Rocksteady was first introduced in the series as Ivan Steranko, a Russian arms dealer and artifact collector with a gold tooth, a diamond right eye, and armed with a pair of brass knuckles (which have a picture of the Soviet hammer and sickle on each), who is an old friend and business partner of the Shredder's. Steranko is known to have Excalibur, the Spear of Destiny, Alexander the Great's armor, tanks, a polar bear hunting trophy, and a taxidermy rhinoceros in his collection and the ability to tell the difference between a fake artifact and a real one. He first appeared in "Enemy of My Enemy," where he met with Shredder for a weapons deal. Shredder didn't seem to trust him very well, and had the cargo searched just in case Steranko was pulling any tricks. During the Turtles' fight with Shredder, Steranko got knocked out by the weapon that was being sold to the Foot Clan. In "A Chinatown Ghost Story," it was mentioned that Steranko would pay the Purple Dragons through the roof for the Mystic Dagger.