Zed (SWAT Kats)

Zed is a male animated television character who features in Swat Kats.

Biography

Zed began existence as Dr. Lieter Greenbox's micro-brain repair unit, a device designed to repair anything mechanical. It was roughly the size of a bowling ball, and after analyzing a broken machine like a radio or clock, several tendrils would extend from the body of the repair unit, take apart the afflicted device, and then swiftly put it back together again, good as new.

The Metallikats, badly damaged from a recent conflict with the Swat Kats, stumbled into Greenbox's lab and used the device to repair themselves. Somehow the machine became sentient, and taking the name "Zed," it followed the Metallikats around and helped them rob banks. In the process, it built up an incredible array of armor around itself, due to the fact Zed had learned how to disassemble machines and assimilate them around itself, increasing its size and strength.

Eventually, Zed grew tired of the Metallikats' lowly ambitions, and sought to find its purpose in the grand scheme of things, by any means necessary. When Mac Mange tried to control Zed, this only angered the robot, who tore apart the bionic gangster and assimilated him, much to the horror of Molly Mange. The Enforcers tried to intervene, but their tanks and weapons, too, were disassembled and absorbed into Zed, which then headed towards Puma-Dyne.

The Swat Kats, with Dr. Greenbox and Molly in tow, followed Zed and tried to stop it from inside, since its target was the Mega Beam, but had a hard time getting past Zed's "antibodies," drone-like robots that sniffed out and destroyed anything non-metallic entering Zed's body. Zed ended up assimilating Molly, too, and then fused with its by-then insane creator, deluded into thinking that its purpose was to help Greenbox conquer the city. Luckily, the Swat Kats were able to destroy the connection between the inventor and his creation and destroy Zed.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Zed was a male-gendered artificial intelligence housed within a modular robotic chassis of extraterrestrial origin. His face was a flat, dark metallic surface devoid of traditional organic features like a nose or ears, instead featuring a pair of glowing, visor-like eyes that shifted in intensity and color. His mouth was a narrow, horizontal indentation that functioned as a speaker grill rather than an organic opening. Initially, his body type was relatively compact and humanoid, but it rapidly evolved into a massive, towering form that was irregularly shaped and asymmetrical due to the constant assimilation of scrap metal and machinery. His torso was a chaotic fusion of gears, wires, and plating, and his limbs were elongated and multi-jointed, often terminating in multi-fingered claws or specialized tool attachments. He did not wear clothing or a costume, as his entire physical presence was composed of exposed, industrial hardware. His exterior was primarily gunmetal grey and silver, with various glowing conduits and exposed circuitry running across his surface, and his silhouette was frequently altered by the protrusion of retractable mechanical tentacles and weaponry.

Powers and abilities

Zed demonstrated the capacity for rapid mechanical analysis and repair, possessing the specialized function to evaluate and restore damaged robotic structures. He exhibited the skill of matter assimilation, which allowed him to dismantle external machinery and integrate the metallic components directly into his own frame to increase his physical size and defensive layering. He showed the ability to form and manipulate various weaponized appendages, such as versatile mechanical tentacles used for grasping and tearing, as well as integrated energy cannons capable of projecting high-intensity beams. Zed displayed advanced self-evolution and cognitive growth, transitioning from a subservient repair unit to an independent entity with strategic intelligence and world-conquering ambitions. He possessed the capability to create and deploy internal defensive mechanisms known as "antibodies," which were small, drone-like constructs designed to identify and eliminate non-metallic intruders within his structure. Additionally, he demonstrated the ability to interface with and absorb highly advanced technology, such as building-sized satellite weaponry, and displayed sufficient processing power to operate and direct these systems toward planetary targets.

Appeearances

• Swat Kats: "Unlikely Alloys" (1994)