MATRIX EIGHT
Membership: Gammadroid, Master of Matrix Eight, many unnamed operatives
Purpose: Accumulation of profit by developing and selling weapons
Affiliations: A.I.M., Hydra, the Maggia;
former members of the Nazi party, especially
Heinrich Zemo
Enemies: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hulk (Bruce Banner)
Base of Operations: Formerly bunkers beneath England
First Appearance: Captain America I#257 (May, 1981)
Powers/Weaponry: The members of Matrix Eight are normal men armed with handguns and anesthetic gas weapons. They had some combat experience, but were no match for Captain America at his fighting strength. Matrix Eight's base contained a number of weapons, including machine guns, heat-rays, acid pools, flame-throwers, anesthetic gas dispensers, and Adhesive X dispensers.
History:
(Captain America I#257 (fb) - BTS) - The future Master of Matrix Eight was the
former assistant of Heinrich Zemo.
(Captain America I#257 (fb) - BTS) - Matrix Eight was
established after World War II by fleeing war criminals. Having been privy to
many top-echelon Nazi secrets, these men claimed a large amount of the
unrecovered Nazi gold. With that gold they established a base, secreting bunkers
beneath England. The leader of the group twisted the symbol of Nazism, the
Swastika, to form the number eight, from which they took their name: Matrix
Eight.
Continuing their research, they developed and tested weapons,
selling them to the highest bidder--A.I.M., the Maggia, even Hydra.
(Captain America I#257 (fb) - BTS) - Agents of Matrix Eight observed Captain America's yearly journey to the cliffs of Northern England to pay his respects to Bucky.
(Captain America I#257) - Agents of Matrix Eight tracked Bruce Banner to a hotel in which he was staying. They ambushed him in his sleep, using gas to incapacitate him before he could become the Hulk.
(Captain America I#257 (fb) - BTS) - The agents brought Banner to Matrix Eight's base, where he was kept drugged. From their studies of the Hulk's power, they designed the Gammadroid.
(Captain America I#257) - Agents of Matrix Eight ambushed
Captain America while he stood over a Northern England cliff overlooking the
Atlantic, paying his respects on the anniversary of Bucky's apparent death. The
gas weakened him enough for the agents to finish him off, and he was taken to
Matrix Eight's base as well. Upon Cap's revival, the Master showed him around,
revealing his plan to test the Gammadroid against him; the Master hoped it would
slay Captain America, avenging Matrix Eight's beloved Baron Zemo. Having
recovered sufficiently from the gas, Captain America took off, avoiding a series
of attacks and death-traps until he located the drugged Banner. Cap slapped
Banner repeatedly until he became the Hulk, whom Cap goaded into attacking the
approaching Matrix Eight agents. Another trap doused the Hulk in Adhesive X,
trapping him, but Captain America smashed at the adhesive with his shield, all
the while taunting the Hulk until he became angry enough to shatter his bonds.
Cap then led the Hulk to fight the Gammadroid, which he rapidly disabled. When
another gas attack (apparently designed specifically for the Hulk, as Cap was
less affected) was used against them, Cap insulted the Hulk again, keeping him
awake long enough for him to smash open an escape hatch. Cap then carried the
unconscious Banner to safety.
As the base began to collapse from Captain America's
sabotage, the Master of Matrix Eight tried to take a container of the solvent to
Adhesive X with him, but shattered pipes showered him with Adhesive X just feet
away from the solvent. He remained trapped in place as the base exploded. It was
said that the Master of Matrix Eight was the only one to perish in the
explosion, but there was no evidence of any other members being captured.
Comments: Created by Mike W. Barr, Lee Elias, and M.
Hands.
Many Hands?
Sliding timescale causing aging problems: Assuming that the future Master of Matrix Eight was very young, say 18 years old in 1945 while he served Zemo, he would have been 53 years old when the story came out in 1981. In 2005, he would be 78, and he looked much too fit to be that age. Perhaps he had a little bit of the Compound X which retarded the Zemos' aging.
Magneto stole a large stash of the Nazi gold from Baron Strucker in Uncanny X-Men#161.
Good idea--after being successful for decades, working with impunity, go ahead and capture both the Hulk and Captain America out of the blue.
The Gammadroid is among the Gamma Mutates in World War Hulk: The Gamma Files.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Matrix Eight has no known connection to:
The Master of Matrix Eight has no known connections to:
The Gammadroid has no known connections to:
images: (not counting ads)
Captain America I#257, p3, panel 3 (agents)
p4, panel 4 (Master)
p6, panel 5 (Gammadroid)
Created by Matrix Eight based on the Hulk's metabolism, it was designed to be as powerful as the Hulk, but guided solely by the Master of Matrix Eight's will. Though it was undoubtedly powerful, the real Hulk made short work of it.
--Captain America I#257
Master
of Matrix Eight
Former assistant to Heinrich Zemo, he joined other Nazi war criminals in forming Matrix Eight. After years of designing and selling weapons with impunity he decided to get involved with the Hulk and Captain America, bringing a rapid end to his organization. For him, the ending was presumably fatal.
--Captain America I#257
Appearances:
Captain America I#257 (May, 1981) - Mike W. Barr (writer), Lee Elias (pencils), Mandy Hands (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Last updated: 05/03/05.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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