Amazo () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

. The character was created by

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for ...

and

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during ...

and first appeared in ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' #30 (June 1960) as an adversary of the

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceive ...

. Since debuting during the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an int ...

, the character has appeared in comic books and other DC Comics-related products, including

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...

s and

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

. Traditionally, Amazo is an android created by the villain scientist

Professor Ivo Professor Anthony Ivo (pronunciation: Eye-voh) is a supervillain and mad scientist in DC Comics. He is the creator of the android villain Amazo and, along with villainous scientist T.O. Morrow, the co-creator of the android Tomorrow Woman. As a r ...

and gifted with technology that allows him to mimic the abilities and powers of superheroes he fights (usually the

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

), as well as make copies of their weapons (though these copies are less powerful than the originals). His default powers are often those of Flash,

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Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as being ...

, and

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness ...

(the Justice League founding members that he first fought). He is similar and often compared to the later created Marvel android villain

Super-Adaptoid The Super-Adaptoid is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has appeared in over five decades of Marvel continuity and featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such a ...

(introduced 1966). In the ''

New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new seri ...

'' timeline of DC Comics, Amazo begins as the A-Maze Operating System and then becomes an android capable of duplicating superhuman powers. Later on, a sentient Amazo Virus infects research scientist Armen Ikarus and takes over his mind. With Ikarus as a host, the Amazo Virus infects other people, granting them super-powers and controlling their minds before they die within 24 hours. In live-action media, multiple Amazo robots appeared in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed ...

crossover event '' Elseworlds''.

Publication history

Amazo first appeared in a one-off story in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #30 (June 1960) and returned as an opponent of the

in ''Justice League of America'' #27 (May 1964) and #112 (August 1974), plus a briefer appearance in #65 when another antagonist weaponized Amazo and other items from the JLA trophy room. Other significant issues included an encounter with a depowered Superman in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publication ...

'' #480-483 (February – May 1978), and in ''Justice League of America'' #191 (June 1981) and #241-243 (August – October 1985). Amazo also battles a fully powered Superman in ''Superman Special'' #3 (1985). A different Amazo model featured in '' Justice League Quarterly'' #12 (Fall 1993) and battled the hero Aztek in ''Aztek: The Ultimate Man'' #10 (May 1997) before being destroyed in '' Resurrection Man'' #2 (June 1997). An advanced version debuted in a one-off story in ''

JLA JLA may refer to: * '' JLA'', a comic book series 1997–2006 * The Justice League of America, a fictional DC Comics superhero team * JLA (company), a laundry equipment provider * Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviat ...

'' #27 (March 1999), while another appeared in the

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered * Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number ...

'' Hourman'', specifically issues #1, #5-7, #17, and #19-21 (April 1999 – December 2000). Amazo's origin is revealed in ''Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant'' #1 (December 1999). Another version is discovered to be part of a weapons shipment in ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' #636-637 (March – April 2005) and during the ''

Villains United ''Villains United'' is a six-issue 2005 comic book limited series, published by DC Comics, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, and later by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins. Publication history ''V ...

'' storyline in ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been us ...

'' vol. 2 #14-16 (August – October 2005), ''Villains United'' #5-6 (November – December 2005), and the ''Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special'' (June 2006). Amazo's consciousness returned in ''Justice League of America'' #1-5 (October 2006 – March 2007), planted in the body of fellow android the Red Tornado. Ivo also created Amazo's "offspring" in ''JLA Classified'' #37-41 (June – October 2007). A story continuing the first Red Tornado storyline featured in ''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 #21-23 (July – September 2008). Writer Mike Conroy noted: "Amazo was a persistent thorn in the JLA's side... although his programming and own sentience have displayed no ambition towards world conquest... His very existence is a hazard to all of humanity".

Fictional character biography

The android Amazo was created by Professor Anthony Ivo, a scientist with expertise in multiple fields who is obsessed with

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immort ...

. The original Justice League of America (

, Flash,

, and the

) 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 thanks to "absorption cell" technology created by Ivo. Amazo brings the team to Ivo, who reveals he has created a means of extending his life span 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. The android is temporarily re-activated twice to assist the League in regaining lost abilities. In these and subsequent stories, the android's duplication of powers don't make others feel their powers being drained. 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. Later, the super-villain called the Key, having been shrunken in size, re-activates the android in a failed bid to restore his original height. The League defeats Amazo and then new team member

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first