Julian Biggs (Earth-7484; Deathlok character)

JULIAN BIGGS

Real Name: Julian Biggs

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-7484) robot (see comments)

Occupation: Racketeer

Group Membership: Led a group of agents/enforcers/bodyguards

Affiliations: Simon Ryker

Enemies: Deathlok the Demolisher (Luther Manning), Curtis Giles and his unidentified associate

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly a penthouse/fortress atop a partially constructed skyscraper

First Appearance: Astonishing Tales I#25 (August, 1974)

Powers/Abilities: Biggs himself appears to be (have been) a robot (see comments). As such, he would likely be resistant to assaults that would affect humans, such as air deprivation, poisons, and perhaps temperature extremes and microbial disease.

He may or may not have had any degree of superhuman strength, durability, or any other superhuman abilities.

Biggs had a number of human agents who carried conventional weapons such as handguns.

Height: Unrevealed; approximately 6'1"
Weight: Unrevealed; approximately 210 lbs. for a normal human of his size; his metallic/robot nature extent is undetailed, so his weight is pretty much impossible to estimate.
Eyes: Unrevealed (his eyes were shown on panel in no more than 3 panels, and never with eyes open and enough detail to determine eye color)
Hair: Reddish orange

History:
(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS) - Julian Biggs was an underworld racketeer.

(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS) - Biggs was under direction of Simon Ryker (see comments).

(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS) - Hoping to earn enough money to pay to have his brain transplanted into a normal human form, Deathlok became a mercenary.

(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS / Astonishing Tales#28 (fb) - BTS) - Under direction of Simon Ryker, Julian Biggs had one of his agents hire Deathlok to kill two men (Curtis Giles and another, unidentified; both of whom, unbeknownst to Deathlok, had been involved in his creation) in exchange for a payment of $100,000.

(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS) - Simon Ryker was Biggs' immediate superior, and believed the two men to merely be out to stop Project: Alpha Mech.

(Astonishing Tales#25 - BTS) - Upon successfully completing the contract, Deathlok contacted Biggs, reporting his success. After Biggs noted that he was impressed, Deathlok informed Biggs that he was proceeding to his offices by helicraft, advising him to demonstrate his appreciation in monetary terms upon his imminent arrival. Biggs was surprised to learn Deathlok knew where Biggs' offices were located.

    Deathlok killed several of Biggs' enforcers when they tried to stop him from directly confronting Biggs. He similarly fought his way past Biggs' security devices.

    Upon being confronted, Biggs refused to pay him, asking what a machine needed money for.

    When Deathlok noted that he was tired of being a machine, Biggs mocked him, telling him there was no money and thanking him for doing the job "gratis."

    Deathlok then attacked Biggs and was surprised to find him to be non-humanoid (see comments); Deathlok furiously battered Biggs into pieces and revealed him to be another cyborg (or just a robot).

    Transmitting through Biggs' form, Simon Ryker then taunted Deathlok, telling him the men he killed were out to stop Project: Alpha-Mech. Ryker told Deathlok he would never allow him to have a brain transplant.

Comments: Rich Buckler with Doug Moench.

Deathlok called Biggs a cyborg, but he looked completely robotic when Deathlok tore him to pieces. Maybe the robot wasn't the real Biggs, but rather a replica...if so, what happened to the real Biggs; did he escape his fate at Deathlok's hands? Was he slain before being replaced by a robot? Was there ever a real Julian Biggs? The world may never know.

In the notes I compiled on Hellinger and Simon Ryker's profiles, I stated that Hellinger was secretly commanding Julian Biggs without Simon's knowledge. I've re-re-re-re-reviewed the issues and associated Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe profiles, and I don't know where that information came from. I suspect that I added the information to my notes in the late 1990s or even early 2000s based on internet research, not realizing at the time that profiles on characters posted on the internet were not official confirmed.
But, if you know the source of information that Hellinger was secretly behind Julian Biggs, please let me know.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Julian Biggs should be distinguished from:

Big Julie of Earth-982 (Julius S. Bridwill) - crimelord, shot by police, mind transferred into body of gorilla by Dr. Hackem, sought revenge on assistant district attorney Sachi Yama, defeated by J2--J2#9

Julian Biggs' agents

(Astonishing Tales#25 (fb) - BTS) - Julian Biggs had his handler hire Deathlok to kill two men (Curtis Giles and another, unidentified), both members of the trio of doctors who had helped Harlan Ryker (aka Hellinger) construct the Deathlok cyborg.

(Astonishing Tales#25 - BTS) - Upon successfully completing the contract, Deathlok contacted Biggs, reporting his success.

After Biggs noted that he was impressed, Deathlok informed Biggs that he was proceeding to his offices by helicraft, advising him to demonstrate his appreciation in monetary terms upon his imminent arrival.

Biggs was surprised to learn Deathlok knew where Biggs' offices were located.

Standing atop Biggs headquarter's roof with two of Biggs' other agents, Biggs' handler recognized Deathlok on his arrival.

When Deathlok began to walk past them to see Biggs, his handler tried to stop him, telling Deathlok he had to report to him, as Biggs didn't have time to waste on freak machines.

The handler pulled a gun and aimed it at Deathlok's back, but, rather than fire it, he rushed forward, grabbed Deathlok by the shoulder, and insulted him, leading Deathlok to smash him in the face, shattering bone, pulping flesh, and likely killing the man.

Another man, threatening to kill Deathlok (and insulting him as a "gargoyle"), pulled his gun, but Deathlok slew the man by hurling his bayonet, although not before Deathlok took a bullet to the shoulder.

Yet another man fled to the edge of the building, begged Deathlok for mercy, telling him it wasn't his idea to attack, but Deathlok walked past him, kicked a hole in the wall, and left him behind.

-- Astonishing Tales#25

Note: The second agent, the one Deathlok took out with the knife, is shown in the comments section above.

Julian Biggs' headquarters

Biggs operated out of a penthouse/fortress that was the top floor of a partially constructed skyscraper.

(Astonishing Tales#25 - BTS) - Upon successfully completing the contract, Deathlok contacted Biggs, reported his success, and informed Biggs that he was proceeding to his offices by helicraft. Biggs was surprised to learn Deathlok knew where Biggs' offices were located.

Deathlok then landed his helicopter atop Biggs headquarters, after which Biggs' handler and two other agents confronted him. Deathlok slew the two agents who attacked him, and spared/ignored the third as he begged for mercy.

Wishing to demonstrate his power and frustration, Deathlok kicked a hole through the brick wall rather than walking through the door.

After walking through a corridor, Deathlok came to a 9" thick door composed of tempered steel, anealed with additional deposits of unalloyed lead.

Kicking in the door in, Deathlok confronted Biggs at his desk and then smashed his robotic form to pieces when Biggs mockingly refused to pay.

-- Astonishing Tales#25

images: (without ads)
Astonishing Tales#25, pg. 7, panel 4 (headquarters);
          panel 5 (agents; one smoking pipe);
          panel 8 (hiring agent; mostly full);
       pg. 8, panel 5 (hiring agent, face);
       pg. 10, panel 5 (agent stabbed);
       pg. 11, panel 1 & 3 (blond agent; mostly full and partial face with best detail);
       pg. 14, panel 6 (Biggs; frontal; at desk);
       pg. 15, panel 1 (Biggs, face; profile);
          panel 2 (Biggs, punched);
          panel 4-6 (Biggs, shattered);
          panel 7 (Ryker speaking through Biggs' remains)

Appearances:
Astonishing Tales#25 (August, 1974) - Rich Buckler & Doug Moench (writers), Rich Buckler (pencils), Rich Buckler, Klaus Janson, Al Milgrom & Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)

First posted: 08/26/2018
Last updated: 07/23/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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