Machinesmith
Encyclopedia
Machinesmith is a fictional character, a supervillain
in the Marvel Universe
. He specializes in robot
ics, and is able to make convincing doubles
of other superhumans. His own mind
was later transferred to a robotic body.
Barry Windsor-Smith
has stated that back in Daredevil #50, Saxon was supposed to be presented as gay; however, he admits that his early art wasn't good enough to get the point across. Other issues have since revealed his sexuality more directly, such as Captain America #368 and Iron Man #320.
. His original efforts saw to his use of his robotics and engineering abilities to become a professional criminal robot maker and construct a variety of androids to be used as assassins for hire/personal gain. At some point during this period, he constructs a facsimile of Magneto
and a variety of robotic "mutant" drones called The Demi Men who went on to battle the X-Men
. The Magneto-Robot appears several times over the years, believing itself to be the true Magneto, until it was destroyed by a Sentinel
. As of this writing, the individual(s) who commissioned Saxon for the creation of the robot is unrevealed.
In his first actual appearance, Starr Saxon is hired by Biggie Benson to kill Daredevil
. Saxon dispatches a powerful android to do so, and to commit a series of crimes in New York. He discovers Daredevil's secret identity, and kidnaps Daredevil's girlfriend, Karen Page
. He blackmails Daredevil into allowing him to escape. Saxon decides to confront Daredevil directly. He murders the original Mister Fear
and steals his costume and weaponry. As Mister Fear, Saxon challenges Daredevil to a public duel in New York City. He rigs Daredevil's billy club to release fear-gas pellets, and begins a crime spree. However, he battles Daredevil and loses, breaking his neck in a fall from a flying hovercraft platform.
Saxon's robots find his dying body and transfer his brain patterns and consciousness into a computer, from which he could control a variety of android bodies. Now calling himself the Machinesmith, he is hired by the Corporation
agent the Carnation to defeat the Fantastic Four
. He dispatches his robots to subdue the Thing
so he could be brainwashed into destroying the Fantastic Four. The Thing encounters Jack of Hearts
instead and is defeated. Machinesmith is then revealed to be a robot. In his first appearance as "Machinesmith", the character was not revealed to be Starr Saxon, as his robotic features looked nothing like his human ones.
Captain America
and Nick Fury
have an encounter with Baron Strucker
. Captain America defeats Strucker but the latter is revealed to be a robot, controlled remotely by Machinesmith, who plots to destroy Captain America. He comes to despise his artificial "life", but his programming prevents him from committing suicide. Machinesmith sends Dragon Man
to kill Captain America but the attempt is unsuccessful. The fact that Machinesmith was Starr Saxon was revealed to the reader in Captain America # 249.
Machinesmith is hired into the exclusive employ of the Red Skull
, for whom he served as his primary scientist/machinist and member of the Skeleton Crew
. On several occasions, Machinesmith undertakes various field missions for the Skull, usually confronting Captain America.
As per the Red Skull's orders, he sets mechanisms in S.H.I.E.L.D.
Central against Captain America and Nick Fury
. As per the Red Skull's orders, he next activates the Sleeper
robot, and attempts to liberate the other robots impounded on Avengers Island
. He then assists Mother Night
in an attempt to bug the Avengers headquarters
, and he battles and overpowers the Vision
. Alongside the Skeleton Crew, he later battles the Schutz-Heiliggruppe.
A portion of the Machinesmith consciousness is eventually captured, (assumed to be Saxon's entire consciousness), and enslaved by Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man. This happens when Tony is under the thrall of Kang the Conqueror
. Machinesmith later claims to have easily recovered the lost fragment and re-assimilated it.
When the Skull is blasted apart by the destruction of the Kubekult's Cosmic Cube
, Machinesmith enacts a series of protocols dictated by the Skull to kill Captain America and plunge the world into nuclear holocaust. Machinesmith is defeated.
Later, Machinesmith is employed by the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil
. After the defeat of the team by the Thunderbolts
, Machinesmith has since lain low. He later appears battling the young heroes, the New Warriors
.
After breaking his neck, his consciousness began to occupy a robot duplicate of himself, programmed with the complete brain patterns of Starr Saxon, and capable of self-motivated, creative activity. His robotic materials, design, and construction provided him with a number of superhuman capacities, including superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes.
Machinesmith exists as a living, cybernetic-system program (artificial consciousness), which is equipped to transmit its program along an infrared laser beam into virtually any electronics system at will; thus be can transfer from one robotic body to another within .25 seconds. Machinesmith can even place his personal program (personality) into multiple bodies at the same time, though the number of complex motions he can make his automatons perform simultaneously is limited. His physical properties vary in accordance with the robot form he is inside. Certain Machinesmith robots possess superhuman capacities such as telescoping arms and legs, explosive launchers, special infrared or telescopic eyes. He has yet to inhabit a robot body greatly superior to a standard human-mimicking robot's capacity. If an electronics system shuts down before he has a chance to project out of it he can be trapped inside of it. Machinesmith is a genius at creating complex behavioral programs and bionic systems.
Machinesmith has also created a vast arsenal of weaponry, defense systems, and surveillance devices, whose specifications are constantly upgraded.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel 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...
. He specializes in 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...
ics, and is able to make convincing doubles
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
of other superhumans. His own mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
was later transferred to a robotic body.
Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith
Barry Windsor-Smith, born Barry Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States....
has stated that back in Daredevil #50, Saxon was supposed to be presented as gay; however, he admits that his early art wasn't good enough to get the point across. Other issues have since revealed his sexuality more directly, such as Captain America #368 and Iron Man #320.
Fictional character biography
Starr Saxon was born in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. His original efforts saw to his use of his robotics and engineering abilities to become a professional criminal robot maker and construct a variety of androids to be used as assassins for hire/personal gain. At some point during this period, he constructs a facsimile of Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
and a variety of robotic "mutant" drones called The Demi Men who went on to battle the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. The Magneto-Robot appears several times over the years, believing itself to be the true Magneto, until it was destroyed by a Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
. As of this writing, the individual(s) who commissioned Saxon for the creation of the robot is unrevealed.
In his first actual appearance, Starr Saxon is hired by Biggie Benson to kill Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
. Saxon dispatches a powerful android to do so, and to commit a series of crimes in New York. He discovers Daredevil's secret identity, and kidnaps Daredevil's girlfriend, Karen Page
Karen Page
Karen Page is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Daredevil series created by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett. She first appeared in Daredevil #1 .-Character overview:...
. He blackmails Daredevil into allowing him to escape. Saxon decides to confront Daredevil directly. He murders the original Mister Fear
Mister Fear
Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister...
and steals his costume and weaponry. As Mister Fear, Saxon challenges Daredevil to a public duel in New York City. He rigs Daredevil's billy club to release fear-gas pellets, and begins a crime spree. However, he battles Daredevil and loses, breaking his neck in a fall from a flying hovercraft platform.
Saxon's robots find his dying body and transfer his brain patterns and consciousness into a computer, from which he could control a variety of android bodies. Now calling himself the Machinesmith, he is hired by the Corporation
Corporation (comics)
-Publication history:The Corporation first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #23-24 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Gil Kane....
agent the Carnation to defeat the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
. He dispatches his robots to subdue the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
so he could be brainwashed into destroying the Fantastic Four. The Thing encounters Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...
instead and is defeated. Machinesmith is then revealed to be a robot. In his first appearance as "Machinesmith", the character was not revealed to be Starr Saxon, as his robotic features looked nothing like his human ones.
Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and 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...
have an encounter with Baron Strucker
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
. Captain America defeats Strucker but the latter is revealed to be a robot, controlled remotely by Machinesmith, who plots to destroy Captain America. He comes to despise his artificial "life", but his programming prevents him from committing suicide. Machinesmith sends Dragon Man
Dragon Man
Dragon Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is an artificial dragon-like humanoid android who was animated via alchemy. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four #35 ....
to kill Captain America but the attempt is unsuccessful. The fact that Machinesmith was Starr Saxon was revealed to the reader in Captain America # 249.
Machinesmith is hired into the exclusive employ of the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
, for whom he served as his primary scientist/machinist and member of the Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew (comics)
The Skeleton Crew is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional team history:The Skeleton Crew was an organization built by the Red Skull from his operatives. The original lineup was headed by Crossbones, and consisted of Mother Night , Machinesmith, the Voice, and the fourth Sleeper...
. On several occasions, Machinesmith undertakes various field missions for the Skull, usually confronting Captain America.
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....
Central against Captain America and 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...
. As per the Red Skull's orders, he next activates the Sleeper
Sleeper (Marvel Comics)
Sleeper is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:The Sleeper was the most powerful of four robots designed in Berlin by Nazi Germany as agents of destruction. After World War II, the Sleeper was entombed within a crypt that was sunk into the sea...
robot, and attempts to liberate the other robots impounded on Avengers Island
Hydro-Base
Hydro-Base is a fictional base in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Sub-Mariner #61, created by Steve Gerber, Bill Everett, and Win Mortimer .-Fictional history:...
. He then assists Mother Night
Mother Night (comics)
Mother Night is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Susan Scarbo was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. Susan and her brother Melvin Scarbo formed a sibling hypnosis stage act for profit. They soon after became professional criminals, hypnotizing innocent people...
in an attempt to bug the Avengers headquarters
Avengers Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Avengers Mansion has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.-Creative origin:...
, and he battles and overpowers the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
. Alongside the Skeleton Crew, he later battles the Schutz-Heiliggruppe.
A portion of the Machinesmith consciousness is eventually captured, (assumed to be Saxon's entire consciousness), and enslaved by Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man. This happens when Tony is under the thrall of Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. Machinesmith later claims to have easily recovered the lost fragment and re-assimilated it.
When the Skull is blasted apart by the destruction of the Kubekult's Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
, Machinesmith enacts a series of protocols dictated by the Skull to kill Captain America and plunge the world into nuclear holocaust. Machinesmith is defeated.
Later, Machinesmith is employed by the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil
Masters of Evil
The Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
. After the defeat of the team by the Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
, Machinesmith has since lain low. He later appears battling the young heroes, the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
.
Powers and equipment
Starr Saxon originally had a genius intellect, but no superhuman powers. He is one of the most gifted robot designers in the world, and has vast experience in cybernetic and bionics.After breaking his neck, his consciousness began to occupy a robot duplicate of himself, programmed with the complete brain patterns of Starr Saxon, and capable of self-motivated, creative activity. His robotic materials, design, and construction provided him with a number of superhuman capacities, including superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes.
Machinesmith exists as a living, cybernetic-system program (artificial consciousness), which is equipped to transmit its program along an infrared laser beam into virtually any electronics system at will; thus be can transfer from one robotic body to another within .25 seconds. Machinesmith can even place his personal program (personality) into multiple bodies at the same time, though the number of complex motions he can make his automatons perform simultaneously is limited. His physical properties vary in accordance with the robot form he is inside. Certain Machinesmith robots possess superhuman capacities such as telescoping arms and legs, explosive launchers, special infrared or telescopic eyes. He has yet to inhabit a robot body greatly superior to a standard human-mimicking robot's capacity. If an electronics system shuts down before he has a chance to project out of it he can be trapped inside of it. Machinesmith is a genius at creating complex behavioral programs and bionic systems.
Machinesmith has also created a vast arsenal of weaponry, defense systems, and surveillance devices, whose specifications are constantly upgraded.
External links
- Machinesmith at MarvelDirectory.com
- Gay League profile
- http://www.marvel.com/universe/Machinesmith