Elektro (comics)

Elektro is a fictional robot appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Elektro first appeared in Tales of Suspense #13 (Jan. 1961), in the seven-page story "Elektro" by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciler Jack Kirby.

Publication history

Elektro debuted in an issue of what fans and historians call pre-superhero Marvel comics, published by Marvel's 1950s and early 1960s predecessor, Atlas Comics.

Fictional character biography

Elektro was originally a supercomputer created by scientist Wilbur Poole. The computer, however, achieves independent thought and hypnotizes Poole, and forces him to build an immense robotic body, 60 feet (18 m) tall, for protection and mobility. Calling itself Elektro and now armed with several dangerous weapons, the robot decides to conquer mankind and attacks the city of San Francisco. Poole, however, recovers from the hypnotic trance and deactivates Elektro by accessing one of the robot's feet and removing a transistor.^[1]

Years later, Mr. Fantastic, leader of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, wipes Elektro's flawed programming and replaces it, and then "enrolls" Elektro in his rehabilitation program, which involves Elektro being reduced to human size and stripped of his powers so as to allow him to enter human society. Elektro takes up a job as a mail attendant in the Fantastic Four's headquarters, the Baxter Building, and later joins his fellow rehab-program creatures, the extraterrestrials Fin Fang Foom, Googam and Gorgilla, to defeat the microscopic alien conqueror Tim Boo Baa.^[2]

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