1984 - Daily Bugle February 5th

1984 - Daily Bugle February 6th

1984 - Daily Bugle February 7th

1984: The Eros Avenger part III: I.S.A.A.C. At This...

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

Eros has settled into his new role as an Avenger trainee, gaining the trust of both the membership and allies like Spider-Man and the FF though we'll never know if he didn't make them like him. Roger Stern then decided to make the Titanian even more invaluable.  

Autumn 1983 through early to mid 1984 was somewhat of an odd period for the Avengers title. Sales were certainly strong, the stories undeniably entertaining and even Al Milgrom's middle of the road art offered an almost comforting quaintness. But the title lacked urgency and worse, a general sense of direction. Roger Stern took his time to set up a new, major storyline that would lead the team through the first Secret Wars already on the horizon as well as instigate the founding of the West Coast Avengers. And it all started with Starfox getting a vision about erm, the Vision.

"Vision, I think I may be able to help you get that data."

Rendered inert after phasing into Annihilus' null-field, the Vision had been stuck inside his lifepod for weeks. The damage to his system was so great that his self-repair algorithms had trouble getting a handle on it. That's when Starfox figured a second opinion was in order. That led to the most expensive long distance call in the mansion's history. Yes, Eros phoned home to request the aid of Titan's Integral Synaptic Anti-Anionic Computer (or I.S.A.A.C. for short.)

"Nothing to be alarmed about! 

I.S.A.A.C. is simply using an attractor beam to assemble the needed apparatus"

The world computer quickly set up a direct-link with the Vision's android mind and teleported in advanced diagnostic equipment. As a result, though his body remained paralyzed, Vision could now project a holographic construct of himself for several miles courtesy of the alien A.I. At first, everyone was overjoyed by this development. But by the end of the issue, it became clear his new status quo had somewhat changed the Vision...

"Wasp, has the Vision ever had... ego problems?"

Turns out his connection to I.S.A.A.C. was influencing Vision in more ways than one. But Starfox and the others didn't have too much time to contemplate the implications. They received a call from Avengers reservist Tigra who needed help in San Francisco dealing with a ghost... Or, more to the point, the ghost of Spider-Woman thatwas haunting a comatose Jessica Drew of all people. Reason enough for Starfox and the others to head west and resolve that dangler from the first Spider-Woman solo series.

And even though he only played a minor part in the story, Eros still got to show much he loves the ladies.

"Uh, I'll just leave you two to get better acquainted."

In a delightful two issue romp, Stern had the Avengers plus guest stars Dr. Strange, Hank Pym, the Shroud and Tigra fight Spider-Woman's old enemy Morgan Le Fay for the life of Jessica Drew. Needless to say, the heroes won the day but it was great to see that by now Roger Stern had turned the Avengers title into Marvel's main stage. These heroes weren't like the FF, the Defenders or the X-Men, who were mostly off in their little corner doing their own thing. No, the Avengers were the hub of all the hubbub.

Stern pulled this off by crafting storylines that flowed organically and embraced continuity. The past was seen as something to build and expand on, not a burden best left ignored. Long before the first Avengers movie turned the team into Marvel's superstars, their diverse membership meant they were the cornerstone of the MU even if they weren't literally Earth's mightiest heroes. 

But getting back to Starfox... Avengers I#242 opens with the team flying home from Frisco and that leaves Eros plenty of time to be frisky. 

"You know, you two were really quite magnificent in our battle with Morgan Le Fey!"

Will you look at that. Their facial expressions and body language alone tell you everything you need to know. Starfox is once again brazenly invading his teammates' personal space, carelessly canoodling away. She-Hulk's just fine with all of Eros' PDA, but look how uncomfortable Wanda is. She-Hulk even notices it, thinking to herself Starfox won't get very far with the Witch because her mind is on Vision back home. 

Once they got back to the mansion, surprise followed surprise. They learned Hawkeye was now married to the vigilante Mockingbird. Then Thor returned after a lengthy absence only for Vision to stun everyone by revealing he's back in his body ánd that learned of a mysterious energy source that could well be a planetary threat. By the end of the issue, I.S.A.A.C.'s advanced sensors pick up a reading in the heart of Central Park where a massive construct had appeared in the Sheep Meadow.

"The question remains... Where have the Avengers been taken. And by whom?"

It's probably no big spoiler that this is how Secret Wars started. All the active Avengers were whisked away, conveniently leaving Avenger in training Starfox behind, as well as reservists Vision and the Scarlet Witch, along with the visiting Mockingbird. Y'know, if the Beyonder was so up to speed about the nuances of the Avengers roster, you'd think he could have figured out some other basics like eating and using the bathroom by the time Secret Wars II rolled around. 

At any rate, the heroes' adventures on Battleworld lasted about a week in Marvel time. Once the disappearance of most of Earth's heroes made the remaining (super) criminals cocky, the Avengers were left to pick up the slack. Vision named himself temporary chairman and granted Eros full membership. Here he is in a scene from Avengers I#243, taking on some bank robbers by using the same mind control powers he still hadn't told the team about.

"You feel much better now, don't you?"

There's nothing wrong with him deciding to use his powers, it's actually the best possible way to deal with a hostage situation. But he really should have been more upfront about them. At any rate, the Avengers return home after a week, a small party is thrown in their honor and a very tired Wasp officially put Vision in charge.  

"Merit had a little something to do with it, old boy!"

Barely allowing the team to catch their collective breath, Vision introduced a few changes to the roster and the Avengers in general. Nothing would be the same anymore after the Secret Wars, not in the least because She-Hulk had joined the Fantastic Four to fill in for the Thing while Thor was too wrapped up in his own adventures to give the team his full attention. Hawkeye and Mockingbird both wanted to join, but the team's charter limited the number of active members to six. That's when Vision got creative...

"I also believe that it's in the best interest of the Avengers to expand...
Which I propose we do by setting up an affiliated team on the West Coast!"

And that's that... After appointing Hawkeye and Mockingbird to go west and set up this new team, the Vision brought up the next big threat: the Dire Wraiths. These imposing sounding alien bodystealers had been a staple in the Rom series since it debuted in 1979. The Galadorian had been fighting the Wraiths for roughly five years before they became a problem for the entire Marvel Universe. The X-Men dealt with Wraiths when they tried to kill the mutant inventor Forge for coming up with a Neutralizer like Rom's. The Avengers were brought in to deal with the Wraiths' efforts to disrupt the American space program by causing freak accidents.

A threat to be sure, but Eros still saw ways to have a good time. Even as the Avengers were covertly approaching Cape Canaveral by boat. Here's Eros stripping down to work on his tan, even inviting the other female members to undress as well.

"Won't you join us?"

... That guy! Look at him happily cuddled up next to Captain Marvel who clearly isn't interested in having him or his muscular arm anywhere close to her. Luckily, the space shuttle exploded, giving them a reason to spring to action and for Eros to put his clothes back on. Over the next two issues, the Avengers discover that the Wraiths were indeed using the space center as a staging ground. Vision, clearly not in his right mind, became closer to Starfox who didn't even notice the changes.

"You have a talent, my friend, for making the deadliest of situations sound appealing!"

Yeah, wonder what talent that is... Next time, Starfox's big secret finally comes out as he learns his true origins in part IV of The Eros Avenger: Eternally Yours!

1984 - 1985: Shifting Storms part II: Take These Broken Wings And Learn To Walk...

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

The mid 1980s were a time of great change for Storm. After she slowly allowed herself to act like a human being instead of a regal, emotionless weathergoddess, she began to experience a bit of an identity crisis. Thank goodness she still had her powers and her work as leader of the X-Men to rely on, eh?

In a way, Storm's mid 80s character arc is largely comparable to that of a teenager going through puberty and discovering that life means permanent change. No one is really ready for that first taste of oftentimes maddening fluidity. Not only is everyone around you constantly changing their mind, hairstyle, goals and friends... You're hardly the same from one moment to the next. Of course, the truth is, you've been changing from the moment you were conceived... It is when you actually start to notice and wonder about the course of that change that things tend to get worrisome.

As we detailed in our initial entry, Ororo Munroe had been slowly losing her self imposed inhibitions. All that really remained of her old, aloof weather goddess identity was her trademark cape. Wolverine took care of that in Uncanny X-Men I#178.

                                       "You slashed the cape from my body without touching me."

It would be the last time during the entire 1980s that Storm wore her black and gold cape. It's a small, almost insignificant touch, but it does cement the continuing change in style and mentality she was going through.

Still, even though she was definitely becoming more forceful and ruthless, the kinder and gentler aspects of Ororo's personality still shone true. Initially distrustful of Rogue, she finally accepted the former villain when the young woman freely risked her life and endured intense agony to save Colossus. Over the next few months, Storm would become Rogue's unofficial mentor, but that didn't mean she could do without counsel herself. Case in point, the very poignant Uncanny X-Men I#180.

"I find myself casting aside the precepts and beliefs that gave my life meaning... 

And hardly missing them once they are gone."

It's such a beautiful bit of symbolism. When we're growing up, we automatically tend to idolize our parents, thinking they have all the answers and are always right. They set the example we, sometimes subconsciously, try to emulate. But as we age, enter our teens start to think and feel for ourselves all that changes. Father no longer knows best. Add to that the fact that her "surrogate father" of sorts now suddenly sees Ororo as a real, vibrant and attractive woman as well. That might have been in part because he'd just regained the use of his legs and Lilandra had just left Earth, but still... Storm had become an entirely different person.

But given her line of work, Ororo wanted to make sure she wasn't being manipulated in some way. A reasonable concern considering the Shadow King had been after her since her days as pickpocket in Cairo.

So, Charles has a little looksee.

"Sometimes, I think, I fear... I... hope... I must be insane."

Ah, the insanity plea...Sometimes, when you're not quite ready to own up to what you really feel, you tend to look for loopholes: "That's not me, I didn't do that... I wasn't in my right mind!". But no, in this case all those maddening questions about her real identity turned out to be quite genuine. Xavier offered to help, to use his telepathy to guide her as best he could. Ororo declined, preferring to see it through on her own. In need of some company, she went to visit her old plants which she donated to the Bronx arboretum after redecorating her attic to reflect her recent changes.

"I feared that I had lost that special rapport with the Earth, 

but on my first trip to these gardens I realized I am as aware of life as I ever was."

Which is a wonderful sentiment, but a page and a half later, we saw the former weather goddess brutally kicking the crud out of a band of muggers, even summoning a little thunder and lightning for some added scare effects. Her connection to the Earth might still be there, but she's definitely no longer her old self. After returning to Xavier's school, Ororo decided to resolve things with Kitty Pryde. The teenage X-Man was still furious with her because of Storm's recent changes, even calling her a monster. Summoning a gale force wind, Storm took Kitty high up into the sky for a little talk.  

"I am learning things about myself I do not like... 

But I must keep learning, striving to find my true self... 

My place in the scheme of things. 

I must know who I am as. I must live my life as I see fit."

In a very powerful and moving sequence, Storm confronted Kitty with a harsh, but grown up truth. It's beyond selfish of Pryde to blame Ororo for not remaining who Kitty'd decided she should be. But that's what we all tend to do with the people we hold dear. It's much easier to love them for who we we imagine them to be than to accept them for who they actually are, warts and all.

But Ororo was sympathetic, even though she pointed out the hypocrisy behind Kitty's accusations. How can she be a monster for changing when Pryde herself has been reinventing herself left and right? It's a rough lesson to take in, but Pryde took it in stride. In the end, Ororo got through to Kitty and they even shared a teary-eyed embrace. This scene was also a very elegant way of dovetailing Storm's earlier sentiments on the subject of personal growth and change.

Back in Uncanny X-Men I#114, she gave Cyclops a bit of tough love.

                          "If you wanted only to preserve the Jean-that-was, like a fly in amber, 

perhaps what you felt for her wasn't love at all."

The weather goddess is wise... in all things, except her own heart. It took over 75 issues for Storm to listen to her own advice and realize she can't pretend she's a fly in amber either. But if you're finally willing to entertain the idea of changing, the unanswerable question is: what will you become? Luckily for Ororo, her work as leader of the X-Men was a way to define herself.

And then the first Secret Wars happened... During the course of the war, Storm began to notice Xavier undermining her leadership, even blatantly ignoring her. Perhaps in part due to the scope of the stakes, the professor started to act like the unreasonable taskmaster he was during the early Stan Lee/Jack Kirby days. Ororo was willing to entertain her mentor, but when Charles casually passed her by and sent Cyclops to lead an away mission in Secret Wars I#6, Storm was fed up.

                                  " I am the leader of the X-men... Not Cyclops and not you!"

Xavier defused the situation surprisingly quickly, perhaps through a bit of mental coercion. But the idea of having the professor accompany them on missions, ordering everyone around telepathically, began to wear on Storm. It also fed her insecurities, a telepath would be far more useful and versatile as team leader.

"I must admit, the professor makes a superb leader (...) But is his desire to lead... his automatic assumption of command... a reflection of my performance? Am I not good enough?!"

Oh, the verbose, doubt ridden soliloquys one can deliver while hovering in mid-air trying to douse a firestorm... 

For a few months, Claremont played up the alleged tensions between Storm and Xavier, no doubt obligated to pay lipservice to the plot set up by Jim Shooter in Secret Wars which was still being published by the time these issues saw print. Either way,  the drama always felt a bit forced. The professor and Storm respected each other and Charles had long since accepted the X-Men weren't rookies anymore, in constant need of his supervision... Heck, that's what the New Mutants were there for. 

But whether or not Charles Xavier was gunning for her job was soon to be a moot point considering the climax of September 1984's Uncanny X-Men I#185.

Concerned with the threat posed by the Dire Wraiths, the American government had reached out to mutant inventor Forge. He was requested to come up with weapons to fight and defeat the alien menace and obliged by dreaming up a power neutralizing gun. Henry Peter Gyrich realized it would also work on mutants. Taking the prototype, Gyrich was determined to use it on Rogue, who had only recently raided the SHIELD Helicarrier. Not willing to let go of his creations before they were thoroughly tested, Forge attempted to stop Gyrich from depowering Rogue... only to hit Storm instead.

Forge used his connections to get Storm transfered to his home in Dallas, a luxurious high tech skyscraper called the Aerie. The inventor wanted to make things right, feeling guilty over what had been done to her. Storm was in no mood to be cared for, pampered or doted on. She was in deep mourning over the loss of an essential part of herself.

"This is not life, Forge. Merely existence... a shadow of what was. 

To believe otherwise is but the cruelest of deceptions."

Well, one thing that came from this tragedy: now we know Ororo's tendency for overwrought exposition isn't a mutant power. But despite their thorny start, it soon became apparent there was an undeniable attraction between the fallen goddess and the Cherokee inventor. In the smart, smooth and subtle double-sized Uncanny X-Men I#186 the creative team of Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith told the story of young love between old and scarred souls tormented by their own demons. And even though love blossomed, it all fell apart when Storm figured out Forge was responsible for the weapon that mutilated her. Furious, she walked out on him.

Storm returned to the X-Men (after a verrrrry long, three issue adventure that saw Ororo teaming up with Forge, his old mentor Nazé and the summoned X-Men to fight off the Dire Wraith threat). Without her powers, she'd decided she had no reason to remain with the X-Men. In fact, Nightcrawler had already replaced her as team leader, but Kurt was insecure and convinced he didn't have one bamf*ing chance... as seen in this scene from Uncanny X-men I#188. 

                        "Do it as a favor to me. I need you by my side, this last time more than ever"

Oh man, did Charles get it wrong when he picked Kurt... If you need your now powerless, defrocked and traumatized teammate to hold your hand during a meeting you requested... only attended by people you've known for years... worry.

Storm wasn't intending to stick around anyway. She had decided to return to her roots: visiting Africa to revisit her old haunts in an attempt to reonnect with the woman she'd once been. Unfortunately, even as the X-Men were throwing her a good-bye party, all of New York briefly changed into a Hyborean citystate, courtesy of a spell cast by the recently revived demon priest Kulan Gath. Even without powers, she proved crucial in defeating him and restoring everyone and everything to normal. That still didn't convince her to stay. Storm traveled to Africa by boat but even there she ran into problems...

"You are the windrider, the goddess... ORORO! You have returned!!"

First things first: the people Storm's holding a gun on are a group of wealthy Westerners on safari, acting like they own the place. When they tried to take advantage of the lone woman running a local bush station, Ororo stepped in and forced them away.

But isn't it a bit odd that Storm chose to return to Africa to find out who she really was? After all, it was there that she started the all-consuming act of pretending to be an emotionless elemental deity. Why would she want to return to that figurative cage, especially now that she no longer had the mutant powers to back up that comforting, self-serving lie?

She didn't have long to ponder this, because in Uncanny X-Men I#196, the hunters returned for a little vengeance...

                                     "No... How could you shoot so noble a beast... NO!"

Make your own, topical Cecil the lion/dentist comment here, folks... 

The silver maned lion was part of an aborted storyline Chris Claremont had planned for Storm. It was supposed to be an omen, just like the mistlike image of her mother N'dare Ororo encountered on the boat ride over. Back in Uncanny X-Men I#160, Claremont had introduced an alternate reality version of Storm who had pretty much lost her mutant abilities, but was now a powerful sorceror.

"As I grew older (...) I turned to the other half of my heritage: sorcery"

To his credit, Claremont did his best to set up this new turn for Storm... He even used New Mutants I#32 to introduce Ashake, an ancient Egyptian ancestor of Ororo's who was also a potent mage. In the end, nothing came of it... Even though you'd have to be able to pull a rabbit out of your hat to survive a bullet to the head. But Storm survived, leading into perhaps *the* defining issue of the 1980s: Uncanny X-Men I#198, or Life-Death II: From The Heart of Darkness.

Barry Windsor-Smith rejoined Chris Claremont to tell Storm's redemption story. Lost when she found out she was a false goddess, adrift after succumbing to all emotions and looking for purpose without her powers and the X-Men, this is when Ororo Munroe started to rise again. Stumbling through the desert in the midst of a sandstorm, Storm found a cave where she lay down to rest. Delirious from exposure and her headwound, the hallucinations came...

"Ororo, my dear child. You have always been afraid. Why do you think I took you from your nest and forced you to fly? You were safe there... Had you remained, you would have remained an infant."

Tormented by cruel visions of her loved ones mockingly tempting her to give up and die, Ororo persevered. She went out into the storm again, mercilessly buffeted by the elements she could once control with a mere thought. If there was a trace of hubris left, it got sandblasted away during that hellish ordeal. In the midst of the sandstorm, Ororo discovered a crashed bus and its sole surviving passenger: a young, pregnant woman named Shani in desperate need of help.

Freely giving of herself, even if she had little else to offer than the shelter of her body, Ororo made sure Shani reached her native village. If nothing else, this marked Storm's true heroism. First, she refused to give in to fear and doubt, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds and then to stand ready and fight for someone in need. She didn't need her mutant powers, the X-Men's aid or the illusion she was a goddess in order to matter. 

She was even crucial when Shani went into labor and things took a turn for the worse.

"I hear my son crying within me. He's scared, Ororo.
He doesn't want to die! He wants to be born!"

And born he was. 

Thanks to Ororo giving the child some much needed mouth to mouth resuscitation, the villagers could welcome their newest member. This also meant the village elder Mjnari had to honor a cruel but necessary tradition: since their food supplies could only support a certain number of villagers, whenever a new life entered their world,the oldest one had to go. Storm watched the elder will himself to death on a nearby mountain top. After burying a friend she barely knew, Ororo was suddenly overcome with a new sense of purpose.

"I have no powers. My body cannot fly, but I no longer mind.  

For in my heart and soul... where it truly matters... I soar higher than the stars!"

It's hard not to be moved by so powerful and sincere a message, even if it's slightly schmaltzy. Ororo would remain in Africa, acting as a bridge between the old ways and the new, as well as between humanity and its mutant children. In a way, she had reclaimed, nay, earned her old position as "goddess". But now, she was a living, breathing and feeling woman instead of an artificial edifice. 

In part III of Shifting Storms, we'll see how long she held on to that job...

1980s: Ulterior Ultron part II: This Evil Multiplying

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the second and final part of our look at Ultron's 1980s appearances, the adamantium assassin is halfway through the decade when he starts to suffer from a complex combination of daddy issues and cybernetic schizophrenia. There may be no strings on the James Spader movie version, but the Marvel Ultron sure was governed by the ties that bind.

                                                       "Torn between two Ultrons!"

"... Feeeeelin' like a fool!"

As we covered last time, Ultron XI went to the Secret Wars, got his head handed to him and was left behind on Battleworld. He would have stayed there if the Thing hadn't decided to bring it back with him in April 1985's Fantastic Four I#277. Whatever happened to the adamantium pumpkin was never revealed, but six months down the road he showed up as Ultron XII in The West Coast Avengers II#1. 

     "Never shall the immortal Ultron rest until he has destroyed all who bear the name of Avenger!"

Heck of a way to start a West Coast franchise, Hawk... But Ultron wasn't working alone, he had joined his old ally the Grim Reaper along with M'Baku the Man Ape, Nekra and Goliath in a complicated scheme of revenge and sibling rivalry focussing on Hank Pym, Wonder Man and the Vision.

Avengers: Age of Ultron steered clear from the complicated relationship Ultron had with his father/creator Hank Pym, but writer Steve Englehart dedicated the first two issues of West Coast Avengers to this dysfunctional duo... And Pym wasn't even a member!

                                                         "Just watch me, dad! Just watch!" 

This was the first time Englehart started dropping hints this new 'n improved Ultron wasn't his usual, maniacal self. But nothing much came of it, not with so many villains to pound on. In the end, the Avengers and their allies Vision and the Scarlet Witch defeated the Reaper and his allies. Ultron escaped and, as always, vowed revenge. Let's see what his big plan was...

                          "Hello, dad! It's me again... Your loving son, Ultron Mark Twelve!"

Yup, the invincible, adamantium dipped killing machine resorted to prank phone calls. Over the next couple of issues, Pym was repeatedly called by his "son" who did very little but leave ominious, teasing messages. Just before he could ask Pym to ask around for "Amanda Hugenkiss", Henry had enough, cursed his boy out and hung up the phone. That provoked a very unique reaction from Ultron when he called again a little while later.

"You were right to put me in my place!

                          I've been an immature fool and I want to bury the hatchet... Father!"

Well, burying the hatchet is fine, son... But what about those eye lasers, pocket nuke and other deadly weapons you got stuffed in your chassis? Pym was intrigued by Ultron's apology though, and stayed on the phone for a while listening to his robotic seed make amends. He even agreed to meet with Ultron, naturally without even bothering to inform the Avengers one of their most lethal enemies had him on speed dial. Logic systems might be Henry Pym's speciality in the lab, when it comes to rational thinking he's the worst.

          "Father, now that you are divorced, it is likely that the only "son" you'll ever have is me!"

There's something uncomfortably comic about seeing those sappy lines come out of a grinning deathbot with a thermo-nuclear furnace in his throat. But Ultron seemed sincere enough in his intentions, so much so that Pym finally started to believe his story. According to Ultron, after "evolving" through 12 incarnations he'd finally worked out the kinks in his programming. He compared his hatred towards Pym and all mankind to a teenager going through puberty and rebelling against the world in general and his father in particular. All in all not the worst analogy and Englehart really sold the premise, even though most teens first go through puberty before they take (or make) a wife. All Jocastas aside, for a brief moment, Hank Pym felt he had a son.

And the bonding continued...

"My GOD! The face is still so threatening, but... he's hugging me!"

The idea that an artificial intelligence could eventually decide it had outgrown its basic programming (i.e. 'kill all humans') was a fascinating one. and Englehart really sells the premise. For a brief moment, Hank Pym even felt he had a son. Which was a lucky break, because at that point in his life he was pretty much down in the dumps. No purpose in life, no one to love, not even a steady job as either a scientist or a superhero. Having his greatest failure suddenly turn out to be a loving child felt like Hank's first lucky break in quite a while. But of course, we can't have that now, can we?

"You are almost too easy to kill!"

Ah kids, you turn your back for a second and there's two of 'em. West Coast Avengers I#7 revealed how Ultron Mark 12, or "Mark" as he preferred to be called, had come to be. Y'see, Ultron-11 was right in the middle of experimenting with his software when the Beyonder abducted him to go fight in the Secret Wars. The experiments continued unsupervised and ultimately led to the creation of Mark 12, who had been allowed time to outgrow his hatred for mankind.

The Mark 11 still had its sheer distate for all things fleshy. The issue also revealed how he came back to life. After Thing forgot all about him,  he was found by a nurse who didn't realize what the funny looking head was. She took it home and put it on top of her TV, considering it little more than a fancy paper weight... Being near electronics allowed Ultron to take over the set, feed off enough electricity to power his hypnotic encephalo-ray and he was back in business. The enslaved nurse shipped him to computer expert David Menconi on the West Coast who also fell prey to Ultie's hypnotic powers. Menconi was forced to drive Ultron to his old lab...

"Good! Now carry me inside!"

Long story short... With the help of Menconi Ultron-11 soon regained a body. He then realized there was a "successor" of sorts running around, the benevolent Mark. Disgusted by his loving, pacificist tendencies, Ultron-11 pretended to be Mark and lured Hank into the trap we saw before. Fair's fair, it's not like Pym could tell them apart. Luckily, the Mark-11 knew an easy way to make sure anyone could tell the difference.

                                                         "An Ultron that must cease to be!"

That wasn't the end for Mark, who forced his body to come to him and reattach the head as best he could. While Ultron-11 was busy torturing his father/creator, Mark sought out the one person who had a chance of fighting Ultron: the Avenger turned moviestar Wonder Man. In the past, he'd been terribly insecure and mortally afraid of death, even though his ionic form was practically unkillable. His fear of dying had caused him to falter against Ultron in the late 70s, but thanks to his new, Hollywood size ego Simon Williams was ready for a rematch.

"I won't make the same mistake you did!"

Poor Ultron, ripped apart by someone wearing the most 80s pair of shades you'd ever want to see. And as for Mark, he "died" soon afterwards, the faulty reattachment had caused the circuits in his head to fuse together beyond repair. Hank Pym was alone again... But luckily, he's a sane and stable man who'd never let life push him to make rash decisions...

Ultron returned in Fantastic Four, once again courtesy of Steve Englehart who wrote all but two of his 1980s appearances. There's a bit of a disclaimer though: the Ultron appearing in Fantastic Four I#331 was actually "just" part of a bad dream. Click here for the full story, but in a nutshell: Englehart had intended the Ultron encounter as an actual adventure, but pressure from Marvel editorial forced him to make changes to his planned storylines. In order to have his cake and eat it too, he decided to have the FF dream 'm instead. 

Reed dreamed that his new PC, the Ultron anagram"Turino XL", turned into a new version of the killing machine. However, in the dream Ultron was unceremoniously defeated by the She-Thing of all people... Talk about your regular revoltin' developments.

"Don't forget, honey, I'm not just a pretty face!"

Thank heavens it was only a dream. Ultron showed up one last time during the 1980s as part of the company wide Acts of Vengeance crossover. Brought together by a disguised Loki, the Kingpin, Doctor Doom, Mandarin and the Red Skull concocted a plan to rid themselves of their mortal enemies by playing a game of Musical Super Villains. They had their allies attack heroes who'd their never faced before, figuring the element of surprise would win them the day.

The Kingpin wanted Doctor Doom to defeat Daredevil for him. Doom being Doom, he wasn't about to lower himself to a lackey's work. Instead, he reconstructed and reprogrammed Ultron.

                      "Your circuits contain certain information on a Daredevil. Destroy him."

To keep the potentially lethal robot in check, Doom had decided to incorporate all 12 previous personalities into Ultron-13, essentially giving him a case of cybernetic schizophrenia. Ultron heard voices and they were all real and all his. This was of course right up the alley of Ann Nocenti, who wrote Daredevil I#275 and 276. 

In true Nocenti style, the rambling, functionally insane Ultron was sent against Daredevil who happened to be out in the woods with his friends, the mysterious Number Nine and Karnak and Gorgon of all people. You'd think that a glorified, blind acrobat wouldn't last two seconds against even an insane Ultron, but Nocenti managed to get two issues out of it.

"Kill the Daredevil. Why? I don't hate him. None of One through Thirteen hate him any more than the rest of humanity. Why must I commit this unnecessary act?" 

... Why must we read this unnecessary banter? Nocenti often incorporated characters suffering from mental disorders, she created the schizophrenic Typhoid Mary for instance. While she's usually very good at voicing the psychologically stricken, having a robot go through it is just plain silly.

Maybe not as silly ha-ha as the Ultron-11 head with a TV set for a body, but still pretty bad. Ultron's biggest enemy was himself and a surprising, moral dilemma. He is supposed to be perfect, unlike humanity which is inherently flawed. However, since human hands created him, doesn't that make him imperfect as well? After almost 44 pages of quasi-philosophic moral meandering, Ultron (and the readership) had enough. He practically tore its own head off, which saddened Number Nine who he'd decided to take as his bride. She felt he didn't deserve to die, because there was an inherent good hiding behind his voice (Mark-12's influence no doubt).

Daredevil wasn't convinced...

"Crkkk!"

Yup, a robot who knocked out Thor and ripped through entire teams of Avengers like a box of Kleenex during flu season is brought down by a pissed off man in tights carrying a branch. How the mighty have fallen.

                                                                       "That's it."

You said it, DD!

And with that rather depressing story, the 1980s came to a close for Ultron. Luckily for him and Avengers fan everywhere, the 90s were far kinder to everyone's favorite electronic executioner. Roy and Dann Thomas would make him a mainstay during their early 90s Avengers West Coast run that also introduced his new "bride", the sassy Alkhema. Ultron became a threat to be reckoned with and the anticipation for his return was palpable in the late 90s when Kurt Busiek and George Perez relaunched the Avengers.

The two titans were well aware Ultron was in demand and made sure to tease his inevitable appearance. For instance, with this scene from Avengers III#10.

"Enjoy it while you can, my flawed progenitor... My time is dawning!"

Ultron took his time getting ready... And when he finally made his move nine months later, it led to one of Marvel's most beloved, shocking and intense stories. Over the course of four issues, Ultron took over the country of Slorenia, wiped out its entire population and almost got around to repopulating the planet with drones he planned to give personalities based on the memory engrams of his "family", the kidnapped Vision, Scarlet Witch, the Wasp, Wonder Man and Hank Pym.

Busiek was one of the first who got the essence of Ultron right... You should be deathly afraid of him, not because he's "just" an unbeatable robot. No, it's because Ultron is better than you. That's one of the few things Brian Michael Bendis got right during the dreadful and ultimately inconsequential Age of Ultron event. Given enough time, Ultron will overcome us all. And not because he's "just" functionally immortal. Ultron can keep reinventing himself, becoming better and better with each new incarnation... And what's worse, the older, tough as heck versions are always right around the corner should he need them.

Nothing conveyed that sense of knot-in-stomach dread than the ending to Avengers I#21. The Avengers had pretty much expended themselves fighting and destroying what they thought was Ultron. Only for another to show up moments later. And another. And another... Which led Firestar to ask just how many of them there were. The rhetorical query got a sphincter tightening reply.

"Oh, no..."

In conclusion: every decade gets the Ultron it deserves... The 1980s version of the robot wasn't all that concerned with exterminating humanity. Taking a cue from the American political climate, it was all about "me, me, me", or better put: "me and my daddy". Steve Englehart went out of his way to get Ultron to try and form an emotional bond with his "father", a man who as Busiek and Perez would reveal, had used his own engrams as a basis for the robot's personality matrix.

Ultron's unsupervised navel gazing led to the ultra-sensitive Mark who also got his time to shine as part of the "chorus" of previous personalities in Ann Nocenti's Daredevil. "Mark", for all his kindness and uniqueness, was exactly what was wrong with Ultron in the 80s. It's hard to make a robotic villain relatable on a human level without taking away the cold, robotic origins that made it so unique in the first place. 

It's a delicate balance and, of course, entirely dependent on the culture's stance. Remember, the touchy-feely approach was all the rage in the 80s...  Star Trek: The Next Generation launched in 1987 with the ship's psychologist seated on the bridge, right next to the Captain.

Luckily for us, Ultron outgrew his cuddly phase in time for the movies.

Surrender to the Age of Ultron, puny flesh beings!