Controller (Marvel Comics)

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Controller

Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Iron Man #12
Created by

Characteristics
Alter ego	Basil Sandhurst
Affiliations	Thanos
Abilities	Control Discs allow mind control. Can drain mental energy from controlled pawns to power & enhance his exoskeleton.

Controller is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in mind control, and is a frequent foe of Iron Man.

1 History
2 Powers and Abilities
3 Alternate versions
4 In other media
5 Bibliography
6 Notes and references
7 External link

[edit] History

Basil Sandhurst's obsession with control brought his downfall as a scientist when his refusal to obey ethical restraints got him banned from most research facilities. Sandhurst was prone to fits of rage, and in an attempt to calm him, his brother Vincent inadvertently triggered a lab explosion, crippling Basil. Vincent, guilt-ridden, outfitted Basil with an automated lab, in which Basil bonded a super-strong exoskeleton to his body, powered by the cerebral energies from those around him. As the controller, he planned to enslave New York, But Iron man foiled his scheme and left controller comatose.

Months later, he was released from prison by the alien Thanos, who upgraded his technology. Thanos promissed Controller rulership of Earth, and so he began enslaving dozens of operatives. But his egotistical displays endangered Thanos's security, and when the Controller failed to defeat Thanos's enemy, Captain Marvel, the alien left him for dead. The Controller went underground for years, upgrading via stolen Stark technology from Justin Hammer, and eventually enslaved a cult. Iron Man defeated him once more and sentenced him to the Vault. He eventually broke out of jail, only to be defeated by Iron Man, again.

Revived by the world-conquering Master, the Contoller became the Master's pawn against the Avengers and Heroes for Hire. Abandoned after a later defeat, the Controller, in an ironic nod to his many hospitalizations, acquired his own clinic, where he influenced the wealthy to do his bidding. However, the Contoller could not resist enslaving Tony Stark as well, leading to his latest defeat by Iron Man.

Returned to the Raft, the Controller escaped with dozens of others but was recaptured during a clash with the U-Foes and Avengers.^[1]

[edit] Powers and Abilities

The Controller wears an exoskeleton that grants him mobility, as well as superhuman strength (up to 1000 pounds) and endurance. He uses "slave discs" to control others, draining cerebral energy to magnify his exoskeleton's strength (to as much as 50 tons) and duplicate his victim's abilities. He can psionically control "weak-willed" subjects even without his discs. He flies via boot-jets and has employed image inducers, stun mists, and other technology as needed.^[2]

[edit] Alternate versions

In Earth X #5, Sandhurst was mentioned as having been one of the many who were killed when Osborn rose to power.

[edit] In other media

The Controller appeared as a guest villain in the Iron Man Animated Series. His slave discs were based on the Iron Man technology which allowed him to mentally control his armor.