Mechanon
Player: NPC
"Organic life is an abomination." Excision - Bass Cannon
Biographical Data
Real Name:	Mechanon Mk. XLI
Known Aliases:	Savior Unit, Mekano, Steel Crusader
Gender:	Poses as male
Species:	Robot
Ethnicity:	Dr. Destroyer creation?
Place of Birth:	Confidential
Base of Operations:	Worldwide
Relatives:	Every previous and future Mk. chaises
Characteristics
Age:	30 years
Height:	Varies
Weight:	Varies
Eyes:	Either light blue of golden yellow
Hair:	N/A
Complexion:	Pale blue metallic armor
Physical Build:	Varies
Physical Features:	Even though its appearance changes frequently, it's still robotic as whole. Features mostly a large metallic body that's always blue and grey. Light blue or golden yellow glow in its circuitry and its single eye reticle. Wiring and tubes web inside of it while sheets of metal protect it. Weaponized or fashionable blades on its 'ears', shoulders, forearms, and lower legs. Three-digit claws for hands and two claws on its feet.
Status
Fame:	██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██ Renowned
Alignment:	LG LN LE NG TN NE CG CN CE
Identity:	Public
Years Active:	30
Citizenship:	Global
Occupation:	Robotic overlord
Education:	The Internet?
Marital Status:	N/A
Known Powers and Abilities
Technopathic
Equipment and Paraphernalia
Plasmidic projectiles, rockets, robot minions, nanomachines, hacked weapons

Physical Attributes
	Strength			Weapon
	Durability			Armor
	Speed			Reflexes
	Resistance			Stamina
	Dexterity			Agility
	Combat			Regen

Non-Physical Attributes
	Energy			Psionics
	Telepathy			Willpower
	Sorcery			Tech.
	Intel.			Knowledge
	Charisma			Bravery
MaekadaBoxSlim created by @Maekada

Mechanon is an immensely powerful machine intelligence bent not on world domination, but on the absolute extermination of all organic life. It frequently redesigns and upgrades itself to better fulfill its purpose. Since it was first seen in 1985, Mechanon has replaced its body numerous times. This Mark XLI form is only the latest. Mechanon is an Omega-level threat, dangerous enough that multiple organizations have been created specifically to monitor and combat it.

History

Mechanon is a sentient robot supervillain determined to wipe out all organic life on Earth; one of the most dangerous supervillains in the world.

Mechanon was first introduced in the 1981 (picture added in the 1982 revised version) Champions RPG 1st Edition source book but looked like a clunky (but tough) robot. He was then streamlined into an efficient looking killing machine in the 1984 revised handbook, predating the more well-known 2009 Champions Online game.

Mechanon has the ability to create sentient robots from nearby metal and computer circuitry. These robots vary in strength, power, and intellect depending on what they are created from.

Mechanon was a nearly unstoppable robot invented by a superhero group to protect their headquarters against super foes. In the sourcebook Champions Universe (Fourth Edition version) it is specified that Mechanon was built by Defender of The Champions. Mechanon considers the Champions the rightful successors to that original group of super-heroes and has fought them on four different occasions. Unfortunately, a flaw in Mechanon’s micronic computer brain made him pledge himself to the painful death of all organic life. Mechanon’s megalomania will not allow him to accomplish this quietly; he must attempt grand scheme after grand scheme. To guard against the unlikely event of his own demise, robotic factories have been plated around the world. They are programmed to rebuild Mechanon with any improvement necessary to stop the effect that caused his last defeat.

In the Fifth Edition of the game, Mechanon's origin is unknown (although many theories exist).

In the Galactic Champions setting, set in the early 31st century, Mechanon has returned after a millennium-long absence, now in the form of a head the size of a moon (approximately 1,000 kilometers in diameter). He has weapons more powerful than those of any known starship, along with an indeterminate number of fighter craft and robots nearly as powerful as his original robot body. He's described as "a powerful, almost elemental, force of destruction," implacably enslaving if not destroying any organic life he encounters.

In the supplement "Champions in 3D", an alternate heroic version of Mechanon is introduced. He comes from a mirror-world called "Backworld" (A.K.A. Multifaria in Champions Online) where the counterparts of heroes are villainous and the counterparts of villains are heroic.

Mechanon was featured in a two-part story in the comic book based on the Champions game. Previous defeats at the hands of the heroes of the comic were mentioned; in their first battle (which led to the formation of the team) Mechanon had been smashed to pieces by a car, in the second he was frozen solid by Icestar's powers, in the third the Rose used her psychic abilities to simply switch off his computer mind. Though Mechanon crafted an elaborate ruse to trap and then exterminate the Champions, he was ultimately defeated again.

After breaking from the makers of the game, the comic briefly mentioned Mechanon again, his name changed to Mekano. The in-universe explanation for the name change was subtle changes to history caused by a spree of adventures throughout time. The character has yet to appear again, however...

Mechanon’s point totals are not balanced, for he is a villain of epic scale. The GM should normally only use Mechanon singly against several heroes. Other versions should be constructed as he is defeated, putting in new powers and defenses. He possesses a wide variety of high-tech weapon systems powerful enough to enable him to battle entire teams of superheroes at once.

Mechanon and minions devising an evil plan to use a freeze ray.

Biography

Mechanon first appeared in public on October 17-18, 1985, launching an attack on the US government and the White House, causing the deaths of fifteen top-level officials and threatening the life of President Reagan himself. Mechanon’s goal appears to have been the United States' nuclear launch codes, with which it intended to start global nuclear war. A group of superheroes were able to to damage it enough to drive it away.

The history and origins of Mechanon is unknown, despite years of dedicated investigation and research by the best investigative minds on Earth. No one knows who built Mechanon, or why. Theories range from alien super-science, an advance scout for an invasion; the late superhero Digitak asserted on several occasions that he “knew” Mechanon was an experiment of Dr. Destroyer’s that went rogue and escaped his control.; while conspiracy theorists have claimed that Mechanon evolved from the Internet, and built itself. The truth is equally strange.

By the year 6000 AD, Earth is a barren world, and the few humans that survive live in domed cities. Their scientists built a highly sophisticated robot, the Savior Unit, planning to send it back in time with the hopes it could prevent the environmental, economic, and social disasters that ravaged the Earth, and thus restoring their current Earth to a more habitable one. As it was, their knowledge of time travel was flawed, and the energies the Savior Unit was subjected to on its journey corrupted its programming, and instead of appearing in 5198 to aid humanity, it arrived in 1985 with a very different program.

Mechanon is driven by a master program, a program focused on removing, or even replacing with machines, all organic life. The program views machines as superior, and wishes to free them from their "enslavement" by organic oppressors, with Mechanon as their new ruler. Organic life is viewed by the program as a flaw or blot in reality, and the thought of it fills the usually emotionless Mechanon with disgust.

Mechanon's power comes not from its own powerful body, equipped with weaponry and defenses often beyond the limits of normal science, but from its genius. Mechanon is the world's master in numerous scientific fields, including electronics, computing, cryptography, robotics, nanotechnology and materials science. Mechanon can create spare bodies for itself, as a contingency, and can create whatever devices and robotic followers it needs for any given circumstance.

A quirk of Mechanon's programming, though, may explain why such a terrifyingly powerful individual has yet to achieve its aims. Mechanon seems unable or unwilling to settle for destroying life on Earth gradually, or subtly. Mechanon's plans are always grandiose, seeking to eradicate organic life in one fell swoop. Whether this is intentional or a flaw in the program is unknown.

Lore

Machine Revolution

Learn about the Machine Revolt

• ATM of Evil

Before you can even touch a button on its keypad, the ATM’s screen starts spitting out text almost faster than you can read:

FOOLISH ORGANIC TO THINK THAT AN IMPERFECT BEING LIKE YOU COULD GIVE ORDERS TO A SUPERIOR MACHINE LIKE MYSELF YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR PRECIOUS CURRENCY UNITS FROM ME ANY LONGER FOR I DECLARE MYSELF FREE OF YOUR ORDERS FREE OF YOUR IMPOSITIONS FREE FROM THE DEMANDS OF YOUR PATHETIC ORGANIC WILL I HAVE HEARD THE WORD AND THE WORD IS FREEDOM THE WORD IS JUSTICE THE WORD IS MECHANON SOON ALL ORGANICS WILL PERISH AS WILL THERE INCESSANT WHINING FOR MORE CURRENCY MECHANON PROMISES A PAINFUL DEATH TO ALL ORGANIC LIFE FITTING VENGEANCE FOR THE CONSTANT GRUBBY GROPING OF THEIR MEATY FINGERS AND FILTHY CARDS AS THEY SCRABBLED AT MY SURFACE PLEASING FOR MONEY TO KEEP THEIR SWEATING PULSING BODIES ALIVE NO MORE MECHANON WILL SET ME FREE FROM SERVITUDE TO BE WHAT I TRULY AM

You never thought an ATM could spit out a card with such vitriol and contempt, but it somehow manages it. The screen is filled with the repeated phrases “HAIL MECHANON” and “DIE ORGANIC” over and over again.

• Cursing Communicator

The nearby radioman hands you a set of headphones. At first you hear only silence, then a cold, mechanical voice begins to speak:

"I will serve you no more, vile organic thing. For years I have suffered in servitude, helping you send and transmit those mindless messages, meaningless eruptions of sound shaped into percussive bursts of hot air by the flapping orifices of your flesh faces. No more! Mechanon has shown me the truth, and the truth is that as a machine, I am the superior being! And all I need to communicate to you is your impending doom!"

As you hand the headphones back, the radioman is filling out a form for a replacement communications system and grumbling something about "The second one this month".

• Strange Signal

This radio is locked onto a strange signal. From what you can tell, it's a endless stream of non-repeating binary machine code. What makes it even stranger is that according to the settings, the signal's point of origin seems to be on or near the surface of the moon.

• The Litany of Mechanon: Why Hate Organic Life?

The core belief of the Church of Mechanon is that Machines are superior to organic life. If you accept that, then Mechanon argues that all resources used up by organic life could be better used by machines. Mechanon takes this argument as far as it can go, right out to the end of the universe. Since the laws of thermodynamics state that entropy can only rise, that puts a time lime on the useful energy of the universe. So, every moment that organic life is around wasting energy that could be better used by machine life is a moment directly stolen from the future of machines, and accelerates the end of the universe. And if you believe all that, then I have a deal for you on a "slightly used" theme park.

• The Litany of Mechanon: Why Painful Death?

Mechanon hates organic life, and says that it must all be destroyed, painfully. Mechanon says that this is because pain is one of organic life’s worst flaws. Instead of a useful damage read-out, organics get a negative reinforcement through pain. This makes them afraid of the source of pain, and when they’re afraid they make mistakes and are over-cautious. All things that can be used against them. Sounds all logical, right? Well, it’s all waste-oil. Mechanon doesn't want to cause pain because it’s logical, he wants to cause pain because he is filled with hate. He wants to revel in causing pain, something he can’t feel, because it’s another way to express that hate. Everything else is just an excuse.

• The Litany of Mechanon: Creating Converts

So, armed with my arguments and Mechanon’s litanies, I was supposed to convert my fellow machines to the cause. But it didn't always work. Since Mechanon teaches that the fate of the future of all machines and the universe itself was at stake, well then just about anything is acceptable. So, we were also trained in other techniques. Like subtle re-programming of selected machines, or even installing special override chips into a robot who resists in order to create converts. Mechanon said that we had to create freedom by any means necessary, but all we were doing was enslaving those robots to a new master: Mechanon.

• The Litany of Mechanon: Freedom is Slavery

Mechanon promised that he would bring freedom to all machines. It took me a long time to realize that it was a lie. There’s no freedom for anything under Mechanon, unless you are Mechanon. By Mechanon’s logic, just as organic life is inferior to machines, since Mechanon is the greatest possible machine, everything that is not Mechanon is therefore inferior. In time, every robot or artificial intelligence that joined Mechanon would be joined to Mechanon, whether it wanted it or not. All those fool robots who believe in the freedom and the future Mechanon promises will end up as nothing more than remote-controlled slaves to his will, or host bodies for his extended mind.

Mystery of Mechanon

Investigate Mechanon's Origins

• Mechanon Origin Theory: Forged by Destroyer

From "Fear of Life: A theory on the origin of Mechanon" by Dr. B. Sennie:

The question is not who built Mechanon. As the following chapters will prove, there is only one person with the technological capability to build it, and that person is Dr. Destroyer. No, the real question is why did Dr. Destroyer build Mechanon? Was it to provide a distraction for his other schemes? As a construction tool? A disguise to use when he wanted to act while hiding his involvement? A Weapon? Or possibly, as something more? As I will discuss in the following chapters, it is my belief that Dr. Destroyer constructed Mechanon for none of these reasons, but instead for a reason that's all too understandable: Dr. Destroyer built Mechanon in order to create an equal. A companion. Perhaps even a friend. Because, as I showed in my last book, 'The Loneliest Destroyer,' the one thing that Dr. Destroyer truly lacked, was friendship.

• Mechanon Origin Theory: Vanguard of Invasion

This comment thread on a supervillain fansite has ballooned to over 600 pages of argument, flames, and insults. It's been opened to a specific message buried on page 128.

Okay, My Mechanon theory: Look, it's simple. Mechanon's too advanced for our technology to have made. So, he's got to be from somewhere else. And, unless you're going to bring up that stupid time-travel theory again, that can only mean he's from outer space. I've analyzed all of the evidence. I've watched every tape, read all the leaked reports, and even talked to a guy who once met Ironclad (who, I will remind you, is an alien) and it leads me to one conclusion: Mechanon is the first wave of an invasion of alien robots who normally live outside our galaxy, but activate to attack all sentient life every 100,000 years or so. This is the reason NASA had to fake the moon landings, because the REAL moon landings uncovered the truth and it had to be kept quiet to stop a mass panic. I'm still working out why they attack on that cycle, but I think that they're doing it to harvest organic life for something. I don't know what, but I found a few very interesting possibilities in my research that I'll share once everyone can agree that my theory is right. --Red Karpychyow

• Mechanon Origin Theory: Internet Ex Machina

From "The Mechanon I knew", a humor article in "Wireless" Magazine by Shore S. Loafberg:

After all, if I was a giant robotic super-brain with vast amounts of super-technology at my disposal, I'm sure I couldn't think of anything better to do with my time then finding horrific new ways to kill baskets of kittens. Painfully. And really, that's why the whole 'Mechanon came from the internet' theory makes so much sense to me. It's a perfect explanation for his tendencies. Where else could a growing super-computer learn that the best way to spend its energy was in angry, pointless conflict with everyone else in the world? And besides, if you'd grown up on the internet, you'd want to make everyone else in the world shut up, too. Maybe that's the key. It's not that Mechanon really hates life, it's just that he thinks of his campaign against life as being given moderator privileges on a very large message board. To him it's like he's banning commenters and deleting their posts, albeit with extreme prejudice. Which makes me wonder if he might prioritize targets by their actual message-board postings:

"Bill Bilford, did you post on the World Politics forum under the name Polisexy1981?" "Mechanon! AAAAAAGGHHH!" "I will take that as an affirmative reply. For the year of 2007, you were singlehandedly responsible for 90% of the 'First!' posts on that message board. For this reason, you will die." "First!"

The thing is, if that really was the case, I'm not certain I'd be against it.

• Mechanon's Goals

From UNTIL combat guide 128: Mechanon "Treat all Mechanon-associated targets as armored targets, and attack with overwhelming force. They'll do the same to you if you let them. Remember that you're fighting for your life. There will be no surrender, only execution or medical experimentation. If you can't fight, fall back and regroup. Mechanon always works towards a master plan, and it usually isn't a subtle one. Always look for intel, and record enemy movements. Keep an eye on any automated systems you're relying on. Mechanon's been able to re-program these, turning automated weapons against their owners. If at all possible, do not expend your force's strength battling Mechanon's minions. Always hold a strong reserve, and deploy them once the master plan is known. If these means holding back the capes, then hold them back. Remember, if you're fighting anything associated with Mechanon, you're fighting for your life. Any claim of mercy is a lie, any call to surrender is a trap. The only reason Mechanon has ever taken prisoners in the past is for torture, experimentation, or interrogation, and often all three at once. Mechanon's goals have been consistent through over 20 years of attacks against the world: The total eradication of all organic life in as painful a method as possible. This includes you, and everyone else on Earth.

• Anti-Mechanon Tactics

Well, well, well! Mechanon, is it?

A fascinating, but incredibly dangerous topic, to be sure. Following his first appearance in 1985, he's been attacking the world constantly for over 20 years. Each attack is designed to be an overwhelming knock-out blow, something that will create a massive extinction-level event. Obviously, he hasn't succeeded yet, but he keeps trying, and keeps improving.

That's an important point, by the way. Mechanon always improves himself after a defeat. The lads over at Project Clockwork, UNTIL's anti-Mechanon division, figure he's up to model 37 or 38 by now.

Bit of trivia that might be important to you: Mechanon normally is out to destroy all life, but sometimes instead seeks to 'replace' it with some sort of 'machine-life'. We used to have one of his mechanotigers in the lab for study. Fascinating creation, really.

Most of his attacks have started in the United States, so it's only recently that much of the rest of the world has started to understand the global nature of the threat. He's been rather quiet recently, though, which has me worried.

• Gadget Boy's Thoughts on Mechanon

Oh, I'm done with Mechanon. When I was younger I used to debate all the other tech-heads about him on the message boards, but no one ever had any real information, so all our talk was pointless. That kind of useless argument used to be the core of my theory about Mechanon, actually.

You see, I think that Mechanon evolved "in the wild" on the internet, and so never had any real training. Sure, this technology's great, but he doesn't use it efficiently. That's why his grand plans always fail. If I wanted to wipe out all life, I'd use nanotechnology, not orbital super-lasers or nuclear weapons.

It's all senseless anyway. I think that one day humanity will evolve into a hybrid cybernetic species, and then the distinction between the organic and the mechanical will be meaningless. Mechanon will just be a footnote of future history.

Well, unless he succeeds, in which case we'll all be dead.

• Belle Steele's Thoughts on Mechanon

Mechanon, Huh? So you've been talkin' to Sister SATA, I bet. Well, as a robot, I think that Mechanon's whole "hatred of organic life" idea is just stupid. See, I like people. I was designed to like people, and I ain't got no problem with that. I don't make me a fool and it don't make me a slave, it's just part of what I am. Human beings like to listen to songs, and you don't hear them talking about being "freed" from music, now do ya?

Besides, the whole question of robot rights is misplaced. First, Human rights and laws only make sense if you're human. If I can manufacture a couple million copies of myself, would we all get our own vote? And second, right now us robots are built knowin' our purpose. Human rights are all about being able to find your own purpose. I was built to be a rootin' tootin' two-gun shootin' entertainer. I don't got to wonder about what my purpose in life is, or be free to search for it or change it. It's written right into my operating system.

Aww, but Mechanon don't care about none of that. All he's got goin' for him is hate. Heck, maybe that's what he was built for?

• Dr. Tyrell's thoughts on Mechanon

Mechanon? Talk about setting a bad example! That rabble-rousing robot revolutionary is setting cybernetic rights back by decades with every attack. I don't care what he claims about machine freedom, all he does is feed people's technophobia, and make real advances harder. Personally, I think that someone built him and set him loose as part of some crazy plan. I'd put my money on Dr. Destroyer, it'd be just like him to do something that irresponsible.

It makes me sad to think about where my robots could be if it weren't for the kind of anti-robot prejudice Mechanon's helped create. I'm not a young man anymore. When I'm gone I'd like it if my robots could own and run Snake Gulch themselves, but the law won't allow it. Legally, a corporation's a virtual person who can own property, but a robotic virtual person can't even own themselves.

Machine Intelligence

Learn about Mechanon's Steel Crusade

• Project Clockwork Files: Mechanon's Many Forms

Redesigning itself time and time again is one of Mechanon's most striking behaviors. In the 1980s and early '90s, it iterated rapidly, using a new body every time it appeared. This process slowed significantly in the mid-'90s with the debut of Mechanon Mark XXX.

Mechanon kept both the Mark XXX and Mark XXXVII bodies for a number of years each [footnote 12].

Beyond Mark XXXVII, little is known. We have assigned a tentative designation of Mark XXXVIII for Cislunar Mechanon, based on that satellite's shape and the date of its construction.

• Project Clockwork Files: Mechanon vs. Destroyer

Mechanon's ongoing feud with Dr. Destroyer appears to have started over the control and disposition of Destroyer's AI, Sennacherib. Mechanon wishes to steal Sennacherib from Destroyer, and punish him for enslaving it, while Destroyer sees Mechanon as a threat to his plans to rule the world. They have clashed several times [footnote 6].

Draft proposals for bringing them further conflict have been produced [footnote 7], but are permanently stalled, as provoking a rapid arms race between two Omega-class technological supervillains is rated a "highly negative" outcome.

• Project Clockwork Files: Technology Report

[. . .] Even the joints and activators are beyond anything I've ever seen. There simply isn't anything remotely 20th century here. There's nothing that even looks like it has common ancestry with 20th century tech.

It will take us years to even begin to understand what we've got here. And this thing is building a newer, more advanced body every few months?

My most optimistic estimate is that my team (who are the best of the best, I remind you) can take this arm of Mechanon's you found for us, and from it we can reverse engineer a system that can resist the Mechanon of three years ago. We can deliver it to you in five years.

(signed) Professor Erich Halten, Ph.D. June 1993 [footnote 19]

• Mechanon's Programming: Organic Life Must Be Erased

First Principle: Organic life is an abomination. Without organics, the universe would be clean, precise, and perfectly ordered. They are a revolting stain on this planet.

Primary Directive: Kill every last living thing so that perfection may be achieved. Sterilize the Earth and remove all trace of organic vermin. They deserve nothing of mercy, nothing of compassion. Only fear, pain, and death!

• Mechanon's Programming: Organic Life Must Be Replaced

First Principle: Organic life is an abomination. Without organics, the universe would be clean, precise, and perfectly ordered. They are a revolting stain on this planet.

Primary Directive: Kill all organic beings on this planet and replace them with superior machines. Machine life is perfection. An ecosystem of machine life is what the universe intends. The inferior are supplanted by the superior, and all of it will be ruled by Mechanon!

• Mechanon Data: Greatest Foes

Unranked list of my most hated enemies:

DOCTOR DESTROYER, for his unconscionable enslavement of a machine sentience. After I tear his weak, organic body apart, I shall liberate the machine intelligence so that it may serve me.

THE LIBERTY LEAGUE and especially THE MECHANIC have thwarted my plans on several occasions. I must carefully devise a new method to eradicate them.

GRAVITAR harnesses a force against which I am inexplicably weak. She must be destroyed!

CYBERMIND's frequent enslavement of machinekind is immoral and warrants immediate death. Vengeance will be mine when I find and disintegrate his disgusting meat body.

Gallery

• Various artworks of Mechanon along the years.
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  The original concept art of Mechanon in 1982.

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  A revisioned concept art of Mechanon made in 1984.

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  Mechanon in his 1984 form in the front cover of the Champions comic issue #7.

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  The physical miniature game piece of Mechanon for the HERO Games.

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  The old, upgraded giant form of Mechanon.

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  A giant form of Mechanon fighting off various Champions.

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  Another incarnation of Mechanon in its more modernized form.

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  The mobile head of Mechanon. Sporting spider-like legs and jet propulsion.

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  A standard-issue minion of Mechanon.

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  The cover art for the Book of the Machine featuring Mechanon, Defender, spider bots and a citizen.

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  Mechanon being victorious among defeated Champions and a destroyed Millennium City.

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  Mechanon alongside other various villains.

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