AUTOCRON race

Classification: Extraterrestrial mechanoids

Location/Base of Operations: Cron (96% covered by land; rich in metallic ores; mechanized cities cover 85% of the world's surface; 325% Earth's gravity; atmosphere 290% Earth's density, high methane content), sixth planet from the sun in the Betelgeuse system, Milky Way galaxy;

Known Members: Fabrikant, Ten-For, Ten-Twentiwon, Ten-Thirtiate, Ten-Thirtifor; unidentified admiral and fleet crew
    population estimated at 10 billion

Affiliations: None revealed (possibly part of the Turgentine Technesium, see comments)

First Appearance: Machine Man I#3 (June, 1978)

Powers/Abilities: Autocrons are iron-based sentient mechanoids, and they possess superhuman strength, durability, and endurance; they are specifically lacking humanoid needs for air, water, food, etc.
    Ten-For was a Holocaust Specialist First Class and likely had abilities far beyond those of the standard Autocron. Ten-For had a controlled fission reactor in his chest that served as his power source; via this reactor, he could release powerful explosive blasts, but risked damaging himself as well if he unleashed too much force. He could fire concussive force blasts, as well as beams which caused temporary paralysis. He could generate an energy field to hold someone at a distance until he was prepared to fight. His most powerful weapon was a concussive blast he could release from his face after raising his face plate out of the way; this blast could bring down an entire building. Ten-For had jet rockets, as well as Wolverine-like extendable claws (three from each foot), in his boots. His arm contained equipment which allowed him to communicate with the Autocron fleet, even across intergalactic distances. He carried other weapons, such as his Vertigo Inducer (which was a device projected from his hand, effectively separating a victim's mind from his body), able to disrupt the equilibrium of man or robot, virtually immobilizing its victim. He presumably used the equipment on his ship to reach the mind of his pawn on Earth.
    Though stunned by sonic attack, Ten-For possessed neutralizers that could absorb such energies (and thus neutralize the assault). He was more vulnerable to certain light patterns, which could incapacitate him, akin to "instant hypnosis."

    Ten-Thirtifor possesses superhuman strength and endurance, flight through anti-gravity devices and a face which flips open to reveal energy blasters, and a vertigo-inducer. His right hand can be transformed into a communication device to contact other Autocrons. Ten-Thirtifor's body is highly durable, and contains neutralizers to absorb energy from attacks, but he is vulnerable to sonic attacks.

    Fabrikant's body is iron-based, and he possesses superhuman strength and endurance. Although he may possess built-in weaponry like Ten-For and Ten-Thirtifor, he was only seen to wield conventional weapons such as laser pistols and swords.

Type: Mechanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head)
Fingers: Five per hand (including opposable thumb)
Toes: Two per foot (nothing to rule this out, but I'm not sure why they'd really have toes at all - I'd think their boots likely were their actual feet - plus the fact that Ten-For extruded 3 claws from his boot makes it seem unlikely that he had just two toes (if any)) - but then, Fabrikant clearly has two toes, so end of story...
Exterior color: Generally blue black
Average Height: 6'5"

Traits: Autocrons are ruled by a world-computer via technocracy. They have advanced technology superior to Earth's, including advanced interstellar ships with warp drive. They are militaristic, orderly, and imperialistic. They consider organic life to be inferior and expendable; further, their code demands that terminate what they deem to be ineffective life forms.

History:
(Machine Man I#3-6 (fb) - BTS) - The Autocrons rule a "great galactic empire."

(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook (2006): Wildebots entry (fb)) <24 years ago; 542 Post in the Sakaarian calendar system> - Holocaust Specialists (tasked with the mission of eradicating organic life other planets so that their own people could be summoned to repopulate the lifeless planetoids) Ten-Twentiwon and Ten-Thirtiate's ship was pulled through the wormhole known as the Great Portal and crash-landed in the Upper Vandro Province of the planet Sakaar, in the Tayo star system, within the Fornax galaxy.
    Sakaarian provincial officials dispatched a small battalion to apprehend the newly arrived offlanders so they could be reprogrammed to serve as slaves. The Autocrons resisted and fled into the nearby Twisted Wood, using the scrap technology from their downed spaceship to construct a makeshift encampment deep in the heart of the Twisted Wood. Used to living in a civilization where synthetic lifeforms ruled over organic life, the Autocrons were appalled by the state of affairs on Sakaar where nearly all robots and mechanical constructs were enslaved and assigned the most dangerous of military missions and the most menial of household chores. Determined to liberate Sakaar's enslaved robot masses, the Autocrons began a series of high-profile raids upon Imperial storage depots and reverse engineering plants, abducting their robotic brethren and using their advanced aptitude for engineering and programming to rewire other robots for "independent thought" (in reality creating extremely complex sets of algorithms that enabled the liberated robots' artificial intelligence to simulate independent thought). Spare parts obtained in the raids were used by the Autocrons to repair themselves and their growing robot army when they were damaged in battle.
    Six years after the two Autocrons' arrival, they decided it was time they liberated their most sought after targets, the Death's Head units that faithfully served the Father Emperor. The Autocrons calculated that reprogramming the Death's Heads to serve on their side would give them the power needed to overthrow the Emperor and usher in an era dominated by synthetics. Realizing the scope of their mission, the Autocrons led their entire robot army on a surprise attack against the Imperial Crown City in an attempt to gain access to the city's four Death's Heads barracks. But after breaching the city's walls, the robots were met with heavy resistance from a large contingent of the Imperial Guard and the Death's Head Warguard. Since the Autocrons had proven impervious to energy weapons in past encounters, the Empire's engineers had used offlander technology to develop powerful sonic cannons specifically designed to counter the Autocrons. Pelted with blasts of concussive force generated from ambient sound that caused their vital systems to crash, the Autocrons apparently perished in the attack. Leaderless and without a chain of command, the surviving robots retreated back into the Twisted Wood, where their once organized society soon devolved into a series of wild tribes in the absence of the Autocrons' upkeep of their artificial intelligence systems. Though no longer seeking to overthrow the Emperor (or having the organization to pose a legitimate threat if they did), these "Wildebots," as they became known, continued to terrorize the many Imperial villages and Native hives that surround the Twisted Wood.

(Machine Man I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Establishing telepathic linkage with a receptive human, Ten-For projected a distress call, noting his spaceship was trapped in the magnetic pull of a giant sun and urging mankind's aid. The man, placed in a mental institution as a result of the virtual possession, achieved the attention of psychologist (?) Dr. Peter Spaulding. The extraterrestrial involvement led Spaulding to contact his ally Machine Man (X-51/Aaron Stack) for guidance/assistance.

(Machine Man I#3) - Machine Man probed the human's mind and projected an image of the ship being pulled into the sun. Despite the imperious nature of the demands, Machine Man and Spaulding offered to aid the alien, who informed them they could bring him to their world with a trans-dimensional space bridge. Despite their concerns and uncertainty regarding the alien (particularly his arrogant nature), the urgency of his situation convinced Machine Man and Spaulding to aid him, and Machine Man constructed a device to open the space warp. Machine Man and Spaulding were nearly pulled through the warp before shutting it down, and realizing the alien had intended to exchange places with them. They subsequently opened the portal in more controlled fashion, bringing Ten-For into the room alongside his "host." Ten-For prepared to terminate his former host, then blasted Spaulding with a paralysis beam when he moved to stop him. Ten-For then destroyed the transport device to prevent his being sent back, but Machine Man noted the technology design was now part of his structure. A sonic assault from Col. Kragg intended for Machine Man then struck Ten-For, though his neutralizers absorbed the attack. Disbelieving Machine Man's explanation that the assault was not a planned ambush from allies, Ten-For launched a vertigo inducer onto Machine Man's head, incapacitating him. Ten-For then departed, plotting vengeance on the others who attacked him.

(Machine Man I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Ten-For was the first Autocron to visit Earth.

(Machine Man I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Ten-For devastated the soldiers who had attacked him, as well as their weaponry, leading Kragg to believe there was a second Machine Man (and that Ten-For was his ally).

(Machine Man I#4) - After Spaulding repaired Machine Man, he set out after Ten-For. Meanwhile, in downtown Central City, Ten-For blasted apart a brick wall, frightening away a pair of garbage men. Machine Man eventually tracked him down and engaged him anew, and Ten-For condemned him as subservient to humanity before assaulting him with powerful energy blasts from beneath his face plate. In return, Machine Man unleashed a solar heat blast. Fleeing, Ten-For paralyzed a group of people by his side, preventing Machine Man from dimensionally banishing him for fear of pulling them with him; while Machine Man pondered his next course of action, Ten-For activated an intergalactic signal to summon the Autocron fleet to take over Earth.

(Machine Man I#5) - Machine Man drew Ten-For away from the crowd, but Ten-For stunned him with an energy blast and taunted Machine Man that he dared not try to open a dimensional portal with innocent people around. When police forces arrived and considered both robotic warriors as attackers, Ten-For feigned innocence, agreeing to be taken into custody alongside Machine Man, enjoying the delay that allowed the Autocron fleet to draw ever closer; the authorities dismissed Machine Man's warnings of the alien fleet as nonsense, and when they identified Machine Man as a wanted hostile, he broke free and fled, deciding to abandon humanity.
    Meanwhile, in a distant galaxy, the Autocron fleet received Ten-For's signal. Their decoders translated the message, and their admiral determined Earth to be suitable for conquest. He ordered the fleet to activate their star-drives for a jump to Earth's quadrant and to further put every gun crew on full alert and to clear their decks for an all-out assault.

(Machine Man I#6) - Observed by Machine Man's telescopic vision, he Autocron fleet passed through a space-time portal and arrived on the rim of Earth's solar system. Kragg's soldiers soon after brought Ten-For before Kragg, and Ten-For assaulted Spaulding after revealing his true nature and purpose. As he continued to assault those around him, Machine Man (convinced to help save Earth again) attacked anew. When Machine Man threatened to crush Ten-For's face, he unleashed a controlled fission blast that blasted Machine Man away, then crippled Machine Man's right arm when X-51 struck him. After Ten-For lashed out with his foot-blades, Machine Man stunned him with a high voltage blast, then used a light pattern from his eyes to render Ten-For inert (comparable to "instant hypnotism"). With Machine Man having earned a reprieve from Kragg for stopping Ten-For, Machine Man cleared the area, then altered Ten-For's circuitry so that after Machine Man sent him through a space warp to the fleet, which was just crossing the orbit of Jupiter, his internal energy source exploded like a "nova bomb." The explosion seemingly set off a chain reaction that destroyed the entire Autocron fleet.

(Quasar#16 (fb) - BTS) - Ten-For got better (see comments), and also became a prisoner of the Stranger, a test subject on his laboratory world.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#1: Appendix to Aliens races: Autocrons) - Following Ten-For's seeming destruction, the Autocrons canceled their plans to invade Earth.

(Quasar#14, 15-BTS, 16) - Ten-For and several other prisoners were freed by the Overmind, who sought to destroy the Stranger. Ten-For was being transported to the battle by Dr. Spectrum when the Overmind withdrew his powers to focus fully on the Stranger himself. Spectrum left Ten-For and the rest of the group to join the struggle himself.
    Several of the other former inmates subsequently escaped the laboratory world, but Ten-For's fate is unrevealed.

(Starblast#? (fb) - BTS) - The Autocron known only as Fabrikant joined Skeletron's crew, the Starblasters. Skeletron came to regard Fabrikant as his most trustworthy associate, because they were both non-organic lifeforms.

(Quasar#53/Starblast#1-4/Quasar#55/Fantastic Four#386) - Alongside the Starblasters, Fabrikant came to Earth in pursuit of the Starbrand. Skeletron had Fabrikant launch a Moon Thruster onto Earth's moon as a distraction, and Fabrikant escorted the Starbrand's host, Kayla Ballantine, to the Stranger's world for him to study. Fabrikant subsequently prepared for Skeletron an Energy Transmogrifier with which Skeletron planned to siphon the Starbrand energy from Earth-148611 (The "New Universe").
    Skeletron and his ship were trapped in Reality-148611 while Earth-148611 was transported to Reality-616 and then isolated from the rest of the universe by the Living Tribunal. Fabrikant's fate is unrevealed, though the other Starblasters were transported to the Stranger's laboratory world.

(Avengers III#36 (fb) - BTS) - Holocaust Specialist Ten-Thirtifor was convicted of rebellion (free-thinking), stripped of his rank, and exiled. He was detained in an intergalactic prison.

(Avengers III#36 (fb) - BTS) - During the events of "Maximum Security," Ten-Thirtifor was banished to Earth.

(Maximum Security#1) - Materializing in Japan, Ten-Thirtifor assaulted Sunfire..

(Maximum Security#3) - Ten-Thirtifor was among the aliens and super-heroes gathered by the U.S. Agent in order to strike back against Ronan the Accuser, the jailer of the convicts kept on Earth. Ronan was defeated via the combined efforts of the exiles and the heroes.

(Avengers III#36) - Confronted by the Avengers (Iron Man/Tony Stark, Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers, Vision/"Victor Shade"), Ten-Thirtifor prepared to summon an invasion fleet to conquer Earth for the Autocron Empire, believing they would then have no choice but to reinstate him. Vision noted Machine Man's report on Autocron vulnerability to sonics, and Iron Man stunned him. Ten-Thirtifor attempted to rally and fight back, but Ms. Marvel flattened him with a punch. They left Ten-Thirtifor for SHIELD troops to pick up and contain.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.

    Ten-For identifies the Autocrons as a "great galactic empire" in Machine Man I#6, and they are seen in "a distant galaxy." The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (original)#3 and Deluxe#15 entry on Autocrons identifies them as existing in the Milky Way galaxy...perhaps they do rule a portion of the Milky Way, an area that has largely been unseen as yet. Perhaps "sub-galactic empire" would be appropriate, you could still have a large empire spanning multiple solar systems that would be a small part of the galaxy. Or perhaps they access a wormhole or something to be more active in other galaxies. 

    Avengers III#36 and, presumably based on that, the Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook, identify Autocrons as having a weakness to sonic attack, based on reports of Machine Man. In the original stories, however, Machine Man used a sonic attack on Ten-For, who was only briefly stunned before absorbing the assault with his neutralizer. It was actually Machine Man's "instant hypnotism," a light pattern emitted from Machine Man's eyes that incapacitated Ten-For.
    Perhaps sonic attack is indeed a true inherent weakness of the Autocrons, and only a Holocaust Specialist, FIRST CLASS, like Ten-For was equipped with a neutralizer to protect him from its effects.

    The Autocron fleet identified Earth as being in quadrant 43269-MD5.

    Ten-For once refers to the Autocron fleet as the "metal brotherhood." I wonder if the Autocrons were part of the Turgentine Techenium, as discussed in the profile on Skeletron.
And, while I'm on the subject...what other extraterrestrial races are robotic?

• Mekkans
• Technarchy
• others?
•     Rob London added:
• Unit, from SWORD, is the sole survivor of a robotic race.
• Praxagora's now-extinct people, from Annihilation: Super-Skrull. I believe that race is from the Negative Zone, so unlikely to be part of the TT...but noteworthy nonetheless. Maybe some of them came to the positive matter universe in the past.
• Also, of course, the Transformers of Realities-120185 and -91274. Also unlikely due to their alternate reality nature, but they certainly could have come to Reality-616 in the past, too.

    I can't find the whole Starblast series/crossovers I've got filed whoknowswhere. I based the notes in this profile on those issues from those in Fabrikant's profile.
Can anyone check the issues and see if there's anything of note on Fabrikant, and especially on his race, covered therein, but not covered in his Appendix profile?
Notably, was any connection b/t the Autocrons and the Turgentine Techenium ever spelled out?

    In C.B. Radio jargon, "Ten-Four" means "message received"; "Ten-Thirty-Four" means "Trouble at this station" or "confidential information." I don't think 10-21 or 10-38 are legitimate CB terms. You can Google CB jargon/slang
I wonder if Fabrikant is a codename. I'd suggest other decent related names might be Ten-Three - "stop transmitting"; Ten-Ten - "Transmission complete, standing by"; Ten-Seventeen - "Urgent Business"; Ten-Thirty-Three - "Emergency traffic at this station"

    Kurt Busiek once mentioned that he didn't think that it was Ten-For on the Stranger's lab world. He felt that Ten-For had been destroyed, and that this was another guy, perhaps "Nine-Won-Won, the Emergency Robot." Kurt later used Ten-Thirtifor during Maximum Security. Maybe he'd like that guy to have been the one from the Stranger's world. However, until he officially ret-cons it, I'm leaving it as written by Gruenwald. Who's to say that an Autocron can't have copies of its "brain-patterns", programming, etc., or even a duplicate form back on their home planet of Cron? Maybe not just any Autocron, but certainly a Holocaust Specialist, First Class.

• Donald Campbell also believes it is Ten-For on the Stranger's World, pointing out that there are a number of other supposedly dead characters imprisoned there. He suggests "that maybe all these beings didn't "just happen" to survive their seemingly-inevitable deaths, that maybe the Stranger used their imminent deaths as a cover so that he could secretly abduct them without anyone knowing."

• It's possible that the Autocron in Quasar#16 who calls himself "Ten-For" was actually Ten-Thirtifor, suffering from a case of identity crisis.

• On the other hand, maybe Fabrikant of the Starblasters was the Autocron on the Stranger's world. A few other members of the Starblasters (Nygorn/Nyborn, Captive/Threkker) were former subject there...but he does specifically refer to himself at Ten-For...
• Maybe Fabrikant IS Ten-For...though they certainly didn't act the same, but maybe a decade on a laboratory world will do that to you.

    The Autocrons have profiles in both the original and Deluxe Editions of the OHotMU. There they are described as "iron-based life forms" in the same way that humans are carbon-based. This seems to be in contrast to the bulk of Jack Kirby's stories, in which they are clearly robotic in nature, which would seem likely to give what should be considered the definitive descriptions. Subsequent stories have also defined Autocrons as robotic or mechanoid.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Autocrons have no known connections to: