TANK MAN

Real Name: Jose Delgado

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Vacuum-cleaner salesman, formerly black op

Group Affiliation: The Americans

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Tucson, Arizona, formerly The Hangar, Earth-50

First Appearance: The Authority I #13 (May, 2000)

Powers: Tank Man wore armor that gave him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and could project energy blasts.

History: (The Authority I #13-15, 16 (BTS)) - Krigstein was top of a top-secret U.S. military branch, initiated by President Truman. He spent billions creating the superhuman team the Americans in case America's citizens ever got out of line. They also battled Russian super-soldiers during the Cold War, but along with Krigstein disappeared from the public eye in after 1989. Unwilling to see politics and his privilages change, he sent the Americans to kill the Spirit of the 21st Century once she was born. Jenny Sparks, the Spirit of the 20th Century, died, and she was reborn in Singapore as Jenny Quark. The Doctor of the Authority knew about Krigstein's plans, and rescued Jenny immediately before Tank Man slaughtered the maternity ward she was in. The Americans ambushed the Doctor and cut him off from the Authority's ship the Carrier when he tried to teleport away. Commander told Titan to make their deaths messy, and said he wanted to see some civilian casualties too. Titan grabbed a jet and hurled it at the Doctor and Jenny, but her powers kicked in, shielding them, and blowing off Titan's legs. Krigstein was amazed to see her powers manifest, and changed his plans, he wanted Jenny alive so he could manipulate the next century to be what he wanted it to be. The Authority arrived, killing Titan and several other members of the Americans. Tank Man was ready to finish off the Midnighter, but Midnighter recognized his pain as someone born into special ops with no identity of his own. They hugged, Tank Man took off his helmet, and abandoned his teammates. Taking the name Jose Delgado he moved to Tucson, Arizona and got a job as a vacuum-cleaner salesman. He fell in love with a woman and moved into her trailer with her six children. He wrote a touching letter to Midnighter thanking him for changing his life.

Comments: Created by Mark Miller & Frank Quitely.

The Americans were an analog of Marvel's Avengers, with Tank Man being their analog of Iron Man.