RoboCop (character)

## RoboCop

**RoboCop** is a fictional robotically enhanced Detroit police officer designated as OCP Crime Prevention Unit 001, and is the main protagonist in the film series of the same name. The character begins as a human being named **Alexander James "Alex" Murphy**, who is killed in the line of duty by a vicious crime gang. Subsequently, Murphy is transformed into the cyborg entity RoboCop by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP). He is referred to as Robo by creators Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner in their original screenplay.

## Background

### Development

Edward Neumeier's script and idea was rejected by many studios, and even the name was thought as "unsuitable". The character was inspired from sources as varied as Iron Man and Judge Dredd.

## Film Appearances

### *RoboCop*

OCP holds a contract to fund and run the Detroit Police Department. Security Concepts is the division that provides oversight for the police. In order to supplement the police force that is overwhelmed with crime, Security Concepts begins developing robotic law enforcement units. Originally, the Senior President Dick Jones develops a fully robotic unit called ED (Enforcement Droid)-209, with plans to secure a long-term contract with the military for replacement parts and service. However, ED-209 severely malfunctions during the simulation of a disarm-and-arrest-procedure and kills the test subject, even though he dropped his weapon. Ambitious junior executive Bob Morton takes this as a justified reason to go over Jones's head and pitch his "RoboCop Program" directly to OCP's CEO, the "Old Man".

Morton and his team restructure the police force to place prime candidates with high aptitude and experience in law enforcement into high crime areas where death in the line of duty is much higher. Once a death occurs, the deceased officer's body will be used in the construction of a cyborg law enforcement unit, since they have already signed waivers allowing OCP to do whatever they pleased with their corpses. This unit will be afforded the fastest reflexes made possible by modern technology, a memory assisted by an on-board computer, and programmed with a lifetime experience of on-the-street law enforcement.

Murphy is one of these candidates. He is partnered with Officer Anne Lewis, a veteran herself of Old Detroit, plagued by crime boss Clarence Boddicker and his gang. One day, Murphy and Lewis are on patrol when Boddicker hits a pharmaceutical company. They give chase to the gang's panel truck, and after a rolling shootout, chase the truck to an abandoned steel mill. As they split up to search for the gang, Murphy is captured by three other gang members: Emil Antonowsky, Leon Nash and Steve Minh. When Boddicker shows up, he asks Murphy for his opinion of him, to which Murphy defiantly and honestly tells him, "Buddy, I think you're slime." While Lewis is incapacitated after henchman Joe Cox knocks her off a catwalk, Boddicker shoots off Murphy's right hand with a shotgun. The gang members then take turns firing their shotguns, shearing off Murphy's right arm and blasting holes in every part of his body. Amazingly, Murphy is still alive on his knees afterwards (perhaps due to the protective body armor covering his upper body). Boddicker then walks up and executes him with a gunshot to the head. Murphy is rushed to the emergency room, where the doctors try in vain to keep him alive. Because of Murphy's stellar record and near-perfect psychological profile, portions of his body are subsequently used to create the prototype RoboCop designated as OCP Crime Prevention Unit 001.

Because he is pronounced dead, the body is seized by OCP, citing the release forms Murphy signed when he joined the police force. The technicians of the RoboCop Program, led by Morton, take what is left of Murphy's face and portions of his cerebrum and cerebellum and apply them to a cybernetic body, in effect resurrecting Alex Murphy as RoboCop.

RoboCop quickly proves to be an effective weapon against crime, but unbeknownst to Morton is that RoboCop begins to remember his past life as Murphy, starting with his death at the hands of Boddicker and his gang. Enraged at having had his life stolen from him, RoboCop embarks on a personal quest for vengeance as he hunts down and apprehends Boddicker's gang, resulting in the gang's arrest. RoboCop also tracks down OCP's senior executive, Dick Jones, in an attempt to make him pay for aiding Boddicker. However, RoboCop's classified 'Directive 4' comes into effect, preventing him from arresting Jones, and he is subsequently damaged by the ED-209 as well as Lt. Hedgecock and his SWAT team, though a few SWATs refuse to follow the order. After enduring a massed attack by SWAT, RoboCop is rescued by Lewis who was alerted by the few SWATs to LT. Hedgecock's treachery. The two hide in an abandoned steel mill after they escape, during which RoboCop confides to Lewis about his memories of his past life. He also uses a drill brought by Lewis to remove his headpiece, showing how he has his "Alex Murphy" face stretched over it. The two are attacked by Boddicker's gang, commissioned by Jones to destroy the cyborg after he realizes that his entire confession of ordering Morton's murder has been recorded. The final confrontation with Boddicker himself ends with RoboCop violently stabbing him in the throat with the computer data spike installed in his fist. RoboCop confronts Jones in the middle of an OCP board meeting, during which Jones takes the "Old Man" hostage. After admitting that he can take no action due to Directive 4, the "Old Man" fires Jones, allowing RoboCop to shoot him, since he is no longer an OCP employee and his orders on the Detroit police force to destroy him is put to an end. Complimenting RoboCop on his shooting skills, The Old Man asks him his name. Robocop smiles before answering, "Murphy".

### *RoboCop 2*

A year later, OCP attempts to replicate the success they had with Murphy with a new RoboCop Program; however, all of the candidates selected go insane upon activation and commit suicide or harmed others, due to the severe mental strain of their prostheses. RoboCop is captured, torn apart by the drug lord Cain and his gang and subsequently thrown in front of the police station in an effort to send them a message. He is reconstructed with numerous other directives that render him virtually ineffective on the street, but he is able to reset his programming and erase his directives by giving himself a massive electric shock, leaving him free to lead a counter-attack against Cain.

To find a suitable personality for the new Robocop Program, Dr. Juliette Faxx turns to the criminal element in Cain, reasoning that someone with strong megalomania would relish the power of the new body instead of rejecting the new-found life, just as Murphy came through the process due to his strong sense of justice. Her plan is to use his addiction to the drug Nuke to control him. Upon his death, Cain's brain and spinal column are harvested and placed in a larger, more powerful cybernetic body, referred to as RoboCop 2. Ultimately, Cain's addiction to Nuke proves to be his undoing, as Lewis tempts him with a vial of the drug long enough for RoboCop to attack Cain from behind and remove his brain casing from the robot body. RoboCop smashes the brain on the pavement, eliminating Cain for good.

### *RoboCop 3*

Omni Consumer Products (OCP), on the verge of bankruptcy, creates an armed force called the Urban Rehabilitators ("Rehabs" for short), under the command of Paul McDaggett (John Castle). Ostensibly its purpose is to combat rising crime in Old Detroit, augmenting the ranks of the Detroit Police in apprehending violent criminals. In reality it has been set up to forcibly relocate the residents of Cadillac Heights, killing some of them (including the parents of Nikko, a Japanese-American computer whiz kid) in the process. The police force is gradually superseded by the Rehabs, and violent crime begins to spiral out of control. The Delta City dream of the former OCP CEO, "Old Man", lives on with the help of the Japanese zaibatsu Kanemitsu Corporation, which has bought a controlling stake in the organisation. Kanemitsu (Mako) sees the potential in the citywide redevelopment, and moves forward with the plans to remove the current citizens. The company develops and uses its own ninja robots (called "Otomo") to help McDaggett and the OCP President (Rip Torn) overcome the resistance of the anti-OCP militia forces.

When RoboCop (Burke) and partner Anne Lewis (Allen) try to defend civilians from the Rehabs one night, Lewis is mortally wounded by McDaggett and eventually dies. Unable to fight back because of the 'Fourth Directive', RoboCop is saved by members of a resistance and eventually joins them. Due to severe damage sustained in the shoot-out RoboCop's systems efficiency plummets, and he asks the resistance to summon Dr. Lazarus, one of the scientists who created him. Upon arrival she begins to treat him, deleting the Fourth Directive in the process. During an earlier raid on an armoury the resistance has picked up a jet-pack prototype, originally intended for RoboCop's use, which Lazarus modifies and upgrades.

After recovering from his injuries RoboCop conducts a one-man campaign against the Rehabs. He finds McDaggett and attempts to subdue him, but McDaggett is able to escape. McDagget then obtains information from a disgruntled resistance member (Stephen Root) regarding the location of the resistance fighters base. The base is then attacked by the Rehabs and most of the resistance members are either killed or taken prisoner. Nikko escapes with the help of Lazarus before she is captured and taken to the OCP headquarters as a prisoner.

RoboCop returns to the rebel base to find it abandoned. One of the Otomo ninjabots then arrives and attacks him. RoboCop experiences another power drain and his side-arm is destroyed, but eventually he is able to overcome his opponent. Meanwhile, Nikko infiltrates the OCP building and assists Lazarus broadcast an improvised video, revealing that OCP is behind the outbreaks of criminality in the city and implicating them in the removal and termination of the Cadillac Heights residents. The broadcast causes OCP's stock to plunge dramatically, driving the company into total ruin.

McDaggett decides to execute an all-out strike against Cadillac Heights with the help of the Detroit City police department, but the outraged police officers refused to comply and instead defect to the resistance. As a result, McDaggett turns to hiring street gangs and hooligans to assist with his plans.

Having heard Lazarus' broadcast Robocop takes to the air using the jet-pack. As the combined forces of the Rehabs and street gangs are about to wipe out the rebels and Detroit Police, RoboCop mounts an aerial assault on the attackers, leading to their defeat. He then proceeds to the OCP building and confronts the waiting McDaggett. Robocop is then attacked, and nearly defeated, by two Otomo robots. Nikko and Lazarus succeed in reprogramming them using a wireless link from a laptop computer, however, forcing them to attack each other. This triggers a timed self-destruct sequence in both units, forcing Robocop to flee. Igniting his jet-pack the flaming discharge hits McDaggett's leg, immobilising him. Robocop escapes with Nikko and Lazarus, leaving McDaggett to perish in the blast while attempting to stop the self-destruct devices.

As Old Detroit is being cleaned up Kanemitsu arrives and confronts RoboCop and his group, while his translator (Doug Yasuda) tells the OCP president on Kanemitsu's behalf that he is fired. Kanemitsu then bows to RoboCop. The deposed OCP President turns to Robocop and says "Well, I gotta hand it to ya... what do they call you? Murphy, is it?" RoboCop replies, saying "My friends call me Murphy. You call me RoboCop."

### *RoboCop* (2014)

In this reboot of the series, Alex Murphy and his partner, Jack Lewis, are attempting to arrest crime lord Antoine Vallon, unaware that he has contacts inside the department. When Lewis gets shot and is hospitalized after an undercover deal goes wrong, Murphy is badly injured when Vallon detonates a car bomb in his driveway; a subsequent medical evaluation states that Murphy has third-degree burns over eighty percent of his body, serious spinal damage left him paralysed from the waist down, his left arm and leg had to be amputated, serious damage to the optical nerves in his left eye left him blind in that eye, and he was likely to be deaf. Faced with this damage, Murphy's wife agrees for him to be made part of the new Robocop program as part of a campaign by OmniCorp's Director, Raymond Sellars, to overturn the Dreyfus Act, which prevents robots being used for law enforcement purposes in American streets, by putting a human in the robotic body.

Murphy is virtually completely reconstructed with a cybernetic body; his face, central nervous systems, circulatory systems and respiratory systems are the largest part of him left intact, along with his right hand, but various chips have been implanted into his brain, as well as at least one eye being replaced, along with the rest of his body. However, he proves to operate at a slower rate than the drone counterparts in field simulations due to his natural hesitation when making judgements in the field. Attempting to get around this, Dr. Norton, the cyberneticist responsible for creating Murphy's implants, has a new chip installed in Murphy's brain that compensates for this by taking control of his responses in action. When faced with his public debut, Murphy is so overwhelmed by his emotions that Dr. Norton is forced to shut down Murphy's ability to feel emotions to prevent a psychological breakdown.

With his emotions shut down, Murphy proves to be an effective detective and police officer, quickly tracking down assorted unarrested suspects through his access to various security systems. His inability to emotionally connect results in him avoiding contact with his wife Clara and son David. When Clara confronts Murphy about his distance, it causes the reversal of the effects of Dr. Norton's emotion augmentation, prompting Murphy to track down Vallon and his police contacts, effectively solving his own murder, only to be shut down when he attempts to force a confession out of the police chief after learning that she was one of Vallon's contacts. When Sellars attempts to use this discovery of police corruption to have RoboCops put in action on a country-wide scale and destroy the original, Norton has a crisis of conscience and not only reactivates Murphy, but admits what was done to him psychologically during the program. With the death of Sellars, Murphy is reconstructed by Norton and allowed contact with his family again.