Cliff Steele

After a catastrophic race-car accident destroyed Cliff Steele's body beyond repair, scientist Niles Caulder saved his life by transplanting his brain into a powerful robotic frame. Steele became Robotman, a founding member of the Doom Patrol, grappling with his lost humanity while wielding superhuman strength and near-indestructible durability.

Few characters in DC's Silver Age arrived quite so memorably as Cliff Steele, who burst onto the scene in My Greatest Adventure #80 in 1963, the creation of Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, and Bruno Premiani. From that debut forward, Cliff has been one of the most enduring figures in the Doom Patrol's world, sharing adventures across decades with the likes of Larry Trainor, Rita Farr, and Dr. Niles Caulder in titles like Doom Patrol and The Brave and the Bold. With 137 catalog appearances stretching from 1963 all the way to 2026 — a remarkable 63-year span — and nine key issues to his name, Cliff Steele is no footnote but a genuine pillar of DC's stranger, more daring corner of superhero storytelling. If you're drawn to characters with real longevity and collector significance, this is one Silver Age original absolutely worth chasing down.