Girder (comics)

Girder is a DC Comics supervillain and a new Rogue to the Flash (Wally West). He first appeared in Flash: Iron Heights (2001) and was created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.[1]

Girder
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceFlash: Iron Heights (2001)
Created byGeoff Johns
Ethan Van Sciver
In-story information
Alter egoTony Woodward
SpeciesHuman Cyborg
Team affiliationsSecret Society of Super Villains
Rogues
Cyborg Revenge Squad
Legion of Zoom
Notable aliasesTony Steel, Anthony Polendina, Ironclad
AbilitiesLiving metal body grants:
  • Superhuman strength

Girder made his live-action debut on the first season of The Flash, portrayed by Greg Finley.

Fictional character biography

Steelworker Tony Woodward caused a riot at a steel plant after he assaulted a female employee. Angry coworkers threw Tony into a vat of molten steel. The liquid steel included recycled scraps from experiments performed by S.T.A.R. Labs. These scraps somehow turned Tony's body into living metal, which has incredible resistance from harm and grants him superhuman strength.[1] The major drawback was that the steel body began to rust when exposed to oxygen. He was eventually arrested for robbery and sent to Iron Heights.[1]

After escaping Iron Heights, he joined up with Blacksmith and her Rogues to take over Keystone City and Central City. While a member of her Rogues, Magenta used her powers to keep Girder from rusting and Girder, having an "attraction", made unwanted advances towards her. After making another crude pass, Magenta ripped Girder in half. His body was welded back together and Girder was taken back to Iron Heights.

During the "Infinite Crisis" storyline, Girder was part of the Secret Society of Super Villains led by Alexander Luthor Jr. (who was posing as Lex Luthor).[2]

One Year Later, Girder was seen fighting the Teen Titans, but was defeated. He was later seen in Salvation Run.[1]

In the DC Special: Cyborg mini-series, Girder has joined the Cyborg Revenge Squad.

Girder was among the villains in the ambush of the Justice Society of America led by Tapeworm.[3]

While Girder is in custody at Iron Heights Penitentiary, he is broken out by Captain Boomerang to distract the guards so Captain Boomerang can sneak in to meet with Professor Zoom.[4]

In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Girder was among the Iron Heights inmates that got out of their cells at the time when Iris was visiting.[5]

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Girder was among the villains invited by Eobard Thawne to join the Legion of Zoom.[6]

Powers and abilities

Girder has superhuman strength and endurance. His body is made from a nearly indestructible steel that provides a high degree of protection from physical and energy attacks.[1]

In other media

Television

Tony Woodward appears in The Flash, portrayed by Greg Finley.[7] This version was a childhood bully to Barry Allen and Iris West who became a metahuman with the ability to turn his skin into steel after falling into a vat of molten steel when the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded. In the episode "The Flash is Born", Woodward kidnaps West to force her to write about him fighing the Flash, who eventually defeats him with a supersonic punch. In "Power Outage", Woodward is released to fight Farooq Gibran / Blackout while Allen was temporarily depowered, only to be killed. In the episodes "Rupture" and "The Runaway Dinosaur", Team Flash inadvertently turn Woodward into a reanimated corpse, though Allen defeats him once more.

Film

Girder makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

Miscellaneous

References
  1. Wallace, Dan (2008), "Girder", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 137, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  2. The Flash (vol. 2) #225. DC Comics.
  3. Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #29 (July 2009). DC Comics.
  4. The Flash (vol. 3) #7 (December 2010). DC Comics.
  5. The Flash Vol. 4 #5. DC Comics.
  6. The Flash #760. DC Comics.
  7. Brown, Laurel (August 20, 2014). "Zap2it First: 'The Flash' casts 'Star-Crossed's' Greg Finley as Girder". Zap2It. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. "The Flash Movie to Get an Official Tie-In Comic from DC". MovieWeb. 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
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