"ROBOT ON A RAMPAGE"
Real Name: None
Identity/Class: Robot (possibly extra-temporal)
Occupation: Lighthouse keeper's assistant
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: unnamed lighthouse keeper
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: A lighthouse, alternate future Earth
First Appearance: Tales To Astonish I#18/3 (April, 1961)
Powers/Abilities: The robot was designed to operate for ten years before needing an overhaul. It could scale walls, but was made of delicate materials, and did not appear to be stronger than an average human.
History: (Tales to Astonish I#18/3) - The robot was designed to assist a human lighthouse keeper in operating his lighthouse, but it turned against him, believing that robotic life was superior. The robot intended to turn off the lighthouse's light so that ships full of humans would dash themselves on the rocks, striking the first blow for a robotic revolution. The lighthouse keeper threw a blanket over the robot and tossed him out of the lighthouse, locking the door. The robot tried to break in but feared damaging itself, and could not scale to the top of the lighthouse without fear of falling.
The robot finally decided to simply wait outside the lighthouse until the keeper grew too weak to continue, knowing that his food supply was limited. After several days, the keeper finally weakened and left the lighthouse. The robot tried to claim the lighthouse, but found that he couldn't move-- after days on the rocks being splashed by water and exposed to the salty air, it had become so rusted that it could no longer move. The keeper declared that robots would never be superior to humans.
Comments: Created by Steve Ditko (and Stan Lee?).
This story was set "a few years in the future"...and probably still is, from an Earth-616 perspective. Robot lighthouse keepers remain an idle fantasy in the regular Marvel Universe.
The robot from this story -- "Robot on the Rampage!" -- should not be confused with the Supreme Calculator that appeared in the story in Journey Into Mystery I#51, also titled
"Robot on the Rampage!" Similar types of robots with a hatred for their creator can be found in Astonishing#24 (April, 1953) 2nd story-"Poor Wilbur!", Strange Tales I#22 (September, 1953) 2nd story--"What Happened On The Moon?" (Edward Sharp creator) human looking robot X-22 in Tales of Suspense I#32 (August, 1962) 3rd story (Silas Cragg creator) "The One Who Isn't Human" and Mystic#1 (March, 1951) The Hollow Men --4th story. Profile by
In the world of Tony Starks and Reed Richardses, I'm not so sure this is out
of line. We have probably hundreds of robots in the MU, and we even had some
back in the 1940s on Earth-616, so I don't see any reason to confirm it as
non-continuity. Not having read the story to confirm, I would place it as having
occurred in 1961 on Earth-616.
--Snood.
--John Kaminski
--Gammatotem
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Robot on a rampage should not be confused with:
The unnamed lighthouse keeper worked alongside the robot as his only companion, and had to prevent it from taking control of the lighthouse in order to start its revolution. Deprived of food, the keeper was waited out by the robot, but the keeper simultaneously waited for the robot to become so rusted that it could no longer threaten him.
--Tales to Astonish I#18/3
Images taken from:
Tales to Astonish I#18/3, page 19
Tales to Astonish I#18/3 I#51/5, page 21, panel 3
Last updated: 04/01/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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