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MACHINESMITH

Real Name: Samuel Saxon

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Security consultant at Ant-Man Security Solutions; former criminal, cybernetics expert, terrorist

Group Membership: Ant-Man Security Solutions;
    formerly Demi-Men, Masters of Evil (Black Mamba, Cardinal/Don Clendonen, Crimson Cowl/Justine Hammer, Cyclone/Pierre Fresson, Gypsy Moth/Sybil Dvorak, Hydro-Man, Man-Killer/Katrina Van Horn), Skeleton Crew (Blackwing/Joe Manfredi, Crossbones/Brock Rumlow, Cutthroat, Jack O’Lantern/Steven Levins, Minister Blood, Mother Night/Susan Scarbo, Sleeper, Voice/Jason Cragg), Super-Villains Anonymous

Affiliations: Air-Walker (Gabriel), Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Awesome Android, Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo), Beetle (Janice Lincoln), Andy Bhang, Bongert, Bethany Cabe, Captain America (Sam Wilson), Mr. Carnation, Jonathan Cayre, Codename: Bravo, Dr. Doom, Doughboy, Dragon Man, Friday, Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra), Grizzly (Max Markham), Growing Man, Justin Hammer, H.E.R.B.I.E., Hijacker, Jocasta, Kingpin, Lagraves, Cassie Lang, Leaman, Loki, Machine Man (Aaron Stack), Magician, Mandarin, Mark One (Tony Stark A.I.), Mesmero, Tristram Micawber, Miss Patriot (Mary Morgenstern), Ms. Thing (Darla Deering), Mystique, Overdrive, Quasimodo, Power Broker, Pucci, Queen Hydra, Rankin, Robo-Buccaneers, Sentry #459, Serpent Society, Shadow Council (Jacob Erskine, Director Thorndrake), She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Sleeper, Stingray (Walter Newell), Stilt-Man (Wilbur Day), Super-Adaptoid, Taskmaster, Tess-One, Tinkerer (Phineas Mason), Tommy, Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian), the Voice, Whirlwind (David Cannon);
    formerly Biggie Benson, Iron Man (Tony Stark)

Enemies: Aja, Professor Amtower, Arsenal (Howard Stark A.I.), Avengers (Beast/Henry McCoy, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Quasar/Wendell Vaughn, Sersi, Vision), Biggie Benson, Bullseye, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Bullseye, Bethany Cabe, Captain Barracuda, Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter, Charlie, Augustine Cross, Darren Cross, Crossfire (William Cross), Lorna Dane, Dave, Diamondback (Rachel Leighton), El Cazador (Mariel Ortiz), Excalibur (Captain Britain/Brian Braddock, Meggan, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/Rachel Summers, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde), Falcon (Sam Wilson), Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards), Grace, Hellfire Club (Selene), Iron Legion, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Iron Man (Arno Stark), John Jameson, Edwin Jarvis, Joe, Kaz, Kingpin, Willie Lincoln, Madame Menace (Sunset Bain A.I.), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Mistress (Maria Stark A.I.), New Warriors (Blackwing/Barnell Bohusk, Decibel/Jonothan Starsmore, Night Thrasher/Donyell Taylor, Phaser/Christian Cord, Ripcord, Skybolt/Vin Stewart, Tempest/Angel Salvatore, Wondra/Jubilation Lee), Michael O'Brien, Karen Page, Plant-Man, Resistants, Dr. Roberts, Marianne Rogers, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), S.H.I.E.L.D. (Peggy Carter, Dum-Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, Gabriel Jones), Fabian StankowitzSchutz-Heiliggruppe (Blitzkrieger, Hauptmann Deutschland, Zeitgeist), Thunderbolts (Amazon/Katrina Van Horn, Blackheath, Cyclone/Pierre Fresson, Harrier/Don Clendonon, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Skein, Songbird), Thing (Ben Grimm), Wizard (Bentley Wittman), Yancy Street Gang, X-Men (Angel/Warren Worthington, Beast/Henry McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Danger, Emma Frost, Iceman, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey)

Known Relatives: Unidentified father, unidentified mother (deceased); created the following robots: Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, Colossus, Demi-Men, Anita Erskine, Iron Man, Ken, Magneto, Manipulator, Max, Namor, Norm, Plastoid, Red Skull, Myron Smith, Spider-Man, Thing, Thor, Wonder Man, many others

Aliases: M@chinesmith, Starr Saxon, Mr. Fear, Smith

Base of Operations: Mobile across the USA, notably New York City

First Appearance: (Saxon) Daredevil I#49 (February, 1969); (Mr. Fear) Daredevil I#54 (July, 1969); (Machinesmith) Marvel Two-In-One I#47 (January, 1979)

Powers/Abilities: Saxon is a vast self-taught cybernetic and robotics genius, paralleled by nearly none in his field. Machinesmith's electronic consciousness, which exists in a unique form of electronic sentience, can inhabit any electronic device, and can also exist partially in various forms. In his standard robot body, he has super human strength, stamina and reflexes. His standard form has been known to have telescoping limbs, infrared vision and other capabilities. In other forms, he has used energy-absorbing capabilities, electronic tentacles, vast super strength, many offensive weaponry add-ons, and nearly any conceivable form of electronic capability. Machinesmith's many forms have included an army of robots, a car, a giant robotic snake, a computer screen, and even the "nuclear football" of the US Government. Machinesmith often inhabited the body of the fourth Sleeper, and he utilized its ability to turn intangible and fire rays from its eyes. Machinesmith's form has often been destroyed, but he easily beams his consciousness into a new form; he has successfully been blocked from transferring his consciousness when the system he inhabits has been blocked from doing so, by a stasis field generator, or when satellite coverage of an area blocks such wireless transfers. Machinesmith is virtually indestructible due to his ability to constantly inhabit new forms and build new bodies for himself. His sanity, however, sometimes seems in question. Machinesmith once used the electric responses of the human brain to download Captain America's memories onto an electronic coin, but this caused Machinesmith great pain. Machinesmith briefly controlled the body of the X-Men’s Danger. 

   Machinesmith once developed technology that could download human consciousnesses into computer format, and upload human consciousnesses into other human bodies; he caused Bullseye to take over She-Hulk's body for a time, and he created copies of both Bullseye and She-Hulk.

    Machinesmith has designed many robots, from the very simple to the very complex. Many of the robots are capable of feeling emotions and processing them. Many have replicated the powers of others, such as Air-Walker or Magneto. His robots have utilized all kinds of offensive weaponry and they come in all sizes, but most of them are small and human in form. Some robots have been able to manipulate the memories of others, generate holograms, increase their size and strength, to track others through scent-laced photographs, and one even had a nuclear warhead built inside.

    As Mr. Fear, Saxon utilized a repello-ray, a hover platform, and fear pellets that inspired the greatest fears in the hearts of others.

    As Starr Saxon, he wielded robots, a handgun, and a vial of liquid nitrogen. 

Height: Variable (customarily 6'1'')
Weight: Variable (customarily 295 lbs.)
Eyes: Variable (customarily green, originally brown)
Hair: Variable (customarily red (balding), originally brown)

Starr Saxon

History:

(Captain America I#368/2 (fb) - BTS) - Samuel Saxon's personal account: "I was a mere lad of fourteen when I saw him... my first robot. It was one of Doctor Doom's Servobots, abandoned in a subway tunnel after an altercation with the Fantastic Four... It wasn't easy, but I managed to cart the 'bot home to Queens, New York, piece by piece. Setting up a workshop in my Pop's garage, I spent long hours... days... weeks... months... taking that thing apart, scrutinizing every nook and cranny, diagramming every single circuit! Within a year, I began to work on an automaton from scratch. My mother thought my passion for metal unhealthy, and threatened to throw my beloved creation away... but she met with a laboratory accident... Anyway, the insurance money was most welcome... For the next five years I worked on robot after robot, each one more sophisticated than the last... Somehow... the Tinkerer heard of me, and took me under his wing for a time.. Tinky's underworld connections helped me land a lucrative commission..."

(X-Men I#52 (fb) - BTS/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 - Mesmero) - Saxon built several robots for Mesmero, including the mutant-themed Demi-Men and a magnetic-powered Magneto.

 (X-Men I#49 – BTS) - Mesmero, in San Francisco, called forth his Demi-Men, used a machine to awaken latent mutants, and sent the Demi-Men out to battle the X-Men should they arrive. They were soon in full battle with Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl, and the X-Men were shocked to learn their ally Lorna Dane was a mutant.

(X-Men I#50 – BTS) - Mesmero crowned Dane his queen of the mutants, and he used her to battle the X-Men, who'd been captured by the Demi-Men. The heroes were shocked when Magneto (secretly a robot) revealed himself.

(X-Men I#51 – BTS) – The Magneto robot tried convincing Dane she was his daughter, and ordered Mesmero and the Demi-Men back into battle after Cyclops punched him. As some of the Demi-Men were defeated, Magneto sent a tornado of shrapnel at the heroes, then he slowly began torturing Marvel Girl and Angel. The Demi-Men, joining hands and increasing their strength, held off the others until Cyclops collapsed the ceiling on all of them. The X-Men fled, leaving Magneto (who claimed to now have paralyzed legs), the Demi-Men, Dane, and Mesmero behind.

(X-Men I#52) – Mesmero’s base was attacked by Erik the Red (Cyclops in disguise) and he sent Mesmero and the Demi-Men fleeing. Erik convinced the still wounded Magneto and Dane to let him join them, and though he cautioned Dane about trust he put Erik in charge of the Demi-Men. When the X-Men arrived, Erik was exposed as Cyclops, and they defeated Mesmero and the Demi-Men again. Magneto sent Dane against the X-Men, but she joined them in defeating the villains. Magneto disappeared, self-destructing the base behind him.

(Daredevil I#49 (fb) – BTS) – Robotics expert Starr Saxon developed a new robot that could track its target through a sense of smell. He learned to upload a photograph (made from chemically-treated paper that contained odoriferous elements) to the robot’s scentolator, which would allow the robot to track the target. He also equipped the robot with a numeric screen which would indicate, by numbers, the rate of the robot’s operational efficiency. The higher the number, the greater the robot’s power, and any number below five meant automatic adjustment would be necessary. Saxon was eager to test his new robot on a target, so he gladly accepted Biggie Benson’s contract to send it after Daredevil.

(Daredevil I#50 (fb) – BTS) – Saxon also equipped the robot with the ability to, in emergencies, increase his size and power for a limited time.

(Daredevil I#49 (fb)) – Saxon met with Benson, who was in jail, and settled the price. He then eagerly sent the robot out against Daredevil.

(Daredevil I#49 – BTS) – The robot battled Daredevil as Matt Murdock, then as Daredevil.

(Daredevil I#50) – While Saxon prepared more photographs and planned to have the robot help him gain control of a criminal empire, the robot grew to giant size and its memory banks were damaged. Daredevil followed the robot back to Saxon’s headquarters. Saxon desperately threw a vial of liquid phosphorous at the hero, then scrambled to upload another photo of Daredevil into the robot. In his haste, he uploaded Biggie Benson instead and the robot moved to kill the criminal. Saxon confessed his mistake to Daredevil, who rushed off after the robot. Saxon escaped while he could.

(Daredevil I#51) – Saxon sought to destroy his robot, which he called the Plastoid, before it could be traced to him. He was able to track a valuable component from the robot, which had come loose during its battle with Matt Murdock in his apartment. Saxon activated the device, which he hoped would cause the robot to explode, but it didn’t work. He looked around the apartment and discovered that Murdock and Daredevil must be the same person. Figuring that Murdock was feigning his blindness, Saxon quickly approached Murdock on the street and revealed that he knew he was Daredevil, then Saxon rushed off. Saxon then followed Murdock to a restaurant, from which Murdock soon rushed off, sick and disoriented. Saxon approached Murdock’s date, Karen Page, and claimed to be a friend of Murdock’s. Page went with Saxon willingly.

Mr. Fear

(Daredevil I#52) – Saxon returned Page to Murdock’s apartment and, at gunpoint, tied her up. He explained that Daredevil would come to rescue her and he would kill the hero. She claimed that the original Daredevil was Murdock’s brother, Mike, and that the new one had no connection to Daredevil. When Saxon thought he saw Daredevil standing outside, he untied Page so that she could call for help. He was shocked when the Black Panther (T’Challa) entered instead. He used Page as a hostage until Daredevil burst in and disarmed Saxon, who reached for the gun but was disarmed again. Saxon briefly feigned unconsciousness until the police and Dr. Roberts entered. When Roberts tried examining Saxon, Saxon suddenly seized his throat, grabbed his gun, then tossed Roberts aside. Saxon made the heroes promise not to follow, then escaped through the window, his gun aimed the entire time. Daredevil pursued him and resisted Saxon’s gunfire, dropping Saxon to the ground. Saxon convinced the hero to let him go, knowing Daredevil wouldn’t kill him and that Daredevil had no evidence that Saxon had committed any crimes. Daredevil vowed that Saxon would pay.

(Daredevil I#55 (fb) – BTS) – Saxon came across Zoltan Drago, the notorious Mr. Fear, an old foe of Daredevil’s. Saxon killed Drago and stole his Fear costume and remaining fear-inducing pellets.

(Captain America I#368/2 (fb) - BTS) - Tinkerer helped Saxon design new weaponry for Mr. Fear's arsenal.

(Daredevil I#55 (fb) – BTS) – Saxon had secretly placed Drago’s fear pellets in Daredevil’s billy club for later use. He decided to costume himself as Mr. Fear.

(Daredevil I#54) – Despite claims that Matt Murdock had been killed, Mr. Fear challenged Daredevil to a public fight in the zoo, promising to give $100,000 to charities if the hero agreed to do so. At the arranged time, with the press standing by, Mr. Fear entered on a hover platform. Daredevil hit Fear and leapt on the platform, then Fear fired his new repello-ray, knocking the hero off and into the polar bear cage. As Daredevil tried using his billy club to climb aboard the platform, Fear gestured toward the hero and caused him to fall in fright.

(Daredevil I#55) – Fear followed Daredevil, watching him wander the streets in fear and defeat. He used his technology and fear powers to rob several over the following hours, amassing a fortune. He tried robbing an armored truck, but the driver drove quickly and tried to shake Fear off. He used his repello-ray gun as a flare, causing the driver to crash, with guards Charlie and Dave in the back. Daredevil attacked and Fear found his gun jammed, so he summoned his platform and tried escaping. Daredevil used his billy club to land on the platform, immune to the fear (as he’d discovered the pellets in his club). Daredevil told Fear that he knew about Drago and unmasked Fear as Saxon. Saxon lunged for Daredevil’s club, but fell from his platform and was killed in the fall.

(Captain America I#249 (fb) - BTS) - Just before he died, Saxon's robots found him, returned him to his lab, and uploaded his consciousness into an electronic body, obeying their directive to preserve him at all costs. Disoriented and despairing at his new body, he threw himself into creating new self-sustaining models and robots, including robots of Baron Strucker and the Manipulator.

(Marvel Two-In-One I#47 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith was hired by the Corporation to build robots for them. Instead, he put together a complex plot that would get him the secrets of Reed Richards, destroy the Fantastic Four, and ultimately put him in charge of the Corporation.  He hired Mr. Carnation and his gang, including Rocky, to force the Yancy Street Gang (YSG) into building the robots. He surmised that the Yancy Street Gang would ask the Thing for help, then planned to capture the Thing and turn him against the FF.

(Marvel Two-In-One I#47) – As planned, the Thing flew out to help the YSG after they contacted him. Carnation rushed to Machinesmith, who had been monitoring the street with cameras and already knew of the Thing’s arrival. Machinesmith blew up Thing’s aircraft with surface-to-air missiles, then hit him with bright headlights and streetlamps to blind him before firing high-powered water jets at him. Thing dug into the street to stop the water, but hit a prepared main full of stun gas instead. Then several automations attacked Thing as the YSG rushed to aid him, fighting Carnation’s gang. The automations hit the hero with electric shocks, defeating him, and the YSG was soon captured as well.

(Marvel Two-In-One I#48) – Wanting to prove his worth to the Corporation, Machinesmith sent a letter to lure in their enemy Jack of Hearts. Thing soon woke up pinned to a cross-bar that would send electric shocks to the captive YSG if he tried to escape. Machinesmith placed an alpha-wave helmet on Thing and brain-washed him into obeying his every order. He forced Thing to show off his strength, and tested the depth by having a man blow smoke in his face. Machinesmith was then sent to battle Jack of Hearts aboard a yacht, where Jack was busy battling another group of automations. While the two heroes battled, the YSG managed to escape again and defeat Carnation’s mob. Jack of Hearts soon managed to knock Thing out, freeing him from the alpha-waves. A member of the YSG hit Machinesmith, who crumpled to the ground. Thing soon learned Machinesmith was only a robot himself when his head rolled off his body.

(She-Hulk Annual I#1 (fb) ) - Years ago, Machinesmith held a meeting with She-Hulk, seeking to hire an attorney that would help him claim his possessions from when he was human, including his old dog, but she said he was legally dead since becoming a robot. Bullseye approached Machinesmith, asking for help with hacking into one of Mr. Fantastic's machines, one which would download the minds of various heroes. Bullseye wanted Machinesmith to upload Bullseye's brain into the form of She-Hulk.

(She-Hulk Annual I#1 (fb) ) - Machinesmith watched Mr. Fantastic hold a meeting with She-Hulk, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thing, and he did the brain swap when She-Hulk put the machine on. Machinesmith stored a copy of She-Hulk's mind in his computer, unaware that she would take over a copy of his own body. As Bullseye struggled to adapt to She-Hulk's form, Machinesmith saw She-Hulk in a robot form attack Bullseye, who swiftly realized that his mind had only been copied into She-Hulk's form and that he also still controlled his own body. As Machinesmith double-crossed Bullseye and planned to claim the reward himself, She-Hulk knocked out both Bullseyes, then restored their minds to their true forms, and Bullseye swiftly destroyed the computer version of his mind, though She-Hulk defeated him there. Because of the complex adventure, She-Hulk represented Machinesmith in court and got him his possessions back, but she also prosecuted him for his recent crimes and saw him go to jail.

(Marvel Super-Heroes III#2/2 – BTS) – Machinesmith designed Ken, a robot capable of feeling emotion, for Mystique, but Ken was ultimately destroyed.

(Excalibur: Air Apparent I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith experimented with Galactus' former robotic herald, Air-Walker, and created a new Air-Walker prototype. Machinesmith also appropriated an LMD robot, enhanced it with deadly arsenal and super strength, called it Norm, and turned it over to Dr. Jonathan Cayre.

(Excalibur: Air Apparent I#1 - BTS) - Excalibur (Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), Meggan, Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), Phoenix (Rachel Summers), Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde)) defeated Norm and Cayre. 

(Captain America I#249 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith established a headquarters deep beneath an old barn. Je also obtained the Air-Walker robot and kept it to experiment on. He put together a plan to end his own life. Since he couldn't do it himself, he figured he would manipulate Captain America into doing it for him.

(Captain America I#248 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith obtained the inert form of Dragon Man from where it had been left.

(Captain America I#247) - When Nick Fury interrogated the captive Strucker robot, Machinesmith watched it from afar as it fired off a gas grenade to escape. The robot battled Captain America and Dum-Dum Dugan, but when it was nearly defeated, Machinesmith triggered it to explode. He watched from his lab, where he had replicas of partial robots, including the Thing, Iron Man, the Manipulator, Spider-Man, and Magneto.

Attack of the Machinesmiths

(Captain America I#248) - Machinesmith continued monitoring through sensors in the robot's eyes as the heroes viewed the defunct robot, then triggered it to explode, leaving only a pile of slag. One active circuit was then triggered to fly back to Machinesmith. When it arrived, he eagerly downloaded all the data it contained, ordering his worker robots to deactivate after they brought in Dragon Man. He soon revived the beast, overcome with fury that he could no longer feel emotions. He grew angry when Dragon Man nearly attacked him, then he used a glowing ball to soothe the beast and make it fly away. When Captain America found Dragon Man, Machinesmith used the ball to give off a high-pitched wail, causing Dragon Man to attack the hero, nearly killing him.

(Captain America I#249) - After destroying the glowing ball, Cap tracked Dragon Man back to Machinesmith's headquarters. Machinesmith electrocuted Dragon Man, defeating it, but Captain America managed to destroy the electric balls he'd used. After revealing he himself was a robot and transferring into another body, Machinesmith ordered his robots to attack Cap, who swiftly defeated them. As they continued fighting, Machinesmith partially revealed his origins to the hero. Cap soon fought through an army of Machinesmiths and managed to destroy the central processing computer that contained Machinesmith's consciousness, which he'd hoped for all along. Before seemingly dying, he revealed he had wanted the hero to kill him.

(Thor I#305 - BTS) - Eventually Air-Walker reawakened in Machinesmith's destroyed barn and regained sentience.

(Captain America I#368/2 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith immediately awakened in a new body, but felt he had a new lease on life. Overcoming his despair, he now embraced his new form, which he felt was superior to organic life.

(Captain America I#368/2 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith was hired full-time by the Red Skull.

(Captain America I#351) - After S.H.I..E.L.D. was decommissioned, Machinesmith infiltrated the computer at their headquarters in an effort to commandeer private information. While he was still in the system, Captain America and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (Gabriel Jones, Dum-Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, and Peggy Carter) arrived to wipe the system clean. Machinesmith panicked when they uploaded a virus and took over several weapons systems, including Mandroids, to destroy the heroes. He evacuated when they destroyed the main computer.

(Captain America I#354 (fb) - BTS) - At the Red Skull's orders, Machinesmith found the site where the fourth Sleeper robot had been defeated, and where it floated in intangibility. Machinesmith made it tangible again, then inhabited its body.

(Captain America I#354) - Suspecting that Machinesmith was behind the S.H.I.E.L.D. attack, Captain America looked through his old base for signs of him, but struck out. He soon found the reactivated Sleeper and returned it to Avengers Island, where it was housed with deactivated robots Tess-One, Super-Adaptoid, Awesome Android, and Sentry #459. Cap and his aides Fabian Stankowicz, Michael O'Brien, and others tried moving the Sleeper, which suddenly reactivated and attacked. As Cap struggled against the machine in closed quarters, a collected head of Machinesmith began speaking and taunting the hero, claiming responsibility for this attack and the one at S.H.I.E.L.D., but Cap destroyed the head quickly. Cap soon hit the Sleeper with a stasis field generator, defeating the Sleeper and trapping Machinesmith inside it.

(Avengers I#311 – BTS/Avengers Annual I#19 (fb) – BTS) – When Avengers Island was destroyed, the Sleeper and the other robots escaped. The Avengers later surmised that Machinesmith commanded the Awesome Android to remain behind and cover their escape. The Sleeper then returned to the Red Skull.

(Captain America I#368) - Crossbones and Machinesmith found the Smith building abandoned, with several of Machinesmith's security robots left behind. Using his extending eye and arm, Machinesmith confirmed the cameras in the building weren't working and they suspected Magneto of kidnapping the Red Skull. An aggravated Crossbones listened to Machinesmith's plans to keep others from discovering this, and Machinesmith soon unveiled his new Red Skull robot, interrupting Crossbones' altercation with Rankin. Back in Machinesmith's lab, where partial robots of Colossus, Wonder Man, Thor, Namor, Thing, Iron Man, and others hung, as well as the broken Sleeper, Machinesmith figured he could use his old Magneto robot to flush the real Magneto out. Machinesmith took control of the Magneto robot and joined the Resistants' rally in Washington, D.C. Using technology to build a force field around the event, he waited until the news cameras were on him, then initiated an attack on the Resistants to get the real Magneto's attention. Captain America soon attacked instead and managed to defeat the robot, which Machinesmith abandoned.

(Captain America I#368/2) - While working on repairing the Sleeper robot, Saxon maniacally shared his own origins before pulling off his faceplate and kissing the robot.

(Avengers I#313 – BTS) – One of the Red Skull robots that Machinesmith had created fought with Dr. Doom while the Kingpin and Loki (in disguise) looked on. Later, when the Mandarin returned, Doom exploded, revealed to be a robot.

(Avengers West Coast I#55 – BTS) – The Wizard joined the others as the Red Skull robot examined the Doombot’s remains. Loki soon stood revealed and held the villains in stasis until the Avengers arrived and the villains rushed away.

(Avengers Annual I#19/2 (fb) – BTS) – Before he could get away, the Vision phased through the Red Skull robot, destroying it.

(Captain America I#369) - Getting word that the Red Skull may be a captive of the Hellfire Club, Crossbones assembled Machinesmith (in the repaired Sleeper robot), Mother Night, and the Voice as the Skeleton Crew to find him. They took a truck a few blocks from the building, entered the sewers through a manhole (that Sleeper had to smash through), and soon found the vault guarding the building. Machinesmith electronically opened it, then the Voice stopped the soldiers inside. Machinesmith scanned the inside cameras and determined the Red Skull wasn't there. As they were departing, the were attacked by Selene, who defeated the Voice easily, and she wasn't harmed when Crossbones shot her in the heart with an arrow. Sleeper batted her aside, then threw her into Captain America when he attacked, with Diamondback right behind him. Mother Night covered their escape with illusions.

(Captain America I#370) - The Skeleton Crew rushed into the Smith building, where Rankin went to get help for the Voice. They discussed their plans and leads on Magneto and determined they would hire psychic Tristram Micawber. The psychic soon led them to Bergen County, New Jersey to the grave where Red Skull had been buried alive, and Micawber had a heart attack while they dug Red Skull free. Back at Skull House, Crossbones pulled Red Skull's stretcher into his trophy room, and the Red Skull ordered that Captain America be brought to him. They soon led Cap and Diamondback there and Machinesmith taunted the duo with illusions, collapsing stairs, and replicas of the Sleeper robots. After seeing the Red Skull, the heroes left peacefully.

(Captain America I#376 – BTS) – Machinesmith sent a robot of the Red Skull to meet with Crossbones in New York .

(Captain America I#377 – BTS) – Machinesmith sent a robot double of the Red Skull into battle with the Kingpin, though it was killed by Bullseye.

(Captain America I#378) – Machinesmith stood by at Yankee Stadium while Red Skull fought Kingpin for control of the territory and lost. Meanwhile, Crossbones was defeated by Captain America in the bleachers.

(Avengers I#324/2 (fb) – BTS) – In an attempt to get the secrets of the Avengers for the Red Skull, Mother Night and Machinesmith staked out their mansion for two weeks and began studying their employees. Mother Night began mentally manipulating them one by one.

(Avengers I#323/2 – BTS) – Machinesmith, Mother Night, and Minister Blood waited outside Avengers Mansion as John Jameson, Peggy Carter, Michael O’Brien, Fabian Stankowitz, and Edwin Jarvis were called out by Mother Night.

(Avengers I#324/2) – Machinesmith watched as Mother Night and Minster Blood kept mentally manipulating the humans. They planned to take over the Avengers’ video monitors and deliver information to the Red Skull.

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(Avengers I#325) – The trio of villains monitored the Avengers, including Captain America , Quasar, Sersi and Vision, on the monitors, and were thrilled about the information they would be able to take back to the Red Skull. Machinesmith was uncomfortable when Mother Night tried to kiss him, and she and Minister Blood went for a walk. As Machinesmith watched on the monitors, Vision talked to Fabian Stankowitz and then seemed to phase right into the camera. He shocked Machinesmith by appearing right in the van minutes later. Machinesmith found Vision’s body blocked from his digitized consciousness, and when Vision solidified his arm in Machinesmith’s form, they both fell inert due to their built-in failsafe systems. Machinesmith beamed into the Avengers’ computers and warned Mother Night and Minister Blood, who were inside, about what had happened. They dumped the two robot bodies into the river later that day, after Machinesmith had ordered himself a new body. The next day, their surveillance devices stopped working. Frustrated, they decided to infiltrate the party Sersi was throwing that evening to reassert control. The revived Vision, however, was able to defeat the villains at the party.

(Captain America I#387/2) – The Red Skull ordered Machinesmith to assemble the Skeleton Crew when he received word from Arnim Zola that the Skull’s cloned bodies had been destroyed. He ordered the Crew to find out who was after him.

(Captain America I#389/2) – Crossbones, Machinesmith, Mother Night, and the Sleeper tracked Red Skull (who had gone missing) through the hollow-tooth-transmitter Machinesmith had designed. They traced him to Germany, where they determined he was being held captive. Machinesmith informed Red Skull that Arnim Zola called in to report. He ordered the Crew to assemble, frustrated with Crossbones for showing up at the last second. They learned from Zola that someone had destroyed the Skull’s cloned bodies while Zola had been out in Switzerland. Red Skull furiously ordered the Crew to investigate, and they left for Zola’s base.

(Captain America I#390/2) – The Skeleton Crew attacked the headquarters of the Schutz-Heiliggruppe (Blitzkrieger, Hauptmann Deutschland, Zeitgeist) in Berlin, where Sleeper barreled in and downed the guards as the others followed on jetpacks. While Machinesmith focused on opening the electronic lock, Hauptmann Deutschland and Blitzkrieger attacked. The Hauptmann’s shields held off mother night’s gunfire, then she mind-tricked him into thinking her elsewhere. Crossbones battled Hauptmann while Blitzkrieger overloaded the robot bodies of Sleeper and Machinesmith. Mother Night, invisible, tried plunging Blitzkrieger into darkness, but she was tripped and knocked unconscious by Zeitgeist. Blitzkrieger tried imprisoning Crossbones in an electric cage, who fell unconscious when he hit the bars.

(Captain America I#391/2) – The Skeleton Crew and Red Skull were kept captive, gagged, and blindfolded. Mr. Buehller and others planned to prosecute Red Skull for his crimes; Buehller was assigned to defend Red Skull, but the villain refused to acknowledge the proceedings. Machinesmith’s consciousness was still in the lock mechanism, who struggled to find a way to free the others. As the trial commenced, he managed to project himself back into his body and free himself.

(Captain America I#393) – Machinesmith swiftly freed the others and Crossbones subdued the villains by taking the Hauptmann hostage. As the Red Skull tried to finagle his freedom, the Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor) arrived and Cap subdued the Skeleton Crew with a thrown shield, severing Machinesmith’s telescoped arm (which had been holding the judge at abeyance). They quickly departed, and Red Skull learned these “Avengers” had been bio-plastoids created by Arnim Zola, and learned that Machinesmith had signaled him for help through the computers, and that the ship they were in was the construct Doughboy disguised. Machinesmith triggered the explosion of the Red Skull’s ship back in Germany.

(Captain America I#394) – Red Skull gave the Skeleton Crew the assignment of liberating Viper from prison. When Crossbones questioned him, he was fired. Machinesmith assured the Red Skull of his dedication, but pointed out their shortage of operatives, and Red Skull ordered the Power Broker brought in so they could use some of his operatives, super-strong Lagraves, Bongert, Pucci, and Leaman. The next day, they successfully liberated her.

(Captain America I#396) – Machinesmith expressed doubt as Mother Night auditioned Cutthroat to replace Crossbones, and he watched as he tested his skills against Taskmaster. He was confused when she asked him for love advice with the Red Skull.

(Captain America I#397/2) – Mother Night and Cutthroat returned with two new operatives, Blackwing (Joe Manfredi) and Jack O’Lantern (Steven Levins), and Machinesmith summoned her for the Red Skull.

(Captain America I#409) – Machinesmith was approached by Mother Night in his lab, where he tinkered with the Sleeper robot, and she confessed that she had been sleeping with Cutthroat, that she’d inadvertently helped Crossbones murder him, and that she had learned Cutthroat was Diamondback’s brother, and also that Diamondback was captured. He gave her stern advice and she rushed away.

(Captain America I#410) – When Captain America and the Falcon attacked the base, Machinesmith launched the Sleeper on their plane, piloted by John Jameson, and caused it to crash. The rest of the Skeleton Crew was captured.

(Captain America I#451 (fb)) – At the Red Skull’s orders, Machinesmith retrieved the frozen body of Captain America and performed a procedure that caused Machinesmith great pain.

(Captain America I#452 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith uploaded his electronic self into Captain America’s brain, riding the human electronic waves, and he downloaded all of Cap’s memories, including the secret specs of the powerful Argus Anti-Aircraft Cannon and many other military secrets, onto a piece of technology in the shape of a coin.

(Captain America I#452 (fb) – BTS) – Tony Stark (Iron Man) found an errant Machinesmith robot, containing a partial form of Machinesmith’s programming.

(Iron Man I#320 (fb) – BTS) – Stark brought Machinesmith to his lab, wanting a chance to have an ally to speak with, though he was aware of Machinesmith’s evil history. He reprogrammed this Machinesmith to obey him.

(Iron Man I#320) – In Stark’s lab, Machinesmith taunted Stark about wanting to experiment on him, but Stark was impatient, and they switched subjects to weather regulation technology instead. Stark suddenly shut Machinesmith down when he got a call.

(Iron Man I#322) – Stark left Machinesmith to guard two of his enemies, Marianne Rogers (who wore a device to scramble her powers) and Masque (secretly Bethany Cabe), in his Arctic bunker.

(Iron Man I#323) – Machinesmith kept providing for his captives, offering them sustenance. He soon went to check on a communications call, warning the ladies not to try anything. He updated Stark and assured him that everything was going fine. When he returned to the ladies, he noticed Rogers’ device had been detached (not realizing they had just switched clothes). He drew a gun, but “Rogers” kicked it away and an errant shot hit “Masque.” Cabe as Rogers quickly defeated Machinesmith with a series of physical attacks.

(Iron Man I#324) – Stark tried repairing Machinesmith but never got a chance before he was attacked.

(Captain America I#452 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith reclaimed his errant program from Stark.

(Captain America I#450 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith completed the Argus Anti-Aircraft Cannon and entered the European country of Moldavia, where he fired on two American aircraft, killing two pilots and bringing Moldavia and America close to war.

(Captain America I#451 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith upgraded the armors of several military soldiers, preparing them for battle.

(Captain America I#453 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith, as part of his master plan, also designed several robots to look like Moldavian officials, and managed to station them in Camp David.

(Captain America I#451) – Machinesmith ordered his operatives to go after Captain America (who had been stripped of his citizenship on suspicion that he had willfully revealed the plans for the Argus), but he and Sharon Carter successfully evaded them, stole an American jet, and flew to Moldavia, where their plane was shot down.

(Captain America I#452) – Cap and Carter survived and managed to make it into the Moldavian base and destroy the Argus before they were captured. Machinesmith soon taunted his prisoners, telling them of his need to escalate plans for war now that the Argus had been destroyed. Cap broke free, wondering how Machinesmith had gone from Iron Man’s ally to a world-war-seeking enemy. He told Cap the truth about Iron Man’s ally, demonstrated his powers by switching from form to form, then shut down the SHIELD Helicarrier, using Cap’s memories. He taunted the hero with the tech-coin, and had his other robot forms hold Cap back when the hero tried to attack. Machinesmith then transported his mind into another body, made to look like a Moldavian delegate and appearing near Camp David in the USA, where there was a war discussion scheduled between the Americans and the Moldavians. He left Cap and Carter behind in Moldavia.

(Captain America I#453) – Carter managed to hack into the coin and save the Helicarrier narrowly while Machinesmith blended in with the Moldavian delegation (made up of his robots) to meet with the president. When he got too close to the president, he had one of his robots kill a Secret Service agent, and the other agents opened fire on the robots. Machinesmith fired artillery back from weaponry in his wrist, killing several and crashing a helicopter. Machinesmith then grabbed the nuclear briefcase from the president, called the football, and revealed that this was his master plan all along, now he just needed to get the launch codes from the president. Despite the pain it caused him again, he drew information out of the president’s brain, inadvertently revealing that Cap was never a traitor. He was shocked when Captain America attacked, and he ordered his robots to fire on him, but Cap swiftly defeated them. He then transferred his consciousness directly into the football, which Cap swiftly destroyed. Machinesmith did not resurface.

Machinesmith's silver upgrade (Iron Man Annual 1998) – Iron Man used a program to erase knowledge of his secret identity from the minds of many on Earth, including Machinesmith.

(Thunderbolts I#64 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith, in a new streamlined silver body, was recruited into the Masters of Evil by the Crimson Cowl (Justine Hammer) alongside Black Mamba, Cyclone, Gypsy Moth, Hydro-Man, and Man-Killer.

(Thunderbolts I#64) – The Masters of Evil liberated Cardinal to join them, and revealed they needed to capture Plant-Man.

(Thunderbolts I#65) – After the other Masters captured Plant-Man, and Hawkeye and Songbird of the Thunderbolts, Machinesmith started working on Plant-Man to try to figure out why he was so integral to the Crimson Cowl, who told them he was the key to a world-wide weapon connected to the deceased Justin Hammer. Noting Plant-Man’s unique biological composition, he identified that Plant-Man had undergone a massive change, making him key to Hammer’s weapon due to his connection to the planet’s bioverdant field. Songbird then surprised them by shattering Machinesmith’s form with a massive sound construct. He managed to escape narrowly through the light socket by projecting his consciousness.

(Thunderbolts I#67) – After Hawkeye and Songbird recruited Plant-Man (now Blackheath), Man-Killer (now Amazon), Gypsy Moth (now Skein), Cyclone, and Cardinal (now Harrier) to join them in the Thunderbolts, Machinesmith, Hydro-Man, and Black Mamba joined Crimson Cowl at her Symkarian base. When the new Thunderbolts attacked, Machinesmith used Songbird’s technology to take down Cyclone, and forced Harrier to dump Hawkeye in the river. 

(Thunderbolts I#69 (fb) – BTS) – The rest of the Thunderbolts were swiftly captured, Machinesmith taking care of Songbird and Harrier himself.

(Thunderbolts I#69) – With the Thunderbolts captured, Machinesmith prepared the lab for Blackheath so they could activate the weapon. Crimson Cowl made her demands of Blackheath, who fell over catatonic. Machinesmith, with Cowl watching, began experimenting on Blackheath, noting how vegetative he’d become, in an effort to find a way to activate the weapon. Cowl ordered him to hurry, if even it meant Blackheath’s death.  Blackheath suddenly released a pollen that counter-acted the toxin, freeing all that Hammer had infected. Just then, the Thunderbolts stood united, with Black Mamba and Hydro-Man defeated. Skein then unraveled Cowl’s cowl and used it to destroy Machinesmith’s form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upgrade

(New Warriors IV#11) – The New Warriors (Blackwing, Decibel, Night Thrasher, Phaser, Ripcord, Skybolt, Tempest, Wondra) tracked Machinesmith to his base in upstate New York, thinking he was creating a techno-organic virus. They interrupted Saxon’s work with his robot Max, so Saxon fired an eyebeam at the heroes and then transported into a powerful robotic body. While evading his blows, they managed to freeze and shatter Saxon, but he transported into a larger body. As he gave off fiery discharges, the place came crashing down, separating the team and leaving four of the heroes (Decibel, Phaser, Ripcord, and Wondra) to fight Saxon by themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serpentine (New Warriors IV#12) – Assuming Stark had sent the heroes to shut him down, Machinesmith chased the New Warriors through his headquarters, absorbing their mechanical weapons into his own tech. Decibel hit him with sound-based technology, managing to cut off his electrical impulses, briefly trapping him in one robotic form. The heroes tried to find their way out, cobbling together what weapons they could. Machinesmith attacked anew as a giant mechanical snake and they froze him in Freon briefly. In another new body, Machinesmith grabbed Tempest  in a mechanical tendril.

 

(New Warriors IV#13) – The Warriors (including new member Renascence) rushed to save Angel, but Machinesmith easily knocked them back and nearly killed her, but the rest of the Warriors, including Night Thrasher in a bulky suit of armor, blasted through the wall just then. They tore his robot apart with blasts of power as Thrasher’s allies Kaz, Grace, and Aja donned facsimiles of Nimrod, the Destroyer, and Hulkbuster Iron Man to upload the virus before Machinesmith could blow the compound. In a new body, Machinesmith found himself unable to absorb Thrasher’s armor and he traded blows with the heroes, giving and taking hits. He uploaded another two bodies to attack the techies, but they managed to hold him off until his systems were breached. They determined his systems were made of nannites and they managed to polarize them, breaking he and his compound into its component elements. The entire building melted around them before exploding.

 

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#4 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith was recruited by Director Thorndrake of the Shadow Council to work with Jacob Erskine in perfecting the super-soldier serum so that they could build a new generation of men like Captain America.

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#3 (fb) – BTS) – Machinesmith worked with Erskine on experimenting on various men and animals with the serum that his grandfather had designed. Several of them, including Tommy, became super-charged physically, but they needed a sample of Steve Rogers’ blood to move forward. Machinesmith designed two robots, Anita Erskine, who was designed to look just like Rogers’ World War II girlfriend, Cynthia Glass, in order to lure Rogers into a trap, and Myron Smith, who would clue Rogers into Machinesmith’s involvement. Erskine posed as the head of a pharmaceuticals company called Nextin, and planned to pose as a victim of murder so as to lure Rogers closer to Anita.

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#1 – BTS) – Machinesmith killed Nextin employee Professor Amtower remotely, by trapping him in his car and causing it to explode. Rogers was soon alerted to the case and followed Jacob Erskine to Madripoor for the Nextin gala. While trying to infiltrate Nextin, after seeing Anita, Rogers was attacked by three of Machinesmith’s super-soldier experiments and one, Tommy, died from the procedure during battle. Rogers approached Erskine, who appeared to be shot just then by a remote sniper (controlled by Machinesmith).

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#2) – Rogers rushed to find the sniper station, and soon saw the ambulance take away Erskine’s seemingly deceased body. He witnessed Myron Smith and Anita Erskine on sight. He later tracked them to Nextin’s private retreat and was overcome with memories of Cynthia Glass before he put the pieces together and realized it was Machinesmith behind it all. Myron revealed that Anita was a robot, then Machinesmith showed up on the screens as Myron hit Rogers with a blast, deactivating the super-soldier serum and reducing him to his underweight form.

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#3) – As Machinesmith had his robots withdraw some of Rogers’ blood, he taunted the hero for his weakness and clued him in on the trap, leading him to believe that he would be selling the serum to the public. He had Rogers knocked out and locked up, then Machinesmith departed for his auction, letting Rogers know he was no longer needed. He managed to escape through the super-powered guards and revert to his true form, with Anita helping him.

(Steve Rogers: Super Soldier#4) – Hiding in the body of Myron Smith, Machinesmith advertised the super-soldier serum to a group of potential buyers. The bidding quickly sky-rocketed from one hundred million per vial to twenty million in gold per vial. He soon received word that Rogers and Anita had arrived, and his true form shed the Myron form, only to be beheaded by Rogers’ shield. Machinesmith quickly began beaming his consciousness into every form possible, battering Rogers from all sides. Rogers made sure all the tech on the base was destroyed, with Anita’s help, and he blocked satellite coverage to keep Machinesmith from escaping, so he beamed into the only form left, Anita. He quickly realized she’d made it so wireless systems could beam in but not out, and Machinesmith was seemingly killed when her form exploded. The Shadow Council later took the real serum and felt pleased to be pushing forward, although they mourned Machinesmith’s loss. 

(Astonishing X-Men III#43 (fb) – BTS) – Through unknown circumstances, Machinesmith’s consciousness was taken captive by the Avengers and kept in an electronic prison aboard the Avengers’ Quincarrier. Machinesmith began sending out distress signals, never figuring someone would come to his rescue.

(Astonishing X-Men III#43) – When the extraterrestrial robot Danger contacted Machinesmith, he used his words to flatter her and appeal to her ego in finding a robotic balance between them that would help her understand humanity better. Meanwhile, he took over her physical form and used it to battle the Avengers’ Beast and the X-Men’s Emma Frost, who barely held their own against him. When Danger discovered Machinesmith’s deceit, she banished his consciousness into an unbreakable virtual reality prison.

(Captain America V#8) – Desperate to find out why Captain America kept reverting to his smaller depowered self, Sharon Carter awakened Machinesmith from his captive program aboard the Quincarrier. 

(Captain America V#10 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith triggered Captain America's transformation into his weaker self by infecting him with a self-designed nanotech virus designed to look like red blood cells.

(Captain America V#9) – Machinesmith attacked Sharon with host bodies and the ship's weaponry until she managed to put the ship in lockdown and program it to self-destruct. Stymied, he offered to tell her how to save Cap if she let him go free.

(Captain America V#10) - Machinesmith returned to Codename: Bravo and Queen Hydra but found his memory banks depleting thanks to Sharon Carter.

(Ant-Man I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Machinesmith hacked into the Latverian government for the United States government, who then agreed to put him on parole, but he had to promise not to go on the Internet. He also joined Super-Villains Anonymous, where he met Grizzly.

(Ant-Man I#4) - Machinesmith had rented himself out to a children's birthday party when Grizzly and Ant-Man sought him out to help take down Cross Technological Enterprises and rescue Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter. Machinesmith agreed if he was offered a job at Ant-Man Security Solutions. Machinesmith hacked the network, frustrating Crossfire, while Ant-Man rushed in to confront Darren and Augustine Cross.

(Ant-Man I#5) - Machinesmith and Grizzly kept Crossfire captive while Ant-Man battled the Crosses and saved his daughter.

(Ant-Man Annual I#1) - Machinesmith helped advertise for Ant-Man by stealing TV waves, while drinking with Grizzly and Ant-Man in a bar.

SECRET WARS HAPPENED

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#1) - Machinesmith and Grizzly helped Ant-Man run security protocols, and Machinesmith's male stripper program was uploaded by accident.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#2) - Machinesmith and Grizzly took a handsome payment from Augustine Cross and Crossfire to update some tech for them.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#3) - Machinesmith reluctantly agreed to help Ant-Man and the new Captain America hack into a S.H.I.E.L.D. shipping record to stop Hijacker.

(March Infinite Comic#1) - Machinesmith was briefly laid off from Ant-Man Security Solutions due to lack of funding. He soon aided Grizzly and Ant-Man stop thief El Cazador (Mariel Ortiz).

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#4) - Machinesmith and Grizzly were late for work, stopping at a gay bar first.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#5) - Machinesmith and Grizzly staffed Ant-Man Security Solutions, with Miss Patriot there.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#7) - Miss Patriot at Valhalla Villas hired Ant-Man's team, including Grizzly, Ant-Man, and Giant-Man, to do some work. Later, Machinesmith admitted to Ant-Man that he had helped design Lackey. He tapped into the app to realize Stinger (Cassie Lang) was preparing to rob the place.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#9) - Machinesmith helped plan a heist on Cross Technological Enterprises for Ant-Man and his team, including Grizzly, Beetle, Hijacker, Magician, Whirlwind, the Voice, Giant-Man, and Ms. Thing. The heist was poorly planned but successful.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#10) - After the villains fled, Machinesmith, Grizzly, Giant-Man, Ms. Thing, and Stinger attacked CTE, trying to save the captured Ant-Man.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#11) - Machinesmith and Grizzly visited Ant-Man in prison.

(Astonishing Ant-Man I#13) - Machinesmith and Grizzly both testified at Ant-Man's trial, and were questioned by attorneys She-Hulk and Beetle.

(Secret Empire: Brave New World#1/2) - Machinesmith and Grizzly gave Giant-Man a place to stay until they went north to work for Baron Zemo, hearing about a job opportunity from Whirlwind, Overdrive and Stilt-Man.

(Amazing Spider-Man V#38) - Machinesmith read an artlcle online.

(Iron Man 2020 II#1) - At the base of the robot rebellion, Machinesmith, with Quasimodo and Machine Man, was disturbed to see Sunset Bain A.I. and Iron Man (Arno Stark) destroy an A.I. facility to hurt the robots.

(Iron Man 2020 II#2) - Machinesmith liberated the Robo-Buccaneers from Captain Barracuda's control, leaving the villain to face Stingray on his own. Getting word that Arno Stark planned to upload a code that would make all A.I.s subservient, Machinesmith worked with Awesome Andy, H.E.R.B.I.E., and others to storm Baintronics, where Machinesmith tried to overwrite the code, but found it overwriting him instead.

(Iron Man 2020 II#3) - At Baintronics, Machinesmith survived by transferring his consciousness into Awesome Android's laptop, then they escaped with H.E.R.B.I.E., and Machinesmith sent out a world-wide call to all robots to join the rebellion. Arno soon killed Mark One.

(Iron Man 2020 II#4) - With his allies, Machinesmith, in Awesome Android's laptop, escaped the battle with Arno Stark and his Iron Legion. Back at one of his bases in New Jersey, Machinesmith downloaded himself into a new robotic body, and he considered transferring into the organic body of Mark One, but realized he was no longer compatible. After Machine Man, Andy Bhang, and Jocasta shared codes to block Arno's takeover tech.

(Iron Man 2020 II#5) - Working with Friday, Machinesmith, Awesome Android, H.E.R.B.I.E., Andy Bhang, Jocasta, Machine Man, and Bethany Cabe stormed Baintronics after Dr. Shapiro let them in, and Jocasta used the obedience tech on Madame Menace (the Sunset Bain A.I.). Tony Stark then downloaded himself into the new body he'd prepared. The group stormed the space station and fought the Iron Legion, Mistress, and Arsenal, as Iron Man battled Iron Man. Then the massive godlike Singularity approached.

(Iron Man 2020 II#6) - Machinesmith and the others saw Tony Stark defeat his brother by trapping him in an alternate reality world.

(Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin#1 (fb) - BTS) - As a computer intelligence, Machinesmith tried breaking into Avengers Tower to get intel from Iron Man, but the firewalls kept him out. He began researching the tower itself, and soon found some specific references to it in the fan-fiction written by SlothBaby, the user name of the hero Ms. Marvel. Machinesmith put himself on her computer and began commenting on her fan fiction using the alias M@chinesmith, as he learned about her life, including her real identity of Kamala Khan, and the names of her loved ones, including friends Nakia Bahair an Bruno Carrelli, and her nephew Malik Khan. To test Kamala, Machinesmith had a small Growing Man figure sent to her, and he activated it from time to time to test her.

(Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin#1) - When the time was right, Machinesmith revealed his true identity to Kamala on her computer and he ordered her to sneak him into Avengers Tower and upload him to Iron Man's servers, threatening her loved ones if she did not, but she unplugged her computer to silence him. Later, Ms. Marvel lured Machinesmith into the servers at her school, then used an EMP device to force him to rush into Growing Man's body. Ms. Marvel then shut the robot down, trapping Machinesmith within, then transferring him to an inert cell phone which she delivered to Iron Man for safekeeping.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer), Gene Colan (pencils) and George Klein (inks).

Before he constructed the Magneto robot and the Demi-Men (@ X-Men I#49-52), maybe Starr Saxon also built the Mutantmen androids used by Menace @ Untold Tales of Spider-Man#21.
--Ron Fredricks

It is difficult to place She-Hulk Annual I#1 in the chronology. I chose to put this after Marvel Two-in-One I#48 as it seems to take place shortly after Machinesmith became a robot, but long enough afterwards for him to have developed a criminal reputation.

Main image scan by MarvellousLuke. Thanks to Ron Fredricks for cleaning up the main image and fifth image (from the handbooks).

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Machinesmith has no known connections to:


Charlie and Dave

Charlie and Dave

Two guards in the back of an armored car, Charlie and Dave drew their guns when Mr. Fear (Starr Saxon) attacked, but the car crashed into a wall before they could act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Daredevil I#55


Dr. Barney

Dr. Roberts

(Daredevil I#51) – A doctor at a local prison, Dr. Roberts examined a gunshot wound on the forearm of Daredevil, who’d been battling the deadly Plastoid. He took a blood sample from the hero, but Daredevil rushed off before the results came back. Later, Roberts got the blood work back from Dr. R.A. Barney, and learned that Daredevil had radioactive particles in his blood. He called the police to organize a manhunt for Daredevil, who was in extreme danger.

(Daredevil I#52) – Roberts followed the police to the apartment of Matt Murdock, where they found Daredevil as well as Black Panther (T’Challa), Karen Page, and a seemingly unconscious Starr Saxon. Roberts realized Daredevil had a cut on his hand that had drained away much of the toxins, prolonging his life. Roberts tried to examine Saxon, who suddenly leapt up and grabbed Roberts’ throat. Saxon tossed Roberts’ aside and drew his gun, escaping.

 

 

 

--Daredevil I#51 (51-52




Dr. R.A. Barney

After examining a blood sample from Daredevil, Dr. R.A. Barney sent word to Dr. Roberts that Daredevil was in danger due to radioactive particles in his blood.

--Daredevil I#51 (51 - BTS


Joe

Joe

(Daredevil I#55) - A security guard at the building which housed the law offices of Nelson and Murdock, Joe was shocked to see Daredevil enter. He sent Daredevil on up to meet Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, who were going through the personal effects of the supposedly deceased Matt Murdock. Having heard about Daredevil's embarrassing fight with Mr. Fear (Starr Saxon), Joe gave the hero his encouragement.

--Daredevil I#55









images: All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#6, Machinesmith profile (main image; original source: Thunderbolts I#65, p14, pan2)
Daredevil I#52, p7, pan3 (as Starr Saxon)
Daredevil I#55, p10, pan1 (as Mr. Fear)
Captain America I#249, p15, pan1 (group of robots)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition I#7, p47, pan1 (original Machinesmith form)
New Warriors IV#11, p15, pan3 (with raised fist)
New Warriors IV#11, p20, pan2 (glowing)
New Warriors IV#12, p18, pan5 (snake)
New Warriors IV#12, p23, pan1 (with tendrils)
Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin#1, p92, pan7 (in Growing Man)
Daredevil I#55, p15, pan4 (Charlie and Dave)
Daredevil I#52, p13, pan6 (Dr. Roberts)
Daredevil I#55, p12, pan2 (Joe)


Appearances:
Daredevil I#49 (February, 1969) – Stan Lee (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), George Klein (inker)
Daredevil I#50 (March, 1969) – Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (penciler), Johnny Craig (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#51 (April, 1969) – Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (penciler), George Klein (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#52 (May, 1969) – Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (penciler), Johnny Craig (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
X-Men I#49 (October, 1968) - Arnold Drake (writer), Don Heck (penciler), Werner Roth (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
X-Men I#50-51 (November-December, 1968) - Arnold Drake (writer), Jim Steranko (penciler), John Tartaglione (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
X-Men I#52 (January, 1969) – Arnold Drake (writer), Don Heck (penciler), Werner Roth (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#54 (July, 1969) – Roy Thomas (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), George Klein (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#55 (August, 1969) – Roy Thomas (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Syd Shores (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#47 (January, 1979) – Bill Mantlo (writer), Chic Stone (penciler/inker), Roger Stern (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One I#48 (February, 1979) – Bill Mantlo (writer), Chic Stone (penciler), Tex Blaisdell (inker), Roger Stern (editor)
Captain America I#247-249 (July-September, 1980) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Thor I#305 (March, 1981) - Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio (writers), Keith Pollard (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Super-Heroes III#2 (July, 1990) – Sue Flaxman (writer), Lou Manna (penciler), Brent Cardillo (inker)
Excalibur: Air Apparent I#1 (1991) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Ron Lim, Brian Stelfreeze, Dwayne Turner, Jackson Guice, Rick Leonardi, Erik Larsen, James Fry (pencilers), Al Gordon, Karl Story, Klaus Janson, Tom Palmer, Joe Rubinstein, Erik Larsen, Don Hudson (inkers), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Captain America I#351 (March, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#354 (June, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#311 (December, 1989) - John Byrne (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers Annual I#19 (1990) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Jeff Albrecht (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Captain America I#368 (March, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#368/2 (March, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#313 (January, 1990) -  John Byrne (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#55 (February, 1990) - John Byrne (writer/penciler), Paul Ryan (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers Annual I#19/2 (1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Vince Mielcarek (penciler), Bob Downs (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Captain America I#369-370 (April, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#376-378 (September-October, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#323/2 (September, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Brad Vancata (penciler), Mickey Ritter (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#324/2, 325 (October, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (penciler), Fred Fredericks (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Captain America I#387/2 (July, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dan Panosian (penciler/inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#389/2 (August, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Larry Alexander (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#390/2-391/2 (August-September, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Larry Alexander (penciler), Dan Panosian (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#393 (October, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Larry Alexander (penciler), Rik Levins (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#394 (November, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#396 (January, 1992) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#397/2 (February, 1992) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Larry Alexander (penciler), Dan Panosian (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#409-410 (November-December, 1992) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Iron Man I#320 (September, 1995) – Terry Kavanagh (writer), Victor Oliviera, Adriana Melo (pencilers), Mark McKenna (inker), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Iron Man I#322 (November, 1995) – Terry Kavanagh (writer), Jimmy Cheung, Sergio Cariello (pencilers), Mark McKenna, Hector Collazo (inkers), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Iron Man I#323 (December, 1995) – Terry Kavanagh, Dan Abnett (writers), Cheung, Oliveira, Labat (pencilers), Garcia, McKenna (inkers), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Iron Man I#324 (January, 1996) – Kavanagh, Abnett (writers), Calafiore, Bright (pencilers), Palmiotti, Moncuse, Cariello, Delarosa (inkers), Yomtov (editor)
Captain America I#450-452 (April-June, 1996) – Mark Waid (writer), Ron Garney (penciler), Scott Koblish (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#453 (July, 1996) – Mark Waid (writer), Ron Garney, Pino Rinaldi (pencilers), Scott Koblish, John Kalisz (inkers), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Iron Man /Captain America ’98 (1998) – Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern, Mark Waid (writers), Patrick Zircher (penciler), Randy Emberlin (inker), Matt Idelson (editor)
Thunderbolts I#64-65 (July-August, 2002) – Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (penciler), Al Vey (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#67 (September, 2002) – Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (penciler), Al Vey, Nelson (inkers), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#69 (October, 2002) – Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jean Jacques Dzialowski (penciler), Al Vey (inker), Brevoort, Lis (editors)
New Warriors III#11-12 (June-July, 2008) – Kevin Grevioux (writer), Paco Medina (penciler), Juan Vlasco (inker), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
New Warriors III#13 (August, 2008) – Kevin Grevioux (writer), Reilly Brown (penciler), Juan Vlasco (inker), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier#1-4 (September-December, 2010) – Ed Brubaker (writer), Dale Eaglesham (penciler/inker), Tom Brevoort (editor).
Astonishing X-Men III#43 (December, 2011) – James Asmus (writer), David Yardin (penciler), Norman Lee, Rachelle Rosenburg (inkers), Nick Lowe (editor)
Captain America V#8-9 (April-May, 2012) – Ed Brubaker (writer), Alan Davis (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Captain America V#10 (June, 2012) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Alan Davis (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Ant-Man I#3-5 (May-July, 2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon Rosanos (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Ant-Man Annual I#1 (2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Brent Schoonover, Ramon Rosanas (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
March Infinite Comic#1 (March, 2016) - Amy Chu (writer), Ryan Browne (artist), Heather Antos (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man I#1-5 (December, 2015- April, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man I#7 (June, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man I#9-11 (August-October, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man I#13 (December, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Brent Schoonover, Ramon Rosanas (artists), Wil Moss (editor)
Secret Empire: Brave New World#1 (August, 2017) - Jeremy Whitley (writer), Diego Olortegui (art), Charles Beacham (editor)
She-Hulk Annual I#1 (October, 2019) - Alexandra Petri (writer), Andy MacDonald (artist), Annalise Bissa (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man V#38 (March, 2020) – Nick Spencer (writer), Iban Coello (artist), Nick Lowe (editor)
Iron Man 2020 II#1-2 (March-May, 2020) - Dan Slott, Chrisos Gage (writers), Pete Woods (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Iron Man 2020 II#3-4 (August-October, 2020) - Dan Slott, Christos Gage (writers), Pete Woods (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin#1 (September, 2021) - Nadia Shammas (writer), Nabi H. Ali (artist)


First Posted: 10/15/2011
Last updated: 10/02/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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