Deathlok
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Deathlok (sometimes also referred to as "The Demolisher") is a Marvel Comics anti-hero, a cyborg, created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. The first Deathlok appeared in Astonishing Tales #25; and several subsequent characters have used the "Deathlok" identity since then.
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[edit] History of Deathlok
[edit] Luther Manning
Colonel Luther Manning was the "first" Deathlok, a soldier who, after being near-fatally injured, woke up in the body of the experimental Deathlok cyborg in the post-apocalyptic future. He battled against the evil corporate and military regimes that had taken over the United States, while simultaneously struggling to not lose his humanity. He encountered Spider-Man and Captain America in various time travel storylines; in the latter story, he was able to overthrow the megalomaniac who had taken over the United States. Luther Manning remained in his near-future alternate reality, searching for a purpose in life and unable to disconnect himself from the machine he is a part of.
[edit] Deathlok Robot
A prototype created by Harlan Stryker, destroyed by the Thing.
[edit] John Kelly
Made for the US Army by Harlan Ryker after studying Luther Manning's cyborg body, the first Deathlok cyborg in modern Earth-616 continuity is John Kelly, now known as Siege.
[edit] Michael Collins
Professor Michael Collins was the second Deathlok to be created in the modern era and also the second to be created for the traditional Marvel Universe; he was an African-American pacifist and family man working for the Roxxon Oil cybernetics corporation, whose brain was transplanted against his will into a robotic killing machine. Although his brain was intended to serve only as a medium for the robot's programming, he was able to assert his will over it (installing a "no-killing parameter" into its programming) and had a brief superheroic career as he desperately searched for his human body, hoping it still existed. This Deathlok's cyborg body first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #62, and Collins' brain was placed in it in Deathlok (volume 1) #1. The brain connected to this cyborg body in the Marvel Comics Presents story was that of a soldier named John Kelly, whose mind was later transferred into another cyborg body and became the vigilante called Siege.
[edit] Jack Truman
Jack Truman was an agent of the international espionage outfit S.H.I.E.L.D. who was transformed into a cyborg to battle the Red Skull. He later swapped his minds into the body of another former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Larry Young. Truman is presumably living a normal human life in Young's body, while Young is presumably still trapped in the body of a Deathlok unit.
[edit] Multiples
Multiple unnamed Deathlok units were seen in issues 1 - 6 of the fourth Black Panther series. Possessing no human sentience, they were automatons created out of the corpses of soldiers killed in Iraq.[citation needed]
[edit] Current status
The current status and whereabouts of Siege and Larry Young are unknown, though Michael Collins resurfaced in Beyond! #2 - 6, eventually returning to Earth from Battleworld and losing his Deathlok incarnation.
[edit] Powers and abilities
- The Luther Manning Deathlok body had enhanced strength which enabled him to lift (press) approximately 2 tons.
- Luther Manning's mechanical, cybernetic physiology granted him several other powers including enhanced reflexes, endurance 5 times past the normal human level, life support and a computer augmented brain.
- Michael Collins' cyborg body can lift 85 tons and run approximately 107 mph. As well as target (nearly infallibly) multiple objects and track them. He could scan the entire electromagnetic spectrum, as well as enter computer systems. As demonstrated in Beyond #3 he can unlock his internal safeties to achieve "Class 100" strength.
- The Michael Collins Deathlok has learned to use internal nanobots to repair and alter both his organic and inorganic parts, enabling him to appear as either a humanoid cyborg, or completely human.
- The Michael Collins Deathlok also has a very sophisticated A.I., capable of quickly making complex strategies and evaluating their chance of success. If requested, the A.I. can take control of the body to perform these operations.
[edit] Ultimate Deathlok
- In Ultimate Spider-Man #70, the Ultimates fight a person they refer to as Luther Manning. Luther looks like Deathlok and Spider-Man describes him as a 'half-robot half-zombie guy'. Spider-Man takes him out and the Ultimates take him into custody.
[edit] Other media
- A Deathlok feature film is currently in the works by Paramount Pictures. Though no information is currently known about the latest script draft by David Self, previous rumors and scripts suggest that the movie may be using the Luther Manning Deathlok, while adding in some of the personality and background traits of Michael Collins. There is currently no estimated release date. There has also been a Marvel Legends action figure of Deathlok, which is part of the Galactus Series.
- The thrash metal band Megadeth's song "Psychotron" from the Countdown to Extinction album is about the character Deathlok.
- Deathlok can be summoned to assist Spider-Man or Venom during the later stages of the SNES adaptation of Maximum Carnage. He drops into the center of the screen and fires guns in both directions, hitting all enemies.
[edit] Bibliography
- Astonishing Tales #25-36 (August 1974-July 1976)
- Marvel Team-Up v1 #46 (June 1976)
- Marvel Two-In-One #27 and #54 (May 1977,August 1979)
- Deathlok #1-4 (July 1990-October 1990)
- Deathlok (Vol. 2) #1-34 (July 1991-April 1994)
- Deathlok Annual #1-2 (1992-93)
- Deathlok (Vol. 3) #1-11 (September 1999-June 2000)
- Beyond #2 (August 2006)
