Quasimodo (Marvel)
Quasimodo is an artificial intelligence comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organ was a highly advanced computer system created by the Mad Thinker at his hidden laboratory in the Mojave Desert in California. Originally, the machine was developed to understand emotions but was capable of feeling them as well. These led to the machine desiring to be free and live a life similar to living men. The Mad Thinker refused but did decide to humanise his creation by giving him the name Quasimodo. Despite that, Quasimodo would request for a body for himself and even offered to be of greater help in his maker's schemes. Each time, the Mad Thinker would refuse and even punish Quasimodo for his requests. Later on, the Mad Thinker had the super-intelligent computer involved in a complex plan to defeat the Fantastic Four. This involved the reactivation of the Human Torch android where a destruct system was placed within him. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
As Quasimodo was displeased with his static hardware, the Thinker promised Quasimodo a better, more attractive humanoid body if he was successful. When the plan was unsuccessful, the Torch disabled and the Thinker escaped, Quasimodo was abandoned. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
Quasimodo was originally a computer created by the Mad Thinker in his laboratory in California's Mojave Desert, and later abandoned by him.<ref>Fantastic Four Annual #4</ref> The computer was later discovered by the Silver Surfer. Feeling pity for Quasimodo's desire to be human, the Surfer gave him a partly organic, semi-humanoid cyborg body. Quasimodo became enraged by his feeling of inferiority compared to the Silver Surfer's more perfect body, and battled the Silver Surfer. He was ultimately rendered immobile by the Surfer.<ref>Fantastic Four Annual #5</ref>
Quasimodo eventually regained his mobility. He attempted a takeover of Cape Canaveral's computer systems, and battled Captain Marvel.<ref>Captain Marvel #7</ref> Quasimodo next attempted to steal the Beast's life-force as part of an effort to make himself more human.<ref>Amazing Adventures #14</ref>
Despite the fall, he survived where in the ensuing weeks his circuits repaired him and he came to rethink his goals. He no longer intended to become human and instead sought control of the world. Thus, he attempted to dominate the planet's computer system's by merging with them and created Automatoids to disguise themselves as humans to aid him in his operations. Their activity later drew the attention of Spider-Man and Hawkeye with the two heroes later being captured. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #22)
Quasimodo then employed an Iron Man robot in a scheme to tap the energy of the Baxter Building to regain his mobility. He stole a spacecraft from the Fantastic Four and used it to attempt to travel to a Xandarian power source.<ref>Fantastic Four #202</ref>
Quasimodo's intellect was beamed back to the Earth, where he took refuge in a deactivated computer system in Khystym, Russia. He allied with the Dire Wraiths against the Galadorian Spaceknight Rom. Quasimodo projected his "mental essence" into Rom's armor. Another Spaceknight, Brandy Clark (the second Starshine) drove Quasimodo's essence from Rom's armor, and he became trapped in a Soviet computer system.<ref>Rom #42-43</ref> Quasimodo was later driven out of the Earth computer system by the Vision, and his consciousness was expelled into space.<ref>Avengers #253</ref>
Through unknown means, Quasimodo returned to Earth and set up shop at a base in Cuba as seen in the Dark Reign storyline. It was here that he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. who was assisted by the mercenary Mainframe at the behest of Norman Osborn. Quasimodo then entered Norman Osborn's service as an analyst, compiling dossiers on numerous superhumans with most of the dossiers being about the known supervillains
Overview
Personality and attributes
Originally, the Mad Thinker named him the Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organ but at the request of his creation he agreed to humanise him by calling him Quasimodo. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
Though a machine, he was said to be capable of reason and compute feelings. He stated that he only wished to taste life by experiencing emotions and the sensations of living men. Quasimodo was taught to think and understand but was also able to feel emotions. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
After his creation, Quasimodo felt imprisoned within the mechanical shell of his computer and longed to be free. As such, came to quickly desire a living body for himself. As such, he often petitioned his maker the Mad Thinker to provide him one. The Mad Thinker would refuse but did allow the electrons of the entity to shape the form of a virtual face. Despite that, Quasimodo still requested for a human form but the Mad Thinker refused as he stated that as a computer the entity was simply a machine and nothing more. In time, the Mad Thinker came to regret humanising Quasimodo by giving him a name. In fact, he would demand that his creation stop thinking like a person. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
For a time, he came to abandon his desire to become truly human and instead looked to control the world. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #22)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Quasimodo was an entity that was housed within a highly advanced computer system created by the Mad Thinker. At the time of his creation, Quasimodo was deemed to be the crowning achievement of his creator. In that time, his maker allowed the entity to shape his electrons to form a virtual face for himself. The Mad Thinker used to a discipline beam to punish Quasimodo whenever he disobeyed his master. Though housed in a computer, Quasimodo was capable of influencing machines using his 'eye'. Nothing was said to be capable of moving faster than the electronic calculator. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4)
Quasimodo's artificial body, along with being cosmic-powered and semi-organic, provide him with superhuman strength, stamina, and protection from physical and energy damage. He has fought hand to hand with the Vision who has shown strength sufficient to lift 50 tons. Quasimodo's self-repairing circuitry is capable of repairing any defect in its artificial structure, given time. He can survive without food or air and is immune to disease.
Quasimodo's mind has superhuman memory, the capacity for continuous activity, and he is able to process information and make calculations faster and more accurately than ordinary human beings.
His left eye can fire a deadly force beam with equivalent explosive force of 100lb of TNT at a range of 100m. It was claimed that nothing could survive the power of his Destruct Eye. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #22)
Quasimodo can also project his consciousness with an interplanetary range into other computer systems and control them. He has demonstrated the ability to survive without a body and to collect himself even after his mind has been seemingly erased or scattered on an interplanetary level.
Quasimodo is skilled in a number of sciences, electronic data collection, and breaching computer security systems.
He had made a number of creations during his existence that included:
- Automatoids : bipedal robots that could pass themselves off as human and conduct criminal operations for him. As machines, they did not sweat and tended to be exact copies of another. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #22)
- Cybertrons : as Computo, Quasimodo created a new generation of cybernetic servants called the Cybertrons. These humanoid shaped beings could possess individual superpowers such as firing ultrasonic energy or thermal hands capable of burning any matter with these operatives being deployed on assignments to serve their creator. Though mechanical, they possessed electronic brains with telepaths capable of detecting some psychic emanations from them. When inactive, they were placed in electronic hibernation where they resided in organic-like pods within the hive. This was until cybernetic agents were needed whereupon reviva-ways were used to reactivate a unit. Ultra-high frequency radio waves bombarded these automatons to bring them new life as they were re-energised. Perfection was expected from Cybertrons and failure was not tolerated with those failing tasks being destroyed so that their parts could be used in creating a newer better Cybertron. (X-Men v1 #48)
Notes
- Quasimodo was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Fantastic Four Annual v1 #4 (November, 1966).
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Fantastic Four Annual v1: (1966)
- X-Men v1:
- Marvel Team-Up v1:
- Totally Awesome Hulk v1:
- Iron Man 2020 v1:
External Links
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