Null-Tron (Microverse; Marquis Radu agent; Carnage ally/foe)

null-tron-microverse-radu-mca NULL-TRON

Real Name: Unrevealed; possibly Null-Tron (see comments)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Microverse) robot

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership: Leader of an unidentified group of assassins/agents (Centivros, Raidus Dren, Krevius Trell, Verus, Xerxes);

Affiliations: Marquis Radu;
formerly Carnage (Cletus Kasady);

Enemies: Carnage (Cletus Kasady), Enigma Force, Enigma Force team (Bug, Flare, Marionette/Mari, Quark, Arcturus Rann), Nell Fletcher, Dr. and Ryan Ketola, Katy Kiernan, Redeemer, Scarlet Spider (Kaine); the guards at Thunderbolts mountain maximum security prison and those civilians injured, slain, and/or terrorized by Carnage following his escape

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly various worlds in the Microverse

First Appearance: Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (December, 2012) null-tron-microverse-radu-mca-fly

Powers/Abilities: A robot, Null-Tron is constructed with unidentified metals and plastics.

It is unrevealed whether Null-Tron was sentient, whether it was programmed with specific tasks and commands, or whether it was under the subconscious or direct control of Radu, Verus, or someone else...like Krevius.

It has a somewhat insectoid frame, with a torso consisting of a combined abdomen/thorax and a helmet-like head with a semi-opaque plastic or glass-like visor that likely served as its optical unit.

It has a pair of segmented wings, which presumably functioned in gliding/guidance as well as serving as sharp weapons.

It has three paired limbs, each ending in sharp, pointed blades. The limbs had at least two points of articulation, an elbow-like joint mid-way down the limb and a shoulder-like joint as the limb joined the torso.

It generated propulsion (anti-gravity vs. jet. vs. rocket vs. other) from its tail end. It could fly at unidentified speeds as well as hover as desired.

Null-Tron served in communications, projection audiovisual holocommunication with Marquis Radu and others as needed.

Height: Unrevealed; (it looked to be perhaps 2' tall in the Microverse)

(on Earth) perhaps 1/4"
Weight: Unrevealed; with its construction unrevealed (some alien metals), it is difficult to speculate
Eyes: None; the central portion of its face looked to be its optical sensor, and it had the appearance of opaque glass or plastic)
Hair: None

History:
(Scarlet Spider II#11 (fb) - BTS / Venom II#27 (fb) - BTS) - Marquis Radu sought to both slay the Redeemer (the former Acroyear), the living embodiment of the Enigma Force, and to destroy the Enigma Force itself, after which he would rekindle the Enigma Force under his control and rule as God.

(Scarlet Spider II#11 (fb) - BTS) - With the goal of using Carnage (Cletus Kasady) to destroy the Redeemer and to replicate Carnage's symbiote via the Body Banks, Radu sent his agents -- a squad of assassins led by Verus: Centivros, Krevius, Null-Tron, Raidus, and Xerxes -- to the Earth dimension.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Radu's agents traveled to Thunderbolts Mountain maximum security prison in Colorado where they (presumably Verus) made the imprisoned Kasady a deal: If he killed someone for them, they would give him a new life and a whole new universe to kill people in (or so he subsequently paraphrased the offer).

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Kasady accepted the offer.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Null-Tron and the rest of the squad violently broke Carnage out of prison.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Footage of Carnage's escaped showed insect-sized agents killing the prison guards.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Radu's agents slew police officers who discovered Kasady driving on I-25.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Based on the footage of Carnage's escape, Venom ("Flash" Thompson) had his reporter friend Katy Kiernan investigate tiny killers, which led them to a report on the Prometheus Pit being built in Houston Texas by Dr. Ketola at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking Dr. Ketola to travel to the Microverse, Carnage and Radu's agents confronted Dr. Ketola's husband, Ryan, and slew her mother, Nell Fletcher.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Rescuing Ryan Ketola, the Scarlet Spider (Kaine) learned of and sought out Dr. Ketola as well.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1) - As Carnage confronted Ketola, the Scarlet Spider tried to fight him off but was knocked out by Radu's agents, after which Verus told Carnage there was no time for this, as they had to get to the Pit immediately.

Verus then instructed Krevius and Null-Tron to force Dr. Ketola to open the Pit.

They both perched on Ketola's shoulder, and, as she felt their presence in their mind, she asked what they were doing to her. Krevius read her mind, confirming that she had solved the last algorithm. Generating a psychic interface, Null-Tron downloaded the information, and it activated the Prometheus Pit.

As soon as the Pit was opened, Carnage threw Kiernan into it first. Verus instructed her squad to move out.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Null-Tron and the rest of the squad passed through the Prometheus Pit and returned to the Microverse.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Carnage passed through the Prometheus Pit.

(Scarlet Spider II#10) - Back in the Microverse, Null-Tron facilitated a a holoprojection-communication from Marquis Radu. Verus confirmed that they had recovered Carnage, and Radu noted that his agents had found the Redeemer on one of the unzoned planets.

(Scarlet Spider II#10 - BTS) - Null-Tron and the rest of the squad, with Carnage and Kiernan, headed to their ship to seek out the Redeemer.

(Venom II#26 - BTS) - Null-Tron and the rest of the squad brought Carnage to a Body Banks annexing station associated with Homeworld. null-tron-raduagents-ven26-slaughtered

(Venom II#26) - When Carnage expressed disappointment in the lack of bodies at the Body Banks, Verus clarified that this was an annex station and that there were similar factories, all of them defunct or under the control of rogue skin merchants, scattered throughout the zones.

Katy Kiernan then suggested to Carnage that the reason they had brought him there first rather than taking him to the Redeemer was that he was intended to be raw material from which the Body Banks would build an army.

(Venom II#26 (fb) - BTS) - Carnage apparently slaughtered Centivros, Krevius, and Null-Tron and bound Raidus against the wall.

Comments: Created by Christopher Yost, Cullen Bunn, Lan Medina, Karl Kesel, Cam Smith, & Walden Wong.

You want more information, you get more information!

In Minimum Carnage Alpha, the Medusa-like snake-haired leader of the squad Radu sent to bring Carnage to the Microverse is referred to by name once by another member of her team (Xerxes), who calls her “Veras”
In Scarlet Spider #10, Minimum Carnage part 2, Radu refers to her as “Verus” – this is the only other time she is identified by name.
She’s in Venom #26, Minimum Carnage part 3, but she is not identified by name.
In the second group picture in Minimum Carnage Alpha, the speech balloon points to Krevius, but the person speaking calls out instructions to all five other members besides Verus (including Krevius), and then in the next command, Xerxes says, "As you command, Veras."

As a result, I think it's pretty clear that Verus was the one speaking. Plus Krevius is subsequently seen doing what Krevius was told to do.

Information in this arc is very sparse on Radu's agents. The group doesn't even have a name...Verus calls them "SQUAD" (and all the text is in capitals, so we don't know if it is a proper name or not)
Per Cullen Bunn

NULL-TRON. A robot. Similar in design to an r2d2 or Microtron. Not a a humanoid design. This robot is fixed with numerous arms, all of which end in serrated blades and drills and implements of torture.

When Raidus asked Krevius to enter Carnage's mind, the speech balloon points to Null-Tron, which confused me for awhile...I think that one's just an error.

As a robot, Null-Tron could likely be repaired or replicated, even without using the Body Banks.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Null-Tron should be distinguished from:

NUL - Worthy, possessed Hulk (Bruce Banner) - aka BREAKER of WORLDS--Fear Itself#2
NULATRONS - robotic agents of Baron Rockler, created by Lord Professor Teller, destroyed by Iron Man--Iron Man I#80
NULL - giant android designed to oppose Galactus; part of the technology usurped by the Dawn of the White Light--Wolverine II#30
NULL the LIVING DARKNESS - demon spawned by desires for revenge on the cosmos that lay in the collective unconscious of S’Raph race--Defenders I#103
NULL-BANDS - power item, formerly used by Tomazooma robot, later used by Cougar--Fantastic Four I#80
NULL-BOX - created by Beetle (Abner Jenkins), dampens Spider-Tracer signals--Deadly Foes of Spider-Man I#2
NULL-LIFE BOMB - weapon created by Stranger to destroy humanity, diffused by Al B. Harper at the cost of his own life; the bomb was sealed and sent to Stark West for safekeeping, but it was released during a break-in by Vulcan and his gang, activated by Jerry Washington, eventually deactivated by the Champions and the Stranger using the Runestaff of Kamo Tharnn--Silver Surfer I#5
NULL-LIFE BOMB of Earth-1120 - used by Thanos and smashed by Captain Mar-Vell of that reality--Captain Marvel VI#11
NULL SPACE dimension - Osch's realm, pocket dimension --Darkhawk#25
NULL-TIME ZONE - home of Time Variance Authority--Fantastic Four I#346; (identified) Deathlok II#31
Null-Trons - Kree killer robots, used against natives of Deneb IV, defeated by the underground of Deneb IV assisted by Captain Mar-Vell--Captain Marvel I#44
NULLA, KABUL - Hyborian Era, ruler of Hilltown--The Country of the Knife; (MU) Savage Sword of Conan#11
NULLIFIER - used by Dr. Octopus to control Spider-Man--Amazing Spider-Man I#5_
NULLIFIER WAR of Earth-98120 - involved Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange, Magus, Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, ended with Magus trapped in the Betwixt--Captain Marvel VI#23
NULLITRON - robot created by Zarrko, overpowered Thor, destroyed by Thor Girl/Tarene. Immense superhuman strength + durability, create force field around itself + other objects or beings--Thor II#33
other "Null" or Tron characters, including the non-Marvel Tron from the movies series

images: (without ads)
Minimum Carnage Alpha#1, pg. 18, panel 4 (mostly full body, with group);
       pg. 20, panel 1 (full body, distant);
       pg. 21, panel 1 (on Earth, in Carnage's palm);
Scarlet Spider II#10 (Minimum Carnage, part two), pg. 13, panel 2 (mostly full oblique);
          panel 3 (face/head);
Venom II#26, pg. 12, panel 4 (with Xerxes, charges Carnage);
       pg. 13, panel 4 (seated, posterior oblique);
       pg. 14, panel 2 (snakes ripped off)

Appearances:
Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (December, 2012) - Christopher Yost & Cullen Bunn (writers), Lan Medina (penciler), Karl Kesel, Cam Smith, & Walden Wong (inkers), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)
Scarlet Spider II#10 (December 2012) - Christopher Yost (writer), Khoi Pham & Reilly Brown (pencilers), Tom Palmer & Chris Sotomayor (inkers), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)
Venom II#26 (December 2012) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Declan Shalvey (artist), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)

First posted: 08/24/2020
Last updated: 08/24/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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