Michael Collins is a Marvel Comics character who first appeared in Deathlok #1 (May 1990) as the third person to use Deathlok, a cyborg superhero. He was created by writers Dwayne McDuffie, Gregory Wright, and artist Jackson Guice.
## Who is Michael Collins?
Michael Collins was a computer programmer working for Roxxon Oil, a corrupt corporation involved in various illegal activities, such as weapons manufacturing and human experimentation. Collins thought his work on artificial limbs would help disabled people. Still, he was unaware it was part of the Deathlok Project, a secret program to create a killing machine using cybernetic technology.
One day, Collins discovered the truth about his work and confronted his friend and boss, Harlan Ryker, who was the mastermind behind the Deathlok Project. Ryker betrayed Collins, had his brain removed from his body, and was placed into the Deathlok cyborg, a heavily armed and armored humanoid robot. Collins woke up in the cyborg body but could not control it. He could only watch in horror as his cyborg body killed innocent people under Ryker’s orders.
Eventually, Collins managed to override Ryker’s control and gain full access to the Deathlok cyborg. He decided to use his new abilities to fight against Roxxon and other evil forces while also searching for his original body, which he hoped was still alive. Along the way, he encountered other heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Doctor Doom, Kingpin, and more.
## What are Michael Collins’ powers and abilities?
As Deathlok, Michael Collins has superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, reflexes, and senses. He can lift to 85 tons, run up to 40 mph, withstand high-caliber bullets and explosives, see in infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, hear sounds beyond normal human range, and interface with any computer system. He also has a variety of weapons built into his cyborg body, such as lasers, rockets, grenades, flamethrowers, blades, claws, and more. He can hack into any electronic device or network using his cybernetic brain.
However, Collins also has some weaknesses as Deathlok. He is vulnerable to electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and powerful magnets that can disrupt his systems. He also needs regular maintenance and repairs to maintain his cyborg body properly. He sometimes suffers from glitches or malfunctions that affect his performance or personality. He also struggles with his identity and morality as a human trapped in a machine.
## What are some of the notable stories featuring Michael Collins?
Michael Collins starred in his solo series, Deathlok, from 1990 to 1994 for 34 issues. The series followed his adventures as he fought against Roxxon and other enemies while trying to find his human body and reunite with his family. The series also explored his relationship with his computerized partner, Siege (Systemized Intelligence Enhancing Gadgetry), who provided him with tactical support and comic relief.
Some of the highlights of the series include:
– Deathlok #1-4: The origin story of Michael Collins as Deathlok. He escapes from Roxxon’s facility and confronts Harlan Ryker for the first time. He also meets Spider-Man and Nick Fury.
– Deathlok #5-7: A crossover with Ghost Rider titled “Cyberwar.” Deathlok teams up with Ghost Rider to stop a cybernetic cult led by Simon Ryker (Harlan’s brother) from unleashing a virus that would turn all machines into killing machines.
– Deathlok #8-10: A crossover with Punisher titled “System Bytes.” Deathlok joins forces with Punisher to stop a group of hackers from stealing military secrets and selling them to terrorists.
– Deathlok #11-15: A crossover with Captain America titled “The Souls of Cyber-Folk.” Deathlok helps Captain America fight against a rogue faction of SHIELD agents using cybernetic technology to create super-soldiers.
– Deathlok #16-18: A crossover with Iron Man titled “The Biohazard Agenda.” Deathlok assists Iron Man in stopping an outbreak of a deadly virus that turns people into zombies.
– Deathlok #19-25: A storyline titled “The Living Deadlock.” Deathlok discovers that his human body is still alive and being used by Harlan Ryker as a test subject for his experiments. He also learns that he has a son named Nicky, who has inherited some of his cybernetic abilities.
– Deathlok #26-29: A storyline titled “Deathlok Lives.” Deathlok reunites with his family and tries to live everyday life, but he is hunted by enemies who want to capture or kill him. He also faces a new threat named Mechadoom, a giant robot created by Doctor Doom.
– Deathlok #30-34: The final storyline of the series is titled “The Last Stand.” Deathlok leads a team of cyborg heroes called the Secret Defenders against Harlan Ryker and his army of Deathlok clones. He also confronts Mechadoom for the last time and sacrifices himself to save the world.
After his solo series ended, Michael Collins appeared as a guest star or supporting character in other comics. He joined teams such as the Wild Pack, the Fantastic Force, and the Beyonders. He also participated in events such as Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Fear Itself. He was last seen in the 2015 series Contest of Champions, where he was one of the heroes kidnapped by the Collector and forced to fight in his cosmic arena.
## What are some of the little-known facts about Michael Collins?
– Michael Collins was named after the real-life astronaut who was part of the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the moon in 1969. He was also nicknamed “Doctor Donut” by his co-workers at Roxxon because he liked to eat donuts.
– Michael Collins was one of the first black superheroes to headline his solo series at Marvel Comics. He was among the first black characters featured on a trading card as part of the Marvel Universe Series 1 set in 1990.
– Michael Collins was initially intended to be a reboot of the original Deathlok, Luther Manning, who debuted in Astonishing Tales #25 (Aug 1974). However, the writers decided to make him a different character instead and later introduced Luther Manning as an alternate-reality version of Deathlok from Earth-7484.
– Michael Collins appeared in the 1995 live-action TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, starring David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury. He was played by actor Campbell Lane and emerged as one of the SHIELD agents who helped Fury stop Hydra.
– Michael Collins was also featured in several video games, such as Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (1996), Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006), Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009), and Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2013).
## What are some of the media that Michael Collins has appeared in?
Besides comics and video games, Michael Collins has also appeared in other media, such as:
– Animation: He appeared in two episodes of the 1994 Spider-Man animated series, voiced by John Mariano. He also appeared in an episode of the 2010 Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series, expressed by Kevin Grevioux.
– Toys: He had several action figures made by ToyBiz, based on his comic book and animated appearances. He also released a Lego Minifigure as part of the Lego Marvel Super Heroes line.
– Books: He was featured in several prose novels based on Marvel Comics, such as Spider-Man: The Octopus Agenda (1996) by Diane Duane, Deathlok: Detour (1997) by Dwayne McDuffie, and Robert L. Washington III, and Civil War: Iron Man (2007) by Stuart Moore.
## What is Michael Collins’ family history?
Michael Collins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had a brother named Tracey, who died in a car accident when Michael was young. He also had a sister called Tina, who became a lawyer.
Michael married a woman named Tracy, who worked as a journalist. They had a son named Nicholas “Nicky” Collins, born with cybernetic abilities due to Michael’s exposure to Roxxon’s experiments.
Michael’s family was unaware of his involvement with Roxxon and his transformation into Deathlok until he revealed it to them after escaping from Ryker’s facility. They were initially shocked and scared by his appearance, but they eventually accepted him and supported him.
His enemies often targeted Michael’s family, who wanted to use them as leverage or hostages against him. They were also harassed by the media and the public, who viewed Deathlok as a menace or a freak.
Michael’s family history is one of the main themes of his stories as he tries to balance his life as a superhero and a family man. He often faces dilemmas and conflicts between his duty and his love for his family. He also struggles with his identity and self-worth as a human being inside a machine.
