Mandroid

A Mandroid is a fictional suit of power armor appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

It first appeared in Avengers #94 (December 1971), created by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams.

Fictional biography

Mandroids were originally designed by Tony Stark and built for use by S.H.I.E.L.D.. The concept was to provide the wearer with extensive offensive options so they could respond to various threats, including those from super-powered humans. Since then, Mandroid armor has been utilized by several criminals including Moses Magnum.^[1]

The Mandroid power armor is constructed of a titanium alloy that provides enhanced protection from all types of attack; the suit also offers a life support systems. Sensors include infrared scanners and radar/sonar, along with a full-range radio and intercom system. The suits increase the wearer's strength and durability to superhuman levels (a Mandroid once threw a car at Iron Man). The main armament is the array of weaponry: electrostatic beams, lasers, magnetic force "punch-blasters", "neuro-stunners", and tractor/repellor beams.

On one occasion, the Mandroids were released against the Avengers during the "Kree-Skrull War", when a Skrull posing as politician H. Warren Craddock claimed that the Avengers were aiding the alien invasion. Although the Mandroids were able to overcome various heroes from Goliath to Captain America, Iron Man was able to defeat them by using his knowledge of their weaknesses to neutralize the suits without injuring the users.^[2]

The Mandroid armor appears in the X-Treme X-Men storyline God Loves, Man Kills II. In it, William Stryker and a brainwashed Kitty Pryde wear the armor, with Stryker using Kitty's phasing ability, enhanced tenfold, to kill living beings as well as technology.

During the events of the "Armor Wars", S.H.I.E.L.D. was sent to capture Iron Man. After discovering that elements of his technology had been stolen and given to both criminals organizations and government departments, Iron Man neutralized the S.H.I.E.L.D. Mandroids.^[3]

J. Jonah Jameson (after being elected Mayor of New York City) combines Mandroid technology with the Spider-Slayer technology in order to create a "Spider-Slayer Squad".^[4]

Kree Mandroids

The Kree's Mandroids are used by the Kree Empire to hunt down traitors to the Kree Empire and rely on the Psych-Magnitron to sustain their lives. Mar-Vell faces off against a Kree Mandroid and Yon-Rogg. Yon-Rogg created a Kree Mandroid with the Psyche-Magnitron. It was destroyed when Mar-Vell tricked the robot into damaging the Psyche-Magnitron causing the Kree Mandroid to fade away.^[5]

Helped by a hypnotized Invisible Woman, Ronan the Accuser retrieved a Universe Energy Core from a Psyche-Magnitron from Uatu the Watcher's dome on the Moon. Iron Man, the rest of the Fantastic Four, and Charlotte Jones tried to stop Ronan the Accuser, who used the Universal Energy Core to create some Kree Mandroids. The Kree Mandroids were easily defeated by Iron Man's repulsor blasts, Thing's punches, and Human Torch's fire.^[6]

In other media

Television

• The Mandroids appeared in the 1994 Iron Man animated series, in the episode "Cell of Iron" and also during the show's adaptation of the "Armor Wars" saga in which Tony takes them out for using Iron Man technology with inhibitor packs. The design, however, is that of the Guardsman armor.
• In Avengers: United They Stand some Mandroids are seen guarding a train filled with portable EMO generators. When the Masters of Evil attack the train the Mandroids are swiftly dispatched. The injured Mandroids are later hospitalized.
• A squadron of Mandroids appeared in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "Iron Man is Born". These versions were built by S.H.I.E.L.D. without the knowledge or consent of Tony Stark, and are colored blue. They appear to fight HYDRA only to also fight Iron Man even though he took out a HYDRA Dreadnought that was about to harm them. Nick Fury orders the Mandroids to call off their attack on Iron Man. Stark later points out that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Mandroid designs have been used by HYDRA to make their Dreadnoughts.
• The Mandroids appear in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "Fugitive of S.H.I.E.L.D". In this continuity, they are robots made by Justin Hammer and are recolored versions of Stark's Arctic Armor Design. In "Rage of the Hulk", the Mandroids are later used by General Ross, over-riding Nick Fury's command over S.H.I.E.L.D. to take down Hulk.
• The Mandroids appear in the Avengers Assemble episode "The Thunderbolts." While searching each of Justin Hammer's bunker, each members of the Avengers and the Thunderbolts fought Justin Hammer's Mandroids. When it comes to Justin Hammer's latest bunker, Justin Hammer attacks them in his Mega-Mandroid which has a forcefield generator. Upon Meteorite disabling the forcefield generators, the Avengers and the Thunderbolts were able to defeat the Mega-Mandroid and hand Justin Hammer over to the authorities.

Film

• While they were not given the name in Iron Man 2, there are Iron Man-style drone soldiers that were built by Ivan Vanko and funded by Justin Hammer, under the illusion that they were to be sold to the U.S. government (they had sets each belonging to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines), but were in fact made to destroy Tony Stark via remote control. Eventually, both Tony and James Rhodes destroyed all the Hammer drones.
• The Mandroids appear in the anime film Iron Man: Rise of Technovore.

References

External links

• Mandroids at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Mandroid at MarvelDirectory.com
• Kree Mandroid at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe