Metallo

History: Mike Fallon, an escaped convict, found the perfect hiding place by volunteering for a secret government project: he became the “pilot” of a lead-lined robotic suit of armor. After a rigorous training program for Fallon to learn the controls, the suit was subjected to a battery of tests. After seeing the power of the suit, Fallon decided to use it for his own personal gain. He ran off to San Francisco where he robbed a bank vault. The iron-man then dubbed himself “Metallo” and walked underwater to Alcatraz prison to free the convicts and form his own army. During the prison break, Fallon became painfully ill. He stopped by the prison infirmary, where the doctor diagnosed him with a “malignant disease” that only radiation treatments could cure. Since the armor suit was radiation-proof, Fallon would have to come out to be treated, but then he could be captured by the police. Fallon walked off into solitude trying to reach a decision on his fate.

Height: 10 ft.
Demonstrated Powers: The Metallo armor could withstand the heat, radiation, and shock waves of a nuclear blast. The armor was airtight and watertight, and had enough strength to smash through a steel bank vault door. At one point, Fallon was said to have lived in the suit for a full week, implying that it had some type of life support systems (food, water, air, sanitation) as well.

Comment: Scientist Albert Poole created a similar robot-suit in “I Made The Hulk Live” by Don Heck in Strange Tales # 75.

Comment: In Tales to Astonish #'s 60 and 61, Bruce Banner (see The Incredible Hulk) built a similar robotic anti-radiation suit. It is unknown if there is any connection to Metallo.

Comment: Metallo has a vague resemblence to the character Box from the Canadian super-team Alpha Flight (first glimpsed in Alpha Flight (vol. 1) # 1. It is unknown if there is any connection between the two.

Comment: Chronologically earlier stories involving high-tech body armor can be found during World War II in The Invaders # 11 (wherein Johann Goldstein created the Blue Bullet armor), and The Invaders #'s 35, 36 and 37 (wherein German Professor Franz Schneider created the Iron Cross armor suit).

Comment: A chronologically earlier story involving low-tech body armor can be found in Kid Colt Outlaw # 114, when the villain Iron Mask created an armored suit in the days of the Old West.

Comment: Metallo has no connection to John Corben, the cyborg enemy of Superman, also named 'Metallo'.

Comment on Metallo

Your Name * Email Address * Web site (optional)		Remember personal info? Yes No
Your Comments

* Name and email address are required. Don't worry about spam — your email address will not be shared with anyone. Only your name and Web site address will appear with your message.