Humanoids (Marvel)
The Humanoids are constructs that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Humanoids operated as an advanced, mass-produced army of artificial, non-sentient constructs that were engineered by the brilliant criminal scientist Samuel Sterns, known as the Leader. The Leader designed these specialized synthetic drones to serve as a reliable source of expendable heavy labor and military shock troops to facilitate his attempted coup against the United States government. (Tales to Astonish v1 #63)
The mechanical creations launched a sudden, coordinated assault against an American military compound, successfully drawing the radioactive superhero known as the Hulk into a direct physical ambush. This strategic engagement allowed the Leader to test the operational limits of his synthetic creations, establishing their primary utility as an elite, resilient frontline blockade capable of trapping highly powerful super-beings through raw numbers and specialized defensive engineering. (Tales to Astonish v1 #63)
The Leader had his Humanoids capture Bruce Banner and the X-Men after they became affected from the Gamma Radiation from the Hulk. (Savage Hulk v1 #3)
With the Hulk's allies opposing him, he deployed a number of Humanoids to confront them but they were destroyed by Amadeus Cho due to his gamma enhanced brain allowing him to fire energy blasts from his distorted cranium. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610)
During World War Hulk, General John Ryker came to use Humanoids that he deployed via drone against the Hulk. They were easily defeated by the Green Scar though they were actually designed to introduce a virus to affect the Hulk and reduce his power to allow for the Gamma Corps to fight him. (World War Hulk: Gamma Corps v1 #3)
At some point, the Leader took over the abandoned Hulkbuster Base Omega in New Mexico where he left his Humanoids to guard the installation. Doctor Octopus dispatched members of the Sinister Six on various missions to acquire various pieces of technology for his grand plan. This saw Sandman and Rhino being sent to the Hulkbuster Base where they fought with the Humanoids in order to acquire the item of interest. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #683)
Overview
In appearance, the Humanoids were a genderless artificial race of synthetic constructs whose true forms were tall, bipedal, and non-humanoid plastic entities with highly exaggerated, smooth physical dimensions. They lacked traditional organic skeletons, standard human facial features, or a hair structure, possessing instead a completely bald, oversized round head with a completely featureless face that lacked eyes, a nose, or a mouth. Each construct featured a highly distinctive, flexible physical build wrapped entirely in a vibrant, bright pink rubberized skin coating that possessed a glossy, elastic texture. Their upper torsos were disproportionately wide and thick, featuring broad shoulders that extended down into long, muscular arms that lacked distinct fingers or toes, ending instead in smooth, blunt stubs. The entities did not wear traditional manufactured garments or physical armor pieces, completely eschewing traditional clothing to expose their raw, rubbery pink hides, which seamlessly stretched and deformed to absorb high-impact kinetic trauma during active combat. (Tales to Astonish v1 #63)
The Humanoids were a synthetic polymer-based race of artificial constructs, which naturally granted them the basic mechanical traits of absolute self-sustenance, an absence of physical aging, and a specialized elastic physiology that bypassed conventional mortal weaknesses entirely. Their unique, non-organic biology offered them an absolute immunity to human diseases and gases, though they did not possess direct, innate superhuman strength, independent flight, or autonomous scientific intellect. The constructs operated entirely via remote telepathic commands issued directly from their creator, utilizing a highly advanced cellular elasticity that allowed their bodies to act as a literal kinetic sponge. This specialized material structure allowed individual drones to absorb the full force of high-velocity artillery shells, stretch their limbs around targets to restrict movement, and completely neutralize the catastrophic physical strikes of the Hulk by harmlessly flexing their rubberized skin, though their battlefield efficacy remained strictly bound by the integrity of the Leader's external control signals. (Tales to Astonish v1 #63)
They were described as not being alive but more akin to fighting machines. They were composed of some form of plastic material that made them extremely durable as well as elastic. This meant that most forms of physical attacks were repelled by their bodies and even meant that most forms of projectile weapons bounced off them. In addition to superstrength, their non-living nature meant that they had no need of sustenance or air which allowed them to survive both in the vacuum of space or deep underwater. However, they were ultimately mindless beings that were incapable of speaking but were instead controlled mentally unless the device manipulating them or their controllers concentration was broken. Any such break leads to the Humanoids ceasing their activities and remaining in their position where they remained inert.
They could be deployed on the scene via small capsules that when they shattered on the ground formed a Humanoid. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610)
Notes
- The Humanoids were created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko where they made their first appearance in Tales to Astonish v1 #63 (January, 1965).
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, the Humanoids made their first appearance in the Hulk segment of the animated television series where they feature in the three part episodes "A Titan Rides the Train", "The Horde of Humanoids", "On the Rampage!" A Humanoid was dispatched at first to capture a newly created device made by Bruce Banner with the construct battling the newly emerged Hulk. After failing in its task, the Leader dispatched a group of Humanoids in order to capture the Hulk.
- In Avengers Assemble, the Humanoids appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Avengers No More". They were shown as plastic-based mechanical constructs that served the Leader with physical attacks being useless against them.
Appearances
- Tales to Astonish v1: #62-64 (1965)
- Incredible Hulk v1:
- World War Hulk: Gamma Corps v1:
- Amazing Spider-Man v1:
External Links
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