Tyroc

Tyroc (real name Troy Stewart) was the only resident superhero of the island of Marzal, which usually existed in a different dimension. Like Brigadoon, Marzal Island would sometimes reappear on Earth. Unlike the legendary Scottish village, Marzal remained on Earth for several years at a time in a location near a coast of Africa. In the native language of Marzal, "Tyroc" means "Scream of the Devil".

Tyroc and his people were descended from African slaves who revolted on a ship during middle passage in the 18th century. Once all the slavers were set adrift, the liberated Africans settled on their own island off the coast of Africa, and built a civilization. Much to their surprise, their island paradise had a "Brigadoon-like" existence and disappeared from this dimension on a regular schedule every 200 years.

Left on their own, the islanders developed an advanced, highly technological civilization, with extreme isolationist tendencies. Marzalians believed that the people of Earth had ignored their island. As a result, outsiders were not welcome on Marzal.

Tyroc from Superboy#216
artist Mike Grell.

The Legion of Super-Heroes first met Tyroc when several Legionnaires responded to an emergency on Marzal Island. At first, Tyroc attempted to stop the Legion from assisting. After patching up their differences and working together to save the island, Tyroc was offered Legion membership. He initially refused, although he had come to admire the tolerance and courage of the Legionnaires he had met.[10]

In later encounters, Tyroc accepted the Legion's offer to join the team and thus became the Legion's first black member.[11] Tyroc and Black Lightning were created to help DC attract new readers and to provide more opportunities for socially relevant stories.

Until Tyroc's addition to the Legion, almost every humanoid alien in Legion stories were drawn with Caucasian facial features, including the orange-skinned Chameleon Boy, the blue-skinned Shadow Lass, and the green-skinned, blonde haired Brainiac 5.

Tyroc later returned to Marzal Island to be with his people when it left the Earth reality. Shadow Lass and Dawnstar, accompanying him, were almost trapped on the island as it shifted dimensions.[12]

Marzal's destruction at the hands of the Dominion was documented during the fourth volume of the Legion of Super-Heroes series while Keith Giffen was the writer. The Dominators managed to destroy Marzal Island within its dimensional pocket.[13] An Earth recovering from the Dominion takeover chose their war heroes to lead them. Jacques Foccart (the second Invisible Kid) and Troy Stewart, who had proven themselves as effective leaders of the rebel forces, were rewarded with public offices by the people of Earth. Troy Stewart became the planet's vice president, and Jacques became president.[14] Soon thereafter, Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of Krypton over a millennium earlier.[15] A few dozen cities and their inhabitants survived, and the planet was reconstituted as New Earth. Eventually, Jacques resigned to rejoin the Legion, and Troy ascended to the presidency.[16]

This reality was erased from continuity by the events of the Zero Hour miniseries.

Tyroc did not appear in the Legion's second major continuity, which ran from 1994 through the end of 2004. In the "Threeboot" continuity which began in 2005, Tyroc appears briefly (with several other Legionnaires from previous incarnations of the team such as Blok and Dawnstar) in Legion of Super-Heroes v5 #15, as a character in a 'campfire story' showing the Legion's influence, and the urban legends and myths that have sprung up around it. This appearance was a cameo, and does not seem to take place in the series' actual continuity.

The events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics. A statue of Tyroc was seen in Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #1. The Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Tyroc later appeared along with an entire army of Legionnaires from alternate worlds, times, and realities, at the Vanishing Point to fight the Time Trapper. In the current series of Legion of Super-Heroes, Tyroc has rejoined the Legion.

In 2011, DC rebooted its continuity and relaunched all of its titles, among them Legion Lost told of a small team of Legionnaires including Wildfire, Gates, Dawnstar, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Chameleon Girl and Tyroc becoming trapped in the 21st century while pursuing a time-travelling genetic terrorist. After several adventures attempting to integrate with 21st century life, including an altercation with the Teen Titans, DC cancelled the series.

Among the screams in Tyroc's arsenal:

• EEYYAAAHH! – pyrokinesis
• AHHRRRRRR! – force field
• OYYUUUUUU! – teleportation
• ARRRRHHHH! – explosions
• ZZZRRRUUGGHH! – telekinesis
• UIUUIEEEE! – transmutation
• ARRREEEEG! – weather manipulation
• IRRRRWWWW! – plant manipulation
• CCCIIIRRR! – vertigo
• RRRYYYY! – wind manipulation
• WHEEEEW! – retrocognition[17][18]

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes he is provided a Legion Flight Ring. It allows him to fly and communicate with his teammates.