List of Astro City Characters - Heroes

Heroes

• Air Ace — A flying hero active in the wake of World War I; the earliest superhero publicly active in what became Astro City, and so considered its first "real" superhero.
• The All-American — A hero of the 1940s and 1950s who wore stylized football gear. Retired in 1959. Rumored to have been killed by a sniper's bullet in Korea
• Alligator - A young outcast hero active in the 1970s; a monster from the sewers recruited by Bravo to become one of the original members of the Astro City Irregulars in the early to mid 1970s.
• Altar Boy (Brian Kinney) (viewpoint) - The Confessor's sidekick; becomes the second Confessor after his mentor sacrifices himself to expose an alien invasion.
• Aquarina (Renata Delamare) - Water-themed member of The Apollo Eleven; romantically linked to Kahoutek.
• Arthro (Simon McCaleb) - Arthropod-themed member of The Apollo Eleven; romantically linked to Gas Giant.
• Astra Furst (viewpoint) - A young adventurer/hero able to transform into energy and fly. Daughter of Rex and Natalie Furst, born in 1986. A member of the First Family. Almost singlehandedly defeated the Silver Brain in 1996.
• The Astro-Naut - A hero of the 1930s and 1940s, active in World War II. Astro City was renamed (from Romeyn Falls) in his honor after he gave his life to save it.
• Atomicus (featured) - Nuclear-powered being from another world who was active in the 1960s. Left Earth because of his girlfriend's determination to prove his identity.
• Augustus Furst (featured) – A scientist/adventurer active from the 1950s through the present. Brother of Julius Furst and adoptive father of Nick and Natalie. Leader of the First Family.
• Barrier – Australian hero who helped rally other Australian heroes in Canberra against the Enelsians. Only mentioned, not seen.
• Beautie - A powerful android resembling a life-sized Barbie doll. A current member of Honor Guard. Beautie was constructed by the brilliant daughter of a supervillain genius but is unable to recall her past.
• The Black Badge (K.O. Carson) (featured) - An urban hero active from the 1950s until 1972, when he retired and opened the superhero bar Bruiser's, which he currently owns and operates under his civilian name.
• The Black Rapier - A detective-themed hero based in New Orleans who wields an electric sword and wears a modified fencing outfit. Current leader of Honor Guard.
• Black Velvet - A mysterious woman with shadow-like powers and a grim demeanor. Became the partner of the Street Angel. Apparently killed by the time-traveling Silver Agent after her powers went out of control.
• The Blue Knight (Josh -----)(featured) - A gun-toting vigilante who wears a police-style riot mask with a ghostly skull outlined by a blue glow for a face. He takes very direct, very violent action against the criminals that he hunts, usually killing rather than capturing them. A frightening crime-fighter who stalks quietly and delivers justice from the barrel of a gun. Active from 1972 to the early 1980s, and a representative example of the type of violent, vengeance-driven hero that emerged during that period. Rumors abound about his current status, but no definitive sighting has occurred since 1988. Possible successors - the Blue Knights - were active during the early to mid 1980s.
• The Bouncing Beatnik - An acrobatic hero of the 1950s and 1960s. An early ally of Honor Guard. He has also been seen (during a time crisis) in a more late 1960s/early 1970s "hippie" style appearance, possibly a parallel world version of the character (Herocopia gives his name as Halcyon Hippie). A wink-and-nod influence of the colorful and eccentric heroes created by Steve Ditko,
• Bravo (surname Ruiz) - An originally Los Angeles-based hero who started out as El Hombre's sidekick in the early 1970s and struck out on his own after his patron's disgrace, moving to Astro City and founding the Astro City Irregulars. Now retired as a superhero, he serves as Detective Ruiz on the Astro City's police force, and apparently remains the secret patron of the group he founded.
• Broadsword - A sword-wielding vigilante active in the mid 1980s, and a representative example of the type of violent, vengeance-driven hero that emerged during that period.
• Cleopatra - A magical heroine whose primary weapon is a mystical staff. The name and staff have been borne by two women in succession, the second of whom is also super-strong. The first Cleopatra was a founding member of Honor Guard in the late 1950s who fought Steeljack in the early 1970s; the current version is also a member. Exact details of her powers and origins have yet to be revealed, but she seems inspired by the heritage of Classical antiquity.
• The Cloak of Night – A shadowy Prohibition era hero who fought against bootleggers and racketeers. Described as often vanishing without a trace and is rumored to have been a vigilante who didn't have quarrels with killing.
• Commando K - A hero or hero group of the 1940s and 1950s, believed lost near Pyongyang during the Korean War. Possible connection to Slugger the Junior Dynamo.
• Commander One (Andrew Garrison) - Fully spacesuited, jetpacked leader of The Apollo Eleven.
• The Confessor (Jeremiah Parrish) (featured) - The first Confessor was Jeremiah Parrish, originally a nineteenth century Catholic priest who came to what became Astro City in 1869 to help Cardinal Grandenetti build Grandenetti Cathedral. Given administrative duties, including the importation of materials and dealing with immigrant workers from Eastern Europe, he was killed by a vampire, becoming a vampire himself. Fighting his hunger for blood he resorted to study, and after his discovery, to seclusion for decades. Inspired by the example of Air Ace and other early public superheroes, he eventually became one himself, apparently in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Active into the mid-1990s, when he sacrificed himself to expose the Enelsian invasion. A patron of Butler's in civilian guise. A few years after his death, his apprentice Altar Boy (Brian Kinney) became the second Confessor. A religiously motivated hero.
• Coyotl - Native American were-coyote pre-dating European settlement active in the area that would in time become Astro City. Used a bow and arrows.
• Crackerjack (featured) - An egocentric and reckless blowhard with amazing agility and a staff weapon. Active since 1991. Visually akin to screen swashbucklers and actors like Errol Flynn who portrayed them, he also recalls the marked contrasts that frequently existed between their sterling public personas and their unappealing private behavior.
• Dame Progress - A "steampunk" heroine who operated out of Romeyn Falls around the very end of the 19th century.
• Daniel (featured) - A religious hero, leonine in appearance. Trained as a healer. A member of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure Daniel.
• David (featured) - A gigantic religious hero. A member of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure David.
• Encephalon (Leonard Vindari) - Brain-and-tentacle-themed member of The Apollo Eleven.
• "Energy" Brown - A female prostitute turned vigilante with energy powers. Active in the 1970s.
• The Flying Fox (Samantha Cronin) (featured) — A non-powered crimefighter who uses an aero-cycle for transportation; rumored to be a lesbian and is in fact openly gay in her civilian life. Somewhat ironically, her mother was also involved with the '60s superhero Atomicus, and was responsible for his abandoning Earth. Is the second hero to use the name.
• The Frontiersman - A hero of the 1950s who dressed like Davy Crockett in a domino mask, smoked, and appeared in Frontiers cigarette advertisements. Active in 1959. Apparently died of lung cancer. Inspired by Davy Crockett and the Marlboro Man.
• Gas Giant (Robin Carruthers) - Enormous, gaseous member of The Apollo Eleven - romantically linked to Arthro.
• The Gentleman - A tuxedo-clad and scrupulously polite hero active since the 1940s, super-strong and capable of flight.
• Gloo - An unstable clone of the original Jack-in-the-Box turned into a wild shapeless glob active in the mid 1980s, lethal in his warped sense of do-gooding and humor.
• Grimoire - Assistant, servant or student of Simon Magus. Wrote a book about their relationship and struck out on her own after his disappearance.
• The Hanged Man (featured) - A ghostly figure who protects Shadow Hill fiercely for reasons unknown. He appears to be a jet-black corpse with a burlap sack over his head and a noose around his neck. Invariably seen as a floating apparition, usually human-scaled, although it can also expand to great heights. His specific powers are unknown, but appear to include a kind of empathy that guides him to those in need of comfort after traumatic events. Active since at least the 19th century.
• Hawk of the Alleyways - Costumed vigilante active in the 1920s.
• Hellhound (M/Sgt. Harvard Amos Chester, USMC) - Vietnam War veteran transformed into a monster by black magic, active in the early 1970s.
• El Hombre (Esteban Rodrigo Suarez Hidalgo) (featured) - An urban hero active in Los Angeles in the 1960s and early 1970s. A member of Honor Guard and partner of Bravo. Disgraced in April 1973 by the misfire of a crisis he manufactured to restore his fading reputation, he became a recluse haunted by his failure and eventually declined into insanity. In 1998, intending to reprise his earlier scheme in order to relaunch his heroic career in the new guise of El Guerrerro, he masqueraded as the villainous Conquistador and incidentally became the Black Mask Killer.
• Homegirl - A young outcast hero, a flying knife-fighter. A current member of the Astro City Irregulars. Formerly known as Jailbait.
• Hummingbird - Winged heroine of the 1970s. A member of Honor Guard. Now inactive. Apparently her daughter has recently assumed the mantle.
• Ichthyos (Xi Lun Chu) - Armored, marine-life-themed member of The Apollo Eleven.
• Ironhorse, the Human Locomotive - Apparently a steam-powered human-machine hybrid who became active in 1862, "give or take a decade," and is still extant, though apparently retired.
• Jack-in-the-Box (viewpoint) - A bouncy clown-themed vigilante with no real powers but an arsenal of similarly themed weaponry and amazing agility. The role has been taken by three different men: the first, Jack Johnson, active from 1964 to 1983 (when he died); the second, his son Zachary Johnson, active from 1989 through the mid 1990s; and the third, Zachary's protégé Roscoe James, active thereafter. The first Jack-in-the-Box fought Steeljack in the early 1970s. The second is known to have patronized Butler's. A wink and nod tribute to the kind of unusual and flamboyant characters created by Steve Ditko;
• Johnny Lightfoot - A legendary trapper-hero active in the 1850s. Apparently killed in 1887 during a battle with Howling Dead
• Joshua (featured) - A sonic-powered religious hero. A member of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure Joshua.
• Juice - A "cool" young outcast hero with electrical powers. A current member of the Astro City Irregulars, and apparently their leader.
• Julius Furst (featured) - A scientist/adventurer active from the 1950s through the present. Brother of Augustus Furst and a member of the First Family. Patron of Bruiser's. Visually based on and named for Julius Schwartz.
• Kahoutek (Jeremy Neiderdorff) - Comet-headed member of The Apollo Eleven - romantically linked to Aquarina.
• Karl Furst (featured) - A young adventurer/hero with a highly malleable body. Son of Nick Furst and Darcy Conroy. Twin brother of Sasha Furst. A member of the First Family.
• Kitkat - Sidekick of Leopardman in the 1960s who could cling to vertical surfaces. A founding member of Honor Guard.
• The Lamplighter - Night-prowling hero of the 1940s and 1950s who retired in 1959.
• Larkspur - British hero who fought the Mock Turtle about 1996.
• Leopardman (rumored to have been Anders Van Rupert) - A feline-themed crimefighter of the 1960s, now deceased. A founding member of Honor Guard.
• LGM - Little-Green-Man-themed member of The Apollo Eleven, sole non-human group member.
• The Lightning Kid - Western legend active in and around Romeyn Falls in the 1850s. Subject of "a recent Val Kilmer film".
• The Lion - British hero, capable of flight who fought the Mock Turtle; partner to the Unicorn. Active in the 1990s. Had a female predecessor in 1973.
• Lonestar – A hero based in Austin, Texas.
• M.P.H.(Michael Hendrie) - Superhero with the power to run at high speeds either aided or controlled through a worn harness. Apparently has 85% human DNA with 15% alien overlay. Based in Detroit, Michigan he is nicknamed the "Acceleration Ace of the Motor City". A current member of Honor Guard.
• Mary (featured) - An angelic, winged religious heroine. A member of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure Mary.
• Max O'Millions - A size-changing hero of the 1950s and 1960s who wore a domino mask and red tuxedo. Founder of the superhero team Honor Guard.
• Mermaid - An aquatic heroine of the 1970s. A member of Honor Guard. Currently inactive.
• Mirage (Aaron Barzun) - A hero of the 1970s-80s with a neon-themed costume. A member of Honor Guard. Currently inactive.
• Nadia - A mysterious woman with energy powers. Third wife of Augustus Furst, later married to Kaspian. Mother by Kaspian of Nick and Natalie Furst. Disappeared in 1961.
• Natalia Furst (Natalie) (featured) - An adventurer/hero with energy powers that allow her to shift in size and phase through solid objects. Natural daughter of Prince Kaspian of the Beastmen, adoptive daughter of Augustus Furst, twin sister of Nikolai Furst, wife (since 1979) of Rex, and mother of Astra. A member of the First Family.
• The N-Forcer - A corporate-sponsored bearer of hi-tech armor. Apparently a number of people in succession have assumed the role. The original N-Forcer was a founding member of Honor Guard; the current version is also a member. One N-Forcer fought Steeljack in the early 1970s.
• Nightingale - Dark and moody heroine, partner of Sunbird. Fought the Enelsians. Their names are partially inspired by the Kandorian Nightwing and Flamebird, the Ak-Var and Van-Zee versions.
• Nihil (Troy Willets) - Negative-energy-themed member of the Apollo Eleven.
• Nikolai Furst (Nick) (featured) - An adventurer/hero with projective energy powers. Natural son of Prince Kaspian of the Beastmen, adoptive son of Augustus Furst and twin brother of Natalie Furst. Later married Darcy Conroy with whom he had twin children, Sasha and Karl. A member of the First Family.
• Noah (featured) - A bearded, weather-controlling religious hero who wields a staff in the shape of a shepherd's crook; leader of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure Noah.
• The Old Soldier — A symbolic, legendary figure clad in martial attire of many eras who manifests in wartime, including 1863, 1898, 1918, 1944, 1959, when he assisted Honor Guard against Shirak, October 1972, when he intervened against U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, and 1975, at the fall of Saigon. The factuality of the 1972 appearance, in which he played a controversial role, was doubted by many for that reason.
• Orphan - A young outcast heroine active in the 1970s; originally an emotionally damaged psychic child rescued from her abusers by the Astro City Irregulars in their first case, she consequently became a member of that team in the early to mid 1970s.
• The Pale Horseman – A mysterious figure who appeared in the early 1980s, killing criminals with impunity. His most prominent victim was the disgraced hero Street Angel. May have come from another dimension.
• Palmetto - A young outcast hero, insectoid in form. Better known as Roach, a nickname he hates. Astra considers him "icky." A current member of the Astro City Irregulars.
• Palomino - Female half-Indian legendary figure active in the 1850s.
• Peter (featured) - A bald, grey-skinned religious hero with rock-shaping powers. A member of the Crossbreed. Named for the biblical figure Saint Peter.
• The Point Man - Member of the Omega Rangers, able to manifest (and willing to kill using) sharp triangular projectiles; firer of the Innocent Gun.
• Popstar - British hero who fought the Mock Turtle about 1996.
• Quark - Former sidekick to Starfighter, now inactive; real name Charlie Provost.
• Quarrel (II) (Jessica "Jess" Darlene Taggart) (featured) - Daughter of the deceased supervillain of the same name, she is a sharp-shooting archer with trick arrows and a dry sense of humor. A current member of Honor Guard. Patron of Butler's.
• Rex (featured) - An adventurer/hero, super-strong and dinosaurian in form. Son of the villainess Madame Majestrix, husband (since 1979) of Natalie Furst, and father of Astra. A member of the First Family. Patron of Bruiser's.
• El Robo (Manuel de la Cruz) - A young outcast hero, a human-machine hybrid. A current member of the Astro City Irregulars.
• Roustabout (Calvin Arnold Rory) - The 'local superhero' for a large section of the American Midwest. The result of corporate genetic research on unwilling test subjects. Has superhuman strength, speed and can fly. Has a good memory for faces and there are at least six outstanding criminal warrants on him as well as a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
• Ruby - a young outcast hero, a living jewel. Astra considers her "nice." A current member of the Astro City Irregulars.
• Samaritan (viewpoint) - An extremely powerful hero who traveled from the future to make the world a better place. Appeared in this era in 1985; active as a hero since 1986. A current member of Honor Guard.
• Sasha Furst (featured) - A young adventurer/hero that can shape-shift her body into various animal forms. Daughter of Nick Furst and Darcy Conroy. Twin sister of Karl Furst. A member of the First Family.
• Shrff (Clayton Rhodes) - Hair-enshrouded member of The Apollo Eleven.
• The Silver Agent (Alan Craig, 1932–1973) (featured) - An armored vigilante active from 1956 through 1973. A founding member of Honor Guard. Fought Steeljack in the early 1970s. Now deceased. Wrongfully sentenced to death for the murder of a mastermind type middle eastern villain. Time traveled past his death to help during various crises throughout the 70s and 80s. His public epitaph reads "To Our Eternal Shame", referring to the public fervour for his execution, and posthumous redemption. It is implied in Astro-City: The Dark Ages that his execution was ordered as a bargaining chip, in order to get Vietnam to sign the Paris Peace Accords.
• The Silversmith – A Boston-based hero who fought the Enelsians there. Appears to make use of silver objects, both inanimate and animated through unknown means, possibly creating them out of his silver body.
• Simon Magus - A European magician who settled in Shadow Hill in the early 1970s. Disappeared in the early 1980s. Apparently became the plantlike Green Man
• Skitter - A young outcast hero active in the 1970s; an artificial insectoid creature who rebelled against his criminal creators and was recruited by Bravo to become one of the original members of the Astro City Irregulars in the early to mid 1970s.
• Slugger, the Junior Dynamo - Sidekick of the All-American in the 1940s, who wore modified baseball gear and used a bat as a weapon. Apparently linked to the "Commando K" Project.
• Starfighter (featured) - A cosmic hero of the 1970s, active from at least 1972. A member of Honor Guard. Part of the K'ntar royal family. Currently inactive.
• Starwoman (Pr'slla of K'ntar) - A heroine of the 1960s from outer space who had energy powers. A founding member of Honor Guard. Currently inactive.
• Stonecold - An armored two-fisted vigilante active in the mid 1980s, and a representative example of the type of violent, vengeance-driven hero that emerged during that period.
• Stormhawk - Flighted, hawk-faced Honor Guard member seen in action in the early 1980s.
• Stray - A young outcast hero, with the form of a wolf or large dog. It is not known whether he has lycanthropic powers, transform into a natural werewolf, or has some other origin. A current member of the Astro City Irregulars.
• Strangeling (Lafayette O'Hearn) - Gangly, curious 'grey-alien'-themed member of The Apollo Eleven.
• The Street Angel (given name Ramon) - An urban hero formerly associated with Quarrel II who began his career as a jaunty, upbeat hero whose viewpoint darkened due to a mysterious event; connected by many to his sudden partnership with Black Velvet. He originally fought crime using trick halos - large golden-colored hard rubber rings which had different functions, such as constricting to trip opponents or serve as handcuffs (sonic and adhesive halos are also mentioned). With his dark period he switched to steel circles topped with a layer of ceramic which were simple bludgeons, as well as dove-shaped shuriken. Known to have fought Goldenglove I in the past. Possibly deceased.
• Supersonic (Dale Enright) (viewpoint) - A flying speedster, now retired. An engineer working for Hillman Holdaway Aircraft in Phoenix, Arizona imbued with superpowers by a wind tunnel accident involving experimental turbines. Was active from 1958 to 1982 in Phoenix and occasionally Astro City, believed killed and was declared dead in 1966 before he returned to life. Reluctantly donned his costume once again in 2004 to save Astro City from a rampaging robot.
• Sunbird - Sunny and happy heroine, partner of Nightingale. Fought the Enelsians.
• Switchblade - A young outcast hero active in the 1970s, aggressive and vengeance-minded; recruited by Bravo to become one of the original members of the Astro City Irregulars in the early to mid 1970s.
• Umbra - A young outcast heroine active in the 1970s, doomed to live half in shadow; recruited by Bravo to become one of the original members of the Astro City Irregulars in the early to mid 1970s.
• The Unicorn - British heroine, capable of flight and projecting energy beams from her forehead, who fought the Mock Turtle; partner to the Lion. Active in the 1990s. Had a male predecessor in 1973.
• Winged Victory (featured) - A feminist, Greco-Roman themed superhero. Considered controversial due to her emphasis on protecting women first before men regardless of the situation; due to her funding of women's centers and clinics, she has also been called "a cult leader". Patterned after the famous Hellenistic sculpture the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
• The Young Gentleman – Sidekick who was frequently partnered with the Gentleman in the 1950s. Has not been seen in decades.