The Multiple Manifestations of Deathlok
| by: Wayne Lackey
Deathlok has popped up in a handful of Marvel books and collections recently,
but they are not all the same Deathlok. Okay, so how many versions of
Deathlok are there, you ask? Let’s see… Here is a list of
some of the notable incarnations of this character:
Luther Manning, Earth-7484 (Astonishing
Tales #25, 1974)
Colonel Luther Manning was gravely injured during a military exercise,
and subsequently died from his injuries. His remains, including part
of his brain, were placed in stasis and eventually grafted into a
cyborg body as part of Project: Alpha-Mech. Eventually, Manning’s
remnant personality subverted the cyborg’s computer brain, allowing
him to control his cyborg half and rebel against his former masters
and their corrupt schemes. This Deathlok was later transported to
Earth-616 and encountered several costumed adventurers including Devil-Slayer,
the Thing, Captain America, and Daredevil. It is possible that this
Deathlok was destroyed in New Avengers #35 (2007), but that has yet
to be confirmed. The bulk of his recorded adventures have recently
been collected in a Marvel Masterworks volume. |
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Deathlok Robot, Earth-616 (Marvel
Two-in-One #54, 1979)
This version of Deathlok was an automaton controlled by Roxxon Oil,
with its designs and technology based on the original Deathlok after
he arrived on Earth-616. Its purpose was to infiltrate and destroy
Project PEGASUS. During its infiltration, it was discovered by the
Thing and Quasar, who were eventually able to overcome and incapacitate
it. Following its defeat, the Deathlok robot self-destructed rather
than allow itself to be compromised. |
 |
John Kelly, Earth-616 (Marvel Comics
Presents #62, 1990)
Colonel John Kelly volunteered for Harlan Ryker’s Deathlok program
and his brain was transplanted into Roxxon’s newly-designed
Deathlok cyborg. During its initial test run, Deathlok performed well
until Kelly disobeyed orders from the computer, which then destroyed
Kelly’s brain and completed its original mission. Later, the
remains of Kelly’s brain were reanimated as a creature called
Biohazard who fought the Michael Collins Deathlok. Later, the Collins
Deathlok discovered a remnant copy of John Kelly’s consciousness
which temporarily co-habitated within Collins’ mind until it
was later projected into another Roxxon cyborg and became known as
Siege. As a member of the 50-state Initiative leading the Florida
team, Kelly was killed in Marvel Zombies 3 #1 (2008). |
 |
Michael Collins, Earth-616 (Deathlok
#1, 1990)
Michael Collins was a scientist employed by the Cybertek Systems,
a subsidiary of the Roxxon Corporation. Continuing work on the Deathlok
cyborg after the Kelly fiasco, Collins discovered Cybetek’s
intended military application for the cyborg and requested the project
be halted. Instead, Harlan Ryker, head of Cybertek, shot Collins and
transferred his brain into Deathlok. Eventually taking control of
the cyborg, Deathlok fought Cybertek and the Deathlok project on several
occasions, and also fought against and alongside other iterations
of Deathlok, including Siege and the Luther Manning version from Earth-7484.
Collins was eventually restored to human form following the events
of the Beyond! (2007) mini-series. |
 |
Jack Truman/Larry Young, Earth-616
(Uncanny X-Men #371, 1999)
Following a skirmish with the mutant Cable, SHIELD agent Jack Truman
was badly-injured and near death when his brain and nervous system
was transplanted by SHIELD’s ExTechOps Division into a new Deathlok
cyborg, while Truman’s psyche “bounced” around to
various bodies before returning to his own brain in Deathlok. After
various adventures involving the Red Skull, Nick Fury, and the Ringmaster,
and being relentlessly pursued by SHIELD agent Larry Young, Truman
bounced his mind into Young’s body, trapping Young’s mind
into Deathlok while Truman escaped. |
 |
Luther Manning, Ultimate Universe
(Ultimate Spider-Man #70, 2005)
This version is seen fighting the Ultimates and Spider-Man in a flashback
sequence. He is referred to as Luther Manning and as a “half-zombie,
half-robot guy,” but never on-panel as Deathlok. |
 |
Luther Manning/Mike Travers, Marvel
Knights (Deathlok the Demolisher #1, 2009)
The Marvel Knights version is an amalgamation of the remains of both
Luther Manning and Mike Travers grafted into a new Deathlok armor
following their deaths during televised war games. While repelling
assaults from Roxxon forces in the real world as the Deathlok cyborg,
Manning and Travers are also under technological attack inside the
Deathlok computer “world” containing the combined psyches
of Manning, Travers, and that of the Deathlok computer itself. This
is a seven-issue mini-series that will conclude this May. |
 |
Multiple Automaton Units (Wolverine:
Weapon X #11, 2010)
These Roxxon Corporation-controlled Deathlok units act and behave
similarly to “Terminators,” as they travel back in time,
assassinate targets from a prepared list, then move onto the next
target. After easily dispatching their list of secondary targets,
this group of Deathlok units now has a common goal: assassinate Captain
America! One Deathlok unit is acting kind of strange, though…
This five-part arc is scheduled to conclude this July in Wolverine:
Weapon X #15. |
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Hope this clears up some of the confusion…!
It’s nice to see Marvel has some plans for my favorite time-displaced
demolisher!
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Copyright © by Horror Comic Book News - Comic Monsters All Right Reserved. Published on: 2010-04-11 (664 reads) [ Go Back ] |
