G.I. Robot Mk2 “Mac”

Powers and Abilities

“Mac” is a metallic android.

He’s a heavier, more powerful variant over the basic “Joe” design of G.I. Robot.

It seemed significantly stronger, smarter, faster and more agile.

The Mk2 demonstrated that it was immune to gunfire – up to at least .45 ACP at close range. This hadn’t been clearly established with the Mk1 G.I. Robot.

“Mac” was fast and agile enough to be programmed to fight using basic Japanese unarmed martial arts known to Americans in the 1940s. So, judo and karate.

There’s an automatic firearm in its right hand. It presumably is a rebuilt .45 M3 “Grease Gun” submachinegun, with an ammunition bin within the robot.



History

Like with the “Joe” G.I. Robot prototype, it is not quite clear whether the “Mac” model was the second or the first prototype of its generation. The dialogue is ambiguous.

An economical hypothesis is that there was but one “Joe” generation robot. And that it was lost in combat along with its human handler, a US Army Ranger and Suicide Squadron veteran named Mac.

In this hypothesis, the second generation prototype — developed within a month or so of the earliest field tests for “Joe” — was named “Mac” in honour of “Joe”’s handler.

Prototype

The researchers again had a field handler assigned to the project. Like Mac before him, Reed was a US Army Ranger and a veteran of the Suicide Squadron.

The tests took place in the Mission X area, presumably to preserve secrecy.

As usual things went wrong when giant pterosaurs attacked the transport plane. Reed and “Mac” had to parachute out, repel a pterosaur attack in mid-air, and finish their descent with but one parachute.

After getting rid of a sort of brontosaurus, Reed and “Mac” attempted to rescue other survivors from the plane.

Another objective was to recover the parachute-equipped tank.

But they were too late. Only the tank sergeant was still alive after a mega-carnosaur attack.

Robot sacrifice

Hallucinating that his men were calling for help, the crazed sergeant held Reed and “Mac” at gunpoint after they rescued him. Being shellshocked, he was irrationally afraid of the robot.

This standoff was broken by “Mac”’s heroic actions. The G.I. Robot shoved Reed aside, saving him from the sergeant’s gunfire. Then it leapt behind the sergeant to grab a carnosaur by the throat before the beast could attack.

Clinging to the dinosaur to save the sergeant, “Mac” used a high-power Suicide Squadron grenade to kill the beast. The robot shielded the two humans from the blast with its body.

Reed could only bring back the intact head of the G.I. Robot. But a third generation of G.I. Robot, called J.A.K.E. (Jungle Automatic Killer – Experimental) was almost ready for field tests.

Description

Visually, the “Mac” prototype looks halfway between the “Joe” prototype and the J.A.K.E. prototypes.

Unlike the “Joe” prototype it doesn’t wear a uniform. It is naked except for a standard-issue US steel pot helmet.

The helmet was presumably chosen since it was more convenient than building a fully armoured skull with an access hatch.

“Mac”’s servos often emit a not-so-faint whirring noise.

Personality

The “Mac” G.I. Robot cannot speak or emote.

Like “Joe” it is determined to protect allied humans  . Even at great risk to itself, and even if it wasn’t ordered to.

Though “Mac” is best used by giving it clear orders, it has extensive interpretative capabilities.

It is programmed to have a solid initiative level in applying the military buddy system  . It always keep an eye out for its buddy — its human handler — and will protect and assist him like a real G.I. would.

“Mac” may have had memories downloaded from “Joe”. For instance it understood what Reed wanted it to do when he presented his hand for “Mac” to shake.

Responsometer

It is possible to interpret the story with the “Mac” robot actually holding the consciousness of the deceased Mac — “Joe”’s handler — within its responsometer.

(This interpretation stems from a much later version of the Metal Men’s responsometers working by integrating the consciousness of dead humans. And this was only briefly in continuity).

Marvel Universe Adaptation

(This section proposes ways of using this character in Marvel Universe stories).

In the Marvel Universe, the stolen designs of the “Mac” generation robots could have become the basis for the Dreadnought combat robots of the 1960s.

The tests might also have taken place during the war in Korea, with Reed being a young Reed Richards.

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: DC Universe.

Writeup completed on the 18^th of September, 2011.