THE RULER OF EARTH
Real Name: Ruler of the Earth
Identity/Class: Artificial life-form (extra-temporal?)
Occupation: Ruler of the Earth
Affiliations: None
Affiliations: the United Nations
Enemies: Communists
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: R.O.E.
Base of Operations: R.O.E.'s palace, atop a mountain peak
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#81 (June, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: The Ruler of Earth is an immense computing machine, shaped like a man. Although it is apparently unable to move from its palace, its arms and head can be manipulated. R.O.E. possesses incredible calculating abilities, and uses these abilities to direct the population of Earth in how to best use its resources.
History: (Journey into Mystery I#81) - In the year 1990, the United Nations determined that to solve the Earth's problems, they would devise a machine with amazing calculating abilities which could solve their problems for them. They decided to make it in the form of a man, so that the people of the Earth would accept it as their governor.
After months of work, "R.O.E." was completed, set atop a mountain, and housed within a palace, with directions to never solve its problems with war, and to believe itself to be inferior to men so that it would have no personal ambitions.
Soon, R.O.E. set to work, and the United Nations followed its directions, bringing rivers to villages, directing farmers in how much food to grow, and military bases slowly dismantled. However, a band of Communists who loathed the new world order created a device with which they could control R.O.E. themselves. Overpowering the Ruler of Earth's guards, they placed the device into R.O.E., and commanded R.O.E. to be their partner and assist them in the conquest of Earth. They set out to capture Andre Dubois, a prominent member of the UN, but were captured by UN soldiers alerted to their actions by R.O.E.
The attempt to subvert R.O.E. failed, thanks to the machine's own humility-- it rejected the Communists' desire for power, greed and deceit, because (unlike mankind) the Ruler of Earth possessed no evil.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
When this story was reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #25, the Communists were replaced with agents of Hydra (actually, I'm assuming they were Communists in the original-- in the other cases of retconned Hydra agents I know of, the originals were Commies).
Given that this is obviously not set on Earth-616 (last I checked, the Avengers took their UN orders from people, not a big machine), you have to wonder why someone decided to change them into Hydra agents at all.
Big thanks to MD Carter for letting me borrow this image from his website, The Monsters of Jack Kirby.
by
CLARIFICATIONS: Appearances: Last updated: 02/23/03
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
The Ruler of Earth should not be confused with:
Journey into Mystery I#81 (June, 1962) - Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Where Monsters Dwell#25 (November, 1973) - reprint
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!
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