Heat Wave

HEAT WAVE

Real Name: Rory Calhoun

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Rogue, inventor, firefighter, glassworker

Group Affiliation: Flash's Rogues Gallery

Known Relatives: unnamed brother (deceased), unnamed father (deceased), unnamed grandmother (deceased), unnamed mother (deceased), unnamed uncle

Aliases: Mick Rory

Base of Operations: Quad Cities, Illinois, formerly Central City, Missouri

First Appearance: Flash I #140 (November, 1963)

Powers: Heat Wave used a raygun that shot flames and could heat up a target to extreme temperatures. Heat Wave was protected from the effects of this heat by his specially insulated costume, which was made from a safe, asbestos-like material of his own invention.

History: (Flash II #218 (fb)) - Rory grew up in a small farm town outside Central City with his family. He was a pyromaniac and drawn to fire at an early age, and one night he set the family home ablaze, and then ran outside to watch it burn. He wanted to run and get help for his family, who were trapped on the second floor, but couldn’t take his eyes off the fire. Rory was sent to live with his uncle.

(Flash I #140, Flash II #218 (fb)) - At nine years old, Rory went with his classmates on a field trip to a meat-packing plant. His friend Brad Riker locked him in a freezer, and he nearly died before managing to escape. From that day forward he suffered from cryophobia, the irrational fear of cold. He shunned the cold and became more obsessed with heat and warmth, only comfortable wearing multiple-layers of clothes, even in the summer. He burned down Brad’s house with his family inside and ran away from his uncle’s house.

(Flash II #218 (fb)) - Rory joined a circus as a fire-eater and repressed his pyromania. One day he broke and burned the circus down. He knew his sickness was getting worse, but was inspired by a news report on Captain Cold. Using a raygun and suit of his own invention, he took the identity of Heat Wave. His pyromania became transformed from a sickness into a Rogue gimmick.

He began his criminal career by rescuing Captain Cold from the Flash II. Heat Wave and Captain Cold developed a long-standing rivalry, begun when they discovered that they were both interested in the same woman. They intended to win her over with daring deeds of crime, but she remained unimpressed. The Flash put an end to their criminal wooing.

(Flash I #231) - Heat Wave attended a Rogues Gallery convention at an abandoned paper mill. Flash II infiltrated the convention by posing as a super-villain named the Dude and rounded up the lot of Rogues.

(Flash I #243, 244) - Heat Wave and the Rogues Gallery mourned the death of the Top. They listened to a tape he made shortly before his death, detailing a plan of vengeance on Central City. The Top had planted bombs in six locations he robbed in the past week, and it was up to the Rogue's Gallery to break into those places and retrieve the explosives. Heat Wave recovered one of the bombs while Flash II was busy fighting Captain Boomerang. Once all the bombs were collected the Rogues Gallery still couldn't figure out how to disarm them. Thankfully Flash II learned of the Top's plot and deactivated the top-bombs.

(Flash II #215 (fb)) - The reincarnated Top went berserk an attacked Heat Wave and other members of Flash’s Rogues Gallery. Flash subdued him, and Top once again passed away.

After a long career of fighting the Flash he gave up the life of crime. He aided Flash in capturing his crooked parole officer, who was impersonating Heat Wave to commit crimes. For a time he worked as a firefighter, using his specialized knowledge to construct unique fire extinguishing equipment.

(Flash I #314) - Rory was attacked in his apartment by Golden Glider and Captain Cold as punishment for deserting the Rogues Gallery.

(Flash I #315-317) - Rory was abducted by Goldface, who heard rumors that Rory once unmasked Flash II during a fight and knew his secret identity. Rory escaped and hid in Barry Allen's apartment. Rory was allowed to lay low there while Barry posed as Heat Wave to draw out Goldface. Rory returned to his 9 to 5 life, and he and Barry parted as close friends.

(Underworld Unleashed #1)-Abra Kadabra offered Heat Wave and the other Rogues a chance to become the most infamous villains of all time. They could not resist the offer, but in reality they were being duped into sacrificing their lives to unleash the demon Neron on Earth. Flash III would later force Neron to return Heat Wave and the other Rogues to life.

(Rogues #1) - On a tip from the Trickster, Heat Wave and the Rogues went to the kingdom of Zhutan to steal the Sun Disk of Meshta, an artifact that could supposedly keep their souls safe from Neron. In truth Trickster only brought them to Zhutan so they could directly confront Neron. The Rogues defeated Neron with some help from Trickster’s son Billy Hong, and Neron promised to never again go after the Rogue’s souls. Heat Wave stayed in Zhutan to study with the monks of Meshta.

(Flash II #140) - Heat Wave and the Rogues attended Linda Park's funeral and paid their respects after she was apparently killed by the Black Flash.

(Flash II #190) - When work at the Cadmus Project got too weird for Heat Wave he moved to Quad Cities, Illinois. After busting some hijackers he ran into Pied Piper, who was accused of murdering his own parents and trying to clear his name. James Jesse and a number of F.B.I. agents tracked Piper to the Quad Cities, but instead of bringing him into custody they offered both Piper and Heat Wave a position in an unspecified F.B.I. program.

(Flash II #210) - James Jesse told Heat Wave he neeed a test because he han’t been very active in the last few years, and he just turned 40. Heat Wave was given the task of bringing in Murmur, and as an incentive Jesse promised the F.B.I. would donate one million dollars to the Rory Burn Victims Fund.

(Flash II #211, 213) - Heat Wave watched a building burn to the ground, mesmerized by the beauty of the fire. Captain Boomerang showed up, asking to borrow some money, and for old times sake Heat Wave helped him out.

(Identity Crisis #5, Flash II #215) - Firehawk, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle interrogated Heat Wave about the death of Sue Dibny. He told them he knew nothing, and reminded them he was a reformed villain, though he doubted anyone would ever see him as a hero. When they continued badgering him Pied Piper put them to sleep with his pipes.

(Flash II #216) - Jesse informed Heat Wave, Pied Piper and Magenta that their end goal as F.B.I. agents was to take down the Rogues once and for all. The Rogues made the F.B.I. nervous because they were a rare example of organized supercrime, and Jesse wanted them gone before any other supervillains decided to follow suite.

(Flash II #218) - Heat Wave found Murmur, and kept him from killing a young woman, but failed to capture him due to Captain Cold’s interference. Cold told Heat Wave he never wanted to see his traitorous face in Keystone again. Heat Wave no longer wanted to just take down the Rogues; he wanted revenge. His pyromania reemerged and he burned down a bar.

(Flash II #1/2) - Heat Wave, Magenta, Pied Piper and Trickster apprehended Replicant.

(Flash II #220-225) - Heat Wave and the reformed Rogues confronted Flash’s Rogues Gallery in their hq after the villains broke into F.B.I. hq and slaughtered a number of guards in an attempt to find Boomerang’s body. The two groups battled across Central City, and Flash showed up to battle the villains. Top interrupted the battle to undo the mental programming he’d used to turn some of the Rogues to the side of good. He turned Heat Wave and Trickster back to the side of evil. Heat Wave joined the Rogues in battling Flash, but Zoom arrived to challenge Flash to a private fight, and he didn’t want the Rogues to interfere and quickly left them unconscious. Mirror Master helped the Rogues escape capture, and after they buried Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold forgave Heat Wave and Trickster for their time as heroes and told them they were invited to join the Rogues in hooking up with the Society.

Comments: Created by Carmine Infantino & John Broome

Heat Wave received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #10. Heat Wave received a profile in Flash Secret Files #1 under the Rogues Gallery entry.

Flash II #186 and #196 showed a statue of Heat Wave in the Flash Museum.

Heat Wave was featured in a flashback sequence in Flash II #205. Heat Wave appeared in a dream sequence in Flash II #227.

Heat Wave was pictured on the cover of Flash II #217.