Dreadnought (comics)
Encyclopedia
Dreadnoughts are a type of fictional
robot
found in the Marvel Comics
universe
. They are frequently employed by villain
ous organizations. Different forms of the robots are depicted by organizations such as HYDRA
and the Maggia
.
Helicarrier
and assassinate director Nick Fury
.
Later the design and specifications for it were sold to the criminal cartel, The Maggia
, who built the Silver Dreadnought.
Some time later, Advanced Idea Mechanics
designed a new version, the Dreadnought 2000, stored at Target Technologies in Rutherford, New Jersey.
A rebuilt version was used years later during an attack to destroy London, where the robot had to fight Union Jack.
, and the Silver Dreadnought was built by the Maggia
. Its robotic materials, design, and construction from a titanium steel alloy afford the Dreadnought superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and reflexes. It has limited artificial intelligence, and no capacity for self-motivated activity. It is programmed for hand-to-hand combat in the style of an American boxer and for combat uses of its built-in weapons sub-systems.
This original and Silver Dreadnought versions' gauntlets have flamethrower
nozzles, capable of firing a hydrazine-liquid oxygen mix. Its knuckles are studded with spikes which can be shot like rifle bullets. From the modules mounted like ears, the Dreadnought generates a powerful electrical charge which conducts throughout its body's frame and through conducting material. The Dreadnought has no capability for projecting this electricity, but is capable of electrifying by touch. The Dreadnought's optical imaging sensor eyes are gamma ray particle beam projectors which can irradiate a target. The Dreadnought’s mouth is connected to a tank of refrigerated Freon gas which allows the Dreadnought a single-use attack of freezing breath.
The Dreadnought 2000 model, designed by Advanced Idea Mechanics
, has gauntlet projectors firing high pressure jets of either water, liquid oxygen, acid, oil, powerful adhesive, anesthetic gas, and/or napalm, and/or beams capable of liquefying steel of solidifying gases in the air. It also has the eight gunpowder-launched knuckle spikes, body-wide electrical field, gamma ray particle beam projectors in its optical imaging sensors, and refrigerated Freon gas dispenser in the "mouth" cavity of the previous models.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
found in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. They are frequently employed by villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous organizations. Different forms of the robots are depicted by organizations such as HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
and the Maggia
Maggia (comics)
The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
.
Fictional character biography
The Dreadnought is a non-sentient robotic combat instrument originally created by the subversive organization HYDRA for use in various commando operations. It was first used in an attempt to breach the S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
Helicarrier
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers...
and assassinate director Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
.
Later the design and specifications for it were sold to the criminal cartel, The Maggia
Maggia (comics)
The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
, who built the Silver Dreadnought.
Some time later, Advanced Idea Mechanics
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
designed a new version, the Dreadnought 2000, stored at Target Technologies in Rutherford, New Jersey.
A rebuilt version was used years later during an attack to destroy London, where the robot had to fight Union Jack.
Powers and abilities
The Dreadnought was designed by HYDRAHYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
, and the Silver Dreadnought was built by the Maggia
Maggia (comics)
The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
. Its robotic materials, design, and construction from a titanium steel alloy afford the Dreadnought superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and reflexes. It has limited artificial intelligence, and no capacity for self-motivated activity. It is programmed for hand-to-hand combat in the style of an American boxer and for combat uses of its built-in weapons sub-systems.
This original and Silver Dreadnought versions' gauntlets have flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
nozzles, capable of firing a hydrazine-liquid oxygen mix. Its knuckles are studded with spikes which can be shot like rifle bullets. From the modules mounted like ears, the Dreadnought generates a powerful electrical charge which conducts throughout its body's frame and through conducting material. The Dreadnought has no capability for projecting this electricity, but is capable of electrifying by touch. The Dreadnought's optical imaging sensor eyes are gamma ray particle beam projectors which can irradiate a target. The Dreadnought’s mouth is connected to a tank of refrigerated Freon gas which allows the Dreadnought a single-use attack of freezing breath.
The Dreadnought 2000 model, designed by Advanced Idea Mechanics
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
, has gauntlet projectors firing high pressure jets of either water, liquid oxygen, acid, oil, powerful adhesive, anesthetic gas, and/or napalm, and/or beams capable of liquefying steel of solidifying gases in the air. It also has the eight gunpowder-launched knuckle spikes, body-wide electrical field, gamma ray particle beam projectors in its optical imaging sensors, and refrigerated Freon gas dispenser in the "mouth" cavity of the previous models.
Television
- The Dreadnoughts appear in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
episode "Iron Man is Born." They are unleashed by HYDRA to attack Iron Man after he defeated the HYDRA Agents. Iron Man manages to defeat the Dreadnoughts. Here the Dreadnoughts are built around Stark Technology and are basically fully robotic versions of S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
's MandroidMandroidA Mandroid is a fictional suit of power armor which appears in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in Avengers #94 , created by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams.-Fictional history:...
s.
Video games
- Dreadnoughts are enemies in Spider-Man: Web of FireSpider-Man: Web of FireSpider-Man: Web of Fire is a video game released for the Sega 32X and based on the popular Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The game was one of the last games released for the 32X system and thus is hard to find, commonly selling on eBay for well over 100 US dollars.In the game, the player...
for the Sega 32XSega 32XThe Sega 32X, codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console by Sega. Its aim was to increase the lifespan of the aging Mega Drive/Genesis system, which was facing stiff competition from the SNES...
. - In the Iron ManIron Man (video game)The Nintendo DS, Wii, PS2 and PSP versions all received mixed critical scores on Gamerankings and Metacritic. These versions were generally well received by the fans, but suffer from gameplay, graphics and controls frustrations...
game, Iron Man fights Dreadnought in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. In this game, Dreadnought looks like a big tank with missile-launchers and has the ability to create an explosion of energy that affects Iron Man's suit.