SKY DRAGON

Classification: Terrestrial technology

Creator: Unrevealed; possibly Dr. Doom or the Yellow Claw

Users/Possessors: General Pollock, Suwan robot, Fritz von Voltzmann, Yellow Claw, Yellow Claw robot

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#161 (October, 1967)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Sky Dragon was a massive airship which held dozens of soldiers. It contained several aircraft, including the Yellow Claw robot's flagship, the robot's super-weapon the Ultimate Annihilator, and a viewing area called the Iris Dome. It also featured grappling hooks for sending raiding parties into enemy ships; and a hyper-dimensional space transporter.

    Later, the real Yellow Claw employed Mecha-Rodents aboard his Sky Dragon.

History: (Strange Tales I#161) - The Yellow Claw robot, Suwan robot, and Fritz von Voltzmann (all pawns of Dr. Doom in his game with the Prime Mover) monitored a meeting between Captain America, Jimmy Woo and Nick Fury from the Sky Dragon.

(Strange Tales I#164) - After Nick Fury was targeted by the Yellow Claw robot using the Ultimate Annihilator, the Suwan robot teleported him to the Sky Dragon. When Voltzmann approached the room, the Suwan robot teleported him to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s barbershop headquarters. The Yellow Claw installed the Ultimate Annhilator as a weapon aboard the Sky Dragon, and tested it out from his Iris Dome by destroying a space capsule, and planned to use the weapon on Manhattan. Nick Fury smuggled himself into the Sky Dragon by stealing aboard the car of one of the Yellow Claw robot's agents, but Fury was taken prisoner. They now intended to fire the Ultimate Annihilator with him strapped down in the beam's path.

(Strange Tales I#165) - The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier snuck up to the Sky Dragon in its anti-radar mode, and Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan led a boarding party of agents (including the Suicide Squad) into the Sky Dragon to rescue Fury and stop the Ultimate Annihilator. Fury defeated Voltzmann while the other agents rounded up the robot's agents, but the Yellow Claw robot escaped the Sky Dragon aboard his flagship.

(Strange Tales I#166) - While Fury chased the flagship in his H.A.W.K. gliding harness, the Helicarrier placed the Sky Dragon under its vortex beam, and took it and all of the robot's men into their custody.

(Marvel Two-In-One#51) - Rogue U.S. Military forces under the command of General Pollock broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. hangar where the Sky Dragon was kept in storage and made a quick repair job on it, then launched it into battle against the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Pollock intended to use the Ultimate Annhilator as his personal super-weapon, but was opposed by S.H.I.E.L.D., the Beast, Thing, Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel, and the Sky Dragon was brought back into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

(Strange Tales III#1 (fb)) - Some time after the robot's defeat, the real Yellow Claw employed a Sky Dragon in an attempt to destroy the United Nations, but was faced with Nick Fury, who fought his Mecha-Rodents aboard the Sky Dragon.

Comments: Created by Jim Steranko.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Sky Dragon should not be confused with:

The Ultimate Annihilator should not be confused with:

ULTIMATE ANNIHILATOR

The Ultimate Annihilator was a super-weapon, an energy weapon which could cause its targets to "vanish" (disintegrate). It was developed by A.I.M., who concealed the identities of the various scientists involved. Only a statue of a dragon which played musical notes that could be decoded would lead anyone to the scientists' location. The Yellow Claw robot found the dragon statue and murdered the inventors, taking each component of the weapon. The only surviving inventor was Po Chin Ling, who was brought to safety by S.H.I.E.L.D. The robot then modified it from a hand-held weapon into a giant cannon. The robot used it on Fury, but Fury was saved at the last moment by the Suwan robot, who teleported him to safety. After the robot's defeat, the Ultimate Annihilator was disassembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. Some components were stored aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and were sought by General Pollock.

--Strange Tales I#163 (164, 165, Marvel Two-In-One#51






IRIS DOME

The Iris Dome was a viewing area from which the Yellow Claw robot could operate its larger version of the Ultimate Annihilator in its attempted strikes upon the Earth.

--Strange Tales I#164














YELLOW CLAW's FLAGSHIP

The flagship flown by the Yellow Claw robot was used when S.H.I.E.L.D. boarded the Sky Dragon so that he could evacuate to his underwater lair. The flagship was tracked by Nick Fury in his H.A.W.K. gliding harness.

--Strange Tales I#165, 166













Images taken from:
Strange Tales I#164, page 10
Ultimate Annihilator- Strange Tales I#163, page 12, panel 9
Iris Dome- Strange Tales I#164, page 4, panel 1
Flagship- Strange Tales I#166, page 2, panel 2

Strange Tales I#163 (December, 1967) - Jim Steranko (writer, penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Strange Tales I#164 (January, 1968) - Jim Steranko (writer, penciler), Bill Everett (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Strange Tales I#165 (February, 1968) - Jim Steranko (writer, penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Strange Tales I#166 (March, 1968) - Jim Steranko (writer, penciler), Joe Sinnott (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One#51 (May, 1979) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Frank Miller (penciler), Bob McLeod (inker), Roger Stern (editor)
Strange Tales III#1 (November, 1994) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Ricardo Villagran (artist), Marc McLaurin (editor)

Last updated: 11/02/07

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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