Steven Lang (character)

Steven Lang
Steven Lang
	Art by Ibrahim Roberson and Lan Medina
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The X-Men #96 (December 1975)
Created by	Chris Claremont; Dave Cockrum
In-story information
Species	Human Cyborg
Team affiliations	Purifiers; Human Council; Phalanx; Project: Armageddon; Department of Defense
Notable aliases	Master Mold, Template
Abilities	Cybernetic organism

Steven Lang (sometimes spelled Stephen Lang) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a manufacturer of the mutant-hunting Sentinels. He first appeared in The X-Men #96 (December 1975).

Fictional character biography

Dr. Steven Lang is a pioneer in the field of robotics and genetic mutation who hates mutants. An employee of the U.S. government, he is placed in charge of a federal investigation into the origin of genetic mutation. He plans to use his talents to create an army of mutant hunting robots to kill all mutants. To this end, he seeks to get the government to endorse and financially support his operations.^[1]

Lang begins by targeting mutant criminals, such as Mesmero. He claims possession of Bolivar Trask's wrecked Sentinel base's resources,^[1] and is backed by Ned Buckman and the "Council of the Chosen",^[1] the secret group in control of the New York Branch of the Hellfire Club prior to Sebastian Shaw's takeover.^[2]

Lang desires to defeat his main targets, the X-Men, so he creates the "X-Sentinels", android doubles of Professor X and the original X-Men. However, his androids manage only inferior imitations of the X-Men's powers, and are easily defeated by the real X-Men. Jean Grey then telekinetically forces Lang to crash his mini-gunship into a wall-screen.^[1] He is left in a coma with severe brain damage.^[3]

Afterwards, Lang's brain is used as a template for the minds of two Sentinels, Master Mold and Conscience, both of whom are destroyed in an attempt to release a virus which would have killed all mutants and roughly 97% of normal humans on Earth.^[4]

Years later, Lang returns as a member of the Phalanx, a group of humans who had been transformed into techno-organic human-alien hybrids. The transformation process restores Lang's mind, and he becomes the Phalanx's leader.^[5] Lang is the only one within the Phalanx to retain his individual human identity, possibly due to the brain damage. While he is ardent in his desire to see mutants eradicated, he comes to realize the Phalanx are a danger to humans as well. He conspires with the X-Men to destroy the Phalanx citadel on Earth, following which he is dragged to his apparent death by his lieutenant Cameron Hodge.^[6]

Lang's corpse is exhumed by the Purifiers and reanimated by Bastion using Technarch. He joins a group formed by the foremost anti-mutant leaders under Bastion's control.^[7] During the Second Coming storyline, Lang and Graydon Creed are killed by Hope Summers.^[8]

Powers and abilities

As a normal human being, Stephen Lang had no superhuman powers. However, he was a genius and pioneer in the field of robotics, with adequate financial resources to fund his operations.

As a member of the Phalanx, he had all of the characteristics of a techno-organic life form: enhanced strength, durability, and agility, ability to re-shape corporeal form at will, and to infect other beings with the techno-organic virus and control infected beings.

Other versions

In the 2009-2010 miniseries X-Men Noir, Lang is a fictional character and lead for Bolivar Trask's pulp sci-fi series, "The Sentinels", who seeks to protect humanity from mutants.^[9]

In other media

General William Kincaid (a character similar to Steven Lang) appears in X-Men Legends, voiced by John DiMaggio. Under his campaign "Operation Vigilance", he planned to use the Graviton metal to crash Asteroid M into New York to blame the deaths and destruction on mutants for revenge. He later utilized his "Master Mold Armor" hidden inside Asteroid M but was defeated and arrested.