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Superman robots

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The Superman Robots are fictional robots from the DC Comics Universe. The robots resembled Superman in appearance and abilities.

History

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Silver Age versions

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Superman robots played a particularly dominant role in late 1950s and 1960s era Superman comics, when readers were first introduced to Superman possessing various robot duplicates. These robots each possessed a fraction of Superman's powers, and were sometimes used to substitute for him on missions or protect his secret identity.[1][2] One notable Superman robot was named Ajax, also known as Wonder Man.[3] Other Superman robots had other names, including Robot Z,[4] Robot X-3,[5] and MacDuff.[6]

The idea of Superman robots extended into Superboy and Supergirl stories of the period as well, with the two also possessing robotic duplicates.[7][8]

In the early 1970s, the Superman comics largely abandoned the Superman robots as part of a change in tone and writing style. In-universe, the robots are rendered unusable by Earth's pollution levels and artificial radiation.[9]

Modern Age versions

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The notion of Superman robots was reintroduced for post-Crisis comic continuity in a late 1990s storyline. While under Dominus' control, Superman builds a series of robots to oversee the Earth. Unlike the original Superman robots, they possess a more mechanical appearance.[10]

In Superman (vol. 2) #170, Krypto nearly kills Mongul and is confined to the Fortress of Solitude as punishment. A Superman robot nicknamed "Ned" is employed as Krypto's caretaker.

In a later storyline, Brainiac 8 revived and increased the power to a forgotten Superman robot. The robot attacked the Teen Titans, killing Troia and Omen before it was defeated.[11]

Other versions

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  • Insectoid robots inspired by the Superman robots appear in Tangent: Superman's Reign.
  • An alternate universe version of the Superman robots appear in Superman: Red Son #2. These versions are Soviet citizens who were lobotomized and fitted with cybernetic implants as punishment for speaking or acting against the Soviet regime.[12]
  • An alternate universe version of the Superman robots appear in All-Star Superman. These versions are caretakers of the Fortress of Solitude before being killed in a battle with Solaris.[13][14]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Video games

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References

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  1. ^ Action Comics #282 (November 1961)
  2. ^ Roberts, Dan (2014). Famous Robots and Cyborgs: An Encyclopedia of Robots from TV, Film, Literature, Comics, Toys, and More. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781626363892.
  3. ^ Superman #163 (August 1963)
  4. ^ Action Comics #274 (March 1961)
  5. ^ Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #30 (January 1962)
  6. ^ Superman #414 (December 1985)
  7. ^ Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #37 (June 1959)
  8. ^ Action Comics #270 (November 1960)
  9. ^ World's Finest Comics #202 (May 1971)
  10. ^ Weldon, Glen (2013). Superman: The Unauthorized Biography. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 9781118483824.
  11. ^ Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3 (August 2003)
  12. ^ Superman: Red Son #2-3 (July–August 2003)
  13. ^ All-Star Superman #2 (February 2006)
  14. ^ All-Star Superman #9 - #11 (December 2007 - July 2008)
  15. ^ Jahangir, Sharna (March 22, 2017). "Review: Justice League Action S1E21". Dark Knight News. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Robot Voice - Superman: Doomsday (Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 8, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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