'Puter? Affimative! DEATHLOK the Demolisher Appreciation 2019

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Origin
Colonel Luther Manning is the first Deathlok.
He came from a different reality in a future timeline.
He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 (1974).

This Deathlok eventually was sent to present day earth 616,
where he clashed with a few superheroes such as the Thing and Devil-Slayer.


Creation
The original Deathlok, Luther Manning, was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench in 1974.

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Astonishing Tales #25 Aug 1974
"A Cold Knight's Frenzy"
In the near future, U.S. soldier Luther Manning is killed in action and his body is used
as a subject for Project Alpha Mech headed by his commanding officer, Simon Ryker.

Manning is transformed into a Deathlok cyborg with machinery replacing the destroyed left side of his face and missing right arm.

The strategic part of his mind is preserved, but the cyborg is meant to be controlled solely by a computer programmed for perfect obedience.
Manning's original personality gradually reasserts itself, however,
causing Deathlok to disobey orders and ultimately break out of Ryker's facility and go AWOL.

Deathlok becomes a mercenary, seeking to earn enough to transfer his mind to a new human body.
He takes an assassination job from mob boss Julian Biggs, taking out two men for reasons he doesn't care to delve into.

However when Deathlok goes to collect his payment, Biggs only laughs at him.
The Demolisher attacks, but Biggs turns out to be a cyborg as well, controlled remotely by a vengeful Ryker.
Ryker mocks Deathlok, promising that he will never realize his goal to regain his humanity.
At that moment, Ryker's lover, Nina walks in on him and notices that he has made himself
into a cyborg too, and Ryker coldly tells her that it's the last thing she will ever learn.

Script by Rich Buckler (Plot; Concept) and Doug Moench (Script), pencils by Rich Buckler,
inks by Rich Buckler (Primary Inks), Klaus Janson (Ink Assist), Al Milgrom (Ink Assist) and Mike Esposito (Ink Assist)

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Marvel Two in One #54 Aug 1979
"The Pegasus Project Part 2: Blood and Bionics!" Guest-starring Deathlok and Quasar. Thundra cameo.
The Thing is wandering the Project Pegasus complex when he is attacked by the Nth Command's agent, the cyborg known as Deathlok.

The cyborg attacks Ben with lethal force and manages to injure his arm.

When Ben tries to appeal to Luther Manning, the cyborg informs Ben that it has been culled of all it's organic components
and is run completely by an artificial intelligence before resuming it's brutal assault on the Thing.
When Quasar arrives with Pegasus security, Deathlok flees the scene.
With Ben given the care of Pegasus medical staff, Quasar goes after Deathlok to figure out what the cyborg is up to.

The damaged cyborg meanwhile has traveled deep into the complex and has
begun setting up a Nth Projector in the Radioactive Disposal Section of the facility.
Quasar manages to track Deathlok there and resumes his attack unaware of what Deathlok was doing in this area.

During the fight, the cyborg suffers severe damage to its body, even more so
when Pegasus security arrives along with a medically treated Ben Grimm.
When Quasar hears that Deathlok has activated a self-destruct device he uses
his Quantum Bands to destroy it's body, leaving its head intact for questioning.
However, the cyborg has forseen this possibility and causes it's head to self-destruct
leaving nothing behind to determine the cause of Deathlok's attack on the facility.
While back in New York City, Thundra has begun practicing for her new career as a female wrestler for Oglethorpe, and is pitted against a group
of female wrestlers known as the Grapplers (Poundcakes, Screaming Mimi, Letha and Titania) all of whom Thundra manages to defeat easily.

Back at Pegasus, Thomas Lightener has ventured down into the Radioactive
Disposal section to check and see if the Nth Projector had been discovered.
Finding it unmolested, he calls his leader at Nth Command who demands that Lightner finish constructing the device himself
and to initiate their contingancy plan that they had organized in the event that Deathlok had failed in it's mission.

As Ben and Quasar greet Bill Foster who has come to bring the villain Atom Smasher into the Project's custody for study
Lightner sneaks into the cell of another radioactive menace: Nuklo, the mutant son of the Whizzer and Miss America.
He awakens the child like creature and opens up his cell in the hopes that the mutant
will cause enough destruction around the compound for him to finish his plan.

Story by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio. Art by John Byrne and Joe Sinnot.

[K7P5V]

My favorite Deathlok moment came from Marvel Two-In-One #53:

I'll always remember Deathlok because of this cliffhanger.

[Winterboy]

Stunning Dlok by Patrick Zircher.

deathlok by zicher.jpg

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At 1:14 the T-800 resembels Deathlok the Demolisher..

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Astonishing Tales #26 Oct 1974
"The Enemy: Us!"
Deathlok goes on a mission to rescue Mike Travers an old army buddy from Major Simon Ryker;


He manages to extract Mike but Mike is recaptured by Major Ryker's men;
When Deathlok goes after Mike again he encounters the War-Wolf, who Major Ryker says is Mike's mind in a cyborg body.

Script by Rich Buckler (Plot; Concept) and Doug Moench (Plot; Script), pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Pablo Marcos

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Astonishing Tales #27 Dec 1974
"Dead Reckoning!"
Deathlok fights the War-Wolf,

but he holds back because he believes that Mike Travers mind is in the War-Wolf's body;


Only after Major Stryker tells him that Mike died on the operating
table not true does he fight for keeps and defeat the War-Wolf.

Script by Rich Buckler (Plot; Concept) and Doug Moench (Plot; Script), pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Pablo Marcos

[dkrook]

I loved his book growing up, when I first started reading comics. Writers used to be into telling good one shot, or 2 book minis.