ROVER
Classification: Terrestrial combat vehicle
Creator: Dr. Henry Pym
Users/Possessors: Mad Viking, Dr. Henry Pym
First Appearance: West Coast Avengers II#21 (June, 1987)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: Rover was a VTOL craft capable of seating up to three people and possessing low-level sentience, programmed with the personality of a faithful dog, and based upon Korr, an ant who had once sacrificed his life to save Dr. Pym. Rover was energetic when it came to aiding Pym in his tasks, and always friendly and helpful.
Rover contained a flame thrower, acid spray, gas vent, smoke bombs, spotlight beam, magnetic grapples, legs used for scaling walls, and possessed two powerful tendrils fitted with grappling hooks which could lift several tons. Rover was often carried by Dr. Pym in his jumpsuit, shruken down in size.
History: (West Coast Avengers II#21) - Rover was designed by Dr. Pym when he reinvented himself as a "scientific adventurer," and was assisted by Espirita in its construction.
(West Coast Avengers II#22) - Dr. Pym took Rover on his first spin with Espirita, then returned to the Avengers Compound.
(West Coast Avengers II#23) - Pym journeyed to Four Freedoms Plaza with Espirita and Moon Knight in Rover. Rover remained close by while Pym aided Mr. Fantastic in rebuilding Dr. Doom's time machine, and was befriended by Franklin Richards, who comforted Rover when Dr. Pym traveled back in time to save his fellow Avengers.
(West Coast Avengers II#26) - Pym took Rover out to Stark Enterprises to test its abilities against Iron Man. Rover managed to snare Iron Man with its grappling arms, but he was able to disrupt Rover with his unibeam. Rover promised to remember the lessons it had learned from Iron Man that day.
(Solo Avengers#8) - Rover brought Pym to Los Angeles so that he could meet with law enforcement officials. It then brought him back to Avengers Compound so that he could work in his lab. Rover was anxious to see some action, rather than sit around while Pym worked, and was glad to transport him where he believed a crime would be committed. When Dr. Nemesis appeared, Rover assisted Pym in battle, and they ultimately defeated the villain.
(Web of Spider-Man#46) - Pym piloted Rover to Shriver Cove, Massachusetts to investigate a message from Spider-Man to the Avengers requesting his aid in releasing the town's residents from the control of a drug administered to them by Nekra which caused them to become her "Cult of Hate."
(Avengers Annual#18) - Rover flew Pym and Tigra into battle with the U-Man and his Atlantean forces during "Atlantis Attacks."
(Avengers West Coast#58) - When an earthquake struck Los Angeles, Dr. Pym set out in Rover to help rescue civilians and sift through the wreckage.
(Avengers West Coast#60) - Dr. Pym used Rover to help stabilize a lighthouse, using its magnetic grapples to support the structure until Iron Man and Wonder Man could reinforce it with braces. Later, Rover carried Dr. Pym into battle against Magneto, and managed to distract him so that Iron Man could strike Magneto down.
(Avengers West Coast#61) - Rover carried Dr. Pym into battle against the Black Knight, who had been summoned by Immortus to serve in the Legion of Unliving. The Black Knight crashed Rover with a blast from his lance.
(Avengers West Coast#63) - Rover transported Dr. Pym, the Wasp, and Anne Raymond as they searched Los Angeles for the Human Torch. When they found him battling the Living Lightning, Rover blasted him with acid, but the Living Lightning shrugged it off with his aura, and crashed Rover with a blast of electricity. Dr. Pym evacuated Rover, then threw a cable to the Human Torch which he threw at the Living Lightning. It resulted in grounding the Living Lightning, causing him to dissipate. The feedback destroyed Rover.
(Avengers West Coast#65) - Rebuilt and miniaturized, Rover was carried by Henry Pym in his coat pocket when he and the Wasp rented a car and took a drive somewhere north of San Luis Obispo. When their car had a flat tire, the two stopped at a farmhouse to borrow a jack, but discovered Ultron-13's Andrones. Dr. Pym enlarged Rover, and the two flew back to Avengers Compound. (Tales To Astonish III#1) - Rover transported Dr. Pym and the Wasp in Norway as they searched for Knut Caine. When Caine became possessed by power from Loki, he took control of Rover, reshaping the vehicle to attack Pym. Caine then briefly used Rover as his steed.
(Captain America I#436-437) - Rover transported Giant-Man and Keith Kincaid out to Sandhaven, Arizona, to retrieve Captain America before his health deserted him. Giant-Man loaded Captain America aboard Rover, then flew him to Stark Enterprises for treatment.
Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott.
Tales to Astonish III#1 was published years after Rover's destruction, but I kind of got the impression that it was meant to have occurred a short time in the past. Or maybe not because Rover was rebuilt by Pym shortly after it was destroyed. The Rover seen in Captain America I#436-437 looks nothing like Rover did in its West Coast Avengers days-- it looks more like a Quinjet.
Thanks to John Kaminski for adding the missed appearance in AWC#65. by
CLARIFICATIONS: Images taken from:
First Posted: 01/10/2005 Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
Rover should not be confused with:
West Coast Avengers II#21, page 19, panel 2
West Coast Avengers II#22-23 (July-August, 1987) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Kim DeMulder (#22) & Romeo Tanghal (#23) (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#26 (November, 1987) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Mike Machlan (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Solo Avengers#8 (July, 1988) - Mike W. Barr (writer), Larry Alexander (pencils), Jose Marzan (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Web of Spider-Man#46 (January, 1989) - Richard Howell (writer/pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Avengers Annual#18 (1989) - Michael Higgins (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#58 (May, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coas#60-61 (July-August, 1990) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Paul Ryan (pencils), Dan Bulanadi (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#63 (October, 1990) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Paul Ryan (pencils), Dan Bulanadi (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#65 (December, 1990) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Paul Ryan (pencils), Dan Bulanadi (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Tales To Astonish III#1 (December, 1994) - Peter David (writer), John Estes (artist), Mark McLaurin (editor)
Captain America I#436-437 (February-March, 1995) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Last updated: 07/23/2005
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