Mark Gordon (Voltes V: Legacy)

:NOTE: This article is about Voltes V: Legacy character. For the original character from the 1977 anime, see Ippei Mine.
Mark Gardon is one of the main characters of the Filipino live-action series Voltes V: Legacy. He was portrayed by Radson Flores.
Mark is based on Ippei Mine from the original anime.
==History==
Mark is Filipino-American. When he was young, he became an orphan, and was forced to learn how to be independent at a young age. As a result Mark is a cynical young man. He is often rude and abrasive, even to people he likes such as Jamie. He later learns that being rude because you have a sad past isn't okay. At some point, he returned to the Philippines and enrolled in Camp Big Falcon.
However, Mark didn't know the full story of the creation of Camp Big Falcon The camp was the brainchild of Ned Armstrong a.k.a Baron Hrothgar. Baron Hrothgar was an alien who's spaceship crashed on Earth by accident. Upon being taken in for questioning, he revealed his past to those would listen - he arrived from Planet Boazan, the where he was forced to live as a slave after the throne was usurped from him. Hrothgar was the son of the Emperor's little brother, but he was born without horns, which were considered an anomly in Boazania. Only those with horns were allowed to be nobles, while those without them were subject to extreme cruelty and treated as slaves. To make sure he didn't live a life of slavery, Hrothgar's parents fashioned for him a pair of fake horns. Hrothgar lived amongst the nobles, and because of his skill in technology and invention, the Emperor chose Hrothgar as his succesor.
On the day of his coronation, Hrothgar was exposed hornless by his jealous and ambitious cousin Zambojil. Zambojil's minions had tortured doctor that delivered him into admitting his dark secret. Hrothgar was booed by the crowd, and then forced to work as a slave. Branded a traitor, he was told by Zambojil that his wife, Rozalia, and their newborn child were dead. In actuality, Rozalia died in childbirth, while the newborn child, Zardoz, was raised by Zambojil.
Hrothgar managed to escape to Earth, with the knowledge that Emperor Zambojil will set his sights to Earth. His ship crashed and he was found by Mary Ann Collins Armstrong. She learned of his story and fell in love with him. He adopted the name "Ned Armstrong" on Earth. While many people didn't believe Ned Armstrong's warning, Dr. Richard Smith, Mary Ann and General Robinson did, and together they set up Camp Big Falcon. 
Ned/Hrothgar and Mary would go on to have three children, Steve, Bert and John. Hrothgar created the robot Voltes V because he knew the Boazanians would invade, and wanted a way for Earth to defend itself. He returned to Boazania to convince Zambojil not to invade the planet. This didn't work, but he managed to escape arrest and flee to Earth where he would manage the Mechanical Eagle. Mary and Richard believed Ned/Hrothgar was dead as he never came back, so they began training pilots at Camp Big Falcon to join the Voltes team. Apart from training Steve and Bert, Dr. Smith also oversaw the training of other pilots including Mark Gordon, Jamie Robinson, Eva Sanchez, PJ Santiago, Ally Chan and Tomas del Rosario. Jon Armstrong wanted to join them, but due to his age, he was rejected as a potential candidate.
When the Boazanians inevitably invaded, with Hrothgar/Ned's son Zardoz leading the invasion, Steve, Bert, Jon, Mark and Jamie were the only available pilots and working together, managed to repel their Beast Fighter from the Earth. As a result they became permanent members of the Voltes team.
In combat, each member of the Voltes team was assigned a different unit - Steve piloted the Volt Cruiser, Bert piloted the Volt Panzer, Jamie piloted the Volt Lander, Jon piloted the Volt Frigate and Mark piloted the Volt Bomber. These vehicles would combine to form Voltes V. Dr. Richard Smith would guide them in battle, instructing them on how to defeat the Boazanian's Beast Fighters. Unfortunately, he died when the Boazanians sent a fake robot Ned to Camp Big Falcon, who choked Smith by the neck and stabbed him.
After he died, he was replaced by Dr. Hook as Camp Big Falcon's lead scientist, though his style was radically different from Smith's. Mark grieved the loss of Dr. Smith, as he was a parental figure to him, as well as the rest of the Voltes team.
Many Big Falcon cadets, including Bert Armstrong, noticed that Jamie's co-pilot, Steve Armstrong, was starting to show signs of a crush on her. This made Steve's ex girlfriend Eva Sanchez jealous, and as a result she decided to make Jamie's life on Big Falcon hell, from occasionally bullying her to going to extreme lengths and destroying her room and everything in it. Mark and Steve helped clean it up. When Jamie confronted Eva, the two had a fight before it was broken up by Mark.
Eva attempted to have Jamie killed by convincing Apable to assassinate her (threatening to out Apable as a spy for a Defense Contract Supplier if he didn't). Apable managed to spike a drink and have Jamie rendered unconscious, but before he could kill her, Steve and Mark managed to save her. Though her father, Commander Oscar Robinson, swore revenge on whoever set it up, no one found out that Eva was behind this plot.
Mark also has a crush on Jamie and makes it known many times. He frequently flirts with her (like his anime counterpart, Ippei) and brings her gifts, and even plans elaborate proposals for her. He learned Japanese cooking because he knows Jamie loves Japanese dishes, surprising her with it. Steve walks in Jamie's room and sees this, which makes him feel awkward and he apologizes and leaves. Mark and Jamie later become a couple, which breaks Steve's heart. 
One day, while Jamie is asleep, Steve finally confesses his love to her. Unbeknownst to him, Jamie was awake, and demands he explain himself. Steve, knowing he's been caught, tells her the truth - that he was in love with her but unwilling to act on it. He tells her he loves her, but Jamie says that she cannot be with someone unwilling to tell her he loves her and that she is with Mark now. Steve accepts this even though it hurts him. Mark notices that Jamie's mood changed after she talked to him and asks Steve what happened. Steve admits he told Jamie he liked her. Enraged, Mark punches Steve and the two brawl back and forth until Big Bert breaks it up.
Realizing that Jamie still has feelings for Steve, Mark breaks up with her. Not wanting his heart to be broken again, he tells her they are now teammates working professionally. Jamie is ashamed for using Mark to spite Eva since she only announced they were dating because Eva kept making her jealous by making moves on Steve.
Later, as Mark is walking down the halls of Big Falcon, Eva approches him and insists they should do a double date with her and Steve, joined by him and Jamie. Mark replies that him and Jamie have broken up and when Eva asks why, he tells her to ask Steve. Eva then witnesses Jamie call Steve a coward for not being upfront about his feelings. 
When Jamie's father dies, Eva attempts to assassinate her (knowing that he doesn't pose a threat anymore) through two gun shots to the stomach. Jamie's body is discovered by Anna and she is treated in the med bay.
Later, Steve apprehends Eva, suspecting that Eva attempted to kill Jamie. His usually-calm demeanor turns serious as he threatens her with consequences if she was the culprit behind Jamie's attempted murder. He brings up the fact that Eva hates Jamie, but Eva lies and says they are on good terms. Eva refuses to admit the truth, and re-affirms that she thinks that she belongs in the Voltes team. She insists that she should take Jamie's place, and then angrily yells at him for breaking her heart, amongst other things.
Due to Jamie needing to rest, Eva tries to take her place alongside Steve, Mark and Bert during a training drill. During this time, Jon is attending a science conference due to being a child prodigy at technology. Steve and Mark express discontent at having to work with Eva. Eva hints replacing Jamie, but Mark shuts it down. The four are participating in a training exercise, and Eva is assigned to be the team sniper while Mark, Steve and Bert retrieve the hostage. They all demonstrate their skills and successfully retrieve her. At the end of the exercise, Mark says that he hates to admit it, but Eva is a really good sniper. 
Marquise Zaki dispatches Takeo and Arisa to kidnap Little Jon Armstrong, the youngest member of the Voltes team. Takeo and Arisa disguise themselves as humans and try to take Jon hostage, but other Camp Big Falcon personnel come to his aid. While Jon tries to use his invisibility device to hide himself, he is still discovered and then kidnapped. Dr. Hook then regretfully informs the Voltes team that Jon has been taken hostage. He orders Eva to join the team in the search for him. However, Jamie arrives, healed from her injuries. She says "Dream on, Eva", before saluting Dr. Hook. Eva feigns concern and says that Jamoe should rest, but she insists she can fight. Dr. Hook tells Steve that since he's the leader, he can choose whether it should be Eva and Jamie that will accompany him, Bert and Mark in looking for Jon. Steve picks Jamie, stating that she is their teammate, while Eva looks heartbrokenly at her gear. Steve, Mark, Bert and Jamie proceed to look for Jon but fall into a trap set up by the Boazanians.
The trap leads them to a stage constructed by Marquise Zaki. Bert realizes that the stage has a force field around it, meaning they can't escape. Feeling hopeless, Mark angrily insults Jon and blames him for being kidnapped. Steve angrily retorts that it isn't his fault, but Mark repeats his claim that the Armstrong brothers are magnets for misfortune. Steve then tries to hit Mark, but Jamie intervenes, only to get injured in the process by Steve, causing her to fall. Both boys are horrified and apologize to her, feeling ashamed. Jamie scolds them both, reminding them that she's just been discharged from the hospital and forced herself out of the ward to save Jon. The four then hear laughter, coming from none other than Marquise Zaki. She calls their fight entertaining.
The four begin attacking Zaki's guards, but when Steve turns a gun on Zaki, she threatens Jon by holding a knife to his neck. Steve, Bert and Jamie surrender and drop their weapons but Mark refuses. Mark loads his gun anyway, pointing it at Zaki despite her pressing the knife further, until Steve wrestles the gun out of his hands. Zaki then releases Jon and he reunites with the Voltes team.
Zaki and her guards then lead the four into another room, where they are observed by Horned Boazanian nobles. Zaki announces that they are to spar with Takeo and Arisa for their entertainment. The Voltes team underestimate the twins, with Bert saying they're not Beast Fighters so they don't stand a chance. Before the fight, Takeo and Arisa ask the Voltes team of the fate of General Watson. Steve tells them that he's dead and he gave his life for the good Boazanian rebels. Takeo is dumbstruck, whispering to Arisa "Our adoptive father is gone....". Arisa, however, is skeptic and calls Steve a liar. Marquise Zaki chides them for talking and says that they must send two fighters from their team to battle Takeo and Arisa one-on-one. Jamie says that she will fight Arisa, and Bert decides to fight Takeo.
Meanwhile, Prince Zardoz asks Zandra and Draco where Marquise Zaki has gone. They both say they don't have any idea. Zardoz expresses frustration at the fact that when his uncle sent him aides, both disappeared suddenly - first General Oslak, and now Marquise Zaki. However, Draco was suspicious of Zaki and had a soldier tail her before she left. The soldier reveals to Draco, Zandra and Zardoz that Marquise Zaki is having the Voltes team battle Takeo and Arisa, which is directly against what Zardoz ordered. Zardoz finally loses faith in his uncle and accuses him of trying to replace his position.
Takeo and Arisa lose the fight. However the Voltes team refuse to kill them (even though it's the tradition of Boazan duels). This touches their hearts and they change sides, helping the Voltes team escape.
==Differences==
*Mark is Filipino-American, Ippei is Japanese-American.
*Mark joined Big Falcon volunatarily, whereas Ippei was forcibly kidnapped by Professor Hamaguchi.
*Jamie and Mark end up dating and Jamie even kissed Mark. Later, they break up. Megumi, on the other hand, replied by teasing Ippei (such as stating that she was picking flowers for a boy) when he flirted with her, though they never became a couple.
*In the original anime, Ippei was specifically chosen to pilot the Volt Lander due to her skills. Mark was only chosen because Eva and decided to have a party with the other potential candidates during the alien invasion.
==Trivia==
*It's likely due to his actor, but Mark has a habit of rolling his Rs when he speaks in Tagalog and English.
*Radson Flores was a huge fan of the original anime and places many easter eggs in reference to it during his acting.
*Radson Flores, like his character Mark, knows how to ride a horse.https://www.animeherald.com/interview/interview-with-voltes-v-legacy-director-mark-reyes/
*He was spoken Japanese in Tadhana Episode after his role from original anime.
==Gallery==
Radsonflores.webp
Mark and steve2.jpg
Mark and steve.jpg
mark and pj.jpg
mark's hat.jpg
mark standing.jpg
Jamiesroom.jpg|Mark and Steve in Jamie's room after Eva sabotages it
Mark gordon 4.jpg
Mark gordon 5.jpg
Mark gordon 2.png
Mark gordon 3.png
Jamie2.png
Jamie3.png
Stevefight.png|Steve and Mark fighting because Steve told Jamie he liked her
Mark gordon saluting.png|Mark saluting a fallen Commander Robinson
Markgordoncredits.png|Mark in the credits sequence
==References==
==Navigation==
==External links==
*TV Tropes page
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