Super-Adaptoid

The Super-Adaptoid is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

The first Super-Adaptoid appeared in Tales of Suspense #82 (Oct. 1966) and was created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Gene Colan. The character has appeared in over four decades of Marvel continuity and featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series and merchandise such as trading cards.

Fictional character biography

Super-Adaptoid

Super-Adaptoid

The Super-Adaptoid (background) battles the superhero team the Avengers on the cover of Avengers #45 (Oct. 1967).
Art by John Buscema and Vincent Colletta.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance As the Adaptoid:
Tales of Suspense #82 (Oct 1966)
As the Super-Adaptoid:
Tales of Suspense #84 (Dec. 1966)
Created by Stan Lee (Writer)
Gene Colan
Jack Kirby (Artist)
In-story information
Alter ego Super-Adaptoid
Species Android
Team affiliations A.I.M.
Heavy Metal
Phalanx
Notable aliases Adaptoid, Alessandro Brannex
Abilities Ability to mimic superhuman abilities

The Super-Adaptoid debuted in the title Tales of Suspense, being created by scientific organization A.I.M.. The character is an android containing a shard of the artifact known as the Cosmic Cube, and is programmed to defeat the hero Captain America, which it nearly does after infiltrating Avengers Headquarters and copying the standout fighting abilities and respective traits of Captain America and his fellow Avengers (Goliath, Hawkeye, and Wasp). After a long battle between Captain America and the Adaptoid, the Adaptoid flees, incorrectly believing that it killed Captain America.[1]

The Adaptoid then took refuge underground near the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning and was unintentionally awakened by an optic blast from Scott Summers. The Adaptoid left his hideout and saw the X-Men in their civilian clothes ice skating. He then recalls that he had another mission: to transform others into Adaptoids like himself, so he begins his attempt with the X-Men. They refused and a fight broke out. As the battle dragged on, Mimic, who had just been asked to leave the X-Men, watched from a distance and saw how powerful the Adaptoid was. The Adaptoid soon defeated the X-Men, and was then approached by Calvin who offered to become an adaptoid. During the process Calvin changed his mind when he learned he would have no free will and the two began to fight. During the battle the Adaptoid tried to copy the powers that Mimic had copied from the X-Men and failed. Calvin then devised a plan and tried to mimic the abilities of the Super Adaptoid causing huge feedback which made both of them lose their powers. As Mimic was rescued by his fellow X-Men the Adaptoid fell to a river below.[2] The Adaptoid later attacks Captain America during a charity event involving the Avengers, after copying Thor and Iron Man, who leave before he reveals himself, and Hercules. He is tricked into using all his powers at once, overloading himself.[3] The Adaptoid features in the title Iron Man and is destroyed.[4] The Adaptoid reforms in the title Captain Marvel, and after a brief battle with Iron Man follows the hero to Avengers Mansion, where the character battles the team and Kree ally Captain Marvel. Mar-Vell tricks the Adaptoid into copying his nega-bands, which act as a portal to the alternate dimension the Negative Zone. By striking the Adaptoid's nega-bands together, Mar-Vell banishes the character to the Negative Zone indefinitely.[5]

The Adaptoid is retrieved in the title Marvel Two-in-One and used unsuccessfully by villains Annihilus and Blastaar against the hero the Thing and the Avengers in the Negative Zone.[6] The Adaptoid reappears in the title Avengers and is revealed to be stored at Avengers Mansion, where it is found by the Fixer when the supervillains the Masters of Evil storm the Mansion. The Adaptoid escapes, and after placing the Fixer in his containment unit, copies the powers of the villain Mentallo. Uniting a team of artificial beings called Heavy Metal (consisting of the Awesome Android; Machine Man; the Sentry 459 and TESS-One), the Adaptoid directs them against the Avengers. While the heroes are distracted, the Adaptoid summons the entity Kubik - a sentient Cosmic Cube - to Earth, so that the character can copy Kubik's powers and become all-powerful. Although successful, the Adaptoid is tricked into shutting down by Captain America.[7]

The Adaptoid makes a brief appearance during the Acts of Vengeance storyline in the title Fantastic Four;[8] the title Heroes for Hire where the character is disabled,[9] and the title Hulk, with scientist Bruce Banner (the alter ego of the Hulk) being blackmailed into repairing and activating the Adaptoid.[10]

An "Ultra-Adaptoid" appears in the limited series Super-Villain Team-Up: Modok's 11. Created by A.I.M. to infiltrate a group of super-villains formed by MODOK - a past A.I.M. creation himself - the character has no independent will and is remotely controlled. Courtesy of a satellite relay, the Adaptoid has access to dozens of powers, but is eventually destroyed when released from A.I.M control.[11]

The Super-Adaptoid features in the limited series Annihilation Conquest: Quasar, and is revealed to be a warrior in the employ of the Alien Phalanx. Claiming it left Earth after becoming disgusted with humanity's chaotic nature, the character attempts to destroy the new Quasar, her companion Moondragon and a reborn Adam Warlock.[12]

Super-Adaptoid (Alessandro Brannex)

A Super-Adaptoid using the alias of "Alessandro Brannex" provides a new but inferior model of itself to the villainous group the New Enforcers to use as a field agent. The inferior model is eventually deactivated by crime boss Blood Rose.[13]

Others using the identity

The terrorist organization HYDRA commission a new Adaptoid from A.I.M and deploy it to battle the New Avengers. This version is a fusion of human and machine where Yelena Belova managed to copy the powers of Iron Man, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Sentry, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine. The Adaptoid is eventually defeated when the powers "copied" from Avenger Sentry cause the character the same psychological problems he experiences. HYDRA then destroys the Adaptoid via a remote-controlled self-destruct device.[14]

Norman Osborn was given the powers of the Super-Adaptoid by his followers in H.A.M.M.E.R. to replace his lack of the Iron Patriot armor and his disinclination to return to his old Green Goblin role, but even after absorbing the powers of his Dark Avengers, Luke Cage, the Vision, Protector, and Red Hulk, he was defeated when the Avengers and the New Avengers struck him all at once, the multiple powers working against each other and causing him to collapse into a coma.[15]

Powers and abilities

Created by A.I.M, the first Super-Adaptoid is an artificial construct capable of copying or mimicking the powers and skills of numerous super beings, including specific equipment and clothing. This ability to adapt was originally courtesy of a shard of the artifact the Cosmic Cube, although the shard was eventually removed by cosmic entity Kubik. The character, however, has proven capable of continuing to function without the shard. The Adaptoid possesses exceptional artificial intelligence, but limited imagination and an inability to understand the human condition, which has led to defeat in the past.[16] The powers that Super-Adaptoid had duplicated (and has stored in his templates) include Ant-Man, Atlas, Beast, Black Knight, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Citizen V, Doctor Druid, Goliath, Hawkeye, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Man, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, MACH-I, Machine Man, Mister Fantastic, Moonstone, Quasar, Quicksilver, Red Skull's battle suit, Scarlet Witch, Songbird, Techno, Thing, Thor, Vision, and Wasp.

The second Super-Adaptoid has the same powers, but the ones he demonstrated are the powers of Blitz, Blood Rose, Controller, Dragon Man, Dreadnought, Eel, Fixer, Madame Menace, Mentallo, Mister Fear, Plantman, Spider-Man, Thermite, Tangle, and Vanisher.

When Yelena Belova was given the power of the Super-Adaptoid, Spider-Man had the idea to overload her ability to duplicate powers by having Iron Man attack her with all of his armors at once, overloaded the Adaptoid's copying ability as she only had the 'space' to copy one Iron Man armor rather than all of them.

A similar solution was used to defeat Norman Osborn when he was given the powers of the Super-Adaptoid, the combined attack of all of the Avengers and New Avengers members overloading Osborn's system and causing him to become comatose as his body couldn't cope with so many different powers.[17]

Other versions

2099

An inert Super-Adaptoid dating back to the Age of Heroes is the subject of worship by a cargo cult uncovered by the new Spider-Man. Upon sighting Spider-Man, the machine, not recognizing the new hero, becomes the closest approximation of him (a combination of the original Spider-Man and Venom) it can based on his appearance, turning into Flipside.[18]

Heroes Reborn

The Super-Adaptoid appeared in Franklin Richards' Heroes Reborn universe as a device used by Loki. It is defeated by the Avengers. Since its defeat, it gains sentience, dubs itself Amazo-Maxi-Woman, and joins the heroes quest to stop Deadpool.[19]

Spider-Gwen

In Spider-Gwen which takes place on Earth-65, Super-Adaptoid is known as Project Green and is a member of the organization S.I.L.K.[20]

In other media

Television

Video games

References

  1. ↑ Tales of Suspense #82 - 84 (Oct. - Dec. 1966)
  2. ↑ X-Men #29 (Feb. 1967)
  3. ↑ Avengers #45
  4. ↑ Iron Man #49 - 50 (Aug. - Sep. 1972)
  5. ↑ Captain Marvel #50 (Jun. 1977)
  6. ↑ Marvel Two-In-One #75 (May 1981)
  7. ↑ Avengers #286 - 290 (Dec. 1987 - Apr. 1988)
  8. ↑ Fantastic Four #336 (Jan. 1990)
  9. ↑ Heroes for Hire #7; 10 (Jan. & Apr. 1998)
  10. ↑ Hulk #469 (Oct. 1998)
  11. ↑ Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's Eleven #1 - 4 (Sep. - Dec. 2008)
  12. ↑ Annihilation Conquest: Quasar #1 - #4 (Jul. - Oct. 2007)
  13. ↑ Web of Spider-Man #99-100 (April–May 1993)
  14. ↑ New Avengers Annual #1 (2006). Marvel Comics.
  15. ↑ Avengers Vol. 4 #24 (May 2012). Marvel Comics.
  16. ↑ Avengers #290 (Apr. 1988)
  17. ↑ Avengers vol. 4 #23
  18. ↑ Spider-Man 2099 #29-30
  19. ↑ Avengers Vol. 2 #11
  20. ↑ Spider-Gwen Vol. 2 #7
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