Amazo
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Amazo is a fictional android from DC Comics. He has fought the Justice League of America on several occasions.
Fictional character biography
Amazo was built by the insane super-scientist Professor Ivo to battle the Justice League of America. Ivo wished to demonstrate his ingenuity while ridding the world of its premier superhero team. Amazo was originally built to imitate the powers of the original JLA members: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), The Flash (Barry Allen), the Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. However, the lineup of the JLA's founding roster has been changed via retcons, and it is currently uncertain how this changes Amazo's origin. Later versions of the robot appeared with differing abilities depending on which heroes he battled and later versions were able to evolve abilities simply by encountering heroes. One version was able to mimic the powers of any current JLA member, and to add new powers as new members appeared. This version was beaten when Superman officially disbanded the team; with no JLA to mimic, Amazo was rendered powerless.Amazo, in the guise of Timazo, became the chief enemy of the android Hourman when he was able to duplicate half of Hourman's near-infinite temporal manipulation abilities. Timazo likely also possessed the powers of Aquaman, Black Canary (Dinah Lance), the Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and the Martian Manhunter, but did not display them. Subsequent versions of Amazo have not shown any of Hourman's time powers.
A stripped down version of Amazo was recently destroyed in Gotham City. Lacking a power ring and lasso, this robot had the abilities of at least Superman, Flash and Aquaman. Batman and Nightwing managed to partially disable it- an explosive Batarang damaged the android's leg (Preventing him from using Flash's speed) and plastic explosive destroyed Amazo's eyes when it attempted to use heat vision- and used a missile launched from the Batmobile to finish the job. However, Amazo had his head ripped from his shoulders by Black Adam (to get revenge for imprisoning him) and was thus destroyed but continues to reappear.
It has not been established whether or not there is one Amazo or many. The incident with Batman and Nightwing suggests that there are multiple Amazos, each one incorporating different powers (Although Amazo typically duplicates the powers of the five original JLA members in his 'default' form). This would also account for all of the different times the android has been destroyed.
Powers and abilities
Using "absorption cells" Amazo was able to duplicate the powers of any metahuman he encounters. Originally, he could only use one power at a time and has duplicated Superman's strength, The Flash's speed, Green Lantern's power ring and Wonder Woman's magic lasso among others. In most cases, Amazo possesses a 'default' form consisting of the powers of the first five JLA members, capable of adapting to incorporate other powers. After years of battling the JLA to a standstill, he recently "upgraded" by absorbing part of Hourman's Worlogog which gave him time travelling powers as well.Amazo in other media
In the Justice League animated series, The A.M.A.Z.O. Project was an android created by Professor Ivo, one of Lex Luthor's employees. Luthor had escaped from prison and needed Ivo's help, but found Ivo had died in his sleep, with the naive android watching over its creator. Luthor persuaded the Android to help him defeat the Justice League. This version of Amazo (almost always called simply "the android" or "Ivo's android") possesses a nanotechnological construction, and could mimic the superpowers of any superhuman it could see, as well as evolve if left to its own devices. For example, it copied Superman's weakness to kryptonite, but repeated exposure caused it to develop an immunity to it.
It mimicked the abilities of Hawkgirl (including forming a replica of her Nth Metal mace), Wonder Woman, the Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), and Superman; it saw nothing worth mimicking in Batman.
After mimicking the Martian Manhunter's telepathy, it learned Luthor intended to destroy him after he killed the Justice League. Seeing itself above the petty squabbles of humanity, it left Earth and wandered the universe ("Tabula Rasa").
In a later episode ("The Return" in Justice League Unlimited), the android eventually returned to Earth - after becoming nearly omnipotent by possession of the abilities of an untold number of alien species - and sought out Luthor. While numerous Justice League members made a futile attempt to stop the android, The Atom assisted Luthor in creating a weapon that would reprogram Amazo. The device failed because Amazo had, he said, "evolved beyond" his nanotechnological origins. However, instead of killing Luthor, Amazo demanded to know what his purpose was. Luthor told the android it had to forge its own destiny. Dr. Fate offered to help the android find its destiny, and Amazo moved into Dr. Fate's tower.
While attempting to help the Justice League defeat a resurrected Solomon Grundy, it discovered that Grundy, (being animated by "chaos magic") was drawing on Amazo's energy to make himself even more powerful (JLU "Wake the Dead"). To prevent himself from being a danger until he could devise a way to counter the drain, Amazo teleported away from Earth. He has not been seen since, and may have simply never rejoined the league.
"Wake the Dead" was also notable as a continuation of the 'Defenders' storyline from "The Terror Beyond", where Justice League characters became versions of the 1970's Marvel Comics series The Defenders. Amazo, a shining, space-faring being who wielded cosmic power, was a stand-in for The Silver Surfer. See also Hawkgirl, Dr. Fate, Solomon Grundy, and Aquaman.
In "Panic in The Sky", Lex Luthor (secretly merged with and controlled by a copy of Brainiac) was preparing to transfer his consciousness into a copy of Amazo (complete with Luthor's face) as the culmination of his scheme to destroy the Justice League. However, just before he began the transfer, Amanda Waller entered the room to arrest Luthor, and destroyed the android body as well. This triggered the big revelation that Brainiac was controlling Luthor.
In the animated series, Amazo was voiced by Robert Picardo.
External links
- - DC Database Project
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