Chained (DC)
The Chained was a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Sammy Stryker
Sebastian Stryker would then seek out Lex Luthor looking initially for better security for his son who he believed was a good for nothing. However, Luthor looked to test the limits of Sammy's abilities and his experiments resulted in the young Stryker developing into a powerful Metahuman with tactile telekinetic powers. The possibilities of exploiting Sammy's powers went further than anything planned for the Stryker's Island penitentiary. In fact, Sebastian's subordinate Carl Draper even went as far as looking to inform Project Cadmus of this development as he felt that they would be interest in Sammy's abilities. (Superman v6 #8)
As Sammy proved too dangerous, Luthor imprisoned him in a specially constructed containment. He was encased in a cell beneath Stryker’s Island, buried under four hundred feet of rock. The cell isolated him physically and mentally: Sammy was held immobile, sensory-deprived including an opaque helmet preventing him from seeing, and under constant restraint. His father’s relationship with him fractured during this time, culminating in Sammy murdering Sebastian Stryker—though the exact circumstances were initially obscured. Luthor then used this imprisonment both as a means to contain Sammy and to keep the full truth of Sammy’s powers and his threat hidden. (Superman v6 #6)
When the Project: Chained was discovered, Superman released Sammy, believing Luthor’s change of heart. Upon release, Sammy immediately demonstrated his substantial power and anger. He attacked Superman, Superboy Connor Kent, and others, causing destruction in Metropolis. Sammy challenged Superboy, recognizing him as possessing similar tactile telekinetic powers, but asserted that Superboy’s power was only a fraction of his own. In a confrontation, Sammy toppled two skyscrapers via his telekinetic field with Superboy attempting to hold them steady long enough for civilians to evacuate. The rescue succeeded, but not without showing the massive disparity in power between them. Superman later had to utilize Kryptonite-based weapons to counter Sammy’s force fields. (Superman v6 #8)
He was then approached by Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft who were looking to recruit Sammy. At first, Stryker was not interested until the pair expressed their collective desire for revenge against the man that ruined their lives which was Lex Luthor. Sammy believed he knew what Luthor was but the two scientists revealed all the developments that happened when Stryker was in prison. (Superman v6 #8)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, the chain was a man with red hair, blue eyes, who had a physically strong imposing presence, often bound in chains that he manipulated with telekinesis. His containment gear included helmet and cell made him look more like a weapon than a person. In action, he has been drawn towering over cityscapes, surrounded by debris or chains, his telekinetic aura implied by the frantic movement of large objects around him. (Superman v6 #6) As a child, he said he preferred to be called Sam and that only his father called him Sammy. (Superman v6 #8)
Stryker's motivations remained rooted in betrayal and revenge. He blamed his father and Lex Luthor for what was done to him—experimentation, imprisonment, deprivation. When released, one of his rage-filled objectives was to force Luthor to see the damage he had inflicted. At various points, Sammy threatened to harm Luthor’s daughter Lena in front of him. Despite his violence, there were moments where he assumed Superman and Superboy were there to help—only to misinterpret their intentions due to the lingering influence of Luthor’s manipulations and his own long confinement. (Superman v6 #8)
Sammy was depicted as bitter, vengeful, and psychologically scarred by his imprisonment. He showed anger toward his father and especially toward Lex Luthor for exploiting him. Filled with rage, he also had moments of confusion and desire for understanding—he sometimes believed Superman or the Superman Family might be able to help him, only to reject help when he perceived it was tied to Luthor’s influence. His sense of identity was complicated by his long isolation, the betrayal, and the fact that others saw him as dangerous first. His judgment was often clouded by emotional pain, driving him toward destructive actions. (Superman v6 #8)
Sammy knew Luthor to be a very bad person and Stryker believed Lex had stolen so much from him. Thus, he looked to get revenge on Luthor where he wanted to hear him beg. (Superman v6 #8)
Powers and abilities
Sammy Stryker was an ordinary human at birth, but through Lex Luthor’s experiments he was granted metahuman powers—specifically, a highly advanced form of tactile telekinesis. Unlike standard telekinesis, Sammy’s power started with touch but evolved so that he could project force through the air, affecting anything he could see. He demonstrated the ability to generate force fields, flight, simulated super strength via telekinesis, deflection of Superman’s heat vision, and the manipulation/destruction of massive structures. He could use chains as extensions of his power, telekinetically controlling them. His powers had built-in weaknesses: Lex Luthor himself ensured that Kryptonite could penetrate Sammy’s force fields, and he was vulnerable when forced into his helmet or sensory deprivation, which disrupted his ability to use his powers fully. (Superman v6 #8)
As a young boy, Sammy was handed over by his father to Lex Luthor as part of secret metahuman experimentation. Luthor used Sammy as a test subject to develop tactile telekinesis—a power that allows one to manipulate objects through touch. Over time, Sammy’s powers evolved beyond mere tactile manipulation: he learned to project his telekinetic field through air molecules, affecting objects without direct contact. The experimentation alarmed Lex once he realized how powerful Sammy was becoming. (Superman v6 #6)
This tactile telekinesis was generated by a force field aura around his body that Sammy was able to extend, control and manipulate anything he touched. Theoretically, it meant he could touch molecules in the air to the point that he was connected to everything. With practice, a young Stryker believed he could expand his field to the point that it went further and further till he was able to affect reality itself. Sammy believed that he would not have to touch anything as everything would be controlled by his mind. (Superman v6 #8)
By extending his tactile telekinesis in the air, he could grab onto people or objects without touching them. As a child, this allowed him to pick up items around him whilst as an adult he was able to lift grown humans into the air to bring them before him. With a gesture, he was shown to crush a pair of armored humans within their protective gear. (Superman v6 #8)
Notes
- The Chained was created by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov where he made his first appearance in Superman v6 #6 (November, 2023).
Appearances
- Superman v6: (2023)
External Links
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