Issue(s): West Coast Avengers #7
Cover Date: Apr 86
Title: "U, robot!"
Credits:
Steve Englehart - Writer
Al Milgrom - Layouts
Joe Sinnott - Finishes
Howard Mackie - Assistant Editor
Mark Gruenwald - Editor

Review/plot:
The Thing returned from Secret Wars with the head of Ultron in Fantastic Four #277 (Apr 85) and then we saw Ultron resurface in the second volume of West Coast Avengers #1 (Oct 85). So it was reasonable to assume that it was the same Ultron. But we learn here that this wasn't the case. Instead, while that version of Ultron, Mark Eleven, was away at Secret Wars, a new Mark Twelve version became activated, and that's the version that we've been hearing from since the start of the West coast Avengers series, and the one that's been reconciling with Henry Pym. And the first several pages of this issue show what happened to the head of Ultron-11. He was originally found by a Red Cross worker in the rubble of Alicia's apartment in the aftermath of the Dire Wraith war, and brought back to the worker's apartment, where it took possession of her television (not as bad as the time he took over my Wii).

From there, it forced the rescue worker to send him to a prominent West coast computer wiz, who brought Ultron-11 back to his secret lab...

...and put him on a new body.

And this issue has Ultron-12 bringing his "father" Henry Pym to the same secret lab.

Ultron-11 makes short work of 12 and sets up Pym to be tortured.

But Mark Twelve manages to escape and recruit Wonder Man to help.

And Wonder Man in turn makes short work of Ultron.

Mark Twelve dies in the battle, however.

I'm a little surprised by how easily Wonder Man defeats Ultron-11. I know he's at the top of the chart in terms of strength, is equally invulnerable, and has overcome his fear of death. But this is Ultron! Despite a throwaway line to the contrary, his adamantium body seems to have been of little value. And this is a villain designed to be a deadly menace to an entire team of Avengers. So i am surprised to see Englehart allow a single Avenger to take him out so easily. That said, the purpose of this issue was really to conclude the weird but intriguing thread where Ultron was becoming more human. That's an interesting idea but it really shouldn't happen to Ultron, the maniacal robot who hates all life and especially Henry Pym. So Englehart did the right thing in teasing it but then revealing that it was really a stray offshoot and bringing back the previous version. Sure, Ultron-11 is destroyed but we all know he can come back. Whereas Mark Twelve ought to remain wiped out. Pym briefly got to experience having a "son" and now he can experience the loss of his son as well.

A further humiliation for Pym is that after Mark dies, Pym says he's sad that he didn't have time to tell him not to worry, that his father isn't alone anymore, because he's dating Tigra. Wonder Man, who recently slept with Tigra the same day that Pym did, keeps his mouth shut.

A pretty significant note on the Ultrons. I don't have a separate character tag for each iteration of Ultron (e.g. Ultron-9, Ultron-10, etc., Wikipedia does a good job of listing them all) since they are just new incarnations of the same Ultron personality. But Ultron-12, who calls himself Ultron Mark Twelve, with an emphasis on Mark, is for all intents a separate character, especially since he co-exists with Ultron-11. My only hesitation in listing him separately so far has been fear of a retcon that i'm not aware of, since the MCP doesn't list Mark Twelve separately. But i've decided to go for it and give "Mark" a separate tag. I'm also assuming that all Ultron appearances outside of the core WCA books at this time were Mark Twelve. That includes Emperor Doom and Secret Wars II #7, since from the flashback in this issue it seems Ultron-11 was just a head until right before Pym and Mark Twelve arrive at the lab.

As is often the case with Engelhart's WCA, there are some interesting ideas here but they are delivered with unfortunately clunky execution. At least we're taking a break from Tigra's sexcapades.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Most of the West Coast Avengers, plus the Thing and Firebird, are still in the Cat People dimension this issue. They went there last issue and will return at the beginning of next issue. So they shouldn't appear in other books between these issues.

References:

• The Thing brought Ultron's head back from the Secret Wars planet in Fantastic Four #277.
  
• Sitting at a wild Cat People feast, the Thing says he hasn't seen a bash like this since the FF found the Black Panther in Wakanda in Fantastic Four #53. I'll bite my tongue about that comparison, but it seemed like the Thing enjoyed his more recent party with the Snowmobile Vikings in Fantastic Four #225, too.
  
• It comes out during the Cat People feast that the Thing brought the Ultron head back from Secret Wars, and the Avengers tell him that they fought a fully-equipped Ultron from West Coast Avengers #1 through Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2.
  
• Mark Twelve mentions his creation of Jocasta, with the Wasp as her template, in Avengers #162, and asks if that caused the Pyms' divorce. It was also in that issue that Wonder Man's fear of dying made him afraid to confront Ultron, but Ultron-11 learns that he's over that now.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

I don't think there is anything wrong with an Ultron developing a conscious and a personality and thus wanting to be different from other "Ultron". But then again I think that with Vision and Jocasta around, no one wants a conscious Ultron that had the name of "Ultron". (so we just call him "Mark" as you suggest; maybe find a way to make him appear or seem different and we can keep "evil Ultron" while having a deviant son somewhere that can help heroes or be a threat to his "dad/uncle/whatever evolved computer programming identify with the former")

Interesting that Ultron mark 12 wanted to reconcile with Hank Pym but I don't see any mention of the earlier Ultrons' Oedipal desire for Jan.......I assume that means Mark 12 was over that as well?