ANTRONS
ANTRONS
Classification: Semi-humanoid insectoid race scavenger drones (some sources refer to them as androids)
Location/Base of Operations: Spiral Path, Microverse
Known Members: None named
Affiliations: Baron Karza, Psycho-Man
First Appearance: Micronauts I#15 (March, 1980)
Powers/Abilities: Antrons have four arms, each outfitted with a different weapon, and the weapons may be modular/interchangeable. Their upper left arm typically ends in an energy blaster, the lower left in an "o" attachment, the upper right in a neutralizer blaster, and the lower right in a hook. They have also been seen with sharp skewers, spiked maces, normal hands, and other weapons. They have hard, sharp spikes on the backs of their arms, as well as on their hips and on the sides of their feet. Their brains are visibly exposed, and they have a dense carapace over their body. Their mandibles can chew through solid metal.
Traits: The Antrons are typically scavengers drones, though some have served as warriors. They (or at least the versions created in the body bank) apparently exhibit a hive-like mentality, under direction from a queen.
History:(Micronauts I#15) - When the Micronauts passed within Psycho-Man's sector of space, Antrons swarmed over their ship, the Endeavor, tearing through its metal with their mechanical mandibles. Upon penetrating the ship, they were battled by the Micronauts--Acroyear, Bug, Cilicia, Jasmine, Marionette, and Commander Rann. Microtron, too, joined the fight, but the Antrons overwhelmed and consumed his metal form. Receiving word that the Antrons had reaped a harvest they could not subdue, Psycho-Man contacted the Micronauts, telling them they would never leave his realm alive.
(Micronauts I#16) - Psycho-Man transported the Micronauts aboard his Worldship, then subjected them to his emotion-controlling rays. Marionette, spared the emotion-ray's effects, was assaulted by a legion of Antrons. She overcame her attackers, and the heroes were soon joined by the Fantastic Four, who had traveled there after the Psycho-Man had reclaimed a suit of his armor from their care on Earth.
(Micronauts I#17) - The Psycho-Man sent Antrons to
battle the Micronauts and Fantastic Four. The heroes eventually escaped the
Worldship.
Microtron was rebuilt.
(Micronauts I#28) - Antrons were amongst Baron Karza's bloody battlefleet--composed of renegades, pirates, and scum from every race in the Microverse. The battlefleet assaulted Homeworld, concentrating their fiercest fire on the remnants of Homeworld's revolutionary army led by the Micronaut Marionette, who had ironically taken refuge in Karza's former fortress, the Body Banks. An Antron screeched in pain as it fell under Mari's blaster fire.
(Micronauts I#36 (fb) - BTS) - An Antron was created in the Body Banks of the Microverse's Homeworld under the direction of the Baron-Karza-controlled Argon. "He" was based on Antron race and was intended to serve in the Death Squad warrior force, though its mind was re-engineered to be a sentient slayer.
(Micronauts I#36) - Antron accompanied the Death Squad to
Earth in pursuit of the Micronauts. "He" ambushed Commander Rann as he flew
through the air on his glider. Unable to dislodge Antron, Rann attempted to
smash him off against a wall, but Antron's armor-like carapace protected him
from harm. Antron then pulled a thumbtack from a bulletin board, intending to
skewer Rann with it, but Rann pried himself free from the board and flew
ceilingward, driving Antron into the ceiling material and then leaving him stuck
there.
Antron's subsequent fate is unknown, but other members of
the Death Squad returned to the Microverse.
(Micronauts I#40 (fb) - BTS) - Homeworld residents (and possibly other) were transformed into Antrons in the Body Banks. Massive numbers of these Antron replicas were sent to the Baxter Building on Earth, where they began devouring the Reducta-Craft, one of the methods by which the Micronauts might return to the Microverse.
(Micronauts I#40) - The Micronauts Acroyear, Bug, Devil,
Marionette, and Commander Rann traveled to the Baxter Building, hoping to use
Reed Richards' Reducta-Craft to return to the Microverse. Franklin Richards
gladly led them to the Reducta-Craft, and they found the Antrons devouring it.
One of the Antrons taunted them, telling them that they had been sent there to
see that they remained on Earth forever. The Micronauts attacked the Antrons.
The Antrons also swarmed over the relatively giant Franklin, but he cast them
off of him and then turned a fire extinguisher on them. Commander Rann--via his
returning telepathic powers--correctly identified the Antron queen who
controlled the others. When he incapacitated the queen, the rest of the Antrons
ceased fighting, uncertain how to behave without direction. The sounds of the
battle awakened the Thing, who tore up a section of floor and wrapped up many of
the remaining Antrons, while the Micronauts finished off the rest. However, the
Reducta-Craft was too severely damaged for the Micronauts to use, so they left
to seek other means of returning to the Microverse.
The fates of these Antrons s also unknown. Its possible
they were all slain in battle, though that didn't seem to bother anyone in the
least.
Comments: Adapted by Bill Mantlo, Howard Chaykin, and Al Milgrom.
Antrons were toys in the Mego Micronaut line, and they were
adapted to the Marvel Multiverse in the pages of Micronauts.
http://www.micro-outpost.com/pictures/aliens/antron/antron.html
The Micronaut toys described Antron as "the six-limbed invader from the faraway galaxy of Thoraxid." Antrons were seen within the Microverse Proper (the Spiral Path, contained within the Spacewall), but that doesn't mean that they couldn't have originated outside the Spacewall. Perhaps numbers of them traveled through Breachpoint to colonize parts of the Spiral Path.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Antrons have no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Micronauts I#36, p10, panel 1
Also, the figure from the packaging of the Antron toy is shown, with the image
copied from micro-outpost.com, linked to above.
Appearances:
Micronauts I#15-17 (March-May, 1980) - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Howard Chaykin
(layouts),
and Al Milgrom (finisher/editor)
Micronauts I#28 (April, 1981) - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Pat Broderick (penciler),
Danny Bulanadi (inker), Louise Jones (editor)
Micronauts I#36 (December, 1981) - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Keith Giffen (penciler),
Danny Bulanadi (inker), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Micronauts I#40 (April, 1982) - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Gil Kane (penciler),
Danny Bulanadi (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
First Posted: 03/19/2006
Last updated: 03/19/2006
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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