Friday, July 4, 2008

Deathlok the Demolisher




Deathlok (also referred to as Deathlok the Demolisher) is a fictional cyborg published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 (Aug. 1974), and was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. At least three subsequent Marvel characters have used the "Deathlok" identity since then.

The first Deathlok series ran in the Astonishing Tales #25-36 (Aug. 1974 - July 1976). This initial version of the character, Luther Manning, later guest-starred with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #46 (June 1976). Deathlok subsequently appeared with the Thing, a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four in Marvel Two-In-One #27 & #54 (May 1977 & Aug. 1979), although one appearance was actually a robot and not the genuine Deathlok. The Luther Manning Deathlok then appeared in Captain America #286-288 (Oct.-Dec. 1983).

A new Deathlok, Michael Collins, debuted in the mini-series Deathlok #1-4 (July-Oct. 1990, reprinted as Deathlok Special #1-4 the following year). He was the second Deathlok to be created in the modern era and also the second to be created for the traditional Marvel Universe. This second Deathlok went on to a 34-issue series cover-dated July 1991 to April 1994, plus two summer annuals in 1992 and 1993.

The third Deathlok, S.H.I.E.L.D. espionage agent Jack Truman, debuted in an 11-issue limited series cover-dated Sept. 1999 to June 2000.

Deathlok has also appeared in four issues of the miniseries Beyond!, and Michael Collins, in human form and not as Deathlok, appeared in Fantastic Four #544-545 (May-June 2007). Multiple unnamed Deathlok units appear in Black Panther vol. 4, #1-6. Possessing no human sentience, they were automatons created from corpses of soldiers killed in Iraq.

In 2007, a Deathlok feature film was at the script stage at Paramount Pictures, with screenwriter David Self.

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