Sleepers (Marvel)
The Sleepers are robots that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
The Sleepers were a number of robots that were created by scientists from Nazi Germany in order to serve as powerful weapons of destructions and were designed in Berlin. It was said that the Sleepers were all creations of the Red Skull. (Tales of Suspense v1 #72) They were based on attempts by the Nazi's reverse-engineer the Serpent's version of the Destroyer. However, they lacked the wisdom of Skadi that would have helped them create something similar to the weapon. Thus, the Sleepers were only pale limitations to the true engine of fear. (Fear Itself: The Fearless v1 #10)
They were intended to carry on the legacy of the Red Skull in case Germany was defeated in World War II and each of the three robots had agents assigned to them to awaken them at a designated time. Their task was to combine with one another to form a single giant flying machine with the task of tunneling into the Earth and explode in order to destroy the world. The intention was to destroy the planet as the Red Skull vowed that if he could not conquer the planet then he would destroy it. At some point, the Sleepers were all entombed within crypts that were sunken into the sea.
At some point, they came to buried in sites around Germany where they were programmed to awaken during the Der Tag (Translation: The Day). (Tales of Suspense v1 #72)
Near the end of the war, the Red Skull was seemingly killed in a fight against Captain America where he told his arch-foe that the Sleepers would continue on his work. (Tales of Suspense v1 #72)
After World War II, Nazi agents were tasked with reactivating the Sleepers at certain times in specific European villages. The first Sleeper was awakened by Von Kimmer, the second by Erica Wolfmann and the third by Schlag. After being released, the three machines fused into a gigantic robot that took a course north. However, they were sabotaged by Captain America who parachuted onto the flying robot and caused it to explode over the Atlantic.
Famed spies Richard Parker and Mary Parker managed to stop a fascist horde that was seeking to recover Nazi gold in Cairo that was being guarded by a Sleeper. Mr. Parker managed to successfully seal the Sleeper to prevent it from harming anyone whereby a DNA lock was placed on it so that only those with his DNA could open the 'tomb' otherwise any attempt would awaken the robot slumbering at the site. (Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business v1 #1)
In the modern day, Wilson Fisk learnt of the gold in Cairo and how it was guarded by the Sleeper coded to the Parkers. This led him to crafting an elaborate plot with the aid of Mentallo whereby they telepathically manipulated CIA agent Teresa Durand into believing she was Teresa Parker; the brother of Peter Parker. This was in order to get him to Cairo and use his DNA to trick the lock into opening so that they could plunder the tomb whilst the Sleeper went on a rampage. (Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business v1 #1)
By the modern age, selected Nazi agents were sent to designated sites in order to awaken the Sleepers. (Tales of Suspense v1 #72)
Sin after being freed by the Department of Occult Armaments used occult knowledge she gained from her time as an agent of the Serpent in order to create a powerful Sleeper machine. She came to believe that the Serpent intended to use the Hammers of the Worthy to power the Sleepers and acquired all the captured Hammers which she fused into a single Sleeper. Sin later transferred her mind into the robot and began using its powers to destroy Earth but she was defeated by Valkyrie who destroyed the robot which in turn sent Sin back into her own body.
Overview
In appearance, the Sleepers were a series of war machines that came in a variety of forms and shapes. (Tales of Suspense v1 #72)
These mechanical robotic horrors were said to be akin to modern day Sentinels but had far more simplistic though more destructive programming namely to destroy or protect certain targets. (Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business)
The Red Skull installed a voice command failsafe system allowing those with the password to shut down a Sleeper in case they ever went rogue. The also possessed a self-destruct mechanism within them that blew themselves up in case they were badly damaged. (Black Widow and the Marvel Girls v1 #3)
Members
- First Sleeper :
- Second Sleeper :
- Third Sleeper :
- Fourth Sleeper :
- Fifth Sleeper :
- Thera : a Mother Sleeper robot that resembled a human woman but was programmed to construct more of its kind using available technology around her. (Black Widow and the Marvel Girls v1 #3)
- Final Sleeper : the ultimate Sleeper designed to re-create the Destroyer and be a weapon capable of destroying the world. (Fear Itself: The Fearless v1 #10)
Notes
- The Sleepers were created by Stan Lee and Don Heck where they made their first appearance in Tales of Suspense v1 #72 (December, 1965).
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, the Sleepers appeared in the animated television series Captain America segment in the episode "Episode 11: The Sleeper Shall Awake, Where Walks the Sleeper, The Final Sleep". The three Sleepers were first mentioned by the Red Skull before his apparent demise in World War II where he warns Captain America that twenty years later that his revenge would come by the awakening of the Sleepers. In the storyline, the three robots become unleashed by Nazi agents before they were defeated by Captain America.
- In X-Men, a Sleeper appeared in the 1990s animated television series in the episode "Old Soldiers". They were shown in a flashback where Wolverine helped Captain America in an attack on one of the Red Skull's castles. During the confrontation, the Red Skull unleashes one of the Sleeper robots against the pair.
- In Spider-Man, robots resembling the Sleepers appeared in the 1990s animated television series in the episode "Six Forgotten Warriors" saga. The Red Skull created the Sleepers to protect his doomsday weapon but were defeated by the Six Warriors, Kingpin and the Insidious Six. They were reactivated once by by Electro during an attack on the United Nations but were defeated once more by the Six Warriors.
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Sleepers appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Winter Soldier". Agents of the Red Skull began activating the gigantic Sleepers that hold a HYDRA stamp on their chests which Winter Soldier attempts to destroy but fails to do so. An attack by one of these robots allows the Red Skull to escape prison and he later unites six of the machines with his skull-shaped command ship thus creating a gigantic robot that intends to destroy the Capitol building in Washington DC that the Avengers battle. It was only sabotage from Winter Soldier and Captain America from within the Sleeper that defeats it and ends up destroying it.
- In Avengers Assemble, the Sleepers appeared in the animated television series starting in the fourth season "Secret Wars" in the episode "The Sleeper Awakens". They were a range of robots of varying designs created by the Red Skull that included his Skullbots, Skulldrones and the gigantic Omega Skullbots that were all controlled by the artificial intelligence known as Skullnet. Skullnet determined that it was superior to its creator and rebelled forcing the Red Skull to call upon the aid of the Avengers. With their aid, he managed to destroy Skullnet whereupon he took control of the Omega Skullbots in order to devastate Paris but he was defeated by the Avengers.
Video games
- In Captain America: Super Soldier, the Sleepers appeared in the setting of the video game tie-in to he live-action film. They were shown as being creations of unknown origins beneath Castle Zemo which Baron Zemo the 12th along with his ancestors had been digging out for years.
Appearances
- Tales of Suspense v1: (1965)
- Captain America v1:
- Black Widow and the Marvel Girls v1:
- Fear Itself: The Fearless v1:
- Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business v1:
External Links
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