Sarge Steel

Sarge Steel is a detective/spy character published by Charlton Comics during the 1960s. As he was published during the time of Charlton's Action Heroes line of superheroes, and had loose ties to some, he is sometimes included with that group. He was purchased by DC Comics along with the other "Action Heroes".

Sarge (short for "Sargent," as in "Sargent Shriver") Steel has a mechanical left hand. As Dick Giordano stated in the editorial page of L.A.W. #4 he was created by Pat Masulli, and later written and drawn by Joe Gill and artist Dick Giordano. Other artists, including the team of Bill Montes and Ernie Bache, would later take over.

Charlton Comics
Sarge first appeared in his own title, Sarge Steel #1 (Dec, 1964). His title would last until #8, at which point it was retitled Secret Agent, and cancelled with #10 (October, 1967). After that, his series continued in Judomaster #91-98 (the stories in #91-96 fit in the year-long hiatus between issues #9 & #10, as all his stories are listed as 'File #xxx'). Sarge also appeared in short spots on self-defense in Fightin' 5 #34 and 37 and in the Sentinels stories in Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt #57 and 58 as their CIA contact.

His enemies included characters like "The Lynx," "Ivan Crunch," "Smiling Skull" (a Nazi villain who fought Judomaster during World War II), Werner Von Wess, Mr. Ize, and others.

Sarge was originally a hardboiled private eye (in fact, in the book The Fine Art of Murder, Max Allan Collins notes that Steel was the first fictional private eye to be a Vietnam veteran), who somehow also got involved in "spy cases," and became by issue #6 a "Special Agent." The final issues were titled Secret Agent, even though Gold Key Comics also published a comic of the same title in 1967 based upon the television series, Danger Man.

DC Comics
In DC Comics, Sarge was eventually put in charge of the United States' governmental agencies involved with "superhuman" activities for many years. He was apparently the head of a small agency known as the CBI (Central Bureau of Intelligence), which also included King Faraday, and Faraday's two well known agents Richard Dragon and Ben Turner. He was eventually depicted as a Federal Cabinet Secretary of Metahuman Affairs (giving him control of agencies such as the Suicide Squad).

Around this time Sarge is sent in to investigate the country of Bialya. The entire place had re-opened, now a trendy vacation spot, after months of a media blackout. Sarge encounters Captain Atom, Major Force and the second Rocket Red as various attacks rattle the country.

Around this time, the manipulative, caterpillar-shaped alien criminal Mr. Mind is handed over to Steel's custody. Mr. Mind takes control of Steel, hiding inside his artificial hand in order to escape the detection of superhumans. Controlling Steel, Mind causes the nuclear devastation of the midwest American city of Fairfield. Though superhumans contained the bombs to the literal limits of the town, many thousands died.

Later, Lex Luthor would be elected as President. Luthor appoints Amanda Waller as his successor until Luthor was re-exposed as a criminal in the events of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

Steel has since resumed his old Cabinet posting as a member of the Horne Administration. He is currently in charge of Nemesis and Diana Prince as part of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. During his time at that post the villain Circe kidnapped Steel, tied him up, duct taped his mouth shut, locked him in a closet, and had him replaced with her shape-shifting henchman Everyman. Using Steel's pull at the agency, Circe and Everyman helped bring about the events of Amazons Attack.

In the end, Steel is freed, but he's left overtly suspicious over Wonder Woman's motives, questioning she may still serve the Amazons cause, to him perceived as harmful and dangerous. He correctly guesses the love story buddying between Nemesis and Wonder Woman, and so decides to keep Diana and Tresser in constant surveillance.

Recently, he has been seen composing an essay accusing prominent female historical figures of being Amazonian spies. It is then revealed that since his kidnapping by Circe that Doctor Psycho has been tampering with his mind, enhancing his suspicious nature. Doctor Psycho eventually manages to switch bodies with Sarge Steel.