Magnus: Robot Fighter

Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, Gold Key Comics
Publication information
Publisher	Gold Key Comics Valiant Comics
First appearance	Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1 (1963)
Created by	Russ Manning
In-story information
Alter ego	Magnus
Species	Human Harbinger
Team affiliations	Leeja Clane
Abilities	Superhuman strength, superhuman durability, extensive martial arts training.

Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963. The character was subsequently published by Valiant Comics and Acclaim Comics in the 1990s, and was reintroduced by Dark Horse Comics in August 2010. In every incarnation, Magnus is a human who battles rogue robots in the year 4000, though some aspects of the concept have varied with each publisher.

By the year 4000, humanity has become dependent on robots. H8, the Pol-Rob [Robot Police] chief of the civic sector of North Am, a continent-spanning mega-city, is damaged in a radiation accident. It seeks to promote the human dependency on robots and gradually impose totalitarian rule in the area under its control.

Magnus was raised by a robot known as 1A, a name which implies that he is the very first robot of his type ever manufactured. 1A seems to be self-aware and possess emotions. A firm believer in the Three Laws of Robotics, 1A recognized the threat represented by the dependency of humans on robots in general, and the developments in North Am due to H8 in particular. Therefore, 1A trained Magnus to protect humans against both rogue robots, and humans who used normal robots for evil purposes. Magnus was trained from infancy by 1A in an under-sea domed house, using advanced techniques, to become a skilled martial artist who could break steel with his bare hands. In addition, 1A equipped his charge with a device that would allow him to "hear" robot-to-robot radio communications.

Leeja is Magnus's girlfriend. Robots that served as police are called "Pol-Robs" (as in police robots) and are painted black and white like city police cars. All robots have identifying numbers painted on their chest and backs. Other robots, such as taxi drivers, could be nothing more than a torso with arms and head attached to a flying automobile.

Both the Gold Key and Valiant versions take place in North Am, a megalopolis that encompasses the entire North American continent. The city consists of several "levels." The higher levels are populated by wealthier individuals, often regarded as "soft" and complacent. The lowest level, the Goph Level, is populated by a hardier and less educated class known as "gophs."