Jack Kirby returned to Marvel Comics in the 1970s, but wasn't keen on working on the characters he'd already created. He wrote and drew insane runs on Captain America and the Black Panther solo series and added new covers to existing titles, but Kirby was there to move forward and create new characters. Devil Dinosaur, the Eternals and Machine Man may not have ended up being as popular as the Fantastic Four, Avengers and X-Men, but they're still cult favorites to this day. Machine Man was the one who really resonated with me. I followed the repints fo the Steve Ditko/Marv Wolfman run in Marvel UK's Transformers comics and liked the quirkiness of the character. But it wasn't until recently that I read the Kirby issues that came out before it and fell in love with Machine Man all over again.
Jack Kirby introduced X-51 in the pages of Marvel's 2001: A Space Odyssey, initially telling the story of the film then adding new stories set in that world. X-51 was a prototype military war robot who gains sentience and escapes with the help of a Monolith, becoming the heroic Mister Machine. The character was quickly given his own title as Machine Man and, between adventures which allow him to stretch his robot limbs at the bad guys and teams up with other heroes in the Marvel Universe, he struggles to prove his humanity.
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Machine Man stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Part of X-51's chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that are non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every appearance of Machine Man from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
2001: A Space Odyssey #1-10 (1977)
Machine Man #1-6 (1978)
First appearance of X-51/Mister Machine/Machine Man, Dr Oliver Broadhurst, Dr William Haines, Colonel Joseph 'Kragg' Kragowski, Dr Peter Spalding, Dr Abel Stack, the X-Model Robots and the Autocrons; while the first 50 robots in the X-Model programme go mad, X-51 gains sentience, causing its creator to send it away before the US Army can destroy it; becoming Mister Machine, the robot encounters Mr Hotline and the Brotherhood of Hades; X-51 changes his name to Machine Man and befriends psychiatrist Peter Spalding; Machine Man proves his humanity when he defends Earth from the invading Autocron Ten-For during THE CAPTURE OF X-51.
Machine Man #7-9 (1978)
Incredible Hulk #235-237 (1979)
Machine Man #10 (1979)
First appearance of Congressman Miles Brickman and Curtiss Jackson; Machine Man is lured into a trap by the Corporation who intend making copies of him; the Corporation trick the Hulk into destroying Machine Man for them; Machine Man loses a number of his technological abilities during THE CORPORATION.
Machine Man #11-19(pp.1-6) (1979-1981)
First appearance of X-51/Machine Man as Aaron Stack; first appearance of Baron Brimstone/Walther Theodoric, Wilbur 'Gears' Garvin, Willard 'Hammer' Harrison, Jack O'Lantern/Jason Macendale, Madame Menace/Sunset Bain, Sylvester 'Snake' Marston, Ion/Voletta Todd and the Ethicals; Machine Man takes on a human guise and starts working in insurance; Machine Man clashes with the crimelord Khan, the Binary Bug, the Satan Squad and the god-like Ethicals; Machine Man befriends the mechanic Gears Garvin; he teams up with the Thing and the Human Torch against Ion; Alpha Flight try to apprehend Machine Man.
Marvel Team-Up Annual #3 (1980)
Nightshade tricks the Hulk into carrying out a job for her, bringing him into conflict with the Heroes For Hire (Power Man & Iron Fist) and Machine Man.
Baron Brimstone and the Sandman break out of Ryker's Island Maximum Security Penitentiary; Spider-Man and the Machine Man join forces to round up their respective enemies.
Machine Man #19(pp.7-22) (1981)
Machine Man is hired as security at a high-profile Halloween party and steps in when Jack O'Lantern attacks, defeating him but earning no thanks.
Contest of Champions #1 (1982)
Machine Man cameo; Machine Man is among the heroes assembled by the Grandmaster and his mysterious competitor to take part in the 'Contest of Champions'.
Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #1[2/2] (2015)
Machine Man cameo; an untold told reveals Deadpool was also present for the 'Contest of Champions'.
Incredible Hulk #278-279 (1982-1983)
Machine Man is among the heroes present when the US President pardons the Hulk.
Marvel Two-in-One #92-93 (1982)
Machine Man meets Jocasta; it's revealed Ultron programed Jocasta to rebuild him if he was ever destroyed; the rebuilt Ultron hypnotises the Thing, sending him to battle Jocasta's rescuer, Machine Man; Jocasta is destroyed when she tries to stop Ultron; the Thing comes to his senses and defeats Ultron.
Iron Man #168 (1983)
Machine Man approaches Iron Man (Tony Stark) mistakenly believing him to be a robot; the drunken Iron Man attacks Machine Man, endangering innocents.
Machine Man falls under the control of the Cult of Kali, joining their Mech-Lords of Hell; Deadpool (hosting the alien Symbiote once worn by Spider-Man) frees Machine Man from the Cult's control.
Avengers #287-290 (1988)
First appearance of the Cosmic Cube as Kubik; the Super-Adaptoid recruits Machine Man into his all-robot team Heavy Metal (alongside the Awesome Android, Kree Sentry #459 and TESS-One) with the intention of attacking the Avengers; Machine Man switches sides when he realises he's been duped and the Super-Adaptoid was only interested in obtaining the power of a Cosmic Cube.
The robot Failure Five tries to transfer its consciousness into Machine Man.
Iron Man Annual #11[1/5] (1990)
Avengers West Coast #69 (1991)
X-51 #0 (1999)
Sebastian Shaw learns Machine Man may be the most powerful robot on the planet and starts working on a plan to obtain him.
X-51 #1-6 (1999-2000)
Iron Man Annual #11[1/5] (1990)
Thor Annual #15[1/3] (1990)
Avengers West Coast Annual #5[1/5] (1990)
Avengers Annual #19[1/5] (1990)
First appearance of Baintronics; first appearance of Terminus as Ulterminus; a Termini attacks Gears Garvin's home, kills Peter Spalding and infecting Machine Man with the Terminus Plague; Tony Stark is in a business meeting with Sunset Bain when the infected Machine Man attacks Baintronics while carrying Jocasta's head; Bain creates a duplicate Machine Man; Iron Man frees Machine Man and helps him defeat the Termini; Machine Man assists the Avengers in defeating the Ulterminus, impressing one in particular during THE TERMINUS FACTOR.Avengers West Coast Annual #5[1/5] (1990)
Avengers Annual #19[1/5] (1990)
Avengers West Coast #69 (1991)
No Machine Man appearance; Machine Man is nominated and accepted for reserve membership in the West Coast Avengers, despite not being present during STARTING LINE-UP.
Deathlok #2-3, 5 (1991)
Deathlok #2-3, 5 (1991)
First appearance of Mechadoom; one of Kristoff Vernard's advanced Doombots becomes the sentient Mechadoom and captures several robots and cyborgs, including Machine Man; Deathlok, the X-Men and Fantastic Four defeat Mechadoom.
Avengers West Coast #83 (1992)
Machine Man officially accepts his reserve Avengers status when he rallies alongside his fellow reservists against the Hyena while the other Avengers are in space during OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM.
Avengers #1-3 (1998)
Machine Man is among the army of Avengers who answer the call to assemble when Morgan le Fay sends magical beings to attack them, while she transforms reality to a world she rules; Machine Man is transformed into Sir MacHinery and fights for le Fay as a member of her Queen's Vengeance; the Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man defeat Morgan le Fay and restore reality during HEROES RETURN.
Captain America #3 (1998)
Avengers #4 (1998)
First appearance of Duane Freeman and the Sensational Hydra/Sn'Tlo; first appearance of Binary/Carol Danvers as Warbird; Machine Man cameos; the Avengers reduce their numbers; Machine Man offers the Avengers his help should they ever need him during HEROES RETURN.
Cable & Machine Man Annual (1998)
Machine Man & Bastion Annual (1998)
Bastion takes control of Machine Man using Sentinel tech; SHIELD call on Cable to free Machine Man; Cable and Machine Man learn Bastion's origin during ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION.
Thunderbolts #29 (1999)
Thunderbolts #29 (1999)
Machine Man cameo; Machine Man agrees to help Jolt and Charcoal rescue the Thunderbolts; SHIELD agents spy on Machine Man.
Sebastian Shaw learns Machine Man may be the most powerful robot on the planet and starts working on a plan to obtain him.
Uncanny X-Men #371 (1999)
X-Men #91 (1999)
X-Men '99 Annual (1999)
First appearance of 'Wolverine'; SHIELD dismantle Machine Man to use his tech to build a new Deathlok cyborg; the Red Skull uses Douglock to take over the SHIELD Helicarrier; Machine Man helps the X-Men defeat the Red Skull, but is destroyed during RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.
First appearance of 'Wolverine'; SHIELD dismantle Machine Man to use his tech to build a new Deathlok cyborg; the Red Skull uses Douglock to take over the SHIELD Helicarrier; Machine Man helps the X-Men defeat the Red Skull, but is destroyed during RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.
Machine Man transfers his consciousness into the Life Model Decoy (LMD) of SHIELD agent Jack Kubrick; 'Kubrick' merges with the Machine Man body after an attack by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and gains a new form as X-51, with the nano-Sentinel infection altering his programming and turning him into a mutant-hunter when in the presence of mutants including the Brotherhood and Justice & Firestar of the Avengers; X-51 clashes with the X-Model Robot prototype XERO and with the assassin Otomo who Sebastian Shaw sends to capture X-51; Peter Spalding is revealed to be alive.
X-51 #7-8 (2000)
Sebastian Shaw sends Sentinels to retrieve X-51; X-51 tries to access the Xavier Protocols, bringing him into conflict with the X-Men; in an attempt to fight his programming and stop himself from killing the X-Men, X-51 self-destructs during APOCALYPSE: THE TWELVE.X-51 #9-12 (2000)
Machine Man fights back against his Sentinel programming, impressing the Celestials; Machine Man is caught up in a rivalry between XERO and MODOK before being offered a chance to accompany the Celestials in space; Machine Man accepts the offer and leaves Earth.Avengers/JLA #4 (2003)
Machine Man cameo; Machine Man joins the fight against Krona and his army of villains from the Earth-616 and the DC Universe.
Other notable appearances of Machine Man following 2015's SECRET WARS:
Marvel Comics #1001[26/30] (2019)
The original Machine Man returns to Earth and reunites with Peter Spalding and Gears Garvin, revealing the trenchcoat-wearing Machine Man (who first appeared as a member of Nextwave) to be an impostor; no additional details are given, the impostor Machine Man doesn't appear and his reasons for replacing Machine Man and believing himself to be the real thing are unrevealed.The reading order for the 'Machine Man' who is now considered an unexplained impostor can be see here:
Notable alternate versions of Machine Man from around the multiverse:
EARTH-57780:
Spidey Super Stories #41 (1979)
Machine Man encounters Spider-Man and the Hulk while trying to appreciate art.
Machine Man #1-3(pp.1-20) (1984)
EARTH-8410:
Thor Corps #2 (1993)
Machine Man #3(pp.21-23)-4 (1984-1985)
In the year 2020, the heroes are all defeated and all that stands against the corporations are the Midnight Wreckers and the rebuilt Machine Man; the Iron Man of 2020 is coerced into fighting Machine Man in the final war with Sunset Bain.
UNDESIGNATED ALTERNATE EARTH:
Marvel Graphic Novel: Emperor Doom (1987)
Machine Man cameo; I've only included this as a reference point to explain that it's not missing from the main chronology; there are numerous continuity issues with the 'Emperor Doom' storyline that mean it cannot take place on Earth-616.
EARTH-9930:
Avengers Forever #6 (1999)
Machine Man is one of the last Avengers on Earth-9930, fighting back the forces of the invading Martians; Machine Man only appears briefly, but is about to become the father of Jocasta's unborn child.
EARTH-9997:
Earth X #0-12, X (1999)
Earth X tpb (2000)
4: A Universe X Special #1 (2000)
Universe X #1, 5, 7-12, X (2000-2001)
Heralds: A Paradise X Prelude #1-3 (2001-2002)
Paradise X #0-8 (2002-2003)
Ragnarok: A Paradise X Special #1-2 (2003)
Paradise X #9-12, X (2003)
Set in a possible future, Uatu the Watcher passes his role to X-51; as the new Watcher, X-51 observes as humanity learns the true purpose of mutantkind and planet Earth itself and evolves to the next level.
EARTH-10102:
Exiles #3-5 (2009)
The reality-hopping Exiles jump to an alternate Earth dubbed 'Machineworld' where Cerebro's programing merged with the mind of Ultron and sent Sentinels to wipe out humanity; Machine Man and Ultron fight back against Cerebro and defeat it with help from the Exiles.
EARTH-10011:
Thanos Imperative #3-4 (2010)
Thanos Imperative #3-4 (2010)
The Machine Man of the Cancerverse is part of the Machine Resistance, fighting to reclaim their reality from the dark power of the Many Angled Ones during THE THANOS IMPERATIVE.
EARTH-1610:
Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Ultimates #3 (2014)
Ultimate FF #1-5 (2014)
All-New Ultimates #8 (2014)
Ultimate FF #6 (2014)
In the Ultimate Universe, Danny Ketch of the Howling Commandos sacrifices himself to kill MODOK, only for his consciousness to be transferred to the Gah Lak Tus nanites and transform into the Machine Man (during CATACLYSM); he goes on to join the Future Foundation (during ULTIMATE MARVEL NOW!)
Machine Man by Kirby & Ditko: The Complete Collection
Incredible Hulk #235-237
Machine Man (1978) #1-19
Incredible Hulk #235-237
Machine Man (1978) #1-19
Marvel Comics Presents #10
Iron Man 2020
Includes...
Machine Man (1984) #1-4
Machine Man (1984) #1-4
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