the damaged "organ" with a new prosthetic.

Superhuman Strength: Robotman possesses superhuman strength, many times greater than that of a normal human. In his earliest form, he was just capable of lifting 10 tons using his entire body strength.

Physically Active: Robotman is proficient in various physically related skills, including climbing, acrobatics, horseback riding, swimming etc. Robotman possesses superhuman strength.
 * Abilities              =
 * Strength               =


 * Weaknesses             =


 * Equipment              = Robotman once utilized a mobile video transceiver, which he kept mounted on his chest plate. This allowed him to stay in constant communication with the Chief.


 * Transportation         =
 * Weapons                =


 * Notes                  =


 * Robotman's original body was invented by Dr. Niles Caulder who constructed it using a special ceramic polymer metal of his own design. Robotman later used an alternate body created by Dr. Will Magnus of the Metal Men. Cliff assumed this form for a brief period of time before reverting to a body more in line with his original design. In later years, the Lexcorp conglomerate began manufacturing cybernetic components that Cliff used as spare parts.


 * Trivia                 =
 * According to the timeline provided in Zero Hour #0, the Doom Patrol were one of the earliest super-hero teams active during the Silver Age era of comics. JLA: Year One #6 shows the Doom Patrol as experienced heroes working alongside the neophyte Justice League of America.
 * In 2005, Robotman and the rest of the Doom Patrol appeared in the two-part "Homecoming" episode of the Teen Titans animated television series. Actor Peter Onorati provided the voice for Robotman.
 * Steele had a collection of rare dixieland recordings.
 * In Pre-Crisis continuity, claims to have won the pole-vault for alma matter Dartmouth in 1961.


 * Recommended                 =
 * My Greatest Adventure #80
 * Doom Patrol (Volume 1) #86
 * Doom Patrol (Volume 1) #121
 * Robotman Unchained Storyline:
 * Doom Patrol Vol 1 100: Robotman -- Wanted Dead or Alive
 * Doom Patrol Vol 1 101: The Lonely Giant
 * Doom Patrol Vol 1 103: No Home for a Robot
 * Doom Patrol Vol 1 105: The Robot-Maker Must Die
 * Showcase (Volume 1) #94
 * Showcase (Volume 1) #95
 * Showcase (Volume 1) #96
 * New Teen Titans (Volume 1) #13
 * New Teen Titans (Volume 1) #14
 * New Teen Titans (Volume 1) #15
 * Doom Patrol (Volume 2) #1
 * Doom Patrol/Suicide Squad Special #1
 * Silver Age: The Doom Patrol #1
 * Doom Patrol (Volume 4) #1
 * The Official Doom Patrol Index #1
 * The Official Doom Patrol Index #2
 * Secret Origins (Volume 2) Annual #1
 * Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe VII
 * Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe XIX


 * CustomSection2         = Related Articles
 * CustomText2            =
 * Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
 * Beast Boy
 * Brain
 * Brotherhood of Evil
 * Captain Zahl
 * Celsius
 * Crazy Jane
 * Doom Patrol
 * Dorothy Spinner
 * Elasti-Girl
 * Flex Mentallo
 * Houngan
 * Garguax
 * General Immortus
 * Karma
 * Lodestone
 * Madame Rouge
 * Mento
 * Metal Men
 * Midway City
 * Monsieur Mallah
 * Negative Man
 * Negative Woman
 * Niles Caulder
 * Phobia
 * Plasmus
 * Rebus
 * Scott Fischer
 * Teen Titans
 * Tempest (Joshua Clay)
 * Will Magnus


 * Wikipedia              = Robotman (DC Comics)
 * Links                  =

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 * Robotman biography page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
 * Doom Patrol article at Wikipedia
 * Doom Patrol I team page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
 * Doom Patrol II team page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe