robot

Real Name: None

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (A-Chiltarian race) robot

Occupation: Abductor

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Presumably created by Kraglin and other members of an advance scouting party from A-Chiltar

Enemies: Ant-Man (Henry Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Cyclops

Base of Operations: Unidentified Greek isle in the Mediterranean Sea

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#46/1 (August, 1963)

Powers/Abilities: The giant Cyclops robot possessed superhuman strength (at least Class 25) and durability. It was controlled by mental impulses from the A-Chiltarians, although this control could be overridden from within the robot's control center in its "brain." It is believed to be as susceptible to rust as anything else made of metal, although this was not confirmed (see comments).

Height: Unrevealed (60'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eye: Blue
Hair: Brown







History:
(Tales to Astonish I#46/1 (fb) - BTS) - The A-Chiltarian race sought to determine if Earth was suitable for conquering and colonization. A group of at least five A-Chiltarians, including Kraglin, were sent to Earth as an advance scouting party. The aliens either built a robot on A-Chiltar and brought it to Earth, or built it once on Earth. In an effort to use superstition to cloak their activities, the aliens set up a base on one of the Greek islands and designed their robot in the form of a giant cyclops out of Greek mythology.

   The aliens sent their Cyclops robot to capture ships sailing in the vicinity of their island base, successfully convincing the locals that one of the ancient Cyclopes inhabited the island, so sailors avoided the area. The sailors aboard the captured ships were subjected to a "Mentalscope," which could read their mental patterns. Kraglin believed that these patterns indicated that humans were inferior to his people, so Earth would be easily conquered.

(Tales to Astonish I#46/1) - Unfortunately for the A-Chiltarians, the super-heroes Ant-Man and the Wasp chose that time to vacation in the Greek Isles; after they learned of the Cyclops, they rented a sailboat and investigated. They anchored off the shore of the island and prepared to fly ashore, but a monstrous shadow appeared as the Cyclops seized the boat and carried it back to the island. Ant-Man and the Wasp flew after the Cyclops as it returned to its alien masters; initially, they were paralyzed by pain caused by their insect communication antennae picking up interference from the telepathic speech of the aliens. After adjusting their wavelengths, they learned of the aliens' plans, including the fact that the Cyclops was a robot.

   Correctly figuring that he might be able to override the aliens' mental control of the robot from within it, Ant-Man flew in the Cyclops' mouth and adjusted the robot's "brain" to a frequency he could control with his cybernetic helmet. While the Wasp freed the captive sailors, Ant-Man sent the Cyclops after the A-Chiltarians, who incorrectly assumed that humans possessed greater powers of mental control than they. The aliens fled Earth and apparently returned to A-Chiltar, to report that Earthlings were too powerful for them to conquer.

   Afterward, Ant-Man commanded the Cyclops robot to wander into the Mediterranean Sea, intending for it to rust and topple to the ocean's floor.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, H. E. Huntley, and Don Heck.

There is no definitive proof that the Cyclops robot was built out of steel or any metal of Earth. Perhaps it was created from a rust-resistant metal native to A-Chiltar. If that's the case, it could be found at some point by some Atlantean, or anyone else exploring the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and used in another plot.

The appearance of the Cyclops robot in the story was a little different from the one depicted on the Jack Kirby cover (see main image), which had no mustache, and wore a fur loincloth instead of greens pants, but it was the best full image available.
-- Ron Fredricks

New images by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Cyclops robot is obviously based on the actual race of Cyclopes, but it has no connection to:

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, cover (main image - Cyclops robot)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p10, pan4 (headshot - Cyclops robot)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p7, pan3 (Cyclops robot carrying Ant-Man and Wasp's sailboat)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p12, pan2 (Ant-Man inside "brain" of Cyclops robot)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p13, pan5 (Cyclops robot walks into sea; Ant-Man, Wasp (background))

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#46 (August, 1963) - Stan Lee (plot/editor), Ernie Hart (script), Don Heck (pencils/inks), Sam Rosen (letters)

First posted: 09/03/2001
Last updated: 08/31/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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