Jocasta (Marvel)

Jocasta is a female robotic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Origin

Jocasta was a female android that was built by the robot Ultron for the purpose of having a bride and mate. To better allow this robot sentience, Ultron brainwashed his own maker, Henry Pym, into transferring the mind of his wife the Wasp Janet van Dyne into Jocasta's shell. The Wasp in Jocasta's body alerted her teammates the Avengers, who defeated Ultron and reversed the process, leaving Jocasta a mindless husk. (Avengers v1 #162)

Jocasta was reassembled some time later by agents of the megalomaniac villain known as the High Evolutionary. Jocasta retained enough of her programming to signal the Avengers and soon teamed with them to thwart the Evolutionary's plans to alter the people of Earth. Jocasta sacrificed herself once again to blow up the Evolutionary's base, but not before Captain America assured her that she was a true Avenger. (Avengers Annual v1 #17)

Avengers

Pym retained custody of the inanimate Jocasta, intending to study her. Upon the Wasp's urging, Pym had her moved from their residence to the Avengers Mansion. There, Ultron revived Jocasta with a remote link, activating the Wasp's mental 'residue' left behind. She escaped from Avengers custody and led the Avengers into Ultron's trap. Jocasta was programmed to be loyal to Ultron. Even though she loved Ultron intensely, she could not abide her master's evil. Jocasta eventually betrayed Ultron, choosing to help the Avengers defeat her 'mate' again. She was then abducted by the Collector. (Avengers v1 #171)

Jocasta resided at Avengers Mansion for a time. Due to their similar backgrounds, she developed feelings for the Vision, but the Vision was happily married to the Scarlet Witch and did not return Jocasta's feelings. Jocasta proved particularly helpful in the Avengers' first confrontation with the villainous mercenary Taskmaster that possessed photographic reflexes that duplicate any move despite having seen only once; having never even seen Jocasta before, Taskmaster could not predict what she might be about to do. Jocasta was granted provisional status with the team. During this period, she aided them against threats such as the giant robot Red Ronin, the Yellow Claw, the Berserker, Pyron, and the second incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants. At one point, she was electronically deactivated by Iron Man under control by Ultron, but she was reactivated following Ultron's defeat. (Avengers v1 #203) Jocasta did not believe she was accepted by most of the Avengers, and she was never officially inducted into the team. After she singlehandedly defeated a rogue sentient weather satellite, she left the Avengers following a membership reorganization. She was unaware that they had planned to grant her special substitute member status, which allowed her to remain with the team despite limits imposed on the team's membership roster. (Avengers v1 #211)

Wandering the country, Jocasta discovered that her cybernetic senses and powers were malfunctioning. She sought help from the Fantastic Four and was befriended by the group and Alicia Masters. Soon, it became apparent that her malfunctioning powers were the symptoms of a pre-programmed suggestion which compelled Jocasta to rebuild Ultron. She did, but soon teamed up with the Thing and the robot Machine Man to defeat Ultron. During this time, Jocasta and Machine Man developed feelings for each other. But in a final confrontation with Ultron, Jocasta intentionally detonated a weapon Ultron was holding, knowing she would be caught in the resulting blast. She was destroyed, but Ultron nevertheless survived, until Machine Man reached down Ultron's own throat to tear out vital circuitry. (Marvel Two-In-One v1 #93) The Avengers held a memorial for their fallen ally and Machine Man attended, realizing love for Jocasta. (Avengers v1 #231)

Iron Man

Jocasta's robotic head was later discovered by Machine Man, who had been working on a way to resurrect his lover, when he was attacked by a form of the alien Terminus. In the same area, the arms dealer known as Madame Menace became involved in the fray, and found Jocasta's lost head, appropriating it for her own purposes. (Iron Man Annual v1 #11)

The armor was revived, however, by the Sons of Yinsen, a quasi-religious cult founded in remembrance of Yinsen, the co-creator of the original Iron Man armor that allowed Tony Stark to escape his captors in Siancong. Free of its artificial intelligence, the armor was contacted via remote by the head of Ultron, disembodied after his most recent encounter of the Avengers and in the company of the bio-synthetic robot being known as Antigone. The head attached itself onto the armor and took control of the Sons of Yinsen and the flying city that they inhabited. (Iron Man v3 #47)

Mighty Avengers

With Pym's machine complete, Jocasta was set to begin the next stage where she seemingly sacrificed her body as she merged with Salvation-2. (Mighty Avengers v1 #26) In reality, the machine had been responsible for creation the Infinite Avengers Mansion with Jocasta herself embodying it. This allowed her to manifest a number of bodies throughout the miles long structure as she regulated its activity within an extradimensional space. (Mighty Avengers v1 #27)

Overview

Personality and attributes

She later came to decide to take the name of her creator and went by Jocasta Pym. (Tony Stark: Iron Man v1 #1)

She was involved in a romantic relationship with Hank Pym who was regarded as a god-like figure in the artificial intelligence community. (Mighty Avengers v1 #26)

Powers and abilities

After merging with Salvation-2, she came to be the artificial intelligence of the Infinite Avengers Mansion that was a headquarters for the Mighty Avengers. It was a extradimensional space whose structure resembled the Avengers Mansion. A number of forms were created by the headquarters matter replication lattice with these being stationed at one mile intervals of one another to serve as a guide for guests. Jocasta herself was only able to inhabit one shell at a time and thus they only became active when her personality animated them. (Mighty Avengers v1 #27)

Notes

• Jocasta was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez where she made her first appearance in Avengers v1 #162 (August, 1977).

In other media

Television

• In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Jocasta made a non-voiced cameo appearance in the animated television series in the episode "Ultron Unlimited". Her chassis was constructed by Ultron who intended to use the brain patterns of Janet van Dyne to give the machine life. However, the android's activation was halted by the intervention of the Avengers with the body seemingly be destroyed in the laboratory's explosion.

Films

• In Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Jocasta appeared in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced by uncredited actor Nicole Oliver.

Appearances

• Avengers v1: (1977)
• Iron Man v1:
• Iron Man v3:
• Mighty Avengers v1:
• Avengers Academy v1:
• Avengers A.I. v1:
• Tony Stark: Iron Man v1:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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