The Robot Man

History: Eric Krugg was a builder of movie monster displays. One day, Krugg met Diane Harper, whom he fell in love with at first sight. Diane rejected Krugg, telling him she was “waiting”. Krugg vowed to Diane that if he couldn't have her no one would. Driven by his obsession, Krugg spent a year building a robot in human form. After testing the robot, he sent it on a mission to kill Diane, figuring no one would be able to link him to the crime. Later, as Krugg waited in his home, the robot man returned with Diane. Diane thanked Krugg for building what she was “waiting” for - a mate; Diane then revealed herself to be a robot. After pushing Krugg out of an open window, the robotic couple left.

Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Demonstrated Powers: The Robot Man had great strength, was able to bend steel and leap great distances in a single bound. The Robot Man was bulletproof and impervious to damage, and was capable of independent thought.

Equipment: Suction-cup shoes - used to walk up walls

Comment: Speculation - It is possible that Krugg (and the unknown creator of “Diane”) learned the secrets of android construction from Professor Phineas T. Horton, the creator of the original android Human Torch and the android Adam-II.

Comment: Speculation - Dr. James Bradley was the silent partner of Professor Horton and co-creater of the original Human Torch (as revealed in The Invaders mini-series (vol. 2) # 3). Bradley (aka Dr. Nemesis/Dr. Death, a member of the Battle-Axis) also created the android Volton. Bradley was apparently killed at the end of the storyline, however, this “minor inconvenience” has never stopped a character from returning.
Bradley and Krugg shared similar qualities (moustache, knowledge of android construction, homicidal tendencies). Could “Eric Krugg” have been an alias for an older James Bradley? (Krugg's clothing on the splash page looks similar to Bradley's “Dr. Nemesis/Dr. Death” costume).

Comment: Speculation - Does Eric Krugg have any connection with Professor Goettler, who created the android Dynamic Man in Mystic Comics # 1 (March 1940)?

Comment: Speculation - Perhaps the mysterious creators of “Diane Harper” were the same aliens who created the android Marvex the Super-Robot in Daring Mystery Comics # 3 (April 1940).

Comment: Speculation - …or perhaps they were the un-named extraterrestrial race who created Mechanoid Scout MK-5 in Iron Man (vol. 1) # 32.

Comment: Speculation - … or perhaps “Diane Harper” may have been built by the android Mr. Kline (introduced in Daredevil # 78) as part of his agenda.

I wonder if she could have been built by, as a collaborative effort, by future superhero Henry Pym and unintentional time-traveler Paul Harper? The latter naming “her” after his mother, perhaps?

Maybe “Diane” was an early model of LMD (Life Model Decoy) created by scientists working for a recently created organization known as “SHIELD”.

It looks like the early designs of the the Things rocky surface skin may have started with stories like these. Look at the rock like surfaces of the monsters pictured. Looks like they could be a relative to ol' Benjy Grimm.

What really facinates me about the old books is where you can see visual elements and ideas that would soon be part of the Super Hero era.

Hi,
I am impressed with your cross refrence to Dr. Nemesis, aka Dr. Death.
Please note in the real world chronology he did appear in a story near
the end of World War Two fighting a Japanese spy.
One web page asserted he was repentant of his pro-Axis past.
Since he is a retro-connected charactor this is something Marvel has
yet to explain.
I would hate to think he survived the war just to meet a fate as this
main charactor did at the end of this story, but who am I to say.
Perhaps you can find other stories that cross refrence the other
Battle Axis members as recovered from their respective evil ways
or still doing them.
Great blog. Keep up the good work.

my guess is that krugg was actually sentinels creator BOLIVAR TRASK of X-MEN fame,after all,at the end of X-MEN#16,his body was still left intact(surprisingly!!!!,he hit straight at the atomic pile,and thats a nice shock of hair krugg has.),so has marvel ever done any other trask stories?,i know he was on the 90s X-MEN cartoon,but to heck with that,and about the james bradley thing;tell,me,would YOU randomly wear your old super hero/villain outfit at random times unconciously?i doubt if spiderman ended up like bradley did,than 20 years later you could tell he was spiderman because he wore red and blue pants with kevlar lining and thick glasses,and nothing personal,but;''I would hate to think he survived the war''——why;would you have wanted him to survive??and as a hero??——-the eyes of the invaders are upon you.

............. TURRRRRRRRRRRD THE PATRIOTIC THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!!!! :: 06 December 2006

Diane could have been created by Chuda or the alien race Chuda belongs too (Thor vol.1#141(6/67)Chuda created Replicus and a Replica of Thor).I think the Chuda that died fighting Slugger Sykes was a Chuda-Replica.Chuda like Orion Rex (Astonishing#5(8/51)foe of Marvel Boy(Grayson))could be memebers of the Quist(see X-Men foe Lucifer).Doctor Narr (Daring Mystery Comics#5(6/40)foe of Marvex the Super-Robot)created Robots,so he could have created Diane after he and other villians were resurrected.The Robot-Men (Young Men Comics#24(12/53)Sub-Mariner story)who sank and looted U.S.cargo ships could have been created by Doctor Narr (they claimed to be from Venus,but I don't see Venusians coming to Earth to rob cargo ships—unless they were carrying Top Secret Material).

Forgive my typo above(it should be “member” not “memeber”).Doctor Narr or an Atlantean could also be responsible for the Sub-Mariner-Robot (Sub-Mariner Comics#37(12/54) that Byrrah used.Doctor Narr could have created Wolf Turber(a robot)[Captain America Comics#73(7/49)Captain America story]or The Ventriloquist's dummy Ollie(a robot)[Marvel Mystery Comics#75(8/46)Human Torch story].One more time—Robots are Machines and Androids are Biological beings(chemically created).

During His career as a super-hero did Bradley fight any mad scientists who had moustaches,were the same age,height,profession,or were Masters of disguise?,the golden age Doctor Nemesis had no knowledge of android construction,did not have a moustache,and in the golden age stories had planned to be a super-hero since His colledge years,possibly one of them killed him then masqueraded as him for personal satisfaction(ie.;Kraven fighting crime dressed as Spiderman.)or to throw off suspicion by making the police think He(Bradley)was alive,or to make amends for killing a super-hero;or they were just jealous and wanted his fame,so thats why Doctor Nemesis had seemed to have gone insane;the impostor had felt his attempts at stealing Bradleys fire had gone unnoticed,so thats why He decided to fight for the Axis,perhaps in fact the REAL Bradley survived,but had amnesia or somenthing,but gained his memory back eventually and returned to crime fighting,never even knowing of his impostor's whereabouts as ''Doctor Death'',since after all,Battle Axis's attack went mostly undocumented and unphotographed.

............. TURRRRRRRRRRRRD THE THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!! :: 30 December 2006

The callousness the American members of Battle Axis strated when they brutally ed fellow Americans tells me that they were under the Influence of a Hate-Ray(like the one Doctor Vortex used in Mystic Comics vol.1#4(8/40)Blue Blaze story)otherwise they never would have become Mystery Men and Woman(Super-Heroes) to begin with.

I don't know why strated and ed didn't show up in my Email,but that's what “strated” and “ed” meant.

Was bedeutet fÃ¼r Euch “KRUGG”; oder auch ” Das Krugg “, z.B. bei ” Das Krugg Syndrome “??

FÃ¼r mich ist ” Krugg ” nur ein Familiennamen. Was ist das besondere an ” KRUGG ” ???

Dear Editor,
It should be noted that Dr. Nemesis aka Dr. Death aka James Bradley in a comic book published in 1944 fought a Japanese spy. That spy tried to poison America's water supply with leporsy. It would seem that Marvel will have to retcon that story into their history to show a repented Dr. Bradley.
I think it would be a shame if he repented and went back to crime fighting only to die this way.

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