| Character Name: | Steven Lang |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Debut: | The X-Men #96 (December 1975) |
| Creators: | Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum |
| Species: | Human Cyborg |
| Alliances: | Purifiers Human Council Phalanx Project: Armageddon Department of Defense |
| Aliases: | Master Mold, Template |
| Powers: | 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 robots called Sentinels. He first appeared in The X-Men #96.
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 and its resources, and is backed by Ned Buckman and the "Council of the Chosen", 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. He is left in a coma with severe brain damage.[3] During this time, Lang's brain is used as a template for the minds of two Sentinels, Conscience and a new Master Mold, 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 of 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 a 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]
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.
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]