Will Magnus
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| Will Magnus | |
 Will Magnus, art by Dale Eaglesham |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Showcase #37 (March 1962) |
| Created by | Robert Kanigher (writer) Ross Andru (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | William Magnus |
| Team affiliations | Metal Men Doom Patrol Science Squad |
| Notable aliases | Veridium |
| Abilities | Currently no superpowers. Creative genius, ally, and mentor of the Metal Men. |
Doctor Will Magnus is a fictional human scientist in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #37 alongside his creations, the Metal Men; he was created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru.
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[edit] Character history
One of the most impressive geniuses of the DCU with a doctorate in theoretical mathematics, mechanical engineering, and particle physics, Magnus often offers scientific advice to other characters. His greatest achievement is the one for which he first received renown: the creation of the Metal Men. The method through which Doc Magnus created the Metal Man has varied over years with various writers. At first they were just blank slate robots with responsometers, devices which generated their intelligence and personalities which just happened to be evocative of the metals from which they were formed.
In an attempt to boost sales of the comic book, the characters underwent vast changes. The Metal Men all assumed human alter egos, while Doc Magnus became a fugitive scientist dedicated to global conquest. His personality change was credited to having been kidnapped, reawakened, and brainwashed by a mad dictator. Sales plunged instead and the comic wasn't printed for a few years. Eventually Metal Men was picked up again with Doc's sanity restored and his return to assist his Metal Men.
At one point he saved Doom Patrol's Robotman, whose original body had been destroyed by Madame Rouge. Doc Magnus recovered Robotman's brain and built him a new cybernetic body.
In 1993, a four part Metal Men mini-series retconned much of their backstory. It was revealed that the responsometers were not responsible for the Metal Men's sentience and that the Metal Men actually were imprinted with the intellects and personalities of real people: Magnus's own brother, his fiancee, two lab workers, a janitor, and a pizza-delivery man. These unfortunates' personalities were accidentally transferred to blank robots in a lab accident. At the climax of the miniseries, Gold was permanently killed and Doc Magnus mortally wounded. Doc permanently transferred his personality into a blank robot known as Veridium, made of a green alien metal, becoming the new robotic leader of the Metal Men.
[edit] 52
With the advent of Identity Crisis, Gold is back and Doc Magnus is once again human.
Doc Magnus is an active character in the ongoing 52 series. The following is as of Week 49.
As revealed during Infinite Crisis, when Superboy-Prime pounded on the walls of reality, he caused the very fabric of reality to shift, changing and merging histories. The "blank robots with responsometers" origin is said to be the definitive origin while the "human personalities" origin and the 1993 mini-series has been described as the byproduct of a mental breakdown suffered by Magnus. When Booster Gold visited, asking for help with Skeets, Magnus commented that the Metal Men "don't quite work anymore."
The responsometers are now described as containing an "artificial soul" invented by Doc Magnus, as inspired by T. O. Morrow, who is revealed to have taught him at college and to have been the only one not to laugh at Magnus' theories. After the unexplained dismantling of the Metal Men, Doc Magnus is unable to recreate these souls and restore their personalities. He now takes Prozac for the bipolar disorder which caused his nervous breakdown and the depression which led to the creation of the Plutonium Man. It is implied that although the medication is keeping Magnus from doing anything irrational, it is also deadening his imagination and creativity and that this is the reason he can not recreate the Metal Men.
Magnus is approached by government agents hoping to use the Metal Men as soulless smart weapons, an offer Magnus rejects. Through all of this, Magnus visits Morrow in his cell in Haven. Morrow warns Magnus that there have been numerous abductions of "mad" scientists, including Doctor Sivana, whose lair Magnus investigates.
Eventually Morrow himself disappears, leaving a note for his former student with a string in machine code. Using the code, Magnus is able to revive Mercury, but his robotic friend and creation is apparently destroyed again while trying to save him from the conspiracy trying to kidnap every mad scientist in the DCU. Mindless replicas of the Metal Men force Magnus to escape from his burned house before he is captured by what is revealed to be a separate group "Chang Tzu's Science Squad". This would be the second time Magnus has confronted Chang Tzu. A previous incarnation of the villain once managed to brainwash the Metal Men, but their loyalty to Magnus restored their rightful minds.
This group is based on Oolong Island (said to be part of the territory of China) and has been responsible for the disappearing scientists (including Professor Morrow). The group is being financed by Intergang with the collusion, it is implied, of the Chinese government. The assembled scientists have been given unlimited budgets to invent various super weapons including, in particular, various types of robots.
Magnus is assigned to design and construct a new Plutonium Man robot, but deliberately makes little progress, saying to Morrow that the original Plutonium Man was an expression of his pain and rage brought on by his mental illness and that the reason he takes his medication is to prevent himself from doing something like that again. Morrow reveals this to the Island's leaders and Magnus' medication is confiscated.
Magnus then proceeds to work on Plutonium Man, saying this time he'll "do it right." Though he is unstable due to his lack of medication, Magnus is not fully co-operating with Chang Tzu. Magnus goes about scavenging materials from various items (gold from a gold watch, lead from lead shielding, mercury from thermometers, and tin from cans of Baked Beans which he adopts as his sole diet - presumably in order to ensure the other scientists will not want to spend too much time with him, as well. This allows him to reconstruct his Metal Men, albeit only a few inches high. These new Metal Men are shown to help Magnus remain sane despite being off his pills, such as when they persuade him to deactivate the now completed Plutonium Man after he turns it on during a period of depression.
Ooolong Island is attacked by the JSA seeking to rescue Black Adam, and Chang Tzu orders the Plutonium Man activated. Chang notes that he has been spying on Magnus and knows that several metals have entered the lab and not come back out. The Metal Men attack Chang Tzu, allowing Magnus to escape and switch off the Island's defenses. While he does this Morrow confronts Magnus and destroys Mercury, yet again. Magnus explains to Morrow how it pointless to stop him deactivating the shields as the JSA will get in eventually, and instead offers him the chance to teleport out, saying that Morrow was "the best teacher I ever knew" and that he tries "to over look the psychopathic super villain thing". Morrow accepts the offer.
Magnus is then confronted by Chang Tzu whom he apparently kills with the aid of Lead and what he describes a particle wave ray gun. Magnus also indicates this shooting was a result of his irrationality, brought on by the lack of his medications. Magnus then surrenders to the JSA.
[edit] JLA
Magnus has recently assisted the Justice League of America with the rebuilding of Red Tornado. This is commonplace for League associates, as the Red Tornado is a wind elemental, able to leave his robotic body. Platinum has returned to normal size, her love for Magnus as strong as ever.
[edit] Powers and abilities
- While human, Doc Magnus has had no special abilities aside from his great intellect. His vast intelligence was responsible for the creation of the Metal Men, along with various other robots.
- While he was Veridium, Magnus was the most powerful of the Metal Men. He could store and channel heat and energy. [1]
[edit] In other media
Dr. Magnus appeared on Warner Premiere's animated feature Justice League: The New Frontier. He is voiced by Townsend Coleman.
