Who's Who: Blockade Boy

Blockade Boy
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Phyl Staad

Super-Power(s): Turn into a steel barricade
Planet of Origin: Amadus

Relationship to Legion: Ally

Legion Log
Blockade Boy was one of the prisoners held captive by a powerful despot named Nardo. Nardo was a ruthless dictator of a race whose bodies are powered by nuclear energy in their veins and who could emit murderous nuclear energy bolts. After Nardo was over-powered and exiled into space by his planet's police force, he swore eternal hatred against Law and Order. Using some of his ill-gotten gains, he built himself a huge prison on an asteroid deep in space. There he collected law enforcement agents who happened across his path, including members of the Legion.

Blockade Boy was another one of the prisoners in Nardo's Super Stalag. He was already a prisoner there when Brainiac 5 and the other Legionnaires were captured, so we never learned how or why he came across Nardo and was caught. In fact, during the course of the two-part adventure we did not learn any of the pertinent facts that ended up in his Who's Who in the Legion profile entry (above).

The only thing we learned was that Blockade Boy had the ability to transform himself into a steel wall. When he and Matter-Eater Lad were assigned the chore of digging out rocks to build up Nardo's prison walls, they decided to attempt an escape. With Matter-Eater Lad eating his way through the cliffs, they managed to get past the prison gates. However, Nardo was tipped off by a spy in the prisoners' midst and was waiting for them on the other side of the mountain. He blasted at them with his nuclear energy force and would have killed both of them if Blockade Boy hadn't jumped in front of Matter-Eater Lad and transformed himself into a steel wall at the same time. He saved the Legionnaire's life at the cost of his own.

Blockade Boy was originally buried on the asteroid by Nardo's android guards, but after the Legion destroyed the facility and captured Nardo, Blockade Boy was presumably re-interned on Shanghalla, the Cemetery Asteroid.

Another Blockade Boy appeared within a year after the first. Proty II, in a misguided attempt to infiltrate the Legion and learn if it was harboring traitorous plans against the Legion of Super-Pets, pretended to be the original Blockade Boy's brother. He gained Legion membership as Blockade Boy II, claiming he had the same ability to turn himself into a steel wall as his brother did. After the truth was revealed, Proty II as Blockade Boy, quit the Legion and returned to the Legion of Super-Pets.

After the Reboot, Blockade Boy was one of hundreds of would-be heroes who answered the call of the Legion's first open try-outs. He was rejected under unknown circumstances.

After the Threeboot, Blockade Boy is not know to exist.

After Infinite Crisis, Blockade Boy's original history has presumably been more or less restored.

The only Blockade Boy stories:

Adventure Comics #344
 (reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5
and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 2)

We meet Blockade Boy, as well as several other imprisoned heroes. 

When on a digging job, Blockade Boy and Matter-Eater Lad attempt an escape.

Adventure Comics #345

 (reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5

and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 2)

Blockade Boy sacrifices himself to save Matter-Eater Lad

Adventure Comics #364

 (reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 7

and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 3)

Proty II pretends to be Blockade Boy II in order to infiltrate the Legion

Legionnaires #43

In the Reboot, Blockade Boy tries out for the Legion, but doesn't make it