Starting life as experimental robot X-51, Aaron Stack would take on the moniker Mister Machine in his second appearance, then appear in his own series as Machine Man when he would become part of the Marvel Universe of Earth-616. His early appearances even reference him as being like a character from Marvel Comics! Technically, they're probably meant to be considered to be two different characters for copyright reasons, but many of the support characters and the original concept remain the same when Aaron gets his own series.
Although Machine Man has never been considered an A-list character, there are those of us who love the guy who, despite being a robot, is more human than many of the people who make his life difficult. Machine Man would even go on to become a member of the Avengers, Nextwave, ARMOR and more. Sure these issues don't quite fit the criteria I use to decide which stories I'll cover, but I couldn't pass up a chance to run a feature on one of my favourite characters of all time and share how much fun I had reading these insane Jack Kirby comics.
- 2001: A Space Odyssey #8-10
- Machine Man #1-6
The secret US Army experiment to create robot soldiers is shut down when all of the X-Model robots go insane thanks to the attempt made to give them independent thought. The battle costs Colonel Joseph Kragowski (dubbed 'Colonel Kragg') one of his eyes and a cadre of his best men. Fifty robots are destroyed, but one remains and it's Kragg's job to permanently shut him down, too. But X-51 was raised in more experimental circumstances by scientist Dr Abel Stack.
Abel gave X-51 the name 'Aaron Stack' and treated him like a human son. Aaron showed no signs of insanity and, instead, was a thoughtful and compassionate being. Abel even gives him a human face to make him feel less different. When he realises the government are about to activate the bomb built into Aaron, he removes it and encourages him to leave home and explore the world. Aaron is unaware that the bomb kills Abel as he sacrifices himself so that his 'son' can live. But Aaron is soon captured by Kragg's men and his human face is removed while he's held prisoner. His rescuer is a Monolith whose appearance restores Aaron's enormous strength, allowing him to free himself...
Aaron storms the building, but refuses to kill any of the soldiers. The head scientist, Dr Oliver Broadhurst, convinces Colonel Kragg to let Aaron go free so they can follow and observe him with the tracking device built into his head. Aaron's face and costume are returned and he goes out into the world where Mr Hotline immediately sends his men to try and apprehend him as the only X-Model left. Hotline's men are defeated and Aaron, now calling himself 'Mister Machine', saves Olivia Fields and her son, Jerry Fields, who almost get caught in the crossfire.
2001: A Space Odyssey #10
The Fields ask Mister Machine to stay with them and Olivia's father, Judge Franklin Fields, but the family are soon held hostage by representatives of Mr Hotline's Brotherhood of Hades. Hotline has Mister Machine dismantled and his head is presented to the demonic Mind Monitor. But Mister Machine takes control of his body parts which reassemble and fight their way to his head. He smashes the holographic image projector and discovers the Mind Monitor is actually a super-computer intent on taking over humanity. The Fields are freed and Mister Machine goes his own way...
Dr Broadhurst is removed from the project that created X-51 and Colonel Kragg is ordered to locate and destroy him. Renaming himself Machine Man, Aaron Stack gets a ride towards Central City, California with psychiatrist Peter Spalding. Kragg's men track him down to the rural outskirts. Machine Man escapes, but he's seriously damaged by their sonic cannons...
Machine Man #2
Machine Man finds a local garage and creates diamonds to pay the owners for parts. He turns himself into a three-wheel off-roader and escapes Kragg's troops. Arriving in Central City, Machine Man tracks down Peter Spalding. One of Spalding's patients is channeling a distress signal from space from a being who's about to crash into a sun...
Communicating through the patient, the being tells Machine Man how to construct a warp device that will allow him to travel to Earth. The device almost sucks Machine Man and Peter Spalding into the far reaches of space. But the being, Ten-For, escapes his fate and arrives on Earth where he immobilises Machine Man and Spalding and announces his true role as a holocaust specialist...
Machine Man #4
Machine Man gets back online and finds Kragg's troops outside Spalding's sanitarium, where they've been left decimated by Ten-For. The troops believe Machine Man is as bad as Ten-For, making him second guess wether he should save humanity at all. He soon confronts Ten-For in Central City as the maniacal robot reveals his plan to summon his fellow Autocrons to Earth to take over the planet...
Ten-For defeats Machine Man, but still surrenders to the police while he waits for his people to arrive. Machine Man ends up at a costume party where TV news reporter Tracy Warner convinces him to try and stop the Autocron galactic invasion. Spalding and Colonel Kragg confront Ten-For who reveals his plan to turn Machine Man against humanity...
Machine Man #6
A taxi driver finally convinces Machine Man that humanity is worth saving. He dodges Kragg's troops who stand down under the Colonel's orders, then defeats Ten-For using hypnotism. He opens Ten-For up and turns him into a bomb, transporting him to the arriving Autocron fleet in space with a warp device and blowing them all up.
Machine Man #7-9 (1978)
Machine Man stands trial for bringing Ten-For to Earth; Colonel Kragg comes out in support of Machine Man; Kragg and Peter Spalding aid Machine Man against the Corporation during THE CORPORATION.
Incredible Hulk #235-237 (1979)
Machine Man is granted human rights at a congressional hearing (also attended by Tracy Warner); Kragg aids Machine Man when he comes into conflict with the Hulk during THE CORPORATION.
Machine Man #10 (1979)
Dr Oliver Broadhurst redesigns Machine Man's body after it's badly damaged by the Hulk; Kragg comes to Machine Man's aid again against Senator Miles Brickman's political agenda and an assassin sent by Kublai Khan; Machine Man saves Colonel Kragg, Dr Oliver Broadhurst and Peter Spalding from an avalanche, but Broadhurst breathes in noxious fumes during THE CORPORATION.
Machine Man stands trial for bringing Ten-For to Earth; Colonel Kragg comes out in support of Machine Man; Kragg and Peter Spalding aid Machine Man against the Corporation during THE CORPORATION.
Incredible Hulk #235-237 (1979)
Machine Man is granted human rights at a congressional hearing (also attended by Tracy Warner); Kragg aids Machine Man when he comes into conflict with the Hulk during THE CORPORATION.
Machine Man #10 (1979)
Dr Oliver Broadhurst redesigns Machine Man's body after it's badly damaged by the Hulk; Kragg comes to Machine Man's aid again against Senator Miles Brickman's political agenda and an assassin sent by Kublai Khan; Machine Man saves Colonel Kragg, Dr Oliver Broadhurst and Peter Spalding from an avalanche, but Broadhurst breathes in noxious fumes during THE CORPORATION.
Machine Man #16 (1980)
Machine Man meets mechanic Gears Garvin who becomes a close ally.
Machine Man #19 (1981)
Gears Garvin and Peter Spalding set Machine Man's Aaron Stack identity up as an investigator with an insurance company, giving him a chance to live a normal life during JOLTED BY THE JACK O'LANTERN.
Marvel Two-in-One #92-93 (1982)
Machine Man meets and falls in love with Jocasta, joining her and the Thing in a battle against Jocasta's creator, Ultron; Jocasta is seemingly destroyed by Ultron.
Machine Man #1-4 (1984-1984)
The Machine Man of Earth-8410 is rebuilt and reunited with Gears Garvin in the year 2020; this version of Machine Man battles Iron Man 2020 (Arno Stark), has his final showdown with a much older Sunset Bain and is reunited with Jocasta.
Avengers #288-290 (1988)
Machine Man agrees to aid the Super-Adaptoid against the Avengers in return for help in rebuilding Jocasta; Machine Man joins the Super-Adaptoid's team, Heavy Metal, made up of other robots until he realises his mistake and sides with the Avengers against the Super-Adaptoid.
Avengers West Coast Annual #5 (1990)
Machine Man aids the West Coast Avengers against Terminus during THE TERMINUS FACTOR.
Avengers West Coast #69 (1991)
Machine Man is made a reserve member of the West Coast Avengers during BITTER PILL.
Avengers West Coast #83 (1992)
Machine Man serves as an Avenger for the first time (alongside fellow reservists) when the Hyena threatens California while the main West Coast Avengers team are in space during OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM.
Blackwulf #3 (1994)
Dr Broadhurst goes on to join Blackwulf's Underground Legion and creates the team member Wildwind who's unaware that she's a robot.
Avengers #1-3 (1998)
Machine Man is among a plethora of Avenges who answer the call when Morgan le Fay threatens reality during HEROES RETURN.
Cable & Machine Man Annual (1998)
Machine Man is infected with Sentinel nano-technology and is forced to act as an agent of Bastion during ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION.
Machine Man & Bastion Annual (1998)
Cable helps Machine Man regain control, but the Sentinel programming stays in his system during ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION.
Earth X #0 (1999)
The Machine Man of Earth-9997 becomes that reality's new Watcher and learns the true nature of the planet Earth and the purpose of the world's super-humans during EARTH X.
X-51 #0 (1999)
SHIELD kidnap Machine Man in the hope of using him to create a new Deathlok cyborg during GHOST IN THE SHELL.
X-Men '99 Annual (1999)
Machine Man is seemingly destroyed when the SHIELD Hellicarrier crashes during RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.
X-51 #1-2 (1999)
Machine Man transfers his consciousness to a SHIELD Life Model Decoy which intermingles with the Sentinel programming, turning him into the mutant-hunting Machine Sentinel; Dr Oliver Broadhurst is revealed to have died; Dr William Haines is revealed to have taken over the Broadhurst Institute during GHOST IN THE SHELL.
X-51 #4-5 (1999)
Machine Man is expelled from the Avengers roster when he threatens to kill Firestar and Justice while in his guise as Machine Sentinel during GHOST IN THE SHELL.
X-51 #7-8 (2000)
Machine Sentinel self-destructs to stop himself from killing the X-Men during GHOST IN THE SHELL / APOCALYPSE: THE TWELVE.
X-51 #12 (2000)
The Monolith returns and offers the rebuilt Machine Man the chance to explore space alongside the Celestials, which he accepts.
Nextwave #1-12 (2006-2007)
Having been forcibly returned to Earth by the Celestials with a newfound contempt for humans (except for Elsa Bloodstone), Machine Man joins rogue counterterrorist group Nextwave.
Ms Marvel #18 (2007)
Machine Man joins Ms Marvel's Operation: Lightning Storm strike force.
Marvel Zombies 3 #1-4 (2008-2009)
After joining ARMOR (Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency), Machine Man is tasked with fending off a zombie infestation from Earth-2149.
Hulk #43-46 (2011-2012)
Machine Man becomes a reluctant, recurring ally to the Red Hulk.
Red She-Hulk #66-67 (2013)
While on a mission with Red She-Hulk, Machine Man briefly possesses the body of his alternate universe counterpart from Earth-13159 during MARVEL NOW!
Tony Stark: Iron Man #3 (2018)
After finally being reunited with Jocasta, Machine Man ruins their life together with his increasingly anti-human stance, leading to her breaking up with him during FRESH START.
X-51 #1-2 (1999)
Machine Man transfers his consciousness to a SHIELD Life Model Decoy which intermingles with the Sentinel programming, turning him into the mutant-hunting Machine Sentinel; Dr Oliver Broadhurst is revealed to have died; Dr William Haines is revealed to have taken over the Broadhurst Institute during GHOST IN THE SHELL.
X-51 #4-5 (1999)
Machine Man is expelled from the Avengers roster when he threatens to kill Firestar and Justice while in his guise as Machine Sentinel during GHOST IN THE SHELL.
X-51 #7-8 (2000)
Machine Sentinel self-destructs to stop himself from killing the X-Men during GHOST IN THE SHELL / APOCALYPSE: THE TWELVE.
X-51 #12 (2000)
The Monolith returns and offers the rebuilt Machine Man the chance to explore space alongside the Celestials, which he accepts.
Nextwave #1-12 (2006-2007)
Having been forcibly returned to Earth by the Celestials with a newfound contempt for humans (except for Elsa Bloodstone), Machine Man joins rogue counterterrorist group Nextwave.
Ms Marvel #18 (2007)
Machine Man joins Ms Marvel's Operation: Lightning Storm strike force.
Marvel Zombies 3 #1-4 (2008-2009)
After joining ARMOR (Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency), Machine Man is tasked with fending off a zombie infestation from Earth-2149.
Hulk #43-46 (2011-2012)
Machine Man becomes a reluctant, recurring ally to the Red Hulk.
Red She-Hulk #66-67 (2013)
While on a mission with Red She-Hulk, Machine Man briefly possesses the body of his alternate universe counterpart from Earth-13159 during MARVEL NOW!
Tony Stark: Iron Man #3 (2018)
After finally being reunited with Jocasta, Machine Man ruins their life together with his increasingly anti-human stance, leading to her breaking up with him during FRESH START.
Machine Man by Kirby & Ditko: The Complete Collection
Includes Machine Man #1-6
Marvel Firsts: The 1970s vol.3
Includes Machine Man #1
Nhận xét
Đăng nhận xét