Doctor Diehard is a member of the Extremists.
History
Hans Lecktor decided to form a school for young metahumans known as the Academy for Advanced Children, where they could be trained in the use of their powers. Some of his students even formed a super-team: the Zen Men. Building a surrogate family for himself and his two children (Anna and Jack), he had no interest in the wider world.
But the election of Tin Man as U.S. President changed this with the passing of the Metahuman Act. The school, as a collection of metahumans, was faced with a choice: sign up and become government agents, or be outlawed. Lecktor refused to compromise his pacifistic ideals, and even though the Zen Men sided with the government, most of the school followed Lecktor. The response was swift: they were rounded up and placed in conditions similar to a concentration camp, with chip implants to prevent them from using their powers. Despite conditions, Lecktor refused to respond with violence, even in the face of hardship - not even at the insistence of his son Jack. But when a riot ended in the brutal deaths of Anna and Jack, Lecktor was despondent. One-Eye, the leader of the Zen Men, purposely deactivated his former mentor's chip and urged him to act as he thought best; in which Lecktor led a rebellion that almost failed without the intervention of Lord Havok. Lecktor then vowed to fight Tin Man's administration with every means possible.[1]
Relocating to West Germany, Leckter (now using the name "Doctor Diehard") founded a new school for "gifted youngsters". He trained his students hard, trying to insure that they would never blindly follow authority as his previous students had. In gratitude for Havok's assistance, Leckter became affiliated with the Extremists.
When Monarch tried to to recruit the Extremists for his interdimensional army, Lecktor tried to talk Lord Havok into taking the offer that would greatly benefit the Extremists against the Meta Militia. Lord Havok refused for his own reasons, and this was the beginning of a rift between the two men. When the Academy for Advanced Children was destroyed (in circumstances designed to implicate Lecktor) and his Zen Men killed in the process by Monarch, it was the last straw.[2] Lecktor tried to convince his fellow Extremists into turning against Lord Havok, but only to be killed by his own allies at Havok's order for unwilling to let down his rebellion.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
Notes
- Doctor Diehard is based on his Pre-Crisis counterpart, but ultimately on the Marvel Comics villain Magneto although with some elements of Professor X.
Related
- 7 Appearances of Hans Leckter (Earth-8)
- 3 Images featuring Hans Leckter (Earth-8)
- Quotations by or about Hans Leckter (Earth-8)
- Character Gallery: Hans Leckter (Earth-8)
Footnotes
  This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |