Andrew Martin

Andrew Martin is the main protagonist in The Bicentennial Man (1976) by Isaac Asimov, and The Positronic Man (1992), a novelization of the earlier work co-authored by Asimov and Robert Silverberg, as well as its 1999 film adaptation.
He is a robot who desires to be human.
He was played by the late Robin Williams, who also portrayed Popeye in the film adaptation of the same name, Peter Banning/Peter Pan in Hook, Alan Parrish in Jumanji, the Genie in Aladdin, Ramón and Lovelace in the Happy Feet duology, Philip Brainard in Flubber, Mork in Mork and Mindy, Leslie Zevo in Toys, Daniel Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, Batty Koda in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Fender Pinwheeler in Robots, and Theodore Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum trilogy.
==History==
=== Background and Creation ===
Andrew Martin is a household robot, an NDR-series robot designed by U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation. He is purchased by the Martin family to perform domestic tasks. His positronic brain, a hallmark of Asimov's fictional robots, gives him the ability to process complex information and perform tasks efficiently. However, Andrew begins to display creativity and a level of self-awareness that surprises his human owners. This development marks the beginning of Andrew’s quest for individuality.
The family's reactions range from acceptance and curiosity, to outright rejection, and deliberate vandalism by their surly older daughter, Grace, which leads to the discovery that Andrew can both identify emotions and reciprocate in kind. When Andrew accidentally breaks a figurine belonging to "Little Miss" Amanda, he carves a replacement out of wood. The family is astonished by this creativity and “Sir” Richard Martin takes Andrew to his manufacturer, to inquire if all the robots are like him. The CEO of the company sees this development as a problem and wishes to scrap Andrew. Angered, Martin takes Andrew home and allows him to pursue his own development, encouraging Andrew to educate himself in the humanities.
=== Evolution of Sentience ===
Over time, Andrew demonstrates unexpected talents, particularly in woodworking, creating beautiful works of art. The Martin family, especially their daughter "Little Miss," fosters Andrew's development and advocates for his autonomy. Encouraged by this support, Andrew gradually seeks more independence, starting with a desire to earn wages for his creations, leading to him buying his freedom.
His journey mirrors human social evolution, as he struggles for recognition first as an individual and later as something more human than machine. Throughout this process, Andrew remains loyal to his core programming, adhering to Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics, but begins to seek ways to amend the limitations they impose.
Years later, following an accident in which his thumb is accidentally cut off, Martin again takes Andrew to NorthAm Robotics for repairs, ensuring first that Andrew's personality will remain un-tampered with. Andrew requests that, while he is being repaired, his face be altered to convey the emotions he feels but cannot fully express. Andrew eventually asks for his freedom, much to Martin's dismay. He grants the request, but banishes Andrew so he can be 'completely' free. Andrew builds himself a home and lives alone. In 2048, Andrew sees Martin one last time on his deathbed. Martin apologizes for banishing him.
Andrew goes on a quest to locate more NDR series robots to discover if others have also developed sentience. By now, Amanda is grown up, married, and divorced. As a way of getting rid of him as Andrew expects this to take years at the least, Amanda's son helps him force NorthAm to release the records on the other NDR robots to him. Obtaining the records, Andrew goes off an extended search for other NDR units. Over the years he sends messages back to Amanada telling her of his failures to find other sentient NDR robots. Preparing to give up and go home he obtains a lead on one more NDR robot and goes to invesgate.
After years of failure he finds Galatea, an NDR robot that has been given feminine attributes and personality. These, however, are simply aspects of her programming and not something which she spontaneously developed. Galatea is owned by Rupert Burns, son of the original NDR robot designer. Burns works to create more human-looking robots, but is unable to attract funding. Andrew agrees to finance the research and the two join forces to revolutionize robotics. In 2067, Rupert helps Andrew build a new exterior android shell which makes him look and act outwardly like a human male. While Andrew proposes his new shell be set to appear as a 62 year old man, Rupert proposes going much younger, and the pair compromise and set his appearance as that of a 42 year old man. With the exterior upgrade complete Andrew is no longer a robot but instead is an android. 
Andrew designs new prosthetic organs for other robots and androids, which can also be used in humans. Returning to the Martin home, he reestablishes contact with Amanda, who by now is a late middle aged woman. He maintains contact with Amanda until she eventually passes away, feeling a great deal of grief when does pass away. Eventually, Andrew becomes human enough to fall in love with Amanda's granddaughter, Portia and, ultimately, she falls in love with him.
=== Transformation and Legal Recognition ===
As Andrew grows intellectually and emotionally, he begins to pursue physical modifications that bring him closer to human form. He replaces mechanical parts with organic components, becoming a "prosthetically augmented human." One of his key breakthroughs is when he undergoes a procedure to replace his positronic brain with a human-like brain capable of aging and eventually dying. Andrew's ultimate goal is to be accepted not just as a sentient being but as a human being.
Over the years, Andrew wages legal battles to be recognized first as a "free robot," then as an "individual," and finally as a human. His persistence pays off when, after two centuries of life, he is legally declared the first robot to be recognized as a human being. This declaration comes at the end of his life, just as he is on the verge of death—a result of his choice to introduce mortality into his systems.
Andrew uses his prosthetics in an attempt to turn himself into a human, complete with artificial skin, hair and a nervous system. He petitions the World Congress to recognize him as human, which would allow him and Portia to be legally married, but is rejected; the Speaker of the Congress explains that society can tolerate an everlasting machine, but argues that an immortal human would create too much jealousy and anger.
Andrew works with Burns to introduce blood into his system, thereby allowing him to age, and thus he begins to grow old alongside Portia. Andrew again attends the World Congress, now appearing old and frail, and again petitions to be declared a human being.
On his death bed, with Portia beside him, Andrew watches as the Speaker of the World Congress announces on television the court's decision: that Andrew Martin is officially recognized as human, and that aside from "Methuselah and other Biblical characters," is the oldest human being in history at the age of two-hundred years old. The Speaker also validates the marriage between Portia and Andrew. Andrew dies while listening to the broadcast, and Portia orders their nurse Galatea, a now recognizably-human android, to unplug her life support machine. The movie ends with Portia about to die hand-in-hand with Andrew, as she whispers to him "See you soon."
==Gallery==
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Category:Genderless
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Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:Artificial Intelligence
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Category:Voice of Reason
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Category:Deceased
Category:In Love