THE HUMAN ROBOT

Real Name: None

Identity/Class: Artificial life-form (robot)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: G-Men

Affiliations: Gorilla-Man, Marvel Boy, Venus, Jimmy Woo

Enemies: Yellow Claw

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: San Francisco, California

First Appearance: Menace#11 (May, 1954)

Powers/Abilities: The Human Robot was composed of artificial materials, making it superhumanly durable and strong (class 10?). It could also absorb and release electricity. Its capabilities were limited by its incredibly literal programming, which forced it to do only what it was commanded to.

History: (Menace#11)- The Human Robot was built by an unnamed scientist, under the guidance of his business manager. The scientist programmed the robot so that it would only respond to commands given on its secret frequency. He tested the robot out, ordering it to pick up a chair, and the robot did so-- but then lifted another chair, unable to differentiate between plural and singular. The scientist deactivated the robot for later work.

That evening, the business manager broke into the lab and set the robot up so that he could control it. He was tired of the scientist, who refused to speed up the robot's production, and believed that it was already set for release to the public.

The following day, the scientist was about to install a regulator to control the robot, when the manager ordered the robot to "kill the man in the room"; it did so, strangling its creator. The manager entered, pleased-- and then the robot strangled him. It then set off to find more men in rooms to strangle.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and John Romita.

In Thunderbolts I#29, Machine Man had a bust of the Human Robot's head on his mantel, next to Ultron and Robotman (of DC's Doom Patrol).

Human Robot in What if I#9:

(What If I#9 (fb))- However, it did not get far, and fell into the sea where it was short-circuited by water.

(What If I#9)- Some time later, it was found by Namora while searching for her lost cousin, the Sub-Mariner. She helped the 3-D Man recover it from the sea so that it could serve as a member of the Avengers, a team of superhumans being gathered by Jimmy Woo of the FBI. Just as the 3-D Man returned the robot to the surface, he was distracted by the goddess Venus, and the Human Robot came back to life, still following its order to kill. Fortunately, Venus was able to halt its attack by using her power of love upon it. The final two members of the Avengers, Marvel Boy and Gorilla-Man, then arrived, and Marvel Boy set about to repair the Human Robot and install a regulator. When the process was complete, the Human Robot was welcomed into the Avengers.

After learning from Suwan (niece of the Yellow Claw) that Jimmy Woo and President Ike Eisenhower had been captured by the Yellow Claw, the Avengers set off to combat him and his team of superhuman villains. The Human Robot smashed an opening into the Yellow Claw's base, but was almost immediately frozen solid by the Cold Warrior. However, the 3-D Man tricked Electro into blasting the Human Robot with a stray jolt of electricity, and the robot was freed. It confronted Electro and absorbed some of the power then released it back at him, short-circuiting him. The President and Woo were both rescued, and Woo set after the Yellow Claw, only to find a dummy planted with a bomb in his place. The 3-D Man pulled Woo to safety while the Human Robot took the brunt of the blast. The 3-D Man feared that the robot had been destroyed, but it survived. The Yellow Claw, meanwhile, escaped.

Afterwards, the President disbanded the Avengers, afraid that their presence would upset the American public. The Human Robot's fate since then is not known.

A note on the Avengers of the 1950's (Earth-9904): In the Avengers Forever limited series they were seemingly ret-conned out of existence. However, in a personal communication with Kurt Busiek (on Avengers Message Board), he specifically stated that he did not wipe the Avengers of the 1950s from existence. One alternate timeline containing them was wiped out. The group may well have existed in the mainstream past, but they just weren't called the Avengers. He suggested the name: "The G-Men".

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Human Robot should not be confused with:

• Human Computer, (Chip?) - Hostess ad, criminal, wore costume to appear to be a robot, exposed and defeated by Spider-Man
• The Human Robot, Gammus, an alien who placed his mind in a robot, @ Tales Of Suspense I#5

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

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