Ferro Lad Explained

Ferro Lad (Andrew Nolan) is a superhero appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. In post-Zero Hour continuity, he is simply known as Ferro.

Ferro Lad has made minor appearances in other media, primarily those featuring the Legion. He is voiced by Dave Wittenberg in the animated series Legion of Super Heroes (2006).

Publication history

Ferro Lad first appeared in Adventure Comics #346 and was created by Jim Shooter.^[1] When Jim Shooter first created the character, he intended Ferro Lad to be black, but editor Mort Weisinger vetoed the idea,^[2] saying "we'll lose our distribution in the South".^[3]

In a 2003 interview, Shooter said that he killed Ferro Lad out of annoyance towards being unable to make him black.^[4] However, in a 2011 blog post, he had a different explanation: that Ferro Lad's powers enabled him to survive entering the Sun-Eater's core.^[5]

The Life and Death of Ferro Lad, a hardcover trade paperback collecting Ferro Lad's Silver Age appearances, was released in 2009.

Fictional character biography

Silver Age

Andrew Nolan is a metahuman with the power to transform into organic iron.^[6] He has a twin brother named Douglas who has the same power. Both twins have deformed faces as a side effect of their powers and wear iron masks to hide them. Ferro Lad later sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun-Eater in The Death of Ferro Lad storyline, and makes minor appearances as a ghost and statue afterward. Additionally, a temporal clone of Ferro Lad from "Batch SW6" appears in the "Five Year Gap".^[7]

Post-Zero Hour

Following , which reboots the Legion's continuity, Ferro Lad is renamed Ferro and originates from the 20th century. He meets and joins the Legion of Super-Heroes after they are displaced in time.^{[8] [9]}

Powers and abilities

Ferro Lad can transform into organic metal, which gives him enhanced strength and durability.^[10] As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he is provided with a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments. He also has a built-in radio mask for communication in airless space.

Other versions

• An alternate universe variant of Douglas Nolan who succeeded Andrew as Ferro Lad appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #300.
• Ferro Lad, a fusion of Ferro Lad and Marvel Comics character Colossus, appears in the Amalgam Comics universe.

In other media

Television

• A statue of Ferro Lad appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far from Home".
• Ferro Lad appears in Legion of Super Heroes (2006), voiced by Dave Wittenberg. In his most notable appearance in the two-part season one finale "Sundown", an adaptation of the Sun-Eater story arc, he sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun-Eater, with his body subsequently ending up in an asteroid. Additionally, according to series producer James Tucker, his long-lost twin brother would have appeared had the show been renewed for a third season.^[11]

Film

• A statue of Ferro Lad appears in Justice League vs. the Fatal Five.
• Ferro Lad makes a cameo appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023).

Video games

Ferro Lad appears as a character summon in .^[12]

Miscellaneous

• Ferro Lad appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #10.^[13]
• Ferro Lad appears in the one-shot comic Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.^[14]

See also

• The Death of Ferro Lad
• The Final Night

Notes and References

1. Book: Cowsill . Alan . Irvine . Alex . Korte . Steve . Manning . Matt . Wiacek . Win . Wilson . Sven . The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe . 2016 . DK Publishing . 978-1-4654-5357-0 . 107.
2. Web site: Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #30! . 2009-01-06 . 2012-02-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120204213020/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2005/12/22/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-30/ . dead .
3. Book: Cadigan . Glen . The Legion Companion . 2003 . TwoMorrows Publishing . 978-1893905221 . 53.
4. Cadigan, p. 54.
5. Book: Wells . John . American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969 . 2014 . TwoMorrows Publishing . 978-1605490557 . 173.
6. Book: Wells . John . American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969 . 2014 . TwoMorrows Publishing . 978-1605490557 . 110.
7. Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #38, late December 1992.
8. The Adventures of Superman #540 (1996)
9. http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/828/828574p1.html IGN: Superman/Green Lantern interview
10. Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 #8 (October 1985)
11. Web site: The World's Finest - Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
12. Web site: Eisen . Andrew . October 2, 2013 . DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide . August 10, 2024 . IGN . en.
13. Web site: Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue) . June 22, 2023 . Comic Vine . en.
14. Web site: Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue) . August 18, 2023 . Comic Vine . en.