Tyroc was created by writer Cary Bates and artist Mike Grell and first appeared in Superboy #216 (April 1976), a year before Black Lightning, another prominent black superhero in DC Comics. Tyroc’s real name is Troy Stewart, and he is a descendant of African slaves who were transported to a mysterious island called Marzal in the 18th century. Marzal is a highly advanced society that exists in a separate dimension and only appears on Earth once every several years. Tyroc is the leader of Marzal and can create various effects with his reality-warping screams, such as pyrokinesis, telekinesis, teleportation, weather manipulation, and more.

Tyroc joined the Legion of Superheroes in the 30th century after meeting Superboy and helping him defeat a villain called Grimbor. Tyroc was initially reluctant to join the Legion, as he felt his duty was to protect Marzal and its people from the outside world. He also had conflicts with other Legionnaires, such as Lightning Lad and Wildfire, who did not appreciate his racial separatist views. However, Tyroc eventually became a loyal and respected team member and participated in many missions and battles against foes like Mordru, the Fatal Five, the Dark Circle, and others.

One of the little-known facts about Tyroc is that he initially intended to be a much different character than what he turned out to be. According to Mike Grell, who co-created Tyroc with Cary Bates, he wanted to introduce a black character into the Legion for a long time but was prevented by then-editor Murray Boltinoff. When he finally got the chance to create Tyroc, he was disappointed by the concept of Marzal and Tyroc’s powers, which he found racist and silly. He also gave Tyroc a ridiculous costume inspired by Elvis Presley’s Las Vegas outfit and a pimp’s attire. Grell later said he regretted creating Tyroc and was “sort of a sore spot” with him.

Another little-known fact about Tyroc is that he was one of the few Legionnaires who did not appear during Paul Levitz’s initial 15-year run on the Legion (from 1977 to 1989). Levitz said that he thought Tyroc was “just such a stupid character” and that a sound-based character was “intrinsically futile in a silent medium.” Tyroc was also absent from the Reboot Legion continuity in 1994, where he had no counterpart. He only appeared briefly as an urban legend in the Prime Legion continuity that started in 2004.

Tyroc’s comic book history took a turn for the better in the late 2000s when he was reintroduced by writer Jim Shooter and artist Francis Manapul in Action Comics #864 (June 2008). In this story, Tyroc returns to the Legion after being trapped in Limbo for years, along with other lost Legionnaires like Karate Kid and Princess Projectra. He also received a new costume that was more sleek and modern than his original one. Tyroc played a significant role in the Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds storyline (2008-2009), where he helped unite three different versions of the Legion against Superboy-Prime and his Legion of Super-Villains. He also displayed new aspects of his powers, such as creating sonic constructs and manipulating sound waves.

Tyroc’s comic book history continued in the Post-Rebirth Legion continuity that started in 2019, where he is still a member of the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st century. His new look resembles his Action Comics appearance but with more blue accents. He also has a unique personality that is more friendly and humorous than his previous incarnations. He is shown to have a close friendship with Bouncing Boy and a romantic interest in Saturn Girl.

Tyroc’s comic book history is not limited to comics alone. He has also appeared in other media, such as animated TV shows and movies. He made his animated debut in the Legion of Superheroes TV series (2006-2008), where Khary Payton voiced him. He appeared in two episodes: “Sundown” (Part 2) and “Dark Victory” (Part 2), where he helped the Legion fight against the Sun-Eater and Brainiac 1.0. He also appeared in the Justice League vs. the Fatal Five animated movie (2019), where Sumalee Montano voiced him. He had a minor role in the film, where he was seen fighting against the Fatal Five alongside other Legionnaires.