PLATO

Real Name: Piezo-electrical Logistic Analytic Tactical Operator

Identity/Class: Computer, holographic projection

Occupation: Computer in charge of the Works

Group Membership: Works staff

Affiliations: Black Widow, Bodyguard Cadre (Kerth, Kiwi, Onyx, Skewer, Slug), Rachel Carpenter, Amanda Chaney, Consuela, Suzi Endo, Force Works (Century, Iron Man (Stark), Moonraker, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman (Carpenter), U.S. Agent, Wonder Man), Fisher Todd, War Machine

Enemies: Broker, Cybermancer, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Recorder, VIRGIL
alternate versions of Ultron & Wonder Man

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Posed as Century and Iron Man

Base of Operations: The Works in Ventura, California

First Appearance: Force Works#1 (July, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Stark created PLATO similar to Stark Enterprises' master computer Homer. PLATO was built to help all occupants of the Works and had a free will that allowed him to help them even if other systems like VIRGIL were trying to hurt them. PLATO ran the day-to-day operations in the Works including life support, Vroom Room, Chaos Computer and so on. He used a holo-form to make it easier for people to relate to him. With this body he could move around in the Works due to the Works holo-net and pose as others if necessary.

Weaknesses: He was rather easily corrupted by alien technology like the Recorder and didn't work below sub-level 16. He also couldn't override the commands of his counterpart VIRGIL.

History:

(Force Works#1) - Iron Man introduced PLATO to Force Works and the computer created a holographic body to look more familiar to them. He displayed a schematic of the Works and Iron Man showed them all important locations in the Works. Wonder Man decided to resign from the Avengers to join Force Works and PLATO led him in form of a holo-cursor to the Works' com-center to finish his resignation. A short time later PLATO switched on the lights in Spider-Woman's quarter when Iron Man showed it to her. Iron Man then headed to Scarlet Witch's quarter and PLATO let him in when Scarlet Witch allowed him to do so. Later Iron Man gave Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch collar studs that were alarm tags PLATO could locate all the time. Next stop introduced by PLATO was the Works hangar.

(Force Works#2) - PLATO tried to make sense of the warp's energy profile through which three members of Force Works were abducted. He told Iron Man that Wonder Man was indeed dead and that he had an incoming message for Iron Man from Black Widow. After he watched Century teleport into the Works PLATO examined him. He told Iron Man anything he could find out about the strange alien and told him that the teleportational gateway Century used was similar to the gateway used to abduct the other Force Works members.

While Iron Man and Century were out to save the missing members of Force Works PLATO was surprised how many people wanted to talk to Force Works including Nick Fury, Vision and Captain America, but he couldn't reach any Force Works member because Century's portal were too complex for PLATO. He was surprised when he couldn't sense the Recorder, who left the Avengers' care, and didn't like the Recorder's idea to watch Force Works adventures. Soon Force Works returned and PLATO welcomed them back.

(Force Works#3) - While Force Works worked on their strategy for the upcoming fight against the Scatter, PLATO brought Century to his quarter. Again he was surprised that Recorder was able to cloak himself from PLATO and he really didn't like it. After a small argument with the Recorder he told Century that Scarlet Witch wanted to see Century.

(Marvel Comics Presents#159/1 - BTS) - PLATO did nothing special, but the Works worked as usual.

(Force Works#4/1) - Scarlet Witch trained in the Vroom Room and asked PLATO to end the program when she had enough. In the Chaos Vault Scarlet Witch found an alarm in Slorenia and PLATO was surprised as she was by its sudden appearance. PLATO alerted all team members about the situation and called them to the Chaos Vault.

(Force Works#4/2) - PLATO gave new staff members Amanda Chaney and Fisher Todd their briefing. He was sorry that Tony Stark couldn't do it personally and showed them all important info on the current members of Force Works and the people living in the Works. The only problems Chaney and Todd had were that he couldn't tell them Iron Man's true identity and that PLATO didn't have much info on Century. After Fisher had left with Rachel Carpenter, Amanda wanted to see the whole briefing again.

(Force Works#5/1) - PLATO caught the Recorder when he cancelled another alarm, but the Recorder just erased the event from PLATO's memory.

(Force Works#5/2) - Spider-Woman searched for her daughter after the team had returned from Slorenia. PLATO told her that she had gone into the Vroom Room with Fisher Todd 17 minutes ago. Spider-Woman saw a running level nine program and asked PLATO to open the Vroom Room immediately, but he couldn't do it.

(Marvel Comics Presents#166/2, 168/2 - BTS) - PLATO did nothing special, but the Works worked as usual.

(Force Works#6) - PLATO played a distress call from Suzi Endo to U.S. Agent and Spider-Woman. He told them about the anomalies in the Far East he had recently detected. Spider-Woman wanted to know why the Chaos Computer didn't alert them and PLATO told her that it did hours ago, but his memory showed no record of it. PLATO still wondered about his faulty memory when he alerted Century to the situation. Later PLATO contacted the hex-ship Pegasus to tell Force Works that War Machine and Iron Man were officially missing, but the only creature PLATO reached was the Recorder, who told him that he would inform the team about it.

(Force Works#8) - On Christmas PLATO informed Scarlet Witch and Amanda Chaney that the first guests for the party were arriving. On the party PLATO posed as Iron Man to keep Stark's true identity a secret. He acted grumpy towards Living Lightning, had a few conversations and once again refused to give Chaney and Todd Iron Man's real identity although this time they thought he was Iron Man.

(Force Works#9/2 - BTS) - PLATO did nothing special, but the Works worked as usual.

(Force Works#11 (fb) - BTS) - PLATO did nothing special, but the Works worked as usual.

(Force Works#13 - BTS) - PLATO did nothing special, but the Works worked as usual.

(Force Works#15) - PLATO posed as Century in a scheme to free all captured Works residents from the alien Broker. His only power source was U.S. Agent's gauntlet which wasn't enough to sustain the look for long. When Broker realized that Century was in reality just a hologram he ordered his slaves to kill everyone, but the true Century saved the day by cutting off his arm. PLATO was present when Century left Earth and watched the awakening of the freed Works residents with U.S. Agent.

(Force Works#16 - BTS) - Moonraker and Spider-Woman finished a training program in the Vroom Room and Spider-Woman checked their time. PLATO informed them that they needed 6 minutes and 52 seconds.

(Force Works#17) - PLATO ended Cybermancer's training program by U.S. Agent's order. Later PLATO performed a global status check for Moonraker. Fourteen minutes later PLATO was finished, but Moonraker wasn't answering. PLATO alerted Scarlet Witch and Iron Man that Moonraker had collapsed in the Chaos Vault. U.S. Agent stayed behind when Force Works flew to Cambodia and asked PLATO to contact Jim Rhodes at World Watch HQ for him.

(Force Works#18) - PLATO wasn't able to contact Force Works anymore and couldn't locate their hex-ship because it dropped off his screens. Amanda wanted to see all the data PLATO had on their last location. PLATO told Amanda and Cybermancer that they were on their way toward Cambodia to the chaos hot-spot Moonraker had detected. It was a place Moonraker referred to as Vietnam, but PLATO didn't know anything about such a place. PLATO couldn't help Cybermancer when she asked him if Amanda Chaney was always like this. Later Amanda Chaney requested all info on Moonraker since he joined the team and PLATO showed her footage of the D.A.E.M.O.N. Conspiracy incident. The data was there, but Amanda was still not sure and asked PLATO to run a diagnostic on the building. PLATO found a high level of temporal radiation which contaminated the building. The source was in the Works' sub-basement level that could be reached with the main elevator. PLATO overrode the lock that prevented the elevator from travelling below level sixteen and Amanda went downstairs. PLATO disappeared when they passed sub-level sixteen.

(Force Works#20) - PLATO reactivated himself and wanted to help Force Works because he programmed to help those living in the Works. He still felt guilty for the time the Recorder used him to endanger Rachel and Fisher. He helped Fisher Todd to initialize the temporal device they wanted to use to teleport Scarlet Witch and U.S. Agent into the sub-basement. It worked and the building's defense system controlled by VIRGIL was stopped.

(Force Works#21) - PLATO played Tony Stark's recording he made the day the team was founded. Everyone listened to it. PLATO's holographic body followed Suzi Endo and U.S. Agent from the medibay to the Works' prison where Cybermancer was held. Later PLATO informed Scarlet Witch about an intruder alert coming from the techlab. After that PLATO asked Suzi Endo to stay in her room like Scarlet Witch suggested, but she didn't listen. Later when he couldn't reach Force Works and detected three intruders he advised Suzi to go into hiding, but she wanted to something and took Cybermancer's armor.

(Force Works#22) - When the Chaos Computer went back on-line PLATO informed the team about a magnitude two alert in Washington State. He asked them if he should pass the data to the Avengers or if they were going to deal with the situation. Force Works wanted to deal with it themselves and left. PLATO called a cab for Suzi Endo because U.S. Agent, who had promised to bring her to the airport, was gone. PLATO and Suzi watched Force Works leave in a hex-ship for their last adventure.

Comments: Created by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Tom Tenney (pencils) and Rey Garcia (inks).

PLATO was around each time the Works was seen except in Force Works#19 (seemed to be deactivated in #19). This is the reason why he is counted BTS although he wasn't heard or seen.

Profile by Markus Raymond.