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History

Origin[]

Electro (Robot) (Earth-616) from Marvel Mystery Comics Vol 1 4 001

Original appearance

The reclusive and brilliant Professor Philo Zog wanted to help mankind. So he created a super robot which he called Electro.[1] Zog has received additional funding from the United States government.[2] Pledging to use the robot to fight crime and corruption Zog initially hired a team of a dozen operatives to help him in his self-appointed task. Electro's first recorded mission was when Electro operator Dick Gardner summoned Electro to save child actress Joyce Lovely who was being held ransom by Hymie Pazetto and his mob.[1][3]

Early Adventures[]

Electro would be used to resolve tyranny that threatened the whole world. Such as when the robot was dispatched to the Republic of Molivia to combat the military forces of Kalph Belgri. Unable to stop Electro, Belgri would cowardly commit suicide.[4] Target narcotics next, Professor Zog would dispatch Electro to San Francisco to stop the drug operations of the Voice before smashing other drug operations across the country.[5] Electro would be next used to assist in flood relief in Ohio, leading to the capture of Boss Sarpo and his men who would attempt to loot the flood-ravaged area.[6] Sapro, would later have his men take Professor Zog hostage and force him to use Electro to free Sapro and commit a series of crimes. However, this crime spree was soon ended when Dragon-Men from the planet Ligra would come and kidnap Zog and Electro to use against their foes the Lion-People.[7] Zog would once more be forced to use his invention for the forces of evil, however, Zog would manage to turn Electro against the Dragon-Men, slaying their leader Jago and free the Lion-Peoples leader Queen Nara. Nara would hail Zog and Electro as heroes before returning them to Earth.[8]

Upon returning home, it would appear that Zog would cease using operatives and be the primary person running and operating Electro. When the United States would be terrorized by the mad creations of Dr. Bruno Varoz, prompting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to seek Electro's aid in stopping the menace. Zog would use Electro to destroy Varoz's undead creations and destroy his lab, killing Varoz in the process.[9] Electro would later be modified so that his head contained a televisor screen that would broadcast an image of the person operating it at the time and allow for verbal communication by the Electro operator to those in the vicinity of the robot. Zog would after send Electro to stop a series of forest fires started by Baldwin Drake.[10] Electro would be once again provided at the call of the President to deal with the threat of the Shark, a notorious sea pirate demanding a hefty tribute. Disguised as his tribute, Electro would be sent to the Shark's underwater base where the robot would destroy it, ending the Shark's threat.[11]

Electro would also be brought along to the Moon expedition conducted by Dr. Simon Crane. There the robot would be captured by the evil alien being known as Gnorr until retrieved by Zog, Crane and Crane's daughter.[12] When the town of Fairbanks would be attacked by subterranean creatures known as the Onees, Electro would be dispatched there to deal with the threat, Electro would slay their leader and send the remaining ones fleeing from the area.[13] Next, Zog would send Electro to Titan City which was under siege by the evil Doctor Lorrof's creation the "Green Terror". After destroying the creature with a radium gun, Electro would attempt to capture Lorrof. Lorrof would end up killing himself in an unsuccessful attempt at blowing the robot up with TNT.[14]

The evil magician Mor the Mighty would have more success at dismantling Electro. Using two giant birds to tear the robot apart. Dr. Zog would repair Electro and then send the robot after Mor, causing his plane to crash ending his threat.[15] When the planet Earth would be invaded by the Antons of the planet Torsa, Electro would be used to fight off the invaders while Dr. Zog and his colleague Dr. Horace Ford to use an magno-energizer to send the planet Torsa away from Earth and destroy it.[16] Following this, Zog would use Electro to investigate the strange murders of the Chadwick family by a supposedly invisible attacker. This would be revealed as a plot by the spiteful Basil Drake dispatching his Ethiopian helper Chandi to murder the Chadwick family for denying him the right to marry into the family. Rather than face Electro, Drake would commit suicide.[17]

World War II[]

Electro (Robot) (Earth-616) from Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special Vol 1 1 001

Electro circa Spring 1941

In the Spring of 1941, Dr. Zog and Electro would be captured by Nazi spies. When Zog would refuse to help, they would use Electro as a means to reverse engineer the technology to build a robot version of Doctor Manyac's Green Flames including a giant robot called Project: Blockbuster. The combined efforts of the Sub-Mariner, the Angel, the Ferret, Human Torch, Toro and Betty Dean would find Professor Zog, who would unleash Electro to help destroy the Green Flame robots.[18] Later in the summer of 1941 when the Sub-Mariner attacked New York with a giant tidal wave, Electro was used to help save those endangered by the flood.[19]

By 1945, Professor Zog had adapted the Electro robot to be controlled telepathically, fashioning the neural net after his own brain.[20] This created a bond between creator and invention that grew stronger with time. Given Zog's frail health he had grown attached to the robot and promised he would always be there.[21]

Eventually, Electro's services were drafted into the United States military to help combat the Nazis during World War II. Electro was considered an asset in the war effort and the robot was used to slay many Nazis. Electro accompanied Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos in rescuing Phantom Reporter and a squad of American soldiers from a Nazi ambush. In the aftermath of the battle, one of the soldiers painted "Berlin or Bust" on Electro's chest plate. The robot was later involved in an attack on a Nazi rocket factory to help recover the Spear of Destiny from the Red Skull.[22]

On August 25, 1945, Electro was among an army of superheroes who were involved in an invasion of Berlin. It joined Blue Blade, Witness, Fiery Mask, Laughing Mask, Mister E, Rockman, Mastermind Excello, Black Widow, Dynamic Man, Captain Wonder, and the Phantom Reporter in searching the headquarters of the S.S. for snipers. They were lured down into a bunker which was a trap laid out by Nazis seeking to experiment on them. While the others were gassed and placed into cryogenic suspension, the signal between Electro and Professor Zog was cut off. The Nazis never had the chance to experiment on those they captured, as the Soviets soon stormed the area and slaughtered all those involved and the twelve heroes were forgotten for decades.[23]

During the convening years, the Electro robot desperately sent out signals trying to connect to its creator, or anyone else, who could connect with it. Ultimately, it discovered that the Dynamic Man was an android and the two were connected and kept each other company. This allowed Dynamic Man to remotely connect to the Electro robot without its equipment.[21]

The Twelve[]

Sixty years later, the Twelve were recovered and brought back to New York, in a safehouse for rehabilitation to modern times, the still inactive Electro was stored in a garage in the same safe house,[23] its property contended by Elizabeth Zogolowski, daughter of Philo Zog, and the U.S. Government, willing to disassemble Electro for the secrets of his telepathic interface. Miss Zogolowski revealed how the telepathic bond between Philo and his creation was so strong that Philo died shortly after the war for an acute withdrawal syndrome: essentially, his mind died of solitude.[20]

Unknown to all, Dynamic Man had used Electro to slaughter a number of gay men at a local bar after one of them patted his butt after defeating some foes. Miss Zogoloswki was able to obtain temporary custody over Electro but lacked the wealth necessary to reclaim its possession. The Blue Blade stepped in, offering her all the needed money in exchange for using Electro in his cabaret-like show.[24] When the Blue Blade tried to telepathically connect with Electro he had access to all the memories of the robot that way he discovered Dynamic Man's use of the robot and attempted to use it against him;[25] but his knowledge led to his murder a few days later when Electro, once more activated by Dynamic Man, threw him out of a window killing him instantly.[26]

Considering the robot to be guilty he was about to be taken into the custody of the police, but knowing that the robot couldn't act on his own the Phantom Reporter managed to access the controls of Electro and so he also got to see his memories,[21] that way he learned that Electro had been controlled by the Dynamic Man who was guilty of the murders. After these revelations, the rest of the team confronted their former partner stopping him.[27]

The government finally leased the robot from its owner but discovered that the robot was unstable when controlled by anyone whose brain waves weren't in connection to Electro. However, since the members of the Twelve had been exposed to Electro for decades they were able to access his remote control system. Making a deal with the Laughing Mask who had a pending trial for murder; in exchange for his freedom, he would control Electro operating under orders from the government. The robot was revamped with updated weaponry and a new slogan "Tehran or Bust" and has been used in operations in the Middle East [28]

All-New Invaders[]

An inactive Electro was later seen in possession of Kurt Dagmar, hooked up to Iron Cross along with an inactive Sentinel, Time-Bot, and various other robots.[29]

Attributes

Power Grid[32]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/On Contact:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (75-100 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

  • Telecomunications: He is able to detect radio waves, allowing the Operatives to summon him when needed. Electro could also project images around the area of his "face," usually the Professor used this trick to communicate with the Operatives.[30]
  • Superhuman Strength: He has super strength, being initially able to lift 40 tons but was later upgraded and became able to lift 70 tons.[30]
    • Superhuman Leaping: Electro can perform Hulk-leaps across many miles.[30]
  • Superhuman Durability: Electro is invulnerable to bullets, fire, explosions and acid. He can withstand depths up to 2,400 feet.[30]
  • Superhuman Speed: Electro can move at over 200 miles per hour on land, underwater and in air.[30]
  • Flight: Thanks to its navigational rockets Electro can fly.[25]

Weaknesses

Electro goes inactive when the link is severed between his thoughts and those of the professor.[31]

Paraphernalia

Weapons

  • Heavy Artillery: The American military upgraded Electro with modern weaponry and equipped him with a rocket launchers on each shoulder, a minigun on his right arm and a machine gun and a rocket launcher on his left arm.[28] He was later seen without such weaponry so it's unknown if he still retains his arsenal.[29]

See Also

Links and References

References

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