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Robotman was first introduced in the DCEU in Titans as an ally for Rachel Roth, but then he became one of the main characters in the spin-off series Doom Patrol. Although he has been on the show for a while, there are still many things that some fans don’t know about Robotman unless they have read the comic books.
As it happens with many characters, Robotman has changed plenty over the years. While his origin story remains almost intact, it has had some modifications. Between his mental issues and his adventures with the Doom Patrol, he is definitely a very interesting character.
10 He First Appeared In My Greatest Adventure #80 In 1963
Created by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani, Cliff Steele first appeared in the comics in 1963, more specifically in My Greatest Adventure #80. This title was an anthology series with different stories that changed every issue, but that was almost always related to science fiction topics.
My Greatest Adventure is known as the series that introduced Doom Patrol to the DC Universe. It had an 85 issue run that was renamed to The Doom Patrol starting with issue #86 after this new team was fully introduced.
9 He Was Created By The Same Writer That Created Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
Cliff Steele and the rest of the members of the Doom Patrol were created by Arnold Drake, an American comic book writer and screenwriter that was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame. Drake had a prolific career in comic books.
Besides Doom Patrol, Drake co-created Deadman for DC with Carmine Infantino. What’s more, he co-created the Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel alongside Stan Lee. Hopefully, James Gunn will soon pick up the project for a movie in the DCEU. After all, he likes Drake’s work and he already has some experience with rogues in the DC universe.
8 He Possessed Super Senses At Some Point
Cliff Steele does not have superpowers, but he is a human brain inside a mechanical body, so his main abilities come from this. Thanks to this machine, Cliff possesses super strength, super speed, and super stamina. In addition to this, his body includes several weapons, such as electromagnetic feet and heating coils in his hands.
Although not anymore, Steele had super senses in the earliest comics. During Grant Morrison’s run, he bragged about having a superior sight and hearing. Regardless, he also admitted they were cruder than his human senses.
7 His Name Could Have Been Different
Although he is now known as Robotman, Cliff Steel was originally called Automaton. This alias only lasted for the first two issues of the series and it was changed after Arnold Drake realized it did not fit Steele’s personality. According to Drake, he was working on the story when he realized “the name was pretty stupid.”
Funny enough, by this moment, there was already a character named Robotman in DC, and his story was very similar to Steele’s: he was a human brain in a robotic body. Both characters remain in the comic books, co-existing without problems.
6 His Brain Was Put In A Robotic Body By Niles Caulder
Cliff Steele was born as a regular man and he worked as a race car driver until he was in an accident during the Indianapolis 500. After his body was destroyed, Niles Caulder put his intact brain in the robotic machine that fans already know. Although his new body allowed Steele to survive, he often saw it as a curse.
In the Pre-Crisis era, Niles Caulder was only the doctor that helped Steele, but post-Crisis his origin story was modified and it was announced that Niles Caulder had caused Steele’s accident to force him to become Robotman.
5 His Origin Story Changed For The New 52
The New 52 reboot changed Robotman’s origin story. Instead of him being a race driver whose life was saved by putting his brain into a robot machine, Steele is a daredevil who agrees to become the subject of a nanomachine experiment that will improve his body.
During his accident, the nanomachines inside him respond to the threat by creating a robotic body that will protect his brain. Many fans prefer this story because it makes for a more modern version of Robotman. However, this version of the character is not explored in the TV series.
4 He Needs Special Food And Oxygen To Keep His Brain Alive
In Doom Patrol Vol. 1 #101, readers learned a new piece of information about Robotman: he is not self-sustainable. In fact, he needs a special type of food to keep his human brain alive, as well as oxygen that comes from a tank embedded in his machine body.
The HBO Max TV series has not explored this, but there is a scene during Titans where Cliff asks Rachel to describe food for him, after explaining that he can’t eat. In another episode of Doom Patrol Steele is seen sleeping, showing that there is at least one human need he still has.
3 He Suffers From Mental Health Issues
Since Cliff Steele was born as a human but lost his body during an accident, it takes him a while to get used to his new life once he is saved by Niles Caulder. During the first few months, he feels depressed because he sees himself as less than human. It makes sense when considering he lost his previous senses, so he cannot taste or smell.
Because of his depression, Cliff voluntarily commits himself to an asylum in Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #19. Here he meets Crazy Jane, who suffers from a dissociative identity disorder.
2 He Had A Relationship With Crazy Jane
The nature of the relationship between Robotman and Crazy Jane is one of the main differences between the Doom Patrol series and the comics it was based on. In the TV show, they seem to be only friends, although some people believe they will end up together.
On the other hand, they are an established couple in the comics at least in two versions. In the post-Crisis era, after meeting in the asylum, Cliff becomes Jane’s guardian and they fall in love. In the DC Rebirth reboot, she helps him to cope with his insecurities and he accepts her mental illness.
1 He Regained His Human Body For A While
During the Milk Wars, the Doom Patrol joined forces with the Justice League of America to defeat Milkman Man, a villain sent by Retconn to conquer the world with his mind control milk. After defeating Milkman Man, some changes were made to reality. One of them was that Cliff was no longer a robot, but a regular human with a regular body.
Unfortunately, Cliff’s new body did not last long. Still coping with his depression, he visited his abusive mother looking for closure, but things did not go well and he attempted suicide. His body suffered the consequences but his brain was placed into a new robotic body by his Doom Patrol peers.
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