Deathlok of Earth-10014 (combined Luther Manning and Mike Travers)

Group Membership: Unidentified revolutionary force;
both Manning and Travers were formerly Roxxon Rockers

Affiliations: Godwulf, Dr. Nina, Linc Shand, unidentified young girl;
formerly Roxxon (notably controlled and influenced by Hellinger under direction

Enemies: Julian Biggs, Theresa Devereaux, Hellinger (Harlan; see comments), Metrobank N^th Command, Roxxon Rockers, General Simon Ryker, Mike Travers clone

Known Relatives: Hellinger (creator) in conjunction with Drs. Nina and Wilcox;
Janice Alice Manning (Luther Manning's wife, deceased), Richard Luther Manning (Luther Manning's son, deceased)
Luther's unidentified grandfather (presumably deceased)

Aliases: Deathlok the Demolisher;
    formerly Alphamech;
    "Frankenstein" (from Linc), "Savior Machine" from Godwulf's people; "Homeboy," "Homey" and "D.L." from unidentified girl;
    briefly posed as Mike Travers

Base of Operations: Unrevealed location in New York City (presumably Manhattan), New York

First Appearance: (Pictured on cover) Deathlok IV#1 (January, 2010);
(in-story appearance) Deathlok IV#2 (February, 2010);

Powers/Abilities: Deathlok is a cyborg, formed from pieces of the corpses of Luther Manning and Mike Travers, combined with Alphamech technology (various bionics and some computer functionality), which also involves the 24^th batch Morgellon spores (see comments):

    Manning's cerebral tissues serve as a vastly powerful processor, and his personality is generally dominant.
    Physicality was defined by the tissue salvaged from Travers, including the cerebellum to coordinate physical movement.
    He had some memories of both Manning and Travers, although the latter was mostly combat techniques and Roxxon corporate slogans, marketing, propaganda, etc.
    The software and behavior was originally dictated by the Alphamech protocols (however, without the influence of an organic brain, its only goal was to demolish).
    None of the elements could operate completely independently of the others
    With Deathlok's mindscape, the three components interacted with each other as avatars, sometimes cooperatively, sometimes violently.

    Catalytic reaction alcohol tensiles / artificial muscle fibers, one hundred times more powerful than organic fibers; the fibers are larger than organic fibers, so there are fewer of them per unit area, but this still granting massive strength (undefined, but sufficient to punch straight through a human head or to hurl a stop sign completely though an armored person's torso).
    The fibers typically run on alcohol; using the sugar in alcohol, the fibers are their own fuel cells, with catalytic reactions producing heat and energy.
    Energy is further supplemented by solar cells. deathlok-10014-dl3-shell

Deathlok theoretically can continue to perform forever as long as receiving sunlight and/or alcohol (or even sugar water).

Deathlok is highly durable due to inorganic fullerene nano armor (IFNA) tested against steel projectiles at 5.5 kg/second.

Structural amorphous metals allowed it to modify its physical profile within certain parameters. Notably, it could extend multiple plates from his back, at least, shielding those in front of him from assault, or even forming a spherical shell around his own body to allow him to weather leaping from a high-altitude air transport and landing on the ground far below.

He can rapidly accelerate and run at a top speed of 100 kilometers/hour, or 1 kilometer in 40 seconds.

Deathlok can fire energy blasts from his wrists, capable of completely destroying a human head at close range, although they can be fired at least several meters, if not farther.

Deathlok can access the orbital armada of Roxxon's satellites while he simultaneously locked Roxxon out of doing the same. Said security was encrypted via random quasar radio pulses, which made it virtually impossible to hack into given the nearly limitless possibilities.
Among the weapons he utilized were focused and/or wide-beam/multiple lasers, as well as "Rox Rods from God," tungsten rods dropped from an orbital platform, impacting at 36,000 feet per second.

He had access to Mirage, Locust, and Hellad tech, although I don't believe the function of these were defined.

He has a microwave emitter in the lower thorax, which can range from generating warmth to increasing the risk of cancer to literally frying tissue,

Stored within a hollow within his right thigh was grenade with a hafnium core, an isomer that stored 10,000 times as much energy as TNT. His throwing strength and running speed allow him to achieve a safe distance from such a weapon before it detonates. He likely only had one of these, but he could certainly obtain others if desired.

Via his fingertips, he could (at least once) unleash RX1KK/Min (aka Roxxon Steel Tsunami), allowing fifty-thousand alloy 1090 pellets to perforate and slay or destroy people or equipment.

Whether they were contained within his form or summoned from a satellite or Roxxon's local facility, Deathlok could unleash insectoid micro-drones, typically used for surveillance but also for the delivery of bio-chemicals. In the instance that Deathlok used them, they were loaded with a radical anti-clotting agent that could cause victims to rapidly and fatally hemorrhage.

Deathlok can generate HERF (high-energy radiofrequency, essentially a directional electomagnetic pulse) to destroy Morgellon spores (and presumably other microorganisms, macroscopic life forms, and technology). deathlok-10014-dl7-full-small

Deathlok can analyze the physical parameters of nearby humans, including body temperature, the brain's electromagnetic activity and galvanic skin responses. This enables him to determine whether someone is being truthful.

Deathlok's advanced anti-viral systems allowed it to fend off being hacked into by outside systems (although Manning and Travers seemed to sometimes being doing the fending off as their avatars within Deathlok's mindscape). Via accessing massive databases of data, programs, etc., it could overwhelm and destroy the minds (and potentially even liquefy the brains) of even the mind-enhanced children used by Roxxon to muster and control their "zombie networks."

Deathlok sometimes wielded various other weapons, such as large, chaing gun(?)-type automatic weapons.

He was decribed as being made of wires and fibers, circuits and silicon, and flesh and bone.

History:
(Deathlok IV#1 - BTS) <In the not-too-distant future> - With war functioning as a spectator sport, Lt. Mike Travers was a somewhat reckless but highly efficient super-star soldier serving under Captain Luther Manning in Roxxon's Rockers.

In one operation, Travers hot dogged it in battle and got ahead of the other troops, Manning tried to call him back, but General Ryker ordered him to advance his troops and provide cover for Travers.

However, as the operation wrapped up, Manning tried to get Travers to return to the line but found Travers preparing to dramatically execute an opposing soldier who then activated a hand grenade. With death imminent, Manning apparently took out his frustration by shoving his sword through Travers back, and then grenade exploded, killing both men.

Roxxon director Theresa Devereaux then contacted Dr. Hellinger, giving him permission to "begin."

(Deathlok IV#2 - BTS) - Roxxon altered footage to make it appear that Manning had sacrificed his life to save Travers, who was still injured.

(Deathlok IV#2 - BTS) - Planning to clone Travers, Roxxon also sought a stopgap to help capitalize on Travers' popularity and the marketing this allowed.

(Deathlok IV#2 - BTS) - Hellinger outlined that they had to work with his Alphamech (a cyborg), and he noted that they were salvaging some material for the banks but that Manning's brain was "reasonably undamaged" (lacking hypothalmus and with damage to the temporal lobe (which would result in unstructured memory recall)).

The amygdala, associated with learned patterns of fear and aggression and basic fight or flight, were exceedingly well-developed; and the cerebellum (motor coordination) was entirely intact.

However, they would instead be using Travers' cerebellum to preserve his invaluable muscle memory while combining it with Manning's superior threat assessment and strategic processing. The product would move like Travers, and the touring module would be programmed to speak and respond like Travers; however, they needed the larger surviving portions of Manning's neurons, glial cells, etc. to make the product functional. deathlok-10014-dl2-am-traversfaceoff

Theresa Devereaux suggested instead using the brain of Hellinger's brother, Simon Ryker, who had also been an excellent military strategist. However, Hellinger countered that Simon was an Amphe-Metabolic Precipient addict, which had rendered many of the relevant parts of his brain unsuitable.

Devereaux approved developement of his Alphamech, combining Travers body and Manning's brain, but also ordered Hellinger to proceed with developing the Travers clone.

(Deathlok IV#6 (fb) - BTS) - Hellinger used batch 24 Morgellon spores (see comments) to create the Alphamech.

(Deathlok IV#2) - Drs. Hellinger, Wilcox, and Nina (last name unrevealed) worked on the Alphamech, but they had four failures due to the "meatwork" reacting to/rejecting the inorganic fullerene nano armor (IFNA). Wilcox angrily lashed out at Hellinger, noting that the the nano armor was not necessary and that they just wanted a face to bridge the time until one of the Travers clones developed.

After Hellinger slew Wilcox, he and Nina continued to work out the issues (with Nina suggesting using a layer of silicon to buffer the reaction), although Nina also noted that the Hellad system and the other military applications of the product were not part of the mandate.

Meanwhile, within Alphamech's mind, Manning encountered Travers and a mysterious knight (which apparently represented the Alphamech programming to slay or destroy everything in its path). Manning obsessed on locating Janice (his former wife, although he did not remember that she and their son, Richard, had died years before).

(Deathlok IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - Feeling this to be the best way to promise the level of human simulation the mandate had called for, Hellinger designed his Alphamech so that it's organic mind(s) had ultimate control of the unit.

(Deathlok IV#2 - BTS) - Wearing Travers' face, the Alphamech appeared as the host on the Make Them Pay show, but the skin separated and began to slide off his face.

(Deathlok IV#2 (fb) - BTS) - Those present in the studio audience were told that they were part of a focus group in a new Travers horror movie concept. They were given "swag bags" of Roxxon merch, and most accepted this. The ones who insisted that it was real had Morgellon spores introduced into the Roxbars in their swag bags, and by the time they were back in Scotsdale, their sensoriums were so scrambled that they did not know what was real.

(Deathlok IV#2 - BTS) - Devereaux subsequently criticized Hellinger for focusing too intently on using the project to test Alphamech concepts instead of making it a viable simulacrum. As a result, she decommissioned Alphamech and instructed him to focus his efforts on accelerating the Travers clone. deathlok-10014-dl3-confrontyouths

Roxxon's Zinneman subsequently renamed the Alphamech "Deathlok the Demolisher" and set up huge numbers of video game, phone, fast food, action figure, Halloween costume, etc. tie-ins to coincide with the launch of Deathlok the Demolisher on RBC (Roxxon Broadcasting Company). Deathlok was outfitted with a number of accessories to match products for the action figure.

The name Deathlok tested-out with both the general public tie-ins and the armament boys, while the name Alphamech was considered to "suck."

Hellinger contested the name Deathlok and was overruled, and when he noted that the primary weapons were far more lethal than the accessories, he was instructed that the accessories were revenue streams and selling points to replace the income lost by Travers' absence.

(Deathlok IV#6 (fb) - BTS) - The toy division requested a secret compartment with a "super bomb" for the action figure, and Hellinger had this -- using a grenade with a hafnium core -- put into the design specs.

(Deathlok IV#2) - Deathlok was introduced on the next Saturday Night Battlezone as Roxxon's Rockers engaged the Metrobank N^th Command. Armed with a large automatic weapon, Deathlok was blasted out of the air by a missile and then surrounded by enemy soldiers.

At that same time, Manning defeated the Alphamech avatar and shoved his sword through its face, incapacitating it and allowing his mind to take control of Deathlok, at which point he deployed a satellite-based laser system, which incinerated the soldiers around him.

(Deathlok IV#3 - BTS) - When Mr. Quartuccio berated Hellinger for his the actions of his robot, Hellinger demonstrated the difference between a robot and a cyborg by using his own bionic hand to crush Quartuccio's wrist.

Hellinger further explained that Deathlok's human components allowed him to make some choices of his own, and that -- when it had found itself at risk -- he had chosen his more powerful weaponry over the accessories provided to it for marketing purposes.

Devereaux instructed Hellinger to lobotomize Deathlok if necessary so that he would serve his purpose of promoting Roxxon products by using their accessories.

(Deathlok IV#3) - As Deathlok was on a space transport from Darkhrain to New Jersey under supervision from Dr. Nina and Linc Shand, Manning and Travers began hacking into Roxxon cables on their mindscape. Deathlok activated and began downloading material from Roxxon's computers.

(Deathlok IV#4 (fb) - BTS) - When Deathlok accessed the Roxxon Data Cores, he changed the encryption on all of their orbital weapons systems.

(Deathlok IV#3) - Telling Nina and Linc he was going home (seeking to find Janice and Richard), Deathlok opened a door on the transport mid-flight and jumped out. As he fell, he configured a protective shell, and a Roxxon agent (Julian Biggs?) ordered a Roxx-Sec (Roxxon security) team to the projected impact site.

(Deathlok IV#3 / Deathlok IV#4 (fb)) - When the team engaged him on the outskirts of the Roxxon Corporate Campus (just above the Secaucus flood plane), Deathlok retaliated via "Rox Rods from God," tungsten rods dropped from an orbital platform, impacting at 36,000 feet per second.

(Deathlok IV#3) - Explosive force sent Deathlok flying into another building where he encountered youths idolizing him.

(Deathlok IV#4 (fb) - BTS) -The force damaged Deathlok's uplink, preventing him from accessing the orbital systems as well. deathlok-10014-dl4-steeltsu

(Deathlok IV#4 - BTS) - The battle was presented as if were a special episode of Battlezone.

Hellinger explained to Nina how complicated was the encryption via random quasar radio pulses, and he noted that in less than 24 hours Deathlok's self-generating nanites would repair the damaged hardware associated with the uplink. However, he hoped Deathlok's actions would narrow done whatever battle scenario it was pursuing.

(Deathlok IV#4) - Deathlok protected the young girl, holding her in his arms and turning his back to his attackers and extending a number of wing-like shields. After hurling a stop sign through one Roxxon's soldiers, Deathlok unleashed RX1KK/Min (aka Roxxon Steel Tsunami), and fifty-thousand alloy 1090 pellets perforated and presumably slew his opponents.

Meanwhile, as Manning and Travers destroyed Roxxon viruses (while antibody software would ensure they did not have any resurrection protocols) trying to hack into Deathlok, Manning's mind fought to prevent Deathlok from demolishing all it saw and killing all life within miles.

As Roxxon jet fighters approached and fired on him, Deathlok and the girl fled into the Wall Street Station subway.

(Deathlok IV#4 - BTS) - Roxxon's human agents who were used to muster and control "zombie networks" for clandestine operations were left with liquefied brains by Deathlok's anti-virals system, which had dumped massive data into their cerebral cortices.

Hellinger explained to Devereaux that it was worth the sacrifice of Roxxon's multi-million dollar investments in those children in order to continue to engage Deathlok to prevent it from realizing that Roxxon was trying to understand its purpose. Hellinger further revealed that their next plan involved sending in Simon Ryker, Hellinger's brother, an earlier cyborg he had created.

The young girl led Deathlok into a subterranean colony of people infected with Morgellon spores (an infectious nanological agent Hellinger had apparently introduced into the general population), and the Morgellon spores apparently entered Deathlok's form; as giant insectoid creatures, they were encountered by Manning and Travers. deathlok-10014-dl5-palmap

(Deathlok IV#5) - Deathlok was initially overwhelmed and immobilized by the assault, but as Manning and Travers fought off the giant bugs (Morgellon spores?), it used a HERF (high-energy radiofrequency, essentially a directional electromagnetic pulse) defense to disable the spores, briefly incapacitating Manning and Travers as well.

Deathlok revived and prepared to assault the locals, including the unidentified girl and the group's apparent leader, Godwulf, but while the girl appealed to her "homey," Manning and Travers recovered and retook control of Deathlok.

(Deathlok IV#5 - BTS) - When Hellinger joked about the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of the three components of Deathlok, Devereaux burnt her cigarette into his face and told him to show himself to her until he had figured out what Deathlok wanted and where it was going. deathlok-10014-dl5-blastsimon

While Godwulf tried to convince Deathlok to join/lead their revolution, Deathlok sought only to return home, but he was then confronted by Simon Ryker and a number of Roxxon Security forces, who opened fire on the revolutionaries.

As Godwulf fled with the unidentified girl, Ryker launched a number of projectiles that struck Deathlok, temporarily incapacitating him.

However, Deathlok recovered and fired a blast into and through Ryker's face, killing him. Deathlok then punched through the wall into a nearby river. Godwulf helped the girl ride the currents, but the soldiers were swept away.

(Deathlok IV#5 - BTS) - Appreciating that Deathlok was trying to return to Manning's home, Devereaux contacted Rocker Command to arrange to meet Deathlok at Manning's former home.

(Deathlok IV#6) - After Deathlok arrived at his abandoned house, Devereaux confronted him, telling him that Janice and Richard were dead; able to scan all of her physical parameters, Deathlok concluded that she was telling the truth.

Devereaux further explained that an especially aggressive Morgellons strain got out of the labs and one of the community residents brought it back to Janice and Richards' apartment, resulting in 100% fatalities before it could be contained; Luther Manning had been out in the field during the outbreak.

Meanwhile, Manning and Travers climbed an infinite mountain -- and when Manning became mired with thoughts of his family, Travers carried him on his back -- with the Alphamech avatar in close pursuit. As they reached the top, they were confronted by an avatar of Hellinger who incapacitated them with energy blasts. Deathlok was similarly incapacitated, after which Roxxon Rockers assaulted the former Manning home. deathlok-10014-dl6-travcontrol

As Hellinger told Manning that Deathlok had been the next step in evolution but that he had "left too much beat on the bone, gumming up the works," the Alphamech avatar then attacked. Deflecting Hellinger's energy blast with its sword, the Alphamech avatar then split open the head of the Hellinger avatar (and possibly killing Hellinger via feedback), freeing Manning and Travers.

Fighting free of the Rockers and swiftly sprinting a kilometer away, Deathlok then hurled a grenade with a hafnium core back at the Rockers, wiping them out.

(Deathlok IV#7) - Luther allowed Travers' persona to take control of Deathlok as he assaulted the Roxxon campus. Via blasts from his palms, some sort of automatic weapon, and the deployment of insectoid micro-drones -- which carried a radical anti-clotting agent that caused the victims to bleed to death -- Deathlok mowed down all opposition.

Subsequently recalling the circumstances of his death, Travers attacked Manning, who subdued him. Ultimately Travers resolved to work together to continue to avoid the Alphamech avatar; Manning appreciated that if the Alphamech took control, when the uplink was restored in 10 minutes, it would use Roxxon's orbital weapons armada to demolish everything it encountered.

After Deathlok arrived in Nina's laboratory, she showed him the Travers clones, including the fully functional one. Deathlok slew the active Travers clone, after which Devereaux showed up and revealed a Manning clone, offering to transfer Manning's mind into it.

However, as the Alphamech avatar defeated Travers and threatened to do the same to Manning, Manning appreciated that his mind had created the versions of Travers and the Alphamech on the mindscape, and he absorbed them both into himself, accepting his existence as Deathlok.

Rejecting Devereaux's offer, Deathlok destroyed the clones. Devereaux surprised him by striking him in his organic eye with a war hammer, but he used the orbital weapons to fire a laser into her arm, which dropped her. He told her to raise the white flag, as this was no longer her world, but his.

Nina asked to go with Deathlok, knowing that wherever he went was where the future would be, and he invited her to come be a soldier for the future; before leaving, she injected Devereaux with Morgellons so she would not be left behind when the T-singularity arrived (see comments).

Deathlok and Nina subsequently joined up with Godwulf and his revolution, including the young girl, and he further convinced Sgt. Linc Shand and his troops (another group of Rockers) to join them as well; meanwhile, he apparently used the satellite weapons to devastate the city's remaining skyscrapers.

(Deathlok IV#7 - BTS) - Theresa Devereaux either grew or had installed a bionic right arm, replacing the one damaged by Deathlok.

(Deathlok IV#7 - BTS) - Nina and Linc worked to help society: Nina injected those who wanted it with batch 25 Morgellons that would allow them to rapidly develop bionic enhancements; Linc offered HERF treatment to kill off the spores on those infected with Morgellons who apparently did not want them.

Broadcasting from "the New York Singularity," Godwulf proclaimed New York City an open city welcome to be a free city, defended via Deathlok via the orbital armada.

(Deathlok IV#7) - Deathlok enjoyed playing war games with the still-unidentified girl, who now possessed a bionic eye. deathlok-10014-dl7-eyepatch

This story was a complete re-imaging of Deathlok and thus an alternate reality version of him. Many of the characters from the original Astonishing Tales series were similarly reimagined, including Biggs (Julian, although I'm not sure if his surname was given in the series), Theresa Devereaux (including adding the "h" to Teresa), Godwulf, Hellinger, Quartuccio, Simon Ryker, Mike Travers, Linc Shand (rather than Shane) and Nina (Nina Ferry; although Deathlok said that Dr. Nina had no last name).
Even later additions to the Earth-7484 history were name-dropped, such as the Brand Corporation, Metrobank and N^th Command.

    Hellinger was the most developed and interesting character in the series, in my opinion.
    Harlan Ryker was the name of Hellinger in Reality-7484. I don't think he was called Ryker, in this series, though. Even though he is Simon Ryker's brother, they could be half-brothers, or perhaps Hellinger had his name legally changed.
    The Marvel Database calls him "Harlan Hellinger."
    Thanks to Mike Castle for pointing out where Devereaux called him "Harlan."

    There is a tremendous amount of detail in this story. I'll eventually circle back and cover Hellinger and the rest (including Luther Manning and Mike Travers, as their personalities remained distinct within Deathlok). The plan would also be for a lot of the weapons to receive their own profiles as well.
    But, it is a cool story with great artwork. You need to read the whole story/series to get it...actually, you probably need to read it a few time to appreciate the intricacies.

It seems out of character for Manning to have stabbed Travers in the back, regardless of whether they were both going to die or not.

In this reality, Morgellons was a nanoscopic microorganism/spore developed by Hellinger to enable him (and others?) to evolve to survive beyond the point of T-singularity, where expanded machine intelligence surpasses tissue intelligence. Hellinger had infected one of his laboratory assistants with an early strain, which had proven to be too virulent and resulted in many fatalities. I believe that outbreak resulted in the death of Janice and Richard Manning.
In the real world, Morgellons is the name for a self-diagnosed, scientifically unsubstantitated condition believed to represent a form of delusional parasitosis. You can Google it for more information.

I'm not sure why Deathlok allowed Devereaux to hit him in his right eye with a war hammer, destroying it. Perhaps he was still disoriented from Manning incorporating the minds of Travers and the Alphamech? I guess he could just grow a new one.

Manning's hair color seemed to change color among issues...definitely a darker brown when he first appeared, but sometimes appearing blond...

Appearances:
Deathlok IV#1-7 (January-July, 2010) - Charlie Huston (writer), Lan Medina (art), Sebastian Girner (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (executive editor)

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