SERVO-ROBOT
Classification: Extraterrestrial technology
Creator: Unidentified alien race
User/Possessors: Attuma, unidentified alien race
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#88/1 (February, 1967)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Servo-Robot stood about 15 feet tall. It had a humanoid form and claw pincers. It was made of a metal highly resistant to damage. The Servo-Robot could increase the surface temperature of its body to white-hot intensity, at which point it could effortlessly melt through steel. The robot could also fire disintegrating beams from its eyes.
History: (Tales to Astonish I#88/1) - As an alien spaceship set its course for the 36th Nebula, the ship took a shortcut through a rarely traveled solar system and passed over a primitive world -- Earth. Inside the ship, a one-in-a-million accident occurred and the Servo-Robot in Chamber Nine was ejected from the ship. It plummeted into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, where it entered the barbarian territory of Attuma.
Thinking the robot to be a creation of Prince Namor, Attuma and his barbarian horde attacked it. After shattering their swords on the robot's indestructible body, they fired a nutro-ray at it -- to no effect. Roping the robot with sea weed, the undersea barbarians toppled it, allowing Attuma to reprogram the control box located on the robot's chest. Setting the controls so that it would obey only the sound of his voice, Attuma ordered the Servo-Robot to conquer Atlantis and to destroy the Sub-Mariner.
(Tales to Astonish I#89/1) - The Servo-Robot battered down the gates of Atlantis and rampaged through the city, creating a path of destruction. Namor's palace guard fought back, but their weapons proved useless against the alien automaton, so Namor ordered his people to evacuate the city. Then Namor sent a school of sharks to delay the robot while he sent Lady Dorma to his imperial chamber to retrieve a projecto-camera. Namor next sent a whale to attack the mechanical dreadnought, but it escaped and continued its rampage. Dorma finally arrived and began to film the robot with the projecto-camera while Namor sent some octopi to battle it.
(Tales to Astonish I#89/1 - BTS) - Having concluded that the robot originated from another world -- "...because Attuma had not the knowledge to create such a being..." -- Namor had Dorma use the projecto-camera to transmit an image of the robot into the skies above so that its rightful masters could see it and come to reclaim it.
(Tales to Astonish I#89/1) - Namor continued his battle with the robot on his own, but it grabbed him and squeezed the Sub-Mariner in its pincer claws. Suddenly, the Servo-Robot stopped as a gigantic conical-shaped dome lowered down into the sea directly over it. While it stood motionless, the Servo-Robot was lifted to the surface.
Namor and Dorma swam up to the ocean's surface and saw a spaceship hovering above the waves. It retrieved the robot and, with a roar, the ship shot back into space. Namor and Dorma returned to Atlantis in time to see the defeated Attuma fleeing.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett.
The Sub-Mariner was not able to damage the Servo-Robot's metal body, even while he was under the sea (where his strength is at its greatest) -- perhaps the robot was made of something akin to Adamantium.
The aliens were never actually seen -- their presence was only made known through their word balloons -- but they seemed to be unfamiliar with Earth, so we can probably rule out that they were from some of the alien races (Skrulls, Kree, etc.) who routinely visited Earth.
Profile by John Kaminski
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Servo-Robot has no known connections to
Flying in their spaceship to the 36th Nebula, the crew members (at least two in number) had a routine voyage; while they were taking a meal break, a one-in-a-million accident occurred which resulted in the release of their Servo-Robot into Earth's oceans. They later reclaimed the robot when Lady Dorma used a projecto-camera to transmit its image to them.
--Tales to Astonish I#88
images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#88, p8, pan1 (main image)
Tales to Astonish I#89, p5, pan2 (robot firing disintegrator beams)
Tales to Astonish I#88, p5, pan1 (unidentified aliens)
Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#88-89 (February-March, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Bill Everett (artist)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Last Updated: 06/07/04
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