In the Marvel Universe, anyone is capable of becoming a hero. While people often expect robots to strike back against humans for their ignorance and their oppression of machine life, it doesn’t always work that way. Instead, there are robots that prove not only that robots and humans can get along, but they can be invaluable allies.
With so many super-scientists making robots, it’s not a surprise that some of them would turn out to be impressive heroes. What’s most surprising though is that one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies is also responsible for creating the best robotic heroes.
10/10 H.E.R.B.I.E Risked Its Own Life To Protect The Fantastic Four
Reed Richards has created a number of H.E.R.B.I.E. bots over the years, starting back in the late ’70s. The original H.E.R.B.I.E. was meant to help The Fantastic Four but found himself possessed by an enemy of Xandar known as Doctor Sun. Refusing to allow himself to be a tool for Doctor Sun, this version of H.E.R.B.I.E. gave up his life to save the team.
Future versions would continue to work alongside The Fantastic Four, helping them time and again through various problems. Though the most recent one abandoned the team, he still fought back against Sunset Bain and Arno Stark to protect his fellow A.I.
9/10 Baymax Has Worked With Multiple Teams To Protect The Earth
Designed by super-genius Hiro Takachiko, Baymax became more than just a protector. Originally a member of Big Hero 6 because the government forced him in, Baymax soon turned into a true hero. He worked with the team to save Tokyo from the supervillain Everwraith, but that was only the beginning for him.
Later, he teamed up with the Canadian supergroup Alpha Flight to help save the time stream, making him one of the few robots to travel through time to save humanity. He even returned to Big Hero 6 years later, protecting Japan alongside a new generation of heroes.
8/10 Victor Mancha Chose To Become A Hero Rather Than Obey His Father’s Whims
Victor Mancha was part of one of Ultron’s long-term plans to destroy the Avengers. He created a cyborg combining human DNA with one of his own bodies and even implanted it with false memories. Though Ultron attempted to use Victor, once again he found a robot that resisted his programming to be his own person.
Since then, Victor has worked with multiple super-teams, including the Runaways and the Young Avengers, helping them stand against the Registration Act during the Civil War. He’s even worked alongside a team of all A.I. Avengers to battle and defeat a virus that wanted to take down humanity, Dimitrios.
7/10 Danger Chose To Help Despite Having Her Intelligence Ignored
After Charles Xavier realized the X-Men’s Danger Room was gaining intelligence, he attempted to hide this knowledge from everyone else. Xavier chose to ignore Danger to allow the rest of the X-Men to continue using the Danger Room’s abilities.
Breaking free years later, Danger should have chosen to be a villain for what was done to her. Instead, she worked with the X-Men and helped them fight against enemies of the mutant race time and again. She even spent some time operating under Polaris’ X-Factor corporate-sponsored team for a time before going her own way.
6/10 Aaron Stack Fights To Prove Humans And Robots Can Co-Exist
Aaron Stack has no reason to care for the Earth. Created by the U.S. government as a tool and hunted as a fugitive, the hero known as Machine Man refused to become anyone’s weapon. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, the character met a number of super-teams, working alongside them to stop villains.
While so many of the humans he’s met have greeted him less than kindly, this never stopped him. He specifically helped to defeat multiple machine-based villains, aiming to do the right thing. His goal is to see the day that humans and machines can exist peacefully together.
While Ultron’s creations have all chosen to rebel against him, Vision actually managed to have one follow in his footsteps. He certainly wanted his daughter Vivian to be a normal teenager, but when she chose to be a superhero instead, he supported her actions.
Over the last few years, Viv has been a key member of the Champions, a team some might argue is better than the Avengers. She helped them in their mission against the High Evolutionary, along with several other missions, including working with the team during the War of the Realms. She did have a weak moment in trying to get the Champions to turn themselves in to C.R.A.D.L.E., but that’s a momentary lapse after years of helping them save people.
4/10 Friday Stark Has Been Invaluable Help For Iron Man And Stark Industries
Tony Stark spent years working with different secretaries before deciding it’d be best if he simply programmed one. He created his own personal “girl Friday,” whose programming became more complex the longer she worked with Stark.
As Stark’s armor became more complex, Friday became necessary just to help Stark operate it. Working with him, she saved countless lives when Iron Man worked solo and with the Avengers. She also helped fight back against Sunset Bain during the robot revolution, eventually saving countless A.I. from her actions.
3/10 Jocasta Pym Refused To Carry Out Anyone Else’s Will
Jocasta has been a vital part of the Marvel Universe since her introduction. Originally, she was intended to be “the wife of Ultron”, and was meant to fight the Avengers alongside Ultron. However, Jocasta refused to follow Ultron’s commands even from the very beginning.
Jocasta rebelled against Ultron much like Vision, because within her dwells the heart of a hero. Jocasta has worked alongside everyone from the Avengers to the Initiative out of a desire to do the right thing, even when humanity doesn’t always do right by her.
2/10 Jim Hammond Worked Alongside Captain America To Protect His Country
Jim Hammond is one of Marvel’s oldest heroes. Introduced in 1939, he was meant to be an android who perfectly replicated a human, only to learn he had the power to burst into flames. With his powers, he became the original Human Torch, decades before The Fantastic Four version existed.
Thanks to those abilities, Hammond was able to work alongside Captain America and other heroes to form the Invaders, battling against the threat of the Axis powers. After defeating the Axis, his heroic spirit caused him to keep fighting to help others. He’s had a storied heroic career with teams like the Avengers West Coast, the Secret Avengers, and new forms of the Invaders.
1/10 Vision Is One Of The Avengers’ Oldest Members
The Vision was meant to be Ultron’s greatest achievement. An android created from an Avengers’ brain patterns, he was the first time Ultron attempted to destroy the Avengers with a creation of his own. However, he also proved that he wouldn’t be one of Ultron’s minions.
Not only did Vision stand against Ultron, but he grew to become one of the Avengers’ most trusted members, fighting alongside them time and again. Even when he was rebuilt, he always returned to the team, helping them when they needed it most. Through he hero work, Vision met the love of his life in Scarlet Witch and earned the respect of the entire hero community.
