DC Heroetrs of Russia

The Amazing Anton Allegro

Russian musician Anton Allegro once approached millionaire Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), begging him for funding to help promote a sophisticated synthesizer that he had built. Queen was at a pivotal time in his life, and he brushed off Allegro. Afterwards, Allegro had the misfortune of being within close range of one of Green Arrow's sonic arrows, and he was permanently deafened. Wracked with guilt, Queen paid for all of Allegro's medical treatment, but the musician had vowed to seek more lethal reparations. Allegro discovered a centuries-old book of forbidden spells, which he used to enhance his synthesizer so that the sound of its keyboard now generated demons. As the Amazing Allegro, he began a series of attacks, beginning with Queen. Green Arrow alerted the Justice League, and thanks to Zatanna's magic and Black Canary's sonic cry, the demonic onslaught was crushed and Allegro was sufficiently disoriented to be captured. (JLofA #163-164)

Maestro IV

Years later, Anton Allegro escaped from a New York asylum and fled to his Russian homeland. He offered up his synthesizer as a sort of payment, which the Soviet government greedily claimed. While Allegro was subsequently confined to a cell, his synthesizer was given to Pasha Gorki, who used its demonic power to help his brother (also named Anton, a Russian general) stage a two-pronged revolt against both the Kremlin and the United States. The Maestro's attack imprisoned Superman, Wonder Woman and the Flash but the Justice League freed them. It was Anton Allegro who ended this crisis, smashing his prized synthesizer with the butt of a gun. He was shot through the heart by Anton Gorki in retaliation. (JLofA #237-238)

NOTE: Both of these characters are commonly mis-referred to as the "Mad Maestro." They never used that name per se, although the JLA Index #7 identifies Gorki as "The Mad Maestro."

» SEE ALSO: Obscure Characters: Maestro I-III

Blue Trinity + Red Trinity

adapted from Who's Who Update '88 #1 & 3

Both the Blue and Red Trinities were the creations of Dr. Pytor Orloff, a scientist at the Puleski Institute in Russia, who attempted to confer super-speed on his laboratory subjects, using steroids, implants, and genetic splicing. Two of the subjects, Boleslaw Uminski and Gregor Gregorovich, could reach 700 mph; the third, a woman known only as Christina, could exceed the sound barrier. Though all three were fast, they were made abnormally strong, emotionally unstable and particularly dull-witted due to the nature of the experiments. Taking the name Blue Trinity, the three speedsters became super-powered agents of the Soviet Army.

However, Orloff's second experimental group was more successful. Three Soviets known only as Anatole, Bebeck and Cassiopeia gained the power to exceed the speed of sound without enduring any debilitating side-effects. Taking the name Red Trinity, they also became agents of the soviet Army.

The Trinities clashed in the United States when Red Trinity attempted to aid the Flash in taking Orloff from Russia to America. His expertise was needed to save the life of Speed McGee. Blue Trinity followed their comrades and Flash to New York, where they were eventually beaten back by Red Trinity and returned to Russia.

Quickly becoming infatuated with American culture, Red Trinity elected to make the United States their new home. They made their living as super-powered messengers under the company title "Kapitalist Kourier Service, Inc." Their Cassiopeia died in the battle against Savitar. (Flash #108) The whereabouts of the other Kouriers are unknown.

Blue member Christina went on to pursue her own interests, dubbing herself Lady Flash (among other names) (Flash #50), then allying herself with Vandal Savage when they were rounded up onto a Hell Planet. (Salvation Run) She died in the melee surrounding Barry Allen's return. (Flash: Rebirth #2) The whereabouts of the other Blue Trinity members are unknown.

NOTE: Visit the links below for more in-depth info on these speedsters.

Mikola Rostov

Created by Mike Grell

This character only appeared a handful of times in the original Warlord series. He was also one of four characters to be immortalized in action figures by Remco in the early '80s.

Mikola was a Russian professor who was born half man and half werewolf. He escaped to the world of Skartaris, in which the Warlord lived, because it was a world of eternal sunlight. There he hoped to be free of his lycanthropy.

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Warlord #47 (July 1981)

The People's Heroes

Created by Mike W. Barr

Adapted from the Who's Who entry

       

When the American super-agents known as the Force of July were captured by Communist agents, they were subjected to a thorough examination and scientific analysis. Soviet scientists used this data to create a cadre of Soviet super-agents popularly called The People's Heroes:

• Bolshoi (Pavel Gorov) is tremendously quick and agile, as well as a formidable martial artist.
• Hammer (Boris Ulyanov) possesses strength, endurance and recovery powers of a superhuman level. Hammer is the co-leader of the Heroes, with his wife...
• Sickle (Tasha), who is an Olympic-level athlete and is an excellent combatant, armed or unarmed.
• Molotov (Kirill Yakerim) can not only formulate explosives of tremendous destructive potential, but can also detonate his own person.
• Pravda possesses psionic powers, and can read minds, sense thoughts and ferret out what each person most fears.

In the former Soviet regime, the People's Heroes were assigned to the Soviet secret service, under the personal command of Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. They battled the Outsiders twice to stalemate.

After this failure, the Heroes were keen to prove themselves. In the meantime, they had been eclipsed by the Rocket Red Brigade. When the Suicide Squad kidnapped activist Zoya Trigorin, the team clashed with the Americans. They were crushed, however, and Pravda was left for dead by the Enchantress. (Suicide Squad #7)

Not long after this, the Suicide Squad's leader Amanda Waller sent a team back to Russia on a tip that their fallen comrade, Rick Flag, was alive. The tip turned out to be false, and the Squad found a man named Zastrow waiting for them at a prison in Gurjikev. Zastrow's defenders included the People's heroes — Pravda, Bolshoi and Molotov — plus Stalnoivolk (a Russian "super-man" dating back to World War II). Molotov and Bolshoi were critically injured in this confrontation, but their final fate is unknown. (Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #1)

Whatever their original allegiance, the group apparently fell under the sway of the rivals of Mikhail Gorbechev. This faction in the Soviet government sent Hammer and Sickle to New York to execute their comrade, Red Star (who was loyal to Gorbechev). They were stopped by the Teen Titans, but not before they tarnished Red Star's reputation (which would prevent him from returning to Russia). Hammer and Sickle were captured; their current status and whereabouts are unknown. (New Teen Titans v.2 #48-49)

Molotov and Bolshoi went on to serve with the Red Shadows, another covert Soviet group. (Suicide Squad #41-42) Hammer and Sickle resurfaced several years later as part of a Society off-shoot in Gotham City's east end. (Catwoman #47-49)

NOTE: Notice the "Boris and Natasha" reference in Hammer and Sickle's real names.

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Outsiders, v.1 #10 (August 1986)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• Outsiders, v.1 #10-12, 23
• New Teen Titans v.2 #48-49
• Suicide Squad v.1 #7
• Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #1

Proletariat

Created by William Messner-Loebs and Greg La Rocque

First appearance: Flash v.2 #51 (June 1991)

During World War Two, the Soviet Union was desperate to provide symbolic heroes of the state to counter the Master Race being touted by Nazi Germany. To that end, they created enhanced superhumans like Stalnoivolk. Another volunteer for the program was Boris Mikhail Dhomov, a fourteen-year-old soldier who gained a body-builder's physique and became "a super-worker, able to leap vast rivers or topple huge buildings." Garbed in a dark blue costume with red and white highlights (including the requisite hammer and sickle), Dhomov became Proletariat. With his aging arrested by his transformation, he was "still useful as (the Soviet's) 'advisor' to the North Vietnamese."

Later still, he helped train a new generation of Russian metahumans, including Red and Blue Trinity (the super speedsters). But after the collapse of communism he went on a rampage and was defeated by Red Trinity (now Kapitalist Kouriers) and the Flash. He remains at large.

"But it became difficult to explain to him the need of Comrade Gorbachev's reforms. He was — restrained" but fled to the United States, intent on "trying to start a diplomatic incident."

Travelling to Keystone City, where Red Trinity had set up shop as Kapitalist Kouriers, Proletariat attached a bomb of Khundian origin (discovered after alien Invasion!) to the city's power generator. While the Kouriers and Dhomov's brother, Andrei (now a Russian ambassador) distracted Proletariat, the Flash and Lady Flash (a short-lived persona of Christina Alexandrova) rushed the explosive to the river, where it detonated safely. Having held off his adversaries, Proletariat escaped and is, presumably, still at large. (Flash #51)

The Red Shadows

The Red Shadows were a covert military group under the former Soviet Union. They were briefly mentioned before their earliest recorded appearance. (Suicide Squad #37) They supported the Soviet-backed government of Vlatava against rebels led by Count Vertigo. After the failure of this mission, the entire team was replaced just before the Dragon's Hoard affair. (Suicide Squad #40-43) Molotov and Bolshoi were also members of another Soviet group, the People's Heroes. Stalnoivolk went on to serve in the Suicide Squad itself. (SS #53-57) The current status of all these operatives is unknown. NOTE: Though Blue Trinity worked with the Red Shadows, they were said to have been co-opted into the group. The group was organized/mentioned in Suicide Squad #37 but they first formed in #41.

Schreck, the vampiric member of the Red Shadows, also joined another group of mercenaries who were assembled to kill Deadshot. He was decapitated by Deadshot, but may be "undead." (Deadshot v.2 #5)

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Suicide Squad v.1 #40

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  Suicide Squad v.1 #41-43, 53-57

The Rocket Red Brigade

Parts adapted from Who's Who Update '87 #5

Concerned about the large number of super-heroes in the United States, the Russian government commissioned geneticist Doctor Kreshikov to create some for them. Although they had Red Star, the Red Trinity, Prozhar and the People's Heroes, they felt a need for more of a force. Under General Treznof, the Rocket Red lab was built in Siberia, and army volunteers underwent forced evolution experiments. However, all the subjects died, and the plan was unsuccessful, until the Green Lantern called Kilowog came to Russia, and volunteered his green power and genetics skill. The first superhuman Rocket Red was Josef Denisovich, whose enhanced physique was amplified by the rocket-propelled costume and weapons arsenal Kilowog helped design and build. With the process in place, other volunteers were processed, creating the Rocket Red Brigade.

Eventually, the rest of the GL Corps came to investigate Kilowog's activities. They were attacked by the Brigade and in the battle, Rocket Red #1 died. Not long after, the Justice League was involved in a dispute with aliens on Russian soil, and they too were attacked by the Brigade, until Soviet authorities ordered them to work together. Later, the Justice Leauge was granted United Nations sanctioning as an international peace-force, and one of the Brigade, Rocket #7 (Vladimir Mikoyan) was granted JLA membership. (J.L. International #7) He was soon unmasked as a Manhunter android (#9) and was immediately replaced by Dimitri Pushkin, the first Russian to join the Justice League (#11). Dimitri was handpicked by Mikhail Gorbachev for the position. His armor was destroyed on a mission in space with the League and he was given upgraded armor on Apokolips (#20). Dimitri moved to the European branch of the JLI to be closer to his family, and stayed with the team nearly until its dissolution. (Justice League Europe #36)

Sonar took over the Rocket Red Brigade (JLE #45-50) controlling Dimitri and causing him to attack the London Embassy. After being freed of Sonar's control, he decided to stay on with the Brigade.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Reds were decommissioned. Some of their armor fell into the hands of the Russian mob and was infected with a virus by the Construct (Chase #3). Former Rocket Red battle suits were also used by Vandal Savage as missiles to destroy Montevideo, Uruguay. (DC One Million #1)

In response to the perception of the threat of American metahuman terror, many of Earth's nations decided to invest in their own metahuman security. At some point, Russia reactivated the Rocket Red program and Dimitri Pushkin donned the armor once again. (OMAC Project #1) Sadly, Dmitri became one of the early casualties in the growing cosmic crisis wrought by Alexander Luthor. He died in Moscow battling one of the OMAC drones created by the A.I., Brother Eye. The OMACs had fought Dmitri's former JLA comrades to a stand-still, so he chose to sacrifice himself to stop three of the drones. (#4-5)

Russian officials use the Reds not only for defense, but in a proactive campaign to acquire advanced technology. When the Brother Eye satellite crashed to Earth, the Reds were sent in to attempt its retrieval (but were beat out by Checkmate). (OMAC Project: Infinite Crisis Special)

At first, this revived Brigade was friendly to foreign metahumans. When the Green Lanterns pursued Evil Star into Chinese, the Reds were sent to escort the Lanterns safely into Russian airspace. (52 #6) A mere year later, Russian had joined Black Adam's multinational coalition in supporting the Freedom of Power Treaty. This Treaty criminalized American metahumans' activities in the participating countries. (Green Lantern v.3 #10)

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Green Lantern Corps #208

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• DC One Million #2-4
• Green Lantern Corps #??
• Justice Leauge Europe #16

Skull & Bones

Skull and Bones was Andrian Trofimovich, who was part of a covert Russian battalion in Afghanistan that wore skeleton outfits as uniforms. Horrified by the violence, Andrian fled and allied himself with CIA agents. He finally quit the war and returned to Russia, where he dug out his Skull and Bones costume to stop the man who had created his battalion — and who now planned to unleash a deadly virus.

Skull & Bones was a creator-owned project by Ed Hannigan.

» SERIES: Skull & Bones, 3-issue limited series (1992)

Soyuz ("Alliance")

adapted from Who's Who Update '88 #3

Soyuz was a team of Russian metahuman teens who came together when one of their number, Serafina Arkadin, was prompted to rescue her uncle Mikhail (Firestorm II). They took the name Soyuz—which means "alliance" in Russian—but did not adopt costumes immediately.

Serafina dubbed the memberse herself, choosing names from Russian mythology…

• Serafina Arkadina herself was the de facto leader and chose the name Firebird. She is a telepath with considerable skill. She can read minds, communicate mentally, and implant post-hypnotic suggestions and memory blocks. She has demonstrated total recall memory and minor telekinetic powers.
• Perun (Ilya Trepilov) was named after the Russian thunder god. Perun possessed electrical powers, sensing the energy from within 300 yards of himself. Within that distance he can manipulate and discharge it. He does not, however, generate electricity himself.
• Rusalka (Mashenka Medviedenko) was the water nymph of myth. Mashenka can control water or vapor in quantities up to her own body weight. She can draw upon the water in her own body at the risk of dehydrating herself and dehydrate other people. It is more difficult for her to manipulate frozen water than liquid or gas.
• Morozko (Igor Medviedenko) is Rusalka's brother. Named for an ice demon, Ivor can create bitter cold by drawing its heat into himself. He must eventually release this heat, which he can direct.
• The youngest member was Vikhor (the "demon whirlwind," Feodor Piotrovich Sorin). Trained as a figure skater, Sorin can spin and reduce his supply of gravitons, the subatomic particles that carry the force of gravity. Thus he creates a whirlwind about himself and floats within it. The whirlwind enables Vikhor to fly. He can also transport a person or object of mass equally or lesser mass than his own.

The members of Soyuz first worked together to rescue Ilya Trepilov, under circumstances that have yet to be revealed. They adopted their costumed identities after rescuing Serafina's uncle's family from the K.G.B. (the Soviet Secret police). (Firestorm #70-73)

Firebird declared that Soyuz would never harm Russian interests but would instead fight against those people, including those in high places, who sought to misuse their power in order to harm innocent people.

At the group's formation, Firebird was 15 years old, Perun 17, Rusalka 16 and Morozko 18.

Soyuz has not been seen since Arkadin's involvement with Firestorm ended (nor since the break-up of the Soviet Union).

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Serafina: Firestorm v.2 #69 (March 1988). Team: Firestorm #70 (April 1988; costumed in #72).

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Firestorm v.2 #70–73, 81, 83–84

Stalnoivolk, the Steel Wolf

Real Name: (Ivan Illyich Gort)

First appearance: Firestorm #67 (January 1988; mentioned in #66)

Ivan Illyich Gort was created in Russian under the reign of Josef Stalin. Gort was a mere peasant transformed by an experimental process duing World War II. He was endowed with great strength, invulnerability, and longevity. Stalin then destroyed the formula and killed the scientists. After the war, the "Steel Wolf" was an instrument of Stalin's purges, but after the leader died, his legacy fell from favor and Stalnoivolk was exiled to Siberia. Decades later, he was reactivated by the Soviet government to deal with the threat of metahumans on Russian soil. Looking no older than 40, he returned to duty, following the orders of the man named Zastrow. (Firestorm #67)

... (Doom Patrol/Suicide Squad)

Their mission was to find Firestorm, beginning with Ronald Raymond (the hero's alter ego). As it happened, Ronnie's grandfather was the wartime hero called Captain X (Richard Dare). Dare caught wind of Stalnoivolk's mission and rushed to warn his family. Stalnoivolk attacked the Raymonds demanding that Ron produce Firestorm. Gort got his wish and in the struggle, he also killed Richard Dare. Firestorm encased Stalnoivolk himin concrete, but Zastrow invoked diplomatic immunity and they took their leave. (#71)

Back in Russia, Zastrow and Stalnoivolk were stunned to run into Firestorm again. (#72)

Gort was last seen fighting the Khmer Rouge and the vampiric Schrek in Vietnam. (Suicide Squad #57)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Firestorm the Nuclear Man #67-73 • Suicide Squad #53-57

Other Russian Characters

• Dmitri Mishkin. This boy became a vampire and was taken under wing by Andrew Bennett (I... Vampire).
• Fireball (Sonya Chuikov) was a member of World War II's Allies. Her powers came from exposure during the Tunguska explosion in 1908.
• Firestorm II (Mikhail Arkadin, Pozhar). In Firestorm's second incarnation, he was paired with Russian native Mikhail Arkadin. This matrix also included the Russian clone Svarozhich.
• Red Star (Leonid Kovar, aka Starfire). Read about this Titans member at the awesome Titanstower.com.
• Tundra, a mystery member of the Global Guardians who has been scarcely seen.
• Valentina Vostok (Negative Woman, deceased), was a member of the Doom Patrol and covert agent for the United States, even serving as Checkmate's White Queen until her death in Final Crisis #4.