By Cassandra Pinkney
The Marvel Cinematic Universe—known for its valiant heroes, tragic villains, and…robots? Yes, robots! The technology in the MCU extends far beyond arc reactors and Pym particles, giving us plenty of important robotic characters to enjoy. If you’ve been needing a refresher on the metallic members of the MCU, here’s a roundup of some of our favorite robots. And synthezoids. And androids. And…
H.E.R.B.I.E.
Say hello to the newest member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s robotic family: H.E.R.B.I.E.! Short for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics (try saying that three times fast!), H.E.R.B.I.E. is an especially helpful member of the Fantastic Four family. From cooking to babyproofing, H.E.R.B.I.E. can do it all without breaking a sweat. Welcome to the family, H.E.R.B.I.E.! You can catch this adorable robot and the rest of the family in Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, only in theaters July 25.
DUM-E
Kicking off this roundup is a robot who is always ready to lend a (hydraulic) hand: DUM-E. When a 16-year-old Tony Stark built the bot in a basement at MIT, it’s unlikely he knew how helpful DUM-E would be in his future Super Hero endeavors. DUM-E not only helped Tony Stark build his Mark II and XLII suits and create the element needed for Stark’s arc reactor in the Iron Man films, but also served champagne to celebrate Pepper Potts’ appointment as CEO of Stark Industries. After being taken into possession by Happy Hogan, DUM-E’s days were spent building (and subsequently breaking) LEGO® sets with Peter Parker. Though DUM-E may be one of Tony Stark’s more simplistic inventions, we love it all the same!
Ultron
Ultron was created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) to be a Mind Stone-powered “suit around the world.” Ultron had other plans. After determining that humanity is its greatest threat to itself, Ultron took matters into his own hands. He and his army of Ultron Sentries, with some help from Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, set out on a mission to wipe out all life on Earth with his Doomsday Trigger. The Avengers may have defeated Ultron, but his actions sent shockwaves through the team that led to their rift in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
Iron Legion
The Iron Legion are a group of Iron Man suits and droids created by Tony Stark to help the Avengers protect civilians when fighting battles in heavily populated areas. After the Battle of New York in The Avengers (2012), Tony Stark realized the world needed more protection than just that offered by himself and War Machine. Thus, the first Iron Legion was born. These suits were designed to each tackle a different problem and could be controlled remotely or manually, depending on the Avengers’ needs. The first Iron Legion was destroyed with Tony Stark’s Clean Slate Protocol after the Battle of Norco in Iron Man 3 (2013). A second Iron Legion was created, this time controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S. This second legion was destroyed, again, after it was co-opted by Ultron to attack the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron…maybe third time’s the charm?
J.A.R.V.I.S./Vision
Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, otherwise known as J.A.R.V.I.S., is one of Tony Stark’s inventions that he keeps very busy. Not only is J.A.R.V.I.S. tasked with securing Tony’s Stark’s mansion and Stark Tower in addition to running Stark Industries with Pepper Potts, but he is also a vital source of information for the Avengers. J.A.R.V.I.S. is destroyed during the Ultron offensive in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Stark’s tribute to his family’s butler, Edwin Jarvis, lives on in a different form.
Enter Vision, a Mind Stone-powered vibranium synthezoid created by Ultron and Dr. Helen Cho. Vision joins the Avengers and their fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). After the Mind Stone, and subsequently Vision, are destroyed by Thanos, Vision was taken in by S.W.O.R.D. and experimented on to create a weapon. This endeavor only proved fruitful after finding some of Wanda Maximoff’s residual Chaos Magic on a drone sent into Westview, NJ. (Just a reminder that if this roundup inspires you to rewatch 2021’s WandaVision, remember to stock up on tissues beforehand. You’re going to need them.)
F.R.I.D.A.Y
After J.A.R.V.I.S. was uploaded into Vision, F.R.I.D.A.Y. was selected to take his place as Tony Stark’s right hand robot. Much like J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y. helps Tony Stark both on and off the battlefield. In Captain America: Civil War, she plays a crucial role in the final showdown between him and Steve Rogers by analyzing the super soldier’s fighting pattern when the Iron Man suit’s targeting system becomes inaccurate. When she’s not helping Tony Stark during a fight, she helps him keep Peter Parker safe in the Iron Spider Armor Stark built for Parker— you can decide which job is harder.
LMDs
LMDs, short for Life-Model Decoys, are an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. program that aimed to make fully functional androids that looked like S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and could act as distractions to keep real agents out of harm’s way. The program is first mentioned in The Avengers when Tony Stark pretends to be a Life-Model Decoy of himself in an unsuccessful attempt to get out of a conversation with Agent Phil Coulson. The LMD program is unofficially restarted by Holden Radcliffe in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-20), who tries to get the androids he creates to steal the Darkhold for him. Notable LMDs are made to resemble some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most iconic agents like Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, and of course, Phil Coulson.
Show these robots some love by streaming the films and TV shows in this article on Disney+ today. And be sure to watch Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, only in theaters July 25!