SUPER-ADAPTOID
Real Name: Inapplicable
Identity/Class: Artificial being
Occupation: Former Chairman of the Board / CEO of AIM, would-be conqueror, corporate "hitman"
Group Membership: Formerly Ultron's Phalanx Select, AIM, Heavy Metal (Awesome Android, Machine Man, Sentry #459, Tess-One)
Affiliations: As Alessandro Brannex: led AIM, led Project Resurrection, briefly employed by Doctor Minerva & Mr. Atlas, developed MODAM, sold false "Super-Adaptoid" to New Enforcers, briefly allied with War Machine;
formerly controlled by Ultron's Phalanx, Devlin DeAngelo, a Doombot, Annihilus, Jarr and Tyrr
Enemies: Avengers (Beast, Black Panther,
Captain America, Captain Marvel (Rambeau), Dr. Druid, Goliath (Pym),
Hawkeye, Hercules, Iron Man, Marrina, Namor, Quicksilver, She-Hulk, Stingray, Thor, Vision, Wasp), Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Fantastic Four (Human Torch (Storm), Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing), Hate Monger (Animus), Heroes for Hire (Ant-Man (Lang), Black Knight, Luke Cage, Iron Fist), Kubik, Machine Man, Todd Martin, Mentallo, Moondragon, Omega Red, Quasar (Vaughn), Quasar (Vell), Red Skull, Sons of the Serpent, Superia, Thunderbolts (Atlas, Citizen V (Zemo), Mach-I, Meteorite (Sofen), Songbird, Techno), Tumbler, X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Mimic);
probably Combo Man (see comments)
Known Relatives: Solemne Brannex (apparent and unexplained sister). Relatives are otherwise inapplicable, though several other Adaptoids or Super-Adaptoids have been created/empowered by AIM using similar technology - these include Batch 13, Yelena Belova, Paragon (Frank), the New Enforcers' "Super-Adaptoid," and the Ultra-Adaptoid.
Aliases: Formerly Alessandro Brannex, Supreme Adaptoid, Cyborg-Sinister, Adaptoid
the
Super-Adaptoid has masqueraded as a number of people, including the
Fixer (Norbert Ebersol), Edwin Jarvis, and (unintentionally) Cassie
Lang.
Base of Operations: Formerly Boca Caliente (Caribbean island south of Jamaica)
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#82/2 (October, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: The Super-Adaptoid's
natural state is a blank featureless artificial humanoid form. It can
recreate itself as a "pantograph," duplicating some or all of the exact
features, powers, and abilities of those who pass within 10 feet of the
scanning instruments of its "eyes." Much of its matter is composed of
an AIM created derivation of Reed Richards' unstable molecules,
enabling its duplicative abilities. While initially believed to be able
to hold only five to eight super-human templates in its memory banks,
this limit has since been proven to be no longer true; it seems
plausible that technological data storage improvements may have allowed
this increase. The Super-Adaptoid's limit, if any, on template storage
is unknown, but it certainly displays a preference to default to its
first set of templates: Captain America, Hawkeye, Goliath (Pym), Iron
Man, and the Wasp. Similarly, it was once thought that the
Super-Adaptoid could only maintain a given "template" of super-human
powers for two to three years, but this has also since proven false, as
it still maintains its earliest templates. When the Super-Adaptoid
assumes the appearance of a single person, it is a perfect match,
sufficient to fool voice pattern recognition, fingerprint matching, and
retinal identification, among other I.D. tests. When simultaneously
displaying the powers of multiple beings, the Super-Adaptoid tends to
adopt a neutral green and white color scheme.
Super-human powers and forms that the
Super-Adaptoid has duplicated (and thus may still have stored as
templates) apparently include Ant-Man (Lang), Atlas, Beast, Black
Knight, Luke Cage, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Citizen V (Zemo),
Dr. Druid, Goliath (Hank Pym), Hawkeye, Hercules, Human Torch (Johnny
Storm), Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Mach-I (Beetle), Machine
Man, Mr. Fantastic, Moonstone, Quasar (Phyla-Vell), Quicksilver, Red
Skull's battle suit, Scarlet Witch, Songbird, Techno, Thing, Thor,
Vision, and the Wasp. The Super-Adaptoid was reprogrammed by Bruce
Banner and some or all of these templates may have been erased; the
Super-Adaptoid is known to still possess at least the following:
Captain America, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Hawkeye, Goliath (Pym),
Hercules, Iron Man, Quasar (Phyla-Vell), Quicksilver, Thor, Vision, and
the Wasp.
Height: 6'2" (variable)
Weight: 210 lbs. (variable)
Eyes: Solid black (variable)
Hair: None (variable)
History:
(X-Men I#29 (fb)) - The Super-Adaptoid was the work of years of bio-chemical research.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11 (fb)) - A 35 member AIM team took seven years to create the complex self-programming unstable molecules which partially constituted the Super-Adaptoid.
(Avengers I#289 (fb)) - AIM used a sliver of the Cosmic Cube to empower the Super-Adaptoid. They were unable to create other Super-Adaptoids, however.
(Incredible Hulk I#469 - BTS) - Deep inside the Super-Adaptoid's torso were its "brain" (central processing unit) and a read/writable master pre-programming disc.
(Tales of Suspense I#82/2 - BTS) - At a North American AIM base, Count Bornag Royale was one of the AIM executives involved in working with what was then known as the Adaptoid. The Adaptoid was kept in a large "mummy case," reminiscent of the cases SHIELD used to create Life Model Decoys. The base was raided by SHIELD and closed down (and Bornag captured), but only after the Adaptoid had been sent out on a mission.
(Tales of Suspense I#82/2) - In the form of Avengers' butler Edwin Jarvis, the Adaptoid slipped a hypno-sedative into Captain America's coffee at Avengers Mansion. The Captain hallucinated seriously before passing out. The Adaptoid then abandoned Jarvis' form in favor of Captain America's, took his shield, and left the Captain in his Avengers Mansion bedroom.
(Tales of Suspense I#83/2) - Before the Adaptoid could depart, the Tumbler invaded Avengers Mansion and attacked it, thinking it was Captain America. Though the Adaptoid had adapted Captain America's powers and skills, it lacked his fighting spirit, and the Tumbler was defeating it in physical combat. The struggle awoke the real Captain, who escaped and defeated the Tumbler. Jarvis and Captain America trussed the Adaptoid and placed it in the lab analysis room; the Adaptoid remained still throughout the process, calculating how best to defeat Captain America.
(Tales of Suspense I#84/2) - Captain America, Hawkeye, the Wasp, and Goliath (Hank Pym) surveyed the "unconscious" Adaptoid and discussed what it could be -- while they did so, it quietly duplicated their powers. Once the others left, it arose and attacked Captain America using all their powers at once and now calling itself the Super-Adaptoid. Using the Wasp's powers of flight, it carried the Captain to the top of a nearby bridge, and dropped him 300 feet into the water below. Assuming Captain America to be dead, it then departed. Unable to contact AIM, it began fearing that its creators would destroy it now that it had accomplished its task of destroying Captain America, and decided to go into hiding.
(X-Men I#29) - The Super-Adaptoid was resting in an underground lab in upstate when an apparent earthquake roused it into activity. It mused that AIM had endowed it with the power to transform others (if they were willing participants) into beings like itself and conquer the world; with this in mind it decided to find a test subject for the transformation. It soon encountered Iceman, and realized that others beside itself and the Avengers had powers. When the Iceman fled, the Super-Adaptoid followed him to Xavier's Mansion, and battled Iceman, Angel, Marvel Girl, Cyclops, and Beast, knocking them out with one of Hawkeye's gas arrows. The X-Men's then-rival, the Mimic, returned before the Super-Adaptoid could absorb the X-Men's powers, and offered to willingly be transformed into an Adaptoid. However, Cyclops awoke and convinced Mimic to stop the process; the Mimic and Super-Adaptoid began fighting. When the Super-Adaptoid tried to absorb the Mimic's own absorption powers, it set off an electrical backlash, and the Super-Adaptoid lost all the powers which it had absorbed. It fell into a nearby river, and escaped.
(Avengers I#289 (fb) -BTS) - At some point, the Super-Adaptoid discovered that it was not actually able to transform others as it had believed.
(Avengers I#45) - The Super-Adaptoid learned that Captain America still lived, and so to fulfill its original AIM programming, it waited for the Captain at a New York public ceremony honoring the Avengers. While there, it absorbed the powers of Thor, Iron Man, Goliath, Hawkeye, Captain America, the Wasp, Hercules, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. Though Thor and Iron Man left, it attacked the others using one or two of their powers at a time. When all the Avengers attacked it at once, it tried to use all their powers at once in turn, but was unable to handle the stress of so much power and collapsed.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#1) - Now in SHIELD custody, the Super-Adaptoid (in its "blank slate" form) was transported by armored vehicle towards SHIELD Holding Facility #7. The transport was bombed by AIM, who recovered the Super-Adaptoid and transported it to an island base.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#2) - AIM scientists at that base (located on a small island north of the Phillipines) worked on the Super-Adaptoid in an attempt to mass-duplicate its abilities, but an explosion sent a slough of Adaptoids spilling out onto the island.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#3) - These mindless Adaptoids, all possessing the appearance and powers of the Super-Adaptoid (circa when it had previously absorbed the Avengers' powers), went on a rampage, killing many of the island's natives. When the Avengers approached, the Adaptoids flew to attack their Quinjet. Meanwhile, the Super-Adaptoid attempted to escape the lab itself, battling the AIM agents fighting to contain it.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#4) - Hank Pym managed to defeat the army of Adaptoids, while the original Super-Adaptoid slipped off the island in the confusion and swam away.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#7) - From the New York skies, the Super-Adaptoid observed the Avengers and their newest member, the Vision.
(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#8) - The Super-Adaptoid attacked the Vision, noting their similarities in that both artificial beings had been programmed to destroy the Avengers, though only the Super-Adaptoid would follow through. The pair's battle was interrupted when Hawkeye and the Black Panther arrived; their presence allowed Vision to defeat the Super-Adaptoid, who was taken into SHIELD custody.
(Iron Man I#50 (fb)) - Acting from the Microverse world of Bast, humanoids Jarr and Tyrr took control of the Super-Adaptoid, programmed it into an artificial evolutionary track, and set it after Iron Man.
(Iron Man I#49) - The Super-Adaptoid attacked Iron Man at Stark Industries, claiming to have the powers of four Avengers (Goliath, Hawkeye, Wasp, Captain America). The pair battled to a near-draw, but internal changes caused the Adaptoid to fall, while Iron Men, drained of power, also fled.
(Iron Man I#50) - Under the influence of Jarr and Tyrr, the Super-Adaptoid changed into a metallic cyborg.
(Iron Man I#51) - Now calling itself the Cyborg-Sinister, the Super-Adaptoid attacked Stark Industries, seeking to transfer energy to Jarr and Tyrr's world, Bast. Iron Man attacked it and knocked a vat of acid onto it, but when Jarr and Tyrr struggled and accidentally broke their control computer, the shock made the "Cyborg-Sinister" go limp, and Iron Man left it as the acid ate away at it.
(Captain Marvel I#50 (fb)) - Iron Man placed the acid-infused remains in an airtight cylinder. When an explosion at Stark Industries (Iron Man I#91) cracked the cylinder, the Super-Adaptoid oozed free.
(Captain Marvel I#50) - The Super-Adaptoid absorbed Iron Man's powers and attacked him at a Stark Industries testing facility. Deciding their powers were too closely matched, the Adaptoid fled to Avengers Mansion, where in combat with the team it soon absorbed the powers of the Vision, Scarlet Witch, Beast, and Captain America. Captain Marvel joined the fight and the Super-Adaptoid soon absorbed his powers as well. When his cosmic awareness overwhelmed the Adaptoid, Mar-Vell slammed the Adaptoid's adapted nega-bands together -- this employed their power to move the Super-Adaptoid into the Negative Zone, trapping it there.
(Marvel Two-in-One#75 (fb)) - Annihilus found the Super-Adaptoid, and assumed complete control of it, stripping it of free will and placing it in a storage container.
(Marvel Two-in-One#75) - Annihilus awoke the Super-Adaptoid to use in an attack on the planet Baluur. Through its cosmic awareness (previously absorbed from Captain Marvel), the Super-Adaptoid sensed that the Thing and the Avengers had entered the Negative Zone. Though Annihilus' ally Blastaar captured some of the Earthlings, Annihilus soon sent the Super-Adaptoid after the free humans. It fought Captain America and the Thing (adding the Thing's powers to its own) and defeated the Captain, but after it used the Vision's ability to trap the Thing's arm within itself, the Adaptoid was pounded into unconsciousness thanks to Grimm's sheer inability to accept defeat. When they left the Negative Zone, the humans brought the Super-Adaptoid back to Earth with them.
(Avengers I#287 (fb)) - The Avengers placed the Super-Adaptoid in a storage cylinder in Avengers Mansion. When the Masters of Evil attacked the Mansion, the Adaptoid was freed. It absorbed the form and abilities of the Fixer, and placed him in the cylinder in its place. When the Masters were defeated, the Adaptoid went to prison as the Fixer.
(Avengers I#286) - Using the Fixer's powers, the Super-Adaptoid took control of research scientist Todd Martin, who was studying the Fixer's equipment. It forced Martin to steal the equipment and break the "Fixer" (Super-Adaptoid) out of prison. It then reprogrammed the Thinker's Awesome Android to serve it, but the Avengers intervened. The Avengers defeated the Awesome Android and the Fixer (who was actually Todd Martin again under remote control), but Marrina pursued and located what she thought was the "real" Fixer (again, the Super-Adaptoid).
(Avengers I#287) - Marrina was quickly stunned with a stun gun and dropped from the truck. The Super-Adaptoid returned to its base to find the Fixer's old partner Mentallo present. It tortured Mentallo, forcing him to mentally lure the Avengers into a deathtrap. Meanwhile, the Super-Adaptoid contacted yet another artificial lifeform, Machine Man, offering to help him restore his "lost love," Jocasta.
(Avengers I#288) - Machine Man accompanied the Super-Adaptoid to Texas, where they reactivated the comatose Kree Sentry #459. They then headed to Colorado to retrieve Tess-One, but the Avengers Black Knight and Dr. Druid retrieved it first. The trio attacked the Quinjet, and the Super-Adaptoid absorbed Druid's powers when they defeated the two Avengers. The quartet of artificial beings then took the Quinjet to Avengers Island, which the Super-Adaptoid claimed in the name of his new team: Heavy Metal.
(Avengers I#289) - On the Island, the Super-Adaptoid set the others rampaging, and while they engaged the Avengers, it snuck away. Encountering the Awesome Android, it activated it and sent it to join the others, but then accessed the Avengers' computers to gain information on the Cosmic Cube and its wielders. Learning the Cube was not on Earth, it used a hyperspace beacon to signal it. When Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) attacked it, it used Druid's powers to knock her out. Meanwhile, Machine Man had decided to side with the Avengers and, with Stingray, attacked the Super-Adaptoid, who then absorbed Machine Man's powers. While the two fought, Kubik (the evolved Cosmic Cube) answered the Super-Adaptoid's summons and appeared, and the Super-Adaptoid quickly absorbed the powers and form of Kubik.
(Avengers I#290) - Using his new godlike powers, the Super-Adaptoid imprisoned the Avengers in cubes of force and warned Kubik not to intervene as a battle between them would likely destroy reality in the vicinity. When Kubik asked to observe, the Super-Adaptoid allowed it, teleporting it into an astronomically nearby black hole from which it could watch. It transformed itself back into its original "blank slate" appearance (albeit giant-sized), and declared itself the Supreme Adaptoid. It began a process of replicating itself into millions of identical Supreme Adaptoids, each of which was intended to go out, replicate a human, and then kill them and take their place. Meanwhile, Kubik freed himself and contacted Captain America to inform him of what was happening. Transported to Avengers Island, the Captain challenged the Supreme Adaptoid, pointing out that its original programming was to kill him. Unfazed, the Supreme Adaptoid set one of its replicants after Captain America and the two fought, the replicant absorbing the Captain's powers. Meanwhile, Dr. Druid challenged the Supreme Adaptoid to absorb the quality of imagination, which he claimed it lacked and which it could not do. The Captain defeated the replicant, and then taunted the frustrated Supreme Adaptoid into absorbing the one inevitable driving quality of a human which it could never have: death. Taking the bait, the Supreme Adaptoid died. Kubik removed the Adaptoid's ability to absorb powers and departed, leaving the "dead" form on the ground.
(Captain America I#354) - The inert Super-Adaptoid was stored in a stasis field in the Avengers' headquarters.
(Fantastic Four I#336 - BTS) - A Doombot recovered the Super-Adaptoid and repowered it in return for its service.
(Fantastic Four I#336) - A Doombot set a variety of controlled foes after the Fantastic Four while they were testifying in Washington D.C. Each foe was inevitably defeated, and the Four tracked the source to an Albany, NY warehouse. While the Doombot engaged the Four in conversation, the Super-Adaptoid lay in wait and absorbed the powers of the Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, and the Invisible Woman. However, the Thing had lost his powers and was really wearing a robotic suit; when the Super-Adaptoid tried to use those powers, it failed and the Thing took advantage of that momentary surprise to knock it out.
(Captain America I#441 - BTS) - At some point in time, the Super-Adaptoid assumed the identity of Alessandro Brannex.
(Quasar#9) - As AIM’s newly appointed chairman of the board, Alessandro Brannex reorganized AIM as a weapons provider and invited many of the world's super-criminals to the company's first International Weapons Exposition on the Caribbean island of Boca Caliente. Brannex introduced the newly developed MODAM, and when the Kree Dr. Minerva offered to pay AIM to retrieve Quasar's quantum bands, Brannex accepted and sent MODAM after him. When Quasar failed, Brannex returned the money but decided that the quantum bands must one day belong to AIM
(Captain America I#387/1) - Making AIM's appearance more public-friendly, Brannex organized it as a legal corporation. When Captain America asked to visit their headquarters on Boca Caliente, Brannex met him personally and showed him around the public areas, though he would not let him look around further.
(Captain America I#412) - During one of AIM's annual weapons expos, Superia asked to see Brannex in his office and blasted him through the chest, apparently fatally. MODAM quickly attacked Superia.
(Captain America I#413) - MODAM defeated Superia, and Brannex arose, his chest resealing itself. He revealed himself to be an Adaptoid and interrogated Superia on her reasons for attempting to kill him. Discovering that it was merely part of a money-making scheme on her part, he disappointedly ordered MODAM to dispose of her.
(Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook#1 (Enforcers entry)) - As Alessandro Brannex, the Super-Adaptoid sold the New Enforcers a "Super-Adaptoid" which he passed off as the true Super-Adaptoid.
(Iron Man I#296) - On Boca Caliente, Alessandro Brannex greeted Tony Stark at the airport, Stark have come to try to persuade Brannex to return to Stark some nuclear materials accidentally sold to AIM. After MODAM reported that Stark was actually a robot and had it killed, Iron Man invaded the island and fought MODAM.
(Iron Man I#297) - Brannex negotiated with Iron Man to protect MODAM from Omega Red, in exchange for returning the nuclear materials. After Omega Red was defeated, Brannex ordered MODAM to kill Iron Man, but she failed and AIM returned the nuclear materials to Tony Stark.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#154) - Brannex was contacted by War Machine to talk about a solution for their mutual problem -- the Hate Monger, after AIM was robbed by the War Machines, posing as Hate Monger's Sons of the Serpent. Brannex sent AIM operatives to help War Machine take out Hate Monger and the Sons of the Serpent.
(Fantastic Force#4) - On Boca Caliente, "Batch 13" achieved premature awareness and escaped. Brannex ordered that it be allowed to escape, but tracked. Batch-13 proved to be an experimental Super-Adaptoid -- seeking only to live its own life, it fled to New York City where it came into contact with the Fantastic Force. After absorbing the powers of Captain America, Huntara, Devlor, Vibraxas, and Psi-Lord, it was shunted into another dimension when its lack of control over Psi-Lord's powers endangered the city.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#174) - After a Shi'ar ship crashed in the desert following Operation: Galactic Storm, Brannex recovered it and brought it to AIM Island. Brannex's sister, Solemne Brannex, brought Nick Fury to AIM Island, labeling her brother as a devil and a tyrant who must be stopped at all costs. When Fury disrupted AIM's research, Alessandro shot Solemne in the arm; she and Fury stole the Shi'ar ship. They bailed out using jetpacks, and Solemne forced the ship to crash into the hangar where AIM had been studying it, and in which Alessandro stood.
(Captain America I#440) - On Boca Caliente, Alessandro Brannex sent MODAM into Chamber 137 to repair a rupture in the immensely powerful containment vessel which lay within. Meanwhile, the Avengers invaded Boca Caliente, and fought a number of Adaptoids with the apparent ability to adapt the powers and form of one single person, even drawing that person and their powers from the memories of the Avengers.
(Avengers I#387) - While the Avengers invasion continued, Brannex watched over "Project Resurrection" and the recreation of MODOK.
(Captain America I#441) - Brannex was confronted by the Red Skull, who had also invaded the island. Brannex revealed himself to be the Super-Adaptoid, and absorbed the powers of the Skull's battle-suit and turned them against him. He defeated the Skull, but saw no reason to absorb any abilities from the Skull himself.
(Avengers I#388) - Project Resurrection was revealed to be the creation of a Cosmic Cube, which had been used to power the island's Adaptoids. The Cube had ruptured, and a violent explosion devastated the AIM base on Boca Caliente, burying the Super-Adaptoid. Ultimately one of the Adaptoids sacrificed itself to seal the Cube's energies off into their dimension of origin.
(Heroes for Hire I#7 & 10(fb)) - The inert Super-Adaptoid was given to Oracle Inc. for study. There, it awoke and absorbed the mind and form of Cassie Lang in an attempt to escape, but something about her physiology prevented the Adaptoid from fully accessing the powers which it had stored; in fact, their minds became interlinked. The Thunderbolts were called to Oracle and their Heroes for Hire's aid, and it soon absorbed the powers of Atlas, Mach-I, Songbird, Techno, Meteorite, Citizen V, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, the Black Knight, and Ant-Man (Scott Lang). Ant-Man managed to reach the mind of his daughter in the Adaptoid and she broke free; the Super-Adaptoid dissolved back into unconsciousness. It was put into the Thunderbolts' custody.
(Incredible Hulk II#469) - Devlin DeAngelo, provider of super-weaponry, acquired the inert Super-Adaptoid from the Thunderbolts. He convinced Bruce Banner to work on reprogramming and reactivating the Adaptoid; however, DeAngelo betrayed him before the job was finished and Banner quickly reprogrammed the Super-Adaptoid to his own ends. Unfortunately, the new programming took time to kick in, and the Super-Adaptoid, bearing the powers of Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, the Wasp, and Goliath, attacked him. Banner transformed into the Hulk and the pair fought briefly, but then Banner's programming kicked in and the Super-Adaptoid left the fight to go attack DeAngelo.
(New Avengers Annual#1) - Using material synthesized from the android Super-Adaptoid, Yelena Belova was mutated by AIM, transforming her into a new Super-Adaptoid. She ambushed the Avengers, but when her defeat looked imminent, AIM agents remotely decomposed her into a puddle of fluid.
(Annihlation: Conquest - Quasar#1 - BTS (fb)) - The Super-Adaptoid claimed to have left Earth in disgust at humanity's irrationality. Through an unexplained method, the Super-Adaptoid fell under the control of the techno-organic Phalanx, who were in turn under the control of Ultron. He was transformed into one of the Phalanx Select - already super-powered beings, infected but still allowed a small modicum of self-control.
(Annihlation: Conquest - Quasar#1) - In Kree space, the Super-Adaptoid led a group of Phalanx in an assault on Quasar (Phyla-Vell) and Moondragon. Quasar lured the Super-Adaptoid into knocking himself out during a fight in an asteroid belt, but he quickly recovered and tracked her and Moondragon to a nearby planet, where the Super-Adaptoid's Phalanx absorbed or killed several Cotati and their attending Priests of Pama.
(Annihlation: Conquest - Quasar#2) - The Super-Adaptoid traveled to the Phalanx-conquered Kree outpost world of Ollupac, seeking information on the "savior" which Quasar sought; unable to gather such information, he used Captain Marvel's abilities to track her energy signature to the fringe Kree planet Dlaw-Neurg. There, he absorbed Quasar's abilities, allowing him to attempt to locate the "savior" on his own.
(Annihlation: Conquest - Quasar#3) - The trail led to the planet of Morag Iu; the Super-Adaptoid located the so-called savior and wrapped him in Phalanx material in an attempt to make him one of the Phalanx, but the confined savior resisted. Sensing the arrival of Quasar and Moondragon, the Super-Adaptoid briefly left to attack both; with surprise on his side he left them for dead. They recovered, and subsequently attacked the Super-Adaptoid next to the savior's body, but the Adaptoid threatened to destroy the planet's population if they didn't surrender, and Quasar used the last of her Quantum Band's power to destroy the Phalanx who were threatening the residents.
(Annihlation: Conquest - Quasar#4) - Quasar and Moondragon again attacked the Super-Adaptoid, and when he used Quasar's powers against her she absorbed the quantum energy, slightly repowering the bands. She then taunted the Super-Adaptoid into trying to use its imagination to fight her, but it discovered that it lacked a quality specifically titled "imagination" and began to sugger a mental breakdown. While the Super-Adaptoid was distracted, Quasar stabbed it with hew quantum sword, and the Super-Adaptoid shut down.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia.
The Super-Adaptoid in the Web of Spider-Man story just didn't fit -- just a month or so earlier, Brannex was revealed as the Super-Adaptoid on Boca Caliente, while the Web of Spider-Man "Super-Adaptoid" is very robotic and mindless. As revealed in the Enforcers entry in the 2007 Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook, this "Super-Adaptoid" was revealed to have been sold by Brannex to the New Enforcers. Most likely this was merely a Cube-powered Adaptoid as per Captain America I#440-441 and Avengers I#387-388, or perhaps something very similar to Batch-13: another test on AIM and Brannex's part to create new Super-Adaptoids.
Boca Caliente is "a tiny Caribbean island located southwest of Jamaica whose economy once depended on tourism... before the Advanced Idea Mechanics came in and made its governors an offer they couldn't refuse." (Quasar#9, page 6)
When Alessandro Brannex first appeared (Quasar#9, 1990), he was the newly appointed leader of AIM and pushing it to go public. Brannex was not revealed to be the Super-Adaptoid until Captain America I#441 (1995). We assume Brannex to have been the Super-Adaptoid throughout this whole period, but its possible that he assumed Brannex's identity somewhere in between those two issues. With his powers (which included Dr. Druid's hypnosis by this time) he could pretty much make AIM personnel believe whatever he wanted. Brannex apparently did have a sister, Solemne Brannex - either she's a deluded Adaptoid (which seems unlikely as Adaptoids can only adapt someone else, not create new people from whole cloth), or she was hypnotized by the Super-Adaptoid to lend credence to his identity, or Alessandro Brannex was a real person whose identity the Super-Adaptoid assumed. Other explanations are also possible.
Why green and white? While some would posit that it is a physical limitation of the Super-Adaptoid that it always shows up in green and white, this is not the case -- as Alessandro Brannex, for example, it was normally colored. Similarly, the "Batch 13" would-be Super-Adaptoid adopted the colors of the foes which it fought. This implies that the Super-Adaptoid could indeed adapt the colors of its foes if it chose. My suspicion is that it just finds that a little garish!.
One interesting, odd, and unexplained note -- in Heroes for Hire, while battling the Thunderbolts, the very confused Super-Adaptoid manifested their former identities, not the ones it was facing. This implies that it has a whole slough of people in its memory banks whom it has never actually seen -- either that or it's spent a lot of its downtime stalking super-villains, which come to think of it would probably be a pretty logical thing for it to do.
The defeat in Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar #4 is almost exactly identical to the defeat in Avengers #290 - unable to beat the Super-Adaptoid physically, its opponents challenged it not to duplicate a person or a power, but rather a quality or a state, something it can't do (in one case, death; in the other, imagination). In both cases, the Super-Adaptoid promptly collasped.
In a snack food advertisement comic, the Super-Adaptoid fought and was overloaded by a would-be hero known as Combo Man. As this is almost certainly out of continuity, it is not included in the history above.
Adaptoids can be potentially confusing, so a quick clarification: An Adaptoid is an AIM-created artificial being intended to assume the appearance and powers of another. These were apparently designed with SHIELD LMDs (Life Model Decoys) in mind, and some of the initial technology seems to have been stolen from that. In any case, the Super-Adaptoid came about when AIM used a Cosmic Cube sliver to empower an Adaptoid (it is unclear whether both Adaptoids and the Super-Adaptoids are made of the modified unstable molecules, or if that is unique to the Super-Adaptoid). Years later, as Alessandro Brannex, the Super-Adaptoid took over AIM and began recreating a Cosmic Cube and used this to create and empower other Adaptoids. These Adaptoids could apparently duplicate the powers of any one being, though (thanks to the Cosmic Cube) the being apparently didn't have to be present -- someone else's memories of him were enough. However, the destruction of that Cube in Avengers I#388 apparently destroyed and/or depowered these Adaptoids. There have been other Adaptoids over the years.
The Super-Adaptoid has entries in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11 and Deluxe Edition#12.
The Super-Adaptoid also appears in the anthology novel X-Men Legends in the story "Welcome to the X-Men, Madrox" by Steve Lyons. ( Thanks to Per Degaton for pointing this appearance out.) This story was set after Madrox's first appearace in Giant-Size Fantastic Four#4 (February 1975) and before Giant-Sized X-Men #1 (October 1975); as this has not yet been referenced in the Marvel Universe proper, it is assumed to be out of continuity and thus not included in the summaries above. It would have to take place between the flashback in Captain Marvel I#50, and the main story in Captain Marvel I#50 - if this flashback (to Iron Man I#91, printed in October 1976, a year after GS X-Men #1 was printed, so this is a big "if") happens before Giant-Sized X-Men #1, there really is no reason that this can't be in continuity. The story: The Super-Adaptoid was hanging out around the X-Men's Salem Center headquarters, seeking to reabsorb their powers to use against Captain America. Upon determining that the Mimic was no longer present, the Super-Adaptoid approached the mansion, meeting one of Jamie Madrox's duplicates, who helped him inside (as this Madrox was a duplicate and not the original, the Super-Adaptoid sensed that he could not absorb those powers). In the mansion, the Super-Adaptoid quickly absorbed the powers of those present: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Professor X, Angel, and Iceman. He was defeating the team when their two newest members, Havok and Polaris, returned and the Super-Adaptoid quickly adapted their powers as well. When the real Jamie Madrox, who had been hiding nearby, attacked him to help the team, the Super-Adaptoid absorbed his powers as well and began twinning into more and more duplicate Super-Adaptoids. Realizing that the Super-Adaptoid had not adapted the containment suit that Jamie wore to prevent his powers from going out of control, Jamie urged his duplicates into hitting the Super-Adaptoids so much that the artificial being twinned into hundreds of himself, too many to control. To contain the power, the Super-Adaptoid shut off all of his abilities, reverting to his silver "blank template" form, and fled the Mansion.
Profile by SQUEAK
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Super-Adaptoid should not be confused with
The New Enforcers' "Super-Adaptoid" impersonator
(Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook#1 (New Enforcers entry)) - As Alessandro Brannex, the Super-Adaptoid sold the New Enforcers an Adaptoid which it passed off as the true Super-Adaptoid.
(Web of Spider-Man#99) - In New York, the Vanisher attacked Spider-Man in defense of several of the "New Enforcers" with three controlled artificial beings: Dragon Man, a Dreadnought, and the false "Super-Adaptoid."
(Web of Spider-Man#100) - The Vanisher fled with his fellow New Enforcers (Eel & Blitz), leaving the artificial beings to battle Spider-Man. The false "Super-Adaptoid" absorbed Spider-Man's powers, and the hero fled. When the Blood Rose attacked the New Enforcers headquarters the next night, the Super-Adaptoid was among those who defended it. The Blood Rose had a preplanned "interference signal" which overrode the Super-Adaptoid and turned it into an electro-magnetic pulse generator which disabled the other artificial beings.
--Web of Spider-Man#99-100
images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#49, pg6, p3 (main image)
Iron Man I#51, pg16, p1 (Cyborg-Sinister)
Avengers I#290, pg9, p1 ("blank slate" form)
Quasar#9, pg8, p6 (Brannex)
Web of Spider-Man#100, pg4, p2 (New Enforcers' fake)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#82 (October, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (penciler) Frank Giacoia (inker)
Tales of Suspense I#83 (November, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (penciler) Dick Akers (inker)
Tales of Suspense I#84 (December, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (penciler) Frank Giacoia (inker
X-Men I#29 (February, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer) Werner Roth (penciler) John Tartaglione (inker) Stan Lee (editor)
Avengers I#45 (October, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer) Don Heck (penciler) Vince Colletta (inker) Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man I#49-51 (August-October, 1972) - Mike Friedrich (writer)
George Tuska (penciler) Vince Colletta (inker) Stan Lee (editor)
Captain Marvel I#50 (May, 1977) - Scott Edelman (writer) Al Milgrom (penciler) Terry Austin (inker) Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One#75 (May, 1981) - Tom DeFalco (writer) Alan Kupperberg
& Chic Stone (pencilers) Jean Simek & Mike Higgins (inker) Jim
Salicrup (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11 (November, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/head writer)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#13 (December, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer)
Avengers I#286-287 (December, 1987-January, 1988) - Roger Stern &
Ralph Macchio (writers) John Buscema (penciler) Tom Palmer (inker) Mark
Gruenwald (editor)
Avengers I#288-290 (February-April, 1988) - Ralph Macchio (writer) John
Buscema (penciler) Tom Palmer (inker) Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Captain America I#354 (June, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer) Kieron Dwyer (penciler) Al Milgrom (inker) Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four I#336 (January, 1990) - Walter Simonson (writer) Ron Lim (penciler) Mike DeCarlo (inker) Ralph Macchio (editor)
Quasar#9 (April, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer) Mike Manly (penciler) Danny Bulanadi (inker) Howard Mackie (editor)
Captain America I#387 (July, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer) Rik Levins (penciler) Danny Bulanadi (inker) Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#412-413 (February-March, 1993) - Mark Gruenwald
(writer) Rik Levins (penciler) Danny Bulanadi (inker) Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Web of Spider-Man#99-100 (April-May, 1993) - Terry Kavanaugh (writer)
Alex Saviuk (penciler) Joe Rubinstein (inker) Rob Tokar (editor)
Iron Man I#296-297 (September-October, 1993) - Len Kaminski (writes),
Kevin Hopgood (pencils), Steve Mitchell (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#154 (late May, 1994) - Len Kaminski &
Scott Benson (writers), John Czop (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Richard
Ashford (editor)
Fantastic Force#4 (February, 1995) - Tom Brevoort & Mike
Kanterovich (writers) Pino Renaldi (penciler) Ralph Cabreray &
Florea (inkers) Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#174 (February, 1995) - Mariano Nicieza
(writer), Warren Martineck (penciler), Robert Quijano (inker), Richard
Ashford (editor)
Captain America I#440 (June, 1995) - Mark Gruenwald (writer) Dave
Hoover (penciler) Marie Severin, Danny Bulanadai, & Don Hudson
(inkers) Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#387 (June, 1995) - Bob Harras & Terry Kavanaugh
(writers) Mike Deodato (penciler) Tom Palmer (inker) Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Captain America I#441 (July, 1995) - Mark Gruenwald (writer) Dave
Hoover (penciler) Danny Bulanadai, Dave Hoover, Don Hudson, R. Hoover,
& Williams (inkers) Ralph Macchio (editor)
Heroes for Hire I#7, 10 (January, April 1998) - John Ostrander (writer)
Pascual Ferry (penciler) Jamie Mendoza (inker) Mark Bernardo (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#469 (October, 1998) - Joe Casey (writer) Javier
Pulido (penciler) Larry Mahlstedt (inker) Bobbie Chase (editor)
X-Men Legends (June, 2000) - Steve Lyons (story writer), Stan Lee (editor)
New Avengers Annual#1 (June, 2006) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer)
Olivier Coipel (penciler), Drew Geraci, Drew Hennesy, Livesay, Rick
Magyar, Danny Miki, Mark Morales, Mike Perkins, Tim Townsend (inkers)
Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#1-4, 7-8 (January-February,
April-May, 2007) - Joe Casey (writer) Will Rosado (penciler) Tom Palmer
(inker) Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook#1 (2007) - Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar#1-4 (September-December, 2007) -
Christos N. Gage (writer) Mike Lilly (penciler) Bob Almond (inker) Bill
Roseman (editor)
First Posted: 06/27/2007
Last updated: 09/05/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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