| WARNING! |  |
| The information in this article comes from Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris and is not written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. |
A Machine Man.
The Machine Men, or Machine Women, are a type of cybernetic bipedal constructs created by the Red Martian scientist Vas Argus. This came after a collaboration Senneth Dor, the Jeddak of Yorn who had survived his apparent demise with the Colossus. In reality, the Jeddak's body was badly wounded which was found by Vas Argus who managed to save Dor's head and renimate it. After studying the Colossus, Argus discovered the means of creating mechanical constructs using the body of living beings and encasing them in armor to create the Machine Men with the intention of conquering Barsoom.
This process involved the kidnapping of many Red Martians which included women that were working in the Avenue of Pleasure. Such individuals had their brains or heads removed that were placed on mechanical greenskinned bodies. Some of these subjects were completely encased leaving only a machine-like visage for outsiders to see though some lacked this protective helmet. Unlike Senneth Dor, those that became Machine Men or Machine Women had their minds completely wiped so that they became completely subservient to their new masters. Once transformed, they were subject to the controls of Argus or Dor. Among the features available to them were projectile weapons in the arms and the ability to extend blades from their hands to kill their enemies. The external plating made Radium bullets ineffective against them though heavier weapons were capable of destroying them.
In time, the activities of Dor attracted the attention of Helium that dispatched their spy master Gunbor who reluctantly allowed Dejah Thoris to accompany him on this undercover assignment. They managed to enter the good graces of two rival assassin guilds who were also attempting to uncover the identity of the mysterious Mortus who was in reality Senneth Dor. Ultimately, Dejah Thoris and Gunbor were both captured on assignment with the latter converted into a Machine Man. This chain of events revealed Dor as Mortus who intended to get his revenge on Thoris by transforming her into a Machine Woman. However, his base was attacked by the assassin clans and though initially the Machine Men succeeded in fighting them the Red Martian heavier weapons led to numerous casualties. In addition, Gunbor managed to fight the brainwashing made on him but was killed in battle with another Machine Man. As a result, Dor and Argus escaped but not before activating a self destruct sequence that destroyed their base along with the Machine Men.
Both Dor and Argus fled to an abandoned city of the ancients where they intended to continue their production of Machine Men in secret as part of their plans of global conquest.
Appearances[]
- Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris : Issue 21
- Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris : Issue 22