Mekanique

Mekanique is a fictional supervillain in the fictional DC Universe. She first appeared in All-Star Squadron #58 (June 1986).

Fictional character biography

In All-Star Squadron #58, Mekanique appears suddenly in the headquarters of the All-Star Squadron; she is badly damaged and attacks Firebrand. Before she can be destroyed by Green Lantern, Robotman steps in and offers to repair her. A subsequent power surge threatens to destroy the headquarters, but instead restores Mekanique. She reveals that she is from the far future, and had returned to the past to prevent a horrible future war. Mekanique shows the heroes an image of a child about to be killed in a car accident, and they save her, thus changing the future.^[1]

Afterwards, Mekanique reveals to Robotman her true origin. She is from the future, but was created by an evil scientist named Rotwang. In her time, a small elite ruled despotically over a downtrodden slave race. The elite were in danger of being overthrown due to a woman named Maria, who led the slaves into open rebellion. Mekanique had been given the power not only to travel in time, but to temporarily hold back the effects of the Crisis on Infinite Earths while she changed the future. Mekanique then erases Robotman's memory so that he cannot warn his fellow Squadron members.^[2]

In 1942 Mekanique meets Per Degaton while he is still an assistant at the Time Trust. She convinces Degaton to help her in her fight against the All-Star Squadron, in exchange for teaching him the secrets of time travel. Their attack fails, and Mekanique's body is destroyed. Degaton escapes with her head, and keeps it with him for the next five years. During that time, the two fall in love.^[3]

By 1947, Degaton, Mekanique, and a new ally, Professor Malachi Zee, have managed to build a working time machine. Degaton, who wants the machine for himself, shoots Zee, who falls into the machine and accidentally sends it forty years into the future. When Mekanique suggests they wait forty years for the machine to reappear, Degaton snaps and buries Mekanique's head.^[4] He becomes a founding member of the Injustice Society of the World after using Zee's technology to become an established member, but all the members are captured, and Degaton spends years in prison.

Forty years later, Degaton, now resigned to waiting for the time machine, reconstructs Mekanique. The two of them attack Infinity, Inc. at the scheduled return site of the time machine. When the time machine appears, it contains not only the body of Zee, but a younger Degaton. This duplicate version of Degaton had been created by the chronal energies of the time machine as Degaton had lunged at the machine in 1947. This Degaton disintegrates due to the paradoxical existence of two Degatons at once. Fearing that the young Degaton would destroy her again, Mekanique kills him, and then destroys herself.^[5]

Notes

• Mekanique's future world is based on Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis, and Mekanique herself bears a strong resemblance to the Maria-robot.
• Superman's Metropolis features another interpretation of Mekanique, called Futura.

References