Deathlok vs. Cyborg
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Two men, both the victims of scientific experiments gone wrong. Both tempted to use their awesome new technological powers for the cause of evil, only to take the high road to heroism. This week, it’s the Teen Titan, Cyborg, versus Deathlok the Demolisher! Perhaps, in the course of this pitched battle, your champions Miles and Timmy will get to the bottom of the most intriguing question of all: Why do all cyborgs have half-human, half-robot faces?
CyborgVictor Stone’s parents were two overbearing STAR Labs scientists who laid out a strict path for their son, to the point of performing intelligence-enhancing experiments on him as a boy. While he was visiting his parents at work one day, an experiment in interdimensional travel went awry, and Victor was maimed by an alien monster, which also killed his mother. He was rescued by his father, who saved Victor’s life by replacing his mangled limbs with cybernetic prosthetics. After foiling an attack on the United Nations and battling his friend-turned-terrorist Ron Evers, Victor joined the Teen Titans. Cyborg’s robot parts lend him superhuman strength and durability, as well as shape-changing abilities. Victor Stone has a genius-level IQ, and he has access to a customizable array of high-tech weapons.
DeathlokMichael Collins was an engineer for Cybertek, part of the Roxxon Corporation, working on what he thought was a project to help amputees control artificial robotic limbs. He discovered instead that his computer code was being used to construct Deathlok, a cyborg killing machine. Collins turned to his supervisor, Harlan Ryker, who swiftly betrayed him and placed Collins’s consciousness into the Deathlok cyborg. He was forced to watch helplessly as Deathlok conducted his first murderous mission. In time, Collins was able to control the central Deathlok computer, and he now fights alongside the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Deathlok has the ability to link to and control any computer. He has an unbreakable adamantium skeleton, which along with his other cyborg features give him superhuman strength, speed, and durability. Deathlok’s weapons of choice are a plasma pistol and a plasma assault rifle. Voting ended on: Friday May 27th, 2011, 5:00pm Timmy/Deathlok beat Miles/Cyborg!
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Timmy
Just so we’re clear, this is Deathlok versus Cyborg, not Deathstroke versus Hank Henshaw, aka The Cyborg. It can get confusing out there.
Miles
Also, I think it’s worth mentioning to the readers that Timmy has chosen the weaker of the 5 different Deathloks that are in the Marvel Universe.
He could have chosen Luther Manning a Deathlok from a cold, corrupt, hard-nosed, cut-throat, post-apocalyptic future from an alternate reality.
Or the John Kelly Deathlok who is stronger than the Michael Collins version of Deathlok. Also since Kelly’s personality and mental patterns have been encoded into the Deathlok cyborg body in machine language, Kelly is impervious to mental scans UNLIKE Collins. And since Kelly was lobotomized, Kelly’s Deathlok is unable to feel anything physically and has a very limited emotional range ALSO unlike Collins.
Or the Jack Truman / Larry Young Deathlok who was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. (an extra-government intelligence and security organization dedicated to protecting the nations and peoples of Earth from all threats) after he graduated college. Jack Truman became Shields best manhunter. He went up against the Hand (immortal ninja’s), saved the President from assassination and tasked with apprehending, Cable, the X-Man from the future. And his body was made using harvested tech from Machine Man.
Or he could have chosen project: Deathlok a strikeforce consisting of corpses reanimated with bionics. Essentially an army of zombies even craving brains.
BUT
Timmy, instead, chose…the pacifistic born Michael Collins-Deathlok. Who, never had the experience growing up in a post-apocalyptic future. Therefore has out-dated technology and lacks the combat experience all the other Deathloks had.
Best of luck Timmy.
Timmy
Dear single reader left sifting through this,
That was a lot of gibberish, wasn’t it? What Miles doesn’t want to tell you is that we both picked Michael Collins; of course, he was probably thinking he was pulling a fast one by going along with this choice, confident that what you just read was his secret ace in the hole. Unfortunately, he’s just spent his best argument on day one. And it wasn’t even that good!
Timmy
I won’t booooooore you with a discussion of who this Deathlok isn’t. Let’s talk about what he is: a robot whose skeleton and muscle structure is made of unbreakable adamantium, armed with deadly plasma weapons, and possessing a highly advanced computer brain designed to be the perfect killing machine. Cyborg, meanwhile, is a kid. He’s a Teen Titan, you know. The same team that Speedy, Robin, and Aqualad were on.
Miles
Deathlok may have plasma rifles but Cyborg has solar shields. It’s how he defeated Dr. Light. In the Teen Titans revamp shortly after Dr. Light raped Elongated Man’s wife.
Timmy
Ah, energy-absorbing shields. Comics’ most trustworthy deus ex machina. There was always one kid that would pull this move when we were playing superheroes. “Well, your repulsor blast might be powerful, but I have an energy-absorbing shield. Also, the ground is lava, so you’re dead.”
I couldn’t be less concerned, though. Deathlok can lift 150 tons, which is more than enough strength to smash Cyborg into oblivion.
Miles
Since Timmy stopped reading comics in 2003, he never read the 2008 mini series where a cyberized man sporting enhancements even more powerful than Cyborg’s current ones called, Cyborg 2.0 tries to kill Cyborg.
Cyborg 2.0, is very much like Deathlok actually. That’s why I’m bringing this up.
So, in this 2008 mini series, Cyborg is able to hold his own in combat with Cyborg 2.0 and reverse engineer, on the fly, the future technology used by Cyborg 2.0, and enhance his own body enough to win the battle.
If Cyborg can do that don’t you think he can reverse engineer tech from another reality? (I.e. the reality where Deathlok comes from?)
Miles
Also as an aside: Does anybody remember this?
A two issue appearance, Spider-Man #21 & #22, where a man named Oscar McDonnell gave Spider-Man a cyborg cast while his arm had a hairline fracture…It gave him full function while allowing it to heal at an accelerated rate in the middle of the Revenge Of The Sinister Six storyline.
Timmy
Oh god, I think I left one of those issues on the floor one time, and my dog ripped it up. Sad face!
Amazing that that was the one time where Spider-Man sustained an injury requiring a high-tech cast.
Timmy
But back to your initial point, Cyborg may be able to reverse engineer new technology, but Deathlok’s computer is capable of hacking into other systems. Given Collins’s background as a computer engineer, I think Deathlok here is uniquely suited to fight two battles here: the physical fight, as well as an offensive on Cyborg’s computer system.
Miles
Our matches are far too evenly matched. If this doesn’t end in a tie I’ll be extremely surprised.
Timmy
Don’t worry. The next battle on our list is Silver Surfer versus Stilt Man.
Miles
Timmy
Did you know Deathlok once rescued the Statue of Liberty from the villainous Cathode’s secret lair in the Grand Canyon? We’re not talking the statue of Leif Erikson on Comm Ave., buddy. We’re talking the Statue of Liberty. The one from Ghostbusters II.
Oh, you didn’t read about that? Probably because it happened in Silver Sable and the Wild Pack.
Miles
“We’re talking the Statue of Liberty. The one from Ghostbusters II.”
Oh this Statue of Liberty?
God what a great time to be a Ghostbuster, Bobby Brown was still hip, you could have Oingo Boingo on your soundtrack, kids still knew what the NES Advantage was (which by the way the only thing that enabled you to beat the first Ghostbusters game by the way),
stealingborrowing a national monument and it being revered instead of it being declared an act of terroism…Man I love this scene. Such an odd song for this scene but man did it lift me up and get me pumped! Ghostbsuter movie always had a way of doing that, remember the final scene at the end of the first one? Who wouldn’t want to have a city full of people cheering your accomplishments? I loved the concept for this movie, getting New York City to be nice to each other. Gosh, too bad it took an actual act of terrorism and almost 10 years later for New York to get it’s act together. Too bad a ghost couldn’t take over a painting and the city shuts down over it.
Man I miss the nineties.
Timmy
I’ve come across more people in my real life who look like Vigo the Carpathian than any other movie villain combined. It gives me the willies every time!
Am I a bad person because I thought the sequel was better than the first one?
Miles
Oh Timmy, Deathlok really doesn’t stand a chance:
“Deathlok uses a plasma pistol that dispenses plasma by super-heating inert gases and is powered by the cyborg’s internal reactor.”
“Cyborg can transform his body. He is able to transform his body into any possible combination of any elements. Just as he can change his body into whichever combination of whichever element he can also project these elements forwards and outwards.”
Meaning, since your puny Deathlok cyborg has a reactor walking around with him at all times, Cyborg can easily transmute his body into the proper energy that would cause an explosion from the inert gases rolling around that create the plasma for the rifles he does not use.
That right, “does not use.”
Readers, Collins also has a no-killing policy. So he never even uses those guns he has that often. Plus his guns don’t work unless he’s holding them because he creates the plasma for the rifles within his own body.
Timmy
Fiction can be fun, etc. etc. etc. Let’s break this down, Mr. Wizard style.
There’s obviously a correlation between matter and energy, but it’s not one-to-one in the way you’re asserting. Matter ≠ energy. If it was, we’d have e = m, not e = mc^2. So while Cyborg can shape his body into any kind of element (read: matter), it doesn’t mean he can shape his body into any kind of energy. In order to become energy, he’d have to instigate some kind of fusion/fission reaction, which I’m not sure he’s capable of, and even if he was, he’d be using molecules from his own being as reactants, so transforming from matter to energy in that way would literally destroy him (conservation of matter, second law of thermodynamics, and all that).
Timmy
And if you were hoping that Cyborg could transform into some type of gas, seep into Deathlok’s reactor, and cause some type of explosive reaction, no dice! Inert gases, because their valence shells are complete, tend not to react with any chemicals.
It’s an important distinction that Deathlok’s weapons are defined as plasma guns and not energy guns. While the terms can sometimes be understood interchangeably in comics and science fiction, plasma is still a phase of matter: it’s just matter superheated to the point of ionization.
Timmy
And as for Deathlok’s “no-killing” parameter, meh. I have every confidence that the Deathlok cyborg is capable of dishing out non-lethal plasma blasts. Even if killing Cyborg became necessary, the “no-kill” directive is self-imposed: kiboshing it would be as easy as uninstalling Flash. Or something.
Miles
Alright shit head, Cyborg would just kick your precious plasma guns away from you. Since nothing destroys adamantium I’ll use my hand blaster to knock out your computer systems long enough for Cyborg to hack into the Deathlok system and override you and make you do this:
Miles
It’s not the Deathlok “no-killing” imperative. It’s the Collins “no-killing” imperative.
Timmy
Right, that’s the point. He did it to himself. He can undo it to himself.
Timmy
Also, language.
Miles
Just because his hide is made out of adamantium doesn’t make his data.
Timmy
How would you knock out Deathlok’s computer systems? With an EM pulse? That would affect Cyborg’s computer too!
Guiseppe
You haven’t won a single round Timmy. “Two-punch”? More like “toothless” at this point.
Miles
^ Miles Benson Likes this ^
Timmy
Your friends uncritically and enthusiastically vote for you. Mine bag on me. It’s a vicious cycle of losing!
Miles
Defend. Better. Characters.
Theresa
Timmy – you had me at adamantium skeleton. Also, nice science!
Guiseppe
Timmy- constructive criticism is far better than unfettering sycophancy.
Timmy
Constructive criticism keeps me warm at night, but it doesn’t win me Contest of Champions!
Miles
Theresa, you lost me at “Timmy.”
Miles
Timmy’s theme song:
Miles
Um…We haven’t made a Terminator ref on here yet?
Timmy
You mean the Sperminator?
Miles
Miles
Seriously though, this match should end in a tie. These characters are far too evenly matched.
Timmy
The last thing I’ll say about this, and I’ve been trying to figure this out to no avail, is how much of Cyborg’s body is still human. We’ve been saying “half-man/half-machine,” but at least in Deathlok’s case, he’s pretty much all-robot except for a bit of his skull, and his lungs and stomach. (Kinda like General Grievous.)
If I were Cyborg, I would be very concerned about protecting my fleshy human bits. Now vote for me!
Miles
Apparently, according to George Perez, the creator of Cyborg. In one story arc, Vic Stone had the opportunity to upgrade his tech, but, it would have meant his fleshy bits would either be covered or removed permanently. Vic being the inspirational proud black man that he is, denied those treatments so that people will can associate heroism with the black community.
It’s unfortunate that Deathlok’s body is decomposing to the point where you can’t even tell Deathlok was once Black.
Remember kids, never let anyone strap a plasma reactor to your back and replace your entire body with machinery and microchips. You’ll end up with a half exposed gaunt face because all you can keep down is food paste.
Timmy
The food paste thing just slays me. Dude is more or less made of adamantium, designed to be the ultimate killing machine, but he can’t keep down an apple.
Timmy
Here’s the nail in this argument’s coffin: how many heavy metal songs have been inspired by Cyborg? Deathlok has at least one!
Miles
Citation needed?
Timmy
Here’s Dave Mustaine talking about it. Also talking about some pretty insane Soviet conspiracy theories. Fun!
Miles
Cyborg does not have anything like that. :[
Timmy
Don’t forget about this guy.
That’s right. Deathlok joined such luminaries as Morbius, Cloak, and Firestar as an assisting character in the second greatest Spider-Man video game, Maximum Carnage!
Timmy
And, duh, no Maximum Carnage reference would be complete without including the most face-meltingly metal video game theme song ever.
Man, I’m sitting on my couch watching TV, but listening to this is getting me so amped up! I wanna smash something!
Miles
FUCK! You’re winning now!?
Miles
Oh god. There’s a fetish for everything isn’t there?
This is what comes up when you Google “Cyborg Victor Stone Smallville”
Miles
On a positive note the Cyborg from the Smallville show looks pretty bad ass. Just goes to show you CAN be a cyborg without a half robot half human face.
Miles
Cyborg may not be in one of the greatest video games ever made with one of the greatest heavy metal riffs ever created but Cyborg has this hilarious NSFW fan made stop motion music video:
Timmy
Holy smokes, I didn’t know the famous Jett Jackson played Cyborg. (Also, Lee Thompson Young has been in The Event and FlashForward, AND he played Boobie Miles’s backup in the Friday Night Lights movie.) Not a bad resume.
Miles
“AND he played Boobie Miles’s backup in the Friday Night Lights movie”
Um…What?
Explain?
Timmy
Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose, baby. Boobie Miles is the one on the crutches. Star running back for the Permian Panthers, suffered a catastrophic injury, had to be replaced by Jett Jackson.
Miles
Really? Boobie Miles?
Timmy
That’s his name! He’s a real guy!