Albert (Marvel)
Albert is a robot comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Albert was the name of a robotic humanoid construct created by Donald Pierce in the guise of Wolverine. Originally unnamed, the machine was developed by Pierce as part of a carefully orchestrated plan to eliminate the Wolverine using a pair of androids. The Wolverine copy was simply meant to be a distraction and bait with the true killer being his other android counterpart that was the child-like Elsie-Dee. (Wolverine v2 #37)
These androids were designed to kill Wolverine. The Wolverine double was to act as the bait and Elsie-Dee (who outwardly appears to be a 5-year-old girl) was to trap Wolverine in a burning building, where she would detonate with sufficient force to kill him. Initially, Albert had a primitive artificial brain with limited higher logic functions and no emotions, and he was not referred to as Albert, but as "Dummy". (Wolverine v2 #37)
Unknown to pierce, Bonebreaker of the Reavers had accidentally given Elsie-Dee the maximum level of artificial intelligence. Thus, she was incredibly smart compared to other automatons and looked for a means of escaping this program objective. Though unable to stop the bomb, she settled for improving the intelligence of the Wolverine construct so that he would not be shackled to their shared duty. Stopping at various computer stores, she gathered the knowledge and parts needed for this task. She then began to modify the Wolverine construct giving him increased intelligence and a modem where she decided to name him Albert after Albert Einstein. (Wolverine v2 #38)
Immediately after completing their upgrades in an abandoned warehouse in Venice, California, Albert and Elsie-Dee spotted their target, Wolverine, outside their warehouse headquarters. Elsie-Dee sent Albert outside to ambush him, but even with his advanced circuits, he proved to be the inferior fighter. Urging the damaged Albert to flee so he could live to see another day, Elsie-Dee set her plan in motion. She ignited the inside of the warehouse and, as the place went up in flames, ran to the second story window and screamed for someone to rescue her. Her target braved the inferno of the burning warehouse in order to save her, letting the flames sear off his skin in the process. Although Wolverine behaved exactly as Elsie-Dee had planned, his actions triggered a strange feeling in her: gratitude. Wolverine's selfless actions so moved Elsie-Dee that, when he took her in his arms, she could not bring herself to complete her detonation sequence, and struggled to override her programming. Outside, while still clutching Wolverine, she confessed to him that she was an android built with the sole purpose of reducing him to a fine red mist, and that she was now doing everything in her power to delay Pierce's detonation sequence. Wolverine was stunned by what the robot girl had to say and decided to help her survive her programming, if possible. Meanwhile, Albert emerged from the waters of the Pacific Ocean in terrible condition, and met up with some gangsters who wanted to use him as their personal bodyguard. On their way through Venice, Albert received a transmission from Elsie-Dee requesting his help in cracking Pierce's detonation code. Albert instructed them stop the car outside a Radio Hut and entered the store to speed-scan all its programming manuals. When he acquired too much data, he hacked into the National Security Agency's massive underground mainframe in Maryland in order to utilize the processing power of their super-computers. With the help of his advanced circuitry, the equipment in the store and the NSA's super-computers, he was able to crack Pierce's complicated code. Unfortunately for Albert, his hacking brought him to the attention of federal authorities, who surrounded the Radio Hut. Heedless to the danger he was in, Albert began transmitting the code to Elsie-Dee, and got the complete sequence to her with mere seconds to spare before she detonated. However, as soon as he finished sending it, the FBI riddled him with bullets. (Wolverine v2 #39)
While Albert was apprehended by the police and locked in their confiscated goods closet, Elsie-Dee traveled with Wolverine to the Xavier Institute in Westchester, New York. There, the mutant engineer Forge examined Elsie-Dee's circuitry and informed Wolverine of just how severe of a risk he created by bringing a living bomb to the mansion. When Wolverine asked Forge if he could take the explosives out of Elsie-Dee, Forge informed him that she w as the explosive and that there was no separating them from her. Albert, meanwhile, rebuilt his body from the supplies he found in the confiscation room, adding upgrades like Kevlar skin. Believing the only way to save Elsie-Dee would be to kill Wolverine before she could, he decided to eliminate the man. After breaking free, he sneaked into a military hangar and stole a stealth fighter, which he flew to New York to find Elsie-Dee. He instructed her and Wolverine to go to the top of one of New York City's tallest buildings to improve their transmission signals. They complied, and Albert, now riding atop the stolen stealth bomber, appeared from their rear, flying low enough that his plane smashed into Wolverine's back—pinning him to the front of the bomber—but avoided hitting Elsie-Dee. Refusing to be left behind while Albert tried to kill her new friend, Elsie-Dee leaped onto the back of the plane as it passed overhead. While Albert and Wolverine fought to the death atop the plane, Elsie-Dee explained to her robot companion that she had delayed her detonation sequence; Wolverine no longer needed to die for her to live. With that settled, they climbed back inside the stealth fighter—only to be shot down by the United States military. As the plane crashed into the East River, Elsie-Dee ejected with Wolverine, leaving Albert behind. (Wolverine v2 #40)
Having met Wolverine, he and Elsie-Dee decided that he was a noble person and did not deserve to die and consequently abandoned their mission.
The two robots risked their artificial lives several times for each other and for Wolverine. At some point they travelled in time and had several adventures, even teaming up with an old enemy of Wolverine's, Bloodscream.
Albert and Elsie-Dee at one point travel hundreds of years back in time. Albert gains a leadership role with a local Indian tribe. (Wolverine v2 #86)
In the wake of increased oppression suffered by artificial life forms across America by the hand of the government, a counter-movement emerged fighting for equal rights and robo-liberation. During this conflict, Albert joined the A.I. Army, a consolidation of this counter-movement dedicated to fighting for their cause, often through terroristic means. (Iron Man 2020 v2 #1) Afterwards, Pierce seemingly captured Elsie-Dee and took her to Madripoor with Albert arriving on the island to rescue her. He travelled to the Princess Bar where he was mistaken for Patch by Tyger Tyger. It was then that the bar was attacked by a yakuza gang who believed him to be Wolverine who had killed their boss's brother in Japan. After dispatching the attackers, Albert apologise to Tyger Tyger and asked for her aid in finding Elsie-Dee. Tyger Tyger then revealed that his friend was likely at the Reaver Universal Robotics (R.U.R.) headquarters on the island. Arriving there, he was met by Pierce who revealed that Elsie-Dee had actually approached him about wanting the bomb within her removed. He, however, came to dismantle her for valuable parts with this angering Albert who attacked Pierce with the Reavers attacking him to dismantle the machine. Unable to stop Albert, Pierce revealed that he sold Elsie-Dee for parts to various criminal groups with the android going forth to recover them. At each site, he cut through various criminals until he was able to re-assemble Elsie-Dee whereupon they made their way to depart Madripoor whilst being pursued by everyone with a grudge against him. (2020 iWolverine v1 #1) Albert and Elsie-Dee fought through two gangs of criminals before being confronted by the Yakuza, led by the crimeboss Kimura. After fighting off Kimura's henchmen, Kimura declared that he wanted to fight the androids by himself to avenge Yakuza honor. A fight was avoided when Elsie-Dee told Kimura that she erased his bookkeeping data she had in her memory. No longer needing to fight the androids, Kimura offered the androids safe passage to Macao but only if Albert agreed to lose one of his fingers as a form of penance. Albert agreed, and Kimura shipped the androids in a box to Macao, allowing them to bypass Pierce and his men who had staked out the Madripoor International Airport to destroy them. (2020 iWolverine v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
After Elsie-Dee's modifications, she stopped calling him 'dummy' and gave him the name Albert after saying that his intellect was akin to Einstein. (Wolverine v2 #38)
It was said that he lacked any conscience or sense of self with this making him a pure killer. (Wolverine v2 #37)
After his increased intelligence, he came to be capable of feelings with these including the fact that Elsie-Dee was important to him. (Wolverine v2 #38) Albert had no interest in the Robot Revolution or in other causes with his own priority being the protection of Elsie-Dee. (2020 iWolverine v1 #1)
He did recognise that he had a speech impediment. (2020 iWolverine v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Externally, Albert resembled a copy of Wolverine but was actually completely synthetic with a moly-steel laminate exo-skeleton where it was said that his programming lacked any conscience or sense of self. (Wolverine v2 #37) Due to being a machine, it was said that he did not produce a scent and thus was invisible to people like Wolverine with their improved sense of smell. (Wolverine v2 #38)
Albert was superhumanly strong, could interface directly with computers, and had an intellect greater than his designer, Donald Pierce. Albert had 3 retractable claws on each hand, just as Wolverine (but not adamantium). Albert not only had technological knowledge centuries beyond conventional science (which he was capable of making significant progress in), but also perfect photographic recall and profuse knowledge of even the most obscure facets of history. Albert reinforced his construction with bulletproof armor and stole a stealth fighter, which he and Elsie-Dee may still be in possession of. Although Albert was initially designed to fight Wolverine he had limited fighting skills.
He had backup systems that activated in case he was damaged and he was capable of repairing himself but required a safe place to engage these operations. (Wolverine v2 #38)
He had been continuously upgrading himself thus improving his combat capabilities with robotic restraints no longer working on him. (2020 iWolverine v1 #1)
Elsie-Dee came to modify his programming to increase his intelligence and make him incredibly smart. It was said that his logic and tactical capabilities were all boosted as a result of these modifications. Among these included a modem that allowed Albert to remotely connect to the world wide web thus ensuring he was never alone. (Wolverine v2 #38)
Notes
- Albert was created by Larry Hama and Marc Silvestri where he made his first appearance in Wolverine v2 #37 (March, 1991).
Alternate Versions
- In Exiles v1 #85 (2006), Albert appeared in an alternate reality set on Earth-5211 in the Multiverse. The Timebroker gathered multiple teams each full of Wolverines to finish the repairing of the broken realities. The last team he gathered consisted a version of Albert and Elsie-Dee from Earth-50211. The first mission of the team was to kill an evil Magneto (female) who melded with that world's Wolverine, Quicksilver (female), Scarlet Warlock (male Scarlet Witch), and Mesmero (female), and already captured (and manipulated) dozens of Wolverines from the previous teams. When they've arrived they were ambushed immediately and both of them were captured, as well as two of their teammates.
In other media
Video games
- In Wolverine: Adamantium Rage, Albert appeared in the setting of the platform-action video game.
Appearances
- Wolverine v2: (1991)
- 2020 iWolverine v1: (2020)
- Dark X-Men v2:
External Links
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