ULTRON versus THE VILLAINS

The War Begins (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 When: May 1984 Why: Jim Shooter How: Michael Zeck

The Story So Far...
In a distant corner of space comes the existence of a sophisticated station suddenly populated with the confused ranks of many of Earth's mightiest heroes!

Abducted by an unknown force -- these Avengers, X-Men, and more await the intentions of their unseen captor, with little understanding, or influence, over their impending fate.

Amidst the assembly Captain America spies a second construct floating in the starry void above. The probing mind of Professor X finds a repellent aura of evil as he detects an identical predicament shared by some of their deadliest adversaries. As a galaxy is wiped away, and a new planet begins to form before awestruck eyes -- the villains begin to stir!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Galactus 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Galactus 7 (Omniscient)
Speed: Lizard 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Galactus 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Lizard 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: The Wrecker 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Galactus 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Galactus 34 (Super)

The Beyonder may have distributed everyone into two camps, but if you expected the first blows of the Secret Wars to come between good and evil -- you were wrong! Ultron has no interest in forming alliances with any organic lifeforms!

The other villains are: Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Kang The Conqueror, Enchantress, Absorbing Man, The Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball, Bulldozer, Lizard, and Molecule Man, with Galactus.

Ultron has a fusion reactor core powering his movements, capable of dishing out some serious firepower as well, with a composite adamantium hardshell durable enough to withstand a collision with The Thing!

Ultron is clearly a serious threat, but if The Wrecker and his Crew were to apply themselves -- they could probably pin Ultron down long enough to do some real damage. Throw in the Absorbing Man, able to copy Ultron's adamantium body for himself, and you've got a magically powered five-man trash compactor!

In the event the muscle needs a little direction, there's plenty of genius to go around. Doctor Doom is the obvious alpha in the group, but Enchantress is no stranger to directing or manipulating powerhouses into doing her bidding.

Kang The Conqueror has the resources and nous to potentially take on the Ultron problem alone, but that's no guarantee. Molecule Man is perhaps the best suited for that -- his ability to control things on a molecular level makes him nigh omnipotent. The only problem is a reluctance to use his awesome powers after repenting for a history of villainy with committed psychotherapy.

Doctor Octopus and Lizard are apex predators in their own environment, but here they may be the most vulnerable to Ultron's attack. Still, you'd like to think they're wily enough to join the other ranks -- provided they don't all turn on each other. Let's see exactly how it went!

The Tape: The Villains Ranking: Doctor Doom (#88)

What Went Down...

An incredible cosmic dance draws the eyes of the villainous collective upward as pieces of disparate land converge to form a new planet overhead. It's enough to leave Doctor Doom awestruck, but not all company is as unwaveringly focused.

Doctor Octopus doesn't take kindly to being jostled by the burly Absorbing Man.

The pair trade verbal barbs until suddenly -- a blast of energy engulfs them both!

Ultron simmers with power -- and the nearest thing approximating disdain -- as his robotic circuits struggle to make sense of his apparent reconstruction, and presence on the mysterious ship. From confusion defers basic function:

"I am Ultron! I do not understand the events transpiring! I do not understand how I came to be resurrected... Nor how I came to be here! Nothing computes... Insignificant! I am Ultron! My purpose is to slay that which lives. You are all living things, ergo -- Ultron must destroy you!"

Ultron takes flight and fires beams that narrowly miss Piledriver, Molecule Man, Kang, and Doctor Octopus -- but this time Absorbing Man is ready. He receives the energy and instantly nullifies its effects by assuming its properties!

The gambit inspires Doctor Doom to action, if not tactic, as he recognizes the potential threat of Ultron's adamantium body and fusion reactor.

The monarch lays his gauntlets on Molecule Man, grabbing him by his shirt to compel him to use his powers to stop Ultron. Alas, timid Owen Reece is just as overwhelmed as the robot, and reverts to a vow of abstinence made with his therapist. In a remarkable show of Molecule Man's power -- Doom compromises!

Determined to stop Ultron, but accepting Molecule Man's reluctance to harm anyone -- Doom offers an alternative minor act of mischief to Reece, which could make use of the unfathomable cosmic might at Galactus' disposal instead.

As Ultron's blasts explode between The Wrecking Crew and Enchantress; Molecule Man takes control of the subatomic make-up of the robot -- and sends him hurtling into the massive legs of Galactus!

For the first time since their arrival, The Devourer of Worlds pays notice to the tiny mortals scurrying around his feet.

Ultron begins to levitate by means other than his own, but continues to brandish his adamantium body and energy blasts in contempt for all that lives.

He sees Galactus as just another organic sentience to extinguish, perhaps failing to comprehend the forces that now control him.

Galactus gazes silently at the murderous robot as it floats to meet his eyeline.

Ultron dares to threaten The Devourer with a slow death for his affront.

The extinguishing of Ultron's flame takes a mere blinding moment as Galactus drains the robot's fusion reactor of all traces of energy without a word or gesture. A lifetime's supply of power gone in an instant -- a mere snack between the thumb and forefinger of a being beyond true comprehension!

The Hammer...

Just like that the first shots of the Secret Wars are fired -- but they aren't across enemy lines of good and evil!

There are essentially two sides to this conflict, with a faction or two forming somewhere in between, but it's the bad guys who are the first to fracture. A nice little bit of character detail that establishes the stakes, the scale of power that's in play, and gets us a taste of the action while introducing some of the stacked side of villainy.

It would've been so easy to have Ultron simply fall in line with the other bad guys, or undergo some sort of reprogramming from the outset, but instead we get the unadulterated joy of a homicidal robot immediately intent on extinguishing all organic life -- no matter how grand and beyond its reach it actually is! Bliss!

Ultron-10 was destroyed by Machine Man, The Thing, and Jocasta a couple of years prior in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One #93, contributing to the confusion of a tenth reconstruction in Secret Wars.

I guess The Beyonder is an Avengers fan who saw fit to bring Ultron back along with all the other popular toys. Doctor Doom will reprogram the defeated robot in the next issue, rebooting him for more play, but if you only knew the original twelve-part maxi-series as a tie-in ostensibly meant to sell action figures, you would've been surprised that an Ultron toy was never actually produced.

It's perhaps then doubly surprising that Galactus is ultimately the one to take Ultron down in the first real fight of the series.

The Devourer of Worlds is no stranger to conflict, but he isn't exactly known for trading blows with the rank and file, and also doesn't appear in the Mattel action figure line. The mark of a toymaker's unfulfilled aspirations -- or fanboy-turned-EIC Jim Shooter demanding a standard of quality for tie-in comics that would meet comic book readers' expectations beyond promotional consideration?

A few lines have attempted Galactus toys in the decades since Secret Wars, with Heroclix notably having the benefit of a small scale to work with, but it's only in the last couple of years that Marvel Legends has delivered the 32" tall Galactus action figure of our dreams. Standard 6" heralds fit in the palm of his hand. Not bad for $400 as a 2021 HasLabs backer, but undoubtedly a tough sell in 1984.

So if Galactus isn't in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars to be a deluxe playset, or towering lump of plastic sold through the Seers catalogue -- why is he here?

His concerns are typically much loftier than the mere mortals assembled to be bashed together in the hands of children, but I suppose if you asked me to name my most desired villains of the time, Galactus would probably be in the list, somewhere along with various other Fantastic Four opponents.

Galactus lends star-power and a sense of cosmic grandeur to the whole event, demonstrating just how high a level The Beyonder must be working on.

I suppose there's also an underlying potential for a ticking clock. Eventually Galactus will have to feed, and the composite planet created to host everyone is pretty much the only bar & grill that seems to be open in this corner of the universe. Existential drama only Galactus can provide in backdrop to a superhero war.

As for this battle: Galactus is clearly the winner, but could this result have been achieved without the involvement of Doctor Doom and Molecule Man?

The short answer is no -- but after careful deliberation, I've determined their actions, though vital, still only constitute a minor gesture: an assist.

Once his initial hopes to use Molecule Man's powers to end the fight are dashed, Doctor Doom conceives a plan to essentially gain Galactus' attention and pass the problem on to him. By throwing Ultron at the cosmic giant, Molecule Man merely triggers Galactus' entry into the fight, and the result is rendered from there.

We should also note that Thunderball and Bulldozer don't appear in this sequence until the fight is over, and Ultron's lifeless husk crashes back to the ground. The Lizard isn't even seen post-introductions until a vague group shot a couple pages after this. Characters clearly present will receive an assist stat for drawing fire, but it's unclear if these three even stuck around for the fight. We might infer Lizard ran and hid. For that reason I've omitted them from the minor count.

This was the very first fight, but we already opened the door last year with Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3. I'm hoping we'll be able to continue working through the series in a linear fashion, taking in some of the interesting match-ups that come about, and tracking the progress of characters like Molecule Man, and newcomers Titania & Volcana.

You can catch all of that, and more, by following links throughout this post, or by plunging into unending secret wars of the Secret Archive! That's where all you desire is indexed in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 battles and ranked more than 1,000 iconic characters! You can make sure there are many more to come by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for your patronage you'll find additional updates and multiple tiers to sponsor more feature content.

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Winner: Galactus (w/ Molecule Man & Doctor Doom)
#128 (+246) Galactus
#640 (new) Molecule Man [+1 assist]
#88 (--) Doctor Doom [+1 assist]
#374 (+20) The Wrecker [+1 assist]
#375 (+22) Piledriver [+1 assist]
#376 (+44) Kang The Conqueror [+1 assist]
#641 (new) Amora the Enchantress [+1 assist]
#670 (+315) Absorbing Man [+1 assist]
#988 (-2) Doctor Octopus [+1 assist]
#381 (-146) Ultron

HERO OF THE WEEK: ULTRON (Marvel)
Real Name: Ultron
First Appearance: Avengers #54 (July, 1968)
Fight Club Ranking: #202

Featured Fights:
- vs MACHINE MAN & THING: Marvel Two-In-One #92 (Oct 1982)

It looks like robotic bosses with purple highlights are this year's must-have fighting game accessory! Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite revealed its fused final boss in a pair of trailers last week, combining Marvel's Ultron with Mega Man X baddy Sigma to create "Ultron-Sigma".

This will mark Ultron's first appearance in the Marvel vs Capcom video game series, so it makes a bit of sense from that perspective. It's nice to see a new addition to the series - hopefully one of many. With that in mind, I'm doing my best to resist looking at it in terms of an ill-timed tie-in.

Age of Ultron events in comics (2013) and movies (2015) are still fresh in mind, and not especially fond memories, but MvCI will hopefully be the exception to the rule. A purple mecha-boss with endless armies of drones also strays awfully close to Brainiac in this month's DC fighting release Injustice 2, but again, it's probably best not to hold that against the MVC3 sequel.

Ultron will appear as a playable character independent of his boss form, which looks like a lot of fun in the gameplay trailer also released last week! Infinity Gems are back in a big way in MVCI, and you can see Ultron using the Space Stone to drastically reduce the area available to his opponent!

Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, and Chun-Li are among the other favourites also featured in the story trailer. The line-up seems to support rumors that the Marvel side will focus heavily on their popular film properties. Although, one does wonder if Thanos wouldn't have made a stronger boss choice, if that really is the case.

There's been a lot of consternation over the expected omission of X-Men characters, who were a much bigger part of the series in the nineties. They've been persona non grata in a lot of arenas in recent years, allegedly due to tensions between Disney and X-Men film licensers: FOX.

The X-Men's role in the Versus series was largely due to their extreme popularity in the early nineties, which spawned Capcom's first Marvel fighting game in 1994: X-Men: Children of the Atom. Sprites from that game continued in subsequent releases, including Marvel Super Heroes (late 1995) and their inaugural crossover X-Men versus Street Fighter (1996).

That steady run clearly fostered a strong X-following among gamers, but from a comics perspective, I tend to think a break could be a good thing. In terms of function, we could see interesting substitutes for popular characters like Wolverine, Magneto and Deadpool, introducing heroes like Drax, Scarlet Witch and Winter Soldier into the series. Missing Sentinel? How about Ant-Man/Giant-Man?

I'd love to see Capcom introduce more martial artists into the series, too! Iron Fist was cool! I'd love to see the likes of Black Panther, Daredevil, Elektra, Bullseye, Black Widow, Blade, Shang-Chi and even Batroc the Leaper! Hey, don't laugh! This is the series that briefly made Shuma-Gorath a household name! Even Taskmaster and Super-Skrull were pleasant, Batroc-type surprises in MVC3!

Traditionally Capcom have been excellent at getting the most out of their characters. Here's hoping Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite blazes some interesting new trails when it arrives later this year! For now, Ultron walks the path of our Hero of the Week!

<< Hero of the Week 05/08: Captain America    [Home]    Hero of the Week 04/24: Cloak >>

#99 Ultron (Marvel)
Real Name: [Ultron]
First Appearance: [Avengers #54; July 1968]
Group Affiliations: [Masters of Evil, Lethal Legion, The Phalanx]
Class: [Super] Last Opponent: [Machine Man & Thing]
Win Percentage: [100%] Features: [1]
Season 2006: [N/A] Current Ranking: [#114]

The Story...
Modelling a pattern of artificial intelligence on his own brain patterns, Hank Pym (Yellowjacket of the Avengers), designs a robotic entity he calls Ultron.
Inadvertently created with self-awareness, Ultron quickly develops sentience and erases memory of his creation from Pym, with the intentions of destroying his creator and the Avengers.

Possessing his own infatuation with Pym's ex-wife, Janet Van Dyne, Ultron would go on to have a peculiar relationship with women, and the people he regards as his extended family. Though typically intent on the genocidal eradication of humanity, Ultron exhibits inherent connections with his opposed species, building new sentient automatons in their image.

Ultron would go on to create the Vision (based on Jim Hammond and Wonder Man), Jocasta (modelled for the Wasp), Alkhema (based on Mockingbird), and Victor Mancha (of the Runaways). He would also pursue efforts to mechanize Pym, Van Dyne, and the Simons brothers in his pursuit of an obscure sense of family, and an apparently oedipus complex.

Along with his many sentient creations, Ultron would refine his own visage over various numerically identified incarnations, often independent to their predecessors. By the sixth iteration Ultron would develop his customary shell made of an impure adamantium alloy, nigh impossible to damage, but with a slight weakness characterizing it seperate to the likes used on Wolverine's claws.

A new version of Ultron would emerge during a battle with Mole Man and the Avengers. Emerging from the armor of long-time foe Iron Man, this new Ultron would bare resemblance to Wasp, and possess a more organic appearance than the starkly robotic classic versions of Ultron. This version of Ultron remains intent on the destruction of humanity, calling upon slightly altered versions of plans previously launched by other villains. The true origins of the female Ultron are yet to be revealed.

In space, another version of Ultron has emerged as the architect of a new push by the techno-organic alien species, the Phalanx. As the new head, this Ultron appears mostly similar to his former incarnations, with minor upgrades, and a connection to the vast network of assimilated Phalanx beings. This is presumably one of the many previous Ultrons, who could have found his way to space in a variety of different ways.

The Pitch...
In my humble estimation, Ultron represents both, perhaps, the greatest villain to menace the Avengers -- and also one of the shining examples of what tired me in a world of classic Avengers. He'd be one of the factors that made me a bit more receptive to the New Avengers, than a lot of other fans.

There's something inherently American about Ultron.
It's true of Iron Man, too, as well as a lot of other technologocially grounded characters in the Marvel and DC universes. Though they are generally accepted to represent the most advanced of technologies, they have a way of retaining their clunky, basic, unimpressive designs -- and you can forget about getting smaller!

Yes, in it's own way I actually find it charming.
In a world still reeling from the fad explosion of anime culture, it's somewhat refreshing to pick up a comic about robots or suits of armor, and not recognise something unmistakingly Japanese. Undoubtedly it was cringe-worthy when Marvel unleashed it's manned Sentinel models, that unashamadely paid "homage" to Neon Genesis: Evangelion and it's giant-sized EVA units.

I sort of enjoy the subtle commentary that is there, even if only through the American subconscious, that continues to have Iron Man show up in big, rendered suits of armor. Sure, he's come a long way since the 'fridge tank', but for such an advanced piece of technology, he has a way of really looking pretty basic. And an alien shaped helmet really didn't help sell otherwise. So, it's amusing to see clunky American manufacturing and design feature in technologically inclined comics, but for Ultron, it just seems old hat.

The irony here is that I haven't been reading Brian Bendis' Mighty Avengers, which reinvents Ultron as a vivacious Mike Cho woman. As much of a design improvement as that might be, it isn't quite what I would've had in mind.
Actually, for me, Ultron as a concept isn't a new subject. I've pondered it briefly before, and personally, I actually think a little bit of that Japanese touch, filtered through the Western world and sub-cultures of the Marvel universe, are actually what might be needed.

You have a lot of pieces of the overall puzzle sliding around fairly conveniently to provide usage of one of the booming pieces of technology available right now.
Being that I'm not reading Mighty Avengers, I don't know how steeped the current Ultron stuff is in the technology, but being that Iron Man has essentially made himself wirelessly online, it opens his vulnerability to a foe like Ultron up in ways that excite and intrigue.

I like the idea of Ultron-5 and Ultron-XI, and all the other successive models that work their way into the canon with every appearance. I like applying what we know about the character to the conventions and adapted rules of existing technologies -- like wireless and internet applications.

Tony Stark, now organically online through wireless technology, suffers some of the vulnerabilities of everday wireless use. Expanding them out to super-concepts, I like the idea of an Ultron who might try to exploit the lack of natural firewalls Iron Man would have. Granted, Tony Stark will be privvy to some of the most advance online security, but on a while I love the idea of Ultron, through various means, attempting to hack or interfere with Iron Man and his wireless armors.
In my world, this is really a decoy measure. I think surrendering Tony Stark to the control of a hacking Ultron is a little too easy, but in a world where man and machine have become one, you start to see new and interesting ways for new versions and models of Ultron to [co]-exist.

I personally like the idea, particularly for the online aspects, of a sentient and self-replicated virus versions of Ultron. Something along the lines of Project-2501 (Ghost in the Shell), that is a self-running intelligence. Presumably this downloaded or programmed version of Ultron would be able to access informations independently for his solid counterpart, while also reinventing the returning-Ultron concept through the use of stored versions of the online-Ultron through various internet sites.

Much like real virii or hackers, the basic tools of the internet suddenly become frustratingly effective weapons for Ultron. It's just a matter of upscaling that logic to deal with men, suits of armor, and SHIELD helicarriers.

Then you take the notion of onlineUltron (iUltron) attempting to hack into Tony Stark, who may have even been the unwitting victim of iUltron's subversive intelligence attacks, before becoming aware of them. Attacks that provided Ultron with Matrixesque avenues to establish yet another new form in his war on humanity and flesh.

Having gained access to the Extremis information, iUltron suddenly begins to emerge across the internet spreading the question, 'What is the 616?'
As dispondent and disillusioned individuals across the world begin responding to this exciting new wave of online philosophy, one [un]lucky user is chosen, perhaps because of the location indicated by their IP, to meet with Ultron.

Becoming the recipient of the Extremis project, 'The One' plucked from an Internet Relay Chat is suddenly transformed into the physical vehicle for a brand new Ultron. An Ultron derived from iUltron, but dealing with a brand new concept: In a world that can create human-machine hybrids, where are the lines of war drawn?

This is where, I assume, the lines of Bendis' work bare, and I also believe he's breeched the subject of hacking Iron Man's armor. Although, Ultron taking possession of Iron Man technology is by no means new, this updated version is maybe more along the lines of what I came up with. I don't know.

But ultimately what you find yourself with is Ultrons with distinct personalities and interests. Classic Ultron, the adamantium bodied robot represents the old ideas, and the mission to destroy all life on Earth in favour of robot dominance.

iUltron, existing purely as a free-running program, would perhaps become a more benevolent concept. You could go a lot of different ways with a lot of different running versions of iUltron, ranging from a comedic meltdown due to internet spam -- to a metaphorical devolution as a result of becoming obssessed with collecting data from newsites and google searches -- to becoming a living application tool to be exploited by terrorists and heroes alike.

Or hey! Maybe Aaron Stack (aka; Machine Man) could download iUltron and convince it to serve as a finance calculator, so he can dazzle all with his accountancy presentations! Mmm... Yeah, or not...

Then, finally, you have the Extremis-Ultron, who is fundamentally influenced by both versions of Ultron (being that his consciousness is a downloaded version of iUltron), but finds himself on a path for his own discovery.

In his own dramatic twist, Extremis-Ultron takes on a peculiar admiration and respect for Tony Stark, and as a being of tech and flesh, abandons a pursuit of human eradication. Instead, like the Ultron of the past, he pushes a whole new concept of human-mecha hybrids, in the same old way.

In this respect, Extremis-Ultron ultimately becomes an enemy to Iron Man and Ultron-original alike. His vision of the world is to merge the two, threatening both humanity and robotics.

And those are just some of the ways you could use Ultron, largely tied to one story concept created last year when I probably could've been doing something more productive. Hey, a guy's gotta have goals. Goals to turn everyone at Marvel into human-robot hybrids! Mwahahahaha!

[The bulk of this post originally appeared with review: Marvel Team-Up #92]

MACHINE MAN/THING versus ULTRON
"This Evil Returning--!" (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Two-In-One #92 When: October 1982
Why: Tom Defalco How: Ron Wilson

The story so far...
The android called Jocasta was originally the result of an evil plot for Ultron to take a wife. Though the transferred consciousness of the Wasp would be expelled from the robotic shell, the remnants of her memory would serve as the template for a new, whole Jocasta!

Now in the service of good; Jocasta finds herself suffering an identity crisis with no real sense of belonging or purpose. Alas, as she pines from within her temorary residence at the Baxter Building, a twist worthy of Shakespeare sets a dastardly series of deeds in motion!

Calling upon a long forgotten piece of sub-programming, Jocasta is compelled to travel across the country to a secret industrial headquarters once belonging to her creator. There, the distorted monolith stands with a buddha-esque smirk - a testament to Ultron's defeat. Even so, with the tools surrounding him, Ultron compels Jocasta to revive him, and so, the mechanical menace is born anew!

Previous Form:
Machine Man (#65): Nearly single handedly defeated Fin Fang Foom.
Thing (#15): Recently victorious over the robotic Super Adaptoid.
Jocasta & Ultron: Neither has yet been featured on the site.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Ultron 5 (Professor)
Speed: Ultron 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Ultron 6 (Generator)
Agility: Machine Man 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Ultron 5 (Lasers)


As many of you know, Secret Wars on Infinite Earths is a website dedicated to discussing superhero comics through a structure built around the fights contained therein.

With that in mind, it's almost disturbing to note that it has taken twenty months for us to have robot-on-robot action.
I realise it's not enough, but all I can do is apologise to all of you faithful readers out there. It's... I'm sorry.

So, in the red corner is a guy, like Dr. Doom, who is new to the website, but deserving of far more recognition than that status implies. A guy who has been known to send a shiver down the collective spines of the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Secret Defenders. Actually, I'm not really sure about that last one, I just wanted to show some diversity of the fear inspired by -- Ultron the unfeeling!

Ultron's most impressive feature is his adamantium composite body, which affords him near invulnerability, and incredible resistance to physical attacks. It's a job like that that gets heavy-hitters like Wonder Man and the Thing all hot and bothered when he comes knocking.

In the purple corner is Machine Man. You might remember him from such battles as Nextwave's encounter with Fin Fang Foom. [Nextwave #2]
As far as robots go, Machine Man (you can call him Aaron), isn't anywhere near as indomitable or obsessed with the destruction of "fleshys" as Ultron. Generally content with his creators, Machine Man bares a humanoid disguise, and utilizes much more trixy tactics in his pirsuit of truth, justice and the robotic way.

Most notable in Machine Man's arsenal is his extendo Inspector Gadgetesque arms and legs. These days he also packs a whole bunch of useful gadgets, becoming a lethal sort of humanoid-Swiss army knife. Some people would tell you that doesn't count because Nextwave was "not in continuity", but those people are Nazis and should be marched to the gallows as soon as possible.

Inexplicably joining Machine Man in battle, as was the style in Marvel Two-In-One, is the ever loving blue eyed Thing, having apparently survived yet another sub-average feature film. (Ooo, meta-textual! Someone grease me up like Grant Morrison!)

Thing certainly packs the physical punch Machine Man is otherwise lacking, but even he is going to have a tough time shutting Ultron down for good. Truth be told, without the aid of specially customized thumbtacs, Thing can't even program the VCR, not that he knows how...

Together, Machine Man and Thing are a pretty good team, but without talking about potential strategums and preperation time, I'm going to give this one to Ultron. The simple facts are that even Things brute force fails to measure up to Ultron's strategic and phsycial prowess.

The Ma th: Thing/Machine Man (Overall) Ultron (Average)
The Pick: Ultron

What went down...
Having rebuilt Ultron, Jocasta is able to break free of her dormant programming and regain independence. In such a state, she becomes of little use to Ultron, who recognises the change and goes about knocking her down for her defiance.

Ultron gloats over Jocasta like a mechauvenist, distracted so much he doesn't even see the telescopic arm shooting forth a purple fist! It strikes Ultron across the face, before being followed by the mechanical Machine Man!

Machine Man uses his extendable legs to dodge Ultron's power blasts, while his extended arms give him the necessary reach to continue to sock it to Ultron! Ultron pursues the weaker of the two robots, but Machine Man continues to keep his distance through the use of his highly durable and agile telescopic legs.

Just as Thing shows on the scene, the building cracks open from Ultron's wreckless display of power! Inside, he finally snags one of Machine Man's legs, and while Machine Man remains comedically defiant, his leg easily snaps under the might of Ultron!

Thing wastes no time going to work, literally pulling the flooring out from under Ultron in a move that buys the damaged Machine Man some time to himself.

The immovable object meets the unstoppable force in a classic scene as the two super-strong titans clash! Apparently not privvy to the pretentions of Ultron's favor for robots, Thing suffers the verbal assault, if unscathed by the physical blow.

Coming out fine, Thing cleans Ultron up with a left-hook that sends the machine menace flying across his own headquarters into an adjacent wall of technology!

Even so, Ultron does his best T-800, returning at speed for another shot at the Thing. The two tie-up, and as cosmically infused biceps push against futuristic servo-mechanics, Ultron reveals another of his many skills!

Thing finds himself ill-prepared for an attack of hypnosis!
Locked up at a close quarters, Thing has nowhere to lose himself but in the eyes of the sinister robot! Why, it might almost be romantic, if they were cowboys! [You're telling me the date is up on Brokeback gags?! Come on!...]

Meanwhile, Machine Man does his best to pull himself together, but the damage sustained by Ultron's earlier assault becomes the least of his worries!

Leaning against a wall without the use of his legs, the Machine Man has the misfortune of staring down a hypnotised Thing, who would have fisticuffs with him!

Though the war may rage on, this battle is over!

The hammer...
Following in the footsteps of Doom, Ultron debuts with an impressive victory! Sometime in the near future we might pick that up in the next issue, where Thing is the slave of Ultron! Dun dun!

Unlike Dr. Doom, there's actually no curiosity about the distinct lack of Ultron on this particular website. In my humble estimation, Ultron represents both, perhaps, the greatest villain to menace the Avengers -- and also one of the shining examples of what tired me in a world of classic Avengers. He'd be one of the factors that made me a bit more receptive to the New Avengers, than a lot of other fans.

There's something inherently American about Ultron.
It's true of Iron Man, too, as well as a lot of other technologocially grounded characters in the Marvel and DC universes. Though they are generally accepted to represent the most advanced of technologies, they have a way of retaining their clunky, basic, unimpressive designs -- and you can forget about getting smaller!

Yes, in it's own way I actually find it charming.
In a world still reeling from the fad explosion of anime culture, it's somewhat refreshing to pick up a comic about robots or suits of armor, and not recognise something unmistakingly Japanese. Undoubtedly it was cringe-worthy when Marvel unleashed it's manned Sentinel models, that unashamadely paid "homage" to Neon Genesis: Evangelion and it's giant-sized EVA units.

I sort of enjoy the subtle commentary that is there, even if only through the American subconscious, that continues to have Iron Man show up in big, rendered suits of armor. Sure, he's come a long way since the 'fridge tank', but for such an advanced piece of technology, he has a way of really looking pretty basic. And an alien shaped helmet really didn't help sell otherwise. So, it's amusing to see clunky American manufacturing and design feature in technologically inclined comics, but for Ultron, it just seems old hat.

The irony here is that I haven't been reading Brian Bendis' Mighty Avengers, which reinvents Ultron as a vivacious Mike Cho woman. As much of a design improvement as that might be, it isn't quite what I would've had in mind.
Actually, for me, Ultron as a concept isn't a new subject. I've pondered it briefly before, and personally, I actually think a little bit of that Japanese touch, filtered through the Western world and sub-cultures of the Marvel universe, are actually what might be needed.

You have a lot of pieces of the overall puzzle sliding around fairly conveniently to provide usage of one of the booming pieces of technology available right now.
Being that I'm not reading Mighty Avengers, I don't know how steeped the current Ultron stuff is in the technology, but being that Iron Man has essentially made himself wirelessly online, it opens his vulnerability to a foe like Ultron up in ways that excite and intrigue.

I like the idea of Ultron-5 and Ultron-XI, and all the other successive models that work their way into the canon with every appearance. I like applying what we know about the character to the conventions and adapted rules of existing technologies -- like wireless and internet applications.

Tony Stark, now organically online through wireless technology, suffers some of the vulnerabilities of everday wireless use. Expanding them out to super-concepts, I like the idea of an Ultron who might try to exploit the lack of natural firewalls Iron Man would have. Granted, Tony Stark will be privvy to some of the most advance online security, but on a while I love the idea of Ultron, through various means, attempting to hack or interfere with Iron Man and his wireless armors.

In my world, this is really a decoy measure. I think surrendering Tony Stark to the control of a hacking Ultron is a little too easy, but in a world where man and machine have become one, you start to see new and interesting ways for new versions and models of Ultron to [co]-exist.

I personally like the idea, particularly for the online aspects, of a sentient and self-replicated virus versions of Ultron. Something along the lines of Project-2501 (Ghost in the Shell), that is a self-running intelligence. Presumably this downloaded or programmed version of Ultron would be able to access informations independently for his solid counterpart, while also reinventing the returning-Ultron concept through the use of stored versions of the online-Ultron through various internet sites.

Much like real virii or hackers, the basic tools of the internet suddenly become frustratingly effective weapons for Ultron. It's just a matter of upscaling that logic to deal with men, suits of armor, and SHIELD helicarriers.

Then you take the notion of onlineUltron (iUltron) attempting to hack into Tony Stark, who may have even been the unwitting victim of iUltron's subversive intelligence attacks, before becoming aware of them. Attacks that provided Ultron with Matrixesque avenues to establish yet another new form in his war on humanity and flesh.

Having gained access to the Extremis information, iUltron suddenly begins to emerge across the internet spreading the question, 'What is the 616?'
As dispondent and disillusioned individuals across the world begin responding to this exciting new wave of online philosophy, one [un]lucky user is chosen, perhaps because of the location indicated by their IP, to meet with Ultron.

Becoming the recipient of the Extremis project, 'The One' plucked from an Internet Relay Chat is suddenly transformed into the physical vehicle for a brand new Ultron. An Ultron derived from iUltron, but dealing with a brand new concept: In a world that can create human-machine hybrids, where are the lines of war drawn?

This is where, I assume, the lines of Bendis' work bare, and I also believe he's breeched the subject of hacking Iron Man's armor. Although, Ultron taking possession of Iron Man technology is by no means new, this updated version is maybe more along the lines of what I came up with. I don't know.

But ultimately what you find yourself with is Ultrons with distinct personalities and interests. Classic Ultron, the adamantium bodied robot represents the old ideas, and the mission to destroy all life on Earth in favour of robot dominance.

iUltron, existing purely as a free-running program, would perhaps become a more benevolent concept. You could go a lot of different ways with a lot of different running versions of iUltron, ranging from a comedic meltdown due to internet spam -- to a metaphorical devolution as a result of becoming obssessed with collecting data from newsites and google searches -- to becoming a living application tool to be exploited by terrorists and heroes alike.

Or hey! Maybe Aaron Stack (aka; Machine Man) could download iUltron and convince it to serve as a finance calculator, so he can dazzle all with his accountancy presentations! Mmm... Yeah, or not...

Then, finally, you have the Extremis-Ultron, who is fundamentally influenced by both versions of Ultron (being that his consciousness is a downloaded version of iUltron), but finds himself on a path for his own discovery.

In his own dramatic twist, Extremis-Ultron takes on a peculiar admiration and respect for Tony Stark, and as a being of tech and flesh, abandons a pursuit of human eradication. Instead, like the Ultron of the past, he pushes a whole new concept of human-mecha hybrids, in the same old way.

In this respect, Extremis-Ultron ultimately becomes an enemy to Iron Man and Ultron-original alike. His vision of the world is to merge the two, threatening both humanity and robotics.

And those are just some of the ways you could use Ultron, largely tied to one story concept created last year when I probably could've been doing something more productive. Hey, a guy's gotta have goals. Goals to turn everyone at Marvel into human-robot hybrids! Mwahahahaha!

Hey, y'know, iUltron could reinvent himself as a mysterious pop-synth artist. And he could jam out with Tom DeFalco, who's just hit the top ten creators!
Rock me Extremis! R-r-r-rock me Extremis! Uh uh oh! Oh uh uh uh oh!

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 4.5
NEXT WEEK: The dark magicks of the man called: BARON MORDO!