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Master Mold

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Master Mold
Master Mold in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 Annual #7 (Oct. 1978).
Art by John Byrne.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #15 (Dec. 1965)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
SpeciesRobot
Team affiliationsSentinels
Project: Armageddon
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and durability
  • Ability to incorporate metal into itself
  • Concussive blasts
  • Plasma discharges
  • Ability to scan mutants
  • Flight

Master Mold is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics most commonly appearing as an enemy of the X-Men.

Publication history

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Cover to X-Men #16 (January 1966). Art by Jack Kirby.

Master Mold first appeared in The X-Men #15–16 (Dec. 1965–Jan. 1966), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The character subsequently appears in The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (1978); X-Factor #13–14 (Feb.–March 1987); Power Pack #36 (April 1988); Marvel Comics Presents #18–24 (May–July 1989); The Uncanny X-Men #246–247 (July–Aug. 1989); The Sensational She-Hulk #30 (Aug. 1991); and Cyclops: Retribution #1 (Jan. 1994).

Master Mold received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #5.

Fictional character biography

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Original version

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The original version of Master Mold was created by Dr. Bolivar Trask during the original run of X-Men comics. Fearing superhuman mutants such as the X-Men, Trask makes a super-computer in the shape of a giant robot that will control and facilitate the construction of the Sentinels (mechanical warriors programmed to hunt and capture superhuman mutants). Secretly, the original version was also programmed by the time-traveling Madame Sanctity of the Askani Sisterhood with the mission to find and destroy The Twelve, a group of mutants that are linked to Apocalypse's rise.[1] Master Mold had Trask captured, and decided to take over humanity in order to keep it safe. The original Master Mold prototype was eventually destroyed when Trask sacrifices himself by causing an explosion to prevent the Sentinels taking over humanity (but several other versions are later built by other bigots who want to manufacture Sentinels).[volume & issue needed]

Second version

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Another version of Master Mold had Steven Lang's brainwaves. After Project Armageddon, Lang tries to activate Master Mold which merged the former's mind with it instead. The computer suffered great damage by the Hulk who was with Angel and Iceman in Master Mold's meteor space base and was seemingly destroyed when the base exploded, after the trio manages to escape.[2] However, Master Mold survived and creates the Retribution Virus to wipe out mutant-kind. It blames Cyclops entirely for its "death" as Lang. He hypnotizes and utilized Moira MacTaggart to unleash the virus, infecting Cyclops, Callisto, and Banshee before MacTaggart breaks free of his grasp. While she attempts to cure the virus, Cyclops and Callisto team with Conscience (another artificial construct developed from Lang's brain engrams) to stop Master Mold and save mutant-kind as well as all humanity, which had become threatened by the virus. Cyclops was weakened from the disease's effects but nearly single-handedly destroys Master Mold before finally succumbing to the illness and falling unconscious. As Master Mold prepares to kill Cyclops and finish unleashing the virus, he is suddenly attacked by the cured Banshee who uses his sonic scream to "finish the job that Cyclops started" and destroys Master Mold. The virus is then cured before it has a chance to spread.[3][4]

The remains of Master Mold later merge with the advanced Sentinel Nimrod from the future thanks to the Siege Perilous to form the humanoid cyborg Bastion which acts like an almost-human version of Master Mold.[volume & issue needed]

Third version

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A Master Mold-esque factory is built in secret in the jungles of Ecuador. This particular version builds the Wild Sentinels which are capable of assimilating non-organic materials to assume different shapes, such as an insectoid, as well as a breed of Nano-Sentinels. The Wild Sentinels are taken over by Cassandra Nova to destroy Genosha and in her subsequent plan to destroy the X-Men. Following their defeat by Rogue's X-Men team, the Children of the Vault escaped and regrouped in this Ecuadorian location.[volume & issue needed]

Other versions

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In X-Men: Second Coming, X-Force travels to the Days of Future Past timeline where there are two Master Molds, one producing Nimrods and another one protecting the first Master Mold.[volume & issue needed]

Mendel Stromm was approached by a mysterious benefactor involving a Master Mold that specializes in the creation of Tri-Sentinels.[5] Spider-Man was able to take remote control of the Tri-Sentinels and send them back to Master Mold to destroy it.[6]

Mother Mold

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A new version called Mother Mold is seen in "House of X and Powers of X". Orchis creates a variant designed to create other Master Molds.[7] It is later revealed that Mother Mold will be the Sentinel generation that lead directly to the creation of Nimrod.[8]

Capabilities

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Dr. Bolivar Trask equipped Master Mold with powerful weaponry and the ability to speak; Master Mold was also mobile so that it could defend itself from mutant attackers or so that it can be relocated easily if Trask had to find a new headquarters. The Steven Lang Master Molds were also capable of self-repair.

Other versions

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Infinity Warps

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Master Mole, a fusion of Master Mold and Mole Man created by the Infinity Gems, appears in Infinity Wars: Infinity Warps #1.[9]

Ultimate Marvel

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Two characters based on Master Mold appear in the Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610):

  • The first equivalent is an alternate timeline variant of Wolverine who was used as a template to create an army of Sentinels before being mercy-killed by the present-day Wolverine and Rogue.[10]
  • The second equivalent is a giant Sentinel which houses William Stryker Jr.'s consciousness.[11]

Weapon X: Days of Future Now

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In the alternate reality of Weapon X: Days of Future Now, one of Madison Jeffries's Boxbots, dubbed "Bot", becomes the new Master Mold and traps Jeffries within its body to harness his powers.[12]

What If?

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In What If? Age of Ultron series set in an alternative future, Wolverine, the Hulk, Peter Parker and a Ghost Rider travel to the Savage Land to confront Ezekiel Stane using Master Mold to reproduce Iron Man armors. Stane uses an unnamed girl, described as an orphan, the sole remaining Trask descendant, and referred to only as 'Ms. Trask', to operate Master Mold that had apparently been left behind in the Savage Land. Seeking to unleash a wave of the armors upon the world, Stane is stopped, and Master Mold ultimately destroyed.[13]

X-Factor Forever

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In X-Factor Forever Master Mold, Master Mold is bonded to Cameron Hodge by Apocalypse to form Master Meld.[14]

In other media

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Television

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Master Mold as he appears in X-Men: The Animated Series

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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Master Mold appears in Wolverine: The Lost Trail.

References

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  1. ^ Uncanny X-Men Minus 1 (1997)
  2. ^ The Incredible Hulk Annual #7
  3. ^ Marvel Comics Presents #17-24
  4. ^ Cyclops: Retribution
  5. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #4. Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #5. Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ House of X #1. Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Powers of X #2. Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Clements, Brian (November 14, 2018). "Infinity Warps #1 review: What If? for a new generation". AIPT Comics. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four/X-Men Annual #1
  11. ^ Ultimate Comics: X-Men #11
  12. ^ Weapon X: Days of Future Now #1
  13. ^ What If? Age of Ultron #2
  14. ^ X-Factor Forever Master Mold
  15. ^ a b c "Master Mold Voices (X-Men)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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