Modern Age
The android Amazo was created by Professor Anthony Ivo, a scientist with expertise in multiple fields who is obsessed with immortality. [4] The original Justice League of America (Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter) discover their powers are being drained and somehow then being used by a thief who is after animals known to have long lifespans. While attempting to discover the perpetrator, the League is confronted and defeated by Amazo, who has duplicated their powers using Ivo's "absorption cell" technology. [5] Amazo brings the team to Ivo, who reveals he has created a means of extending his lifespan courtesy of the data obtained from studying the creatures Amazo captured. The League then defeats Ivo and the android. Ivo's immortality results in his body becoming monstrous in form, and the android is stored in the League trophy room. [6]
The android is temporarily re-activated twice to assist the League in regaining lost abilities. [7] [8] When red sun radiation reaches Earth, Amazo reactivates and engages in an extensive battle with Superman involving time-travel, only to be defeated before it can murder Ivo and the League. [9] Later, the Key, having been shrunken in size, re-activates Amazo in a failed bid to return to normal. The League defeats Amazo, after which Zatanna restores the Key to his former state. [10]
After the Justice League of America disbands and reforms as a small team of mostly new heroes based in Detroit, Ivo reactivates Amazo to attack this less experienced, "weaker" League. The android defeats all the new members but is finally stopped by Justice League founding members the Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. [11]
A different Amazo model is later activated and battles the superhero team the Conglomerate. [12] This updated Amazo searches for Ivo and encounters the hero Aztek, who succeeds in reasoning with the android rather than overpowering it. [13] This Amazo model also briefly battles the Resurrection Man before finally being destroyed. [14] Before his destruction, the second model of Amazo is summoned into the future by the android hero Hourman, who wishes to meet his "ancestor". This Amazo copies Hourman's time-warping Worlogog, becoming "Timazo" in the process. Timazo wreaks havoc with his new ability to manipulate time, but is defeated and returned to the past so his history can run its course. [15] Another, similar model of Amazo later has several more encounters with Hourman. [16]
Another model of Amazo is activated that can wield multiple powers at once and is programmed to automatically upgrade its abilities to match those of all active Justice League members. Initially not understanding this upgrade, the Justice League calls in reserve members to help defeat Amazo, which only results in its power increasing. On the Atom's advice, Superman (active team chairman at the time) announces the League is officially disbanded. Programmed only to mimic the powers of active members, this Amazo is suddenly depowered and easily deactivated. [17] Years later, Batman and Nightwing discover a partially built Amazo android in a weapons shipment and destroy it. [18]
Another Amazo participates in a massive attack by a group of villains on the city of Metropolis, but is destroyed by Black Adam. [19]
It is eventually revealed that after perfecting Amazo's absorption cells, Ivo combined this technology with human ova and DNA to create a "son" of Amazo who grows up as Frank Halloran, unaware of his heritage. Years later, Frank is a philosophy student dating a young woman named Sara when his powers are awakened prematurely. Rather than emulate his villainous "father", Frank hopes to be a hero called "Kid Amazo". Slowly becoming mentally unstable, Kid Amazo discovers Sara is Ivo's daughter and was instructed to monitor Frank by posing as a girlfriend. Kid Amazo goes on a rampage. Batman deduces Kid Amazo has not only the powers of the Leaguers but also their contrasting personality traits. This is later used to cause greater internal instability, destroying Kid Amazo. [20]
Later, Ivo downloads Amazo's programming into the body of the Red Tornado, the android villain-turned-hero created by Professor T.O. Morrow, another enemy of the Justice League. The League battles an army of Red Tornado androids before discovering that the villain Solomon Grundy intends to transfer his mind into the original android Tornado's body. Although this plan is defeated, the Amazo programming asserts itself and attacks the League until member Vixen destroys it. [21] A new body is created to house Red Tornado's consciousness but the Amazo programming inhabits it instead, battling Justice League before he's defeated by being teleported into the gravity well of the red star Antares. [22]
The New 52
As part of The New 52, the new origin story of the Justice League references the "A-Maze Operating System" and "B-Maze Operating System" designed by Anthony Ivo. [23] The League later battles an android equipped with a corrupt version of this operating system. [24]
During the Forever Evil storyline, the New 52 Amazo appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. [25]
During the "Amazo Virus" storyline, a biotech pathogen is created based on the android's absorption cells. The first person to be infected by this virus is former Lexcorp research scientist Armen Ikarus, whose mind becomes corrupted in the process and replaced by the virus's will. Now possessing power and driven to infect others, Ikarus's personality is replaced by the new Amazo. The Ikarus Amazo infects others, granting them super-powers based on desires and personality traits, but killing them within 24 hours. The Ikarus Amazo, able to enhance infected humans and control them through a "hive-mind" connection, is defeated by the Justice League. Young Reggie Meyer and his family are also affected. Influenced by technology from the original Amazo android, Reggie becomes the second Kid Amazo. [26]
