Robo-Hood

**Real Name**: Arthur Dodds

**World:** Earth-A

**Monikers:** None

**Origin:** Human soul inhabiting magical robotic armor

**History**:

Robo-Hood was, like the Atomic Sub, a metal man with a human heart, though his origin owed more to magic than science.

During the Blitz (as in the Nazi bombing of England, not the superhero), a castle dating back to Arthurian times was hit by a bomb, revealing a secret chamber with a strange suit of armors filled with gearwork far too advance for the age radiocarbon dating said it came from. To preserve such a miraculous archeological discovery from the Blitz, the suit was shipped to an American museum for further study. One night, the museum was broken into by burglars, who mortally wounded security guard Art Dodd. As Art Dodd laid dying by the strange suit of armor, he had a vision of the past–

In the twilight days of Camelot, Merlin the wizard had assembled a clockwork army. When the knights of the Round Table fell in battle, they were brought before these mechanical men, and their souls fled their dying bodies and took refuge in the clockwork where they live again and fought again.

What became of all these mechanical knights is not known. Perhaps there is a clue in the literary character Talus of Edmund Spencer’s *Fairie Queene?* But regardless, Art Dodd was before one of these mechanical vessels. Out went his soul from his body, in went his soul into the clockwork.

Understandably angered that he had just been killed, the now mechanical Art chased down and apprehended the burglars and found that he was so precise with a bow that he could beat a gun in a quickdraw and stuff its barrel with an arrow.

Now calling himself Robo-Hood after Robin Hood (who else?), Art entered the superhero business. America was championed by robots in the 40’s. There was the Atomic Sub fighting abroad and Robo-Hood fighting stateside. Together, they set the stage for the RTA to arrive in the 1960’s.

American supervillains of the 1940’s seemed to really like nursery rhymes as a theme given all the enemies Robo-Hood faced–Hey Diddle Dillinger, Killer King Kole, the Black Bird (he liked to carry out pie themed crimes), etc, etc.

In the late 1950’s, Robo-Hood’s world was turned upside down. While going after some criminals in an junk yard, he was caught by a magnet and dumped in a car crusher. Only his dented head survived, which was picked up by law enforcement. It was claimed by the brilliant and eccentric Dr. Metallius (he had all the legal paperwork signed) who created a new and improved body for Robo-Hood.

He managed to get Robo-Hood’s mind back online by hooking it up to a supercomputer, but he realized he wouldn’t be able to repair Robo-Hood. The head would soon die, and Arthur Dodd would be released to the afterlife.

So he did the next best thing. He copied Robo-Hood’s brain patterns on tape and uploaded them to a fresh body. Similar technology would be used by Valhalla Industries in the time of the Pantheon of Heroes to store DNA brain patterns on computers (Ultiman Family 1).

Robo-Hood awoke with new eyes, but knew that even though he had Arthur Dodd’s memories and emotions…he was not Arthur Dodd. He was a copy. He was Robo-Hood.

Needless to say, Robo-Hood was in for a long and severe struggle with his identity. But he would not have to struggle alone. Into the picture came Mike Merlin, wannabe magician and descendent of Merlin who felt that he owed it to one of his ancestor’s creations to be his buddy. Though Robo-Hood would often act dismissive of the bumbling thaumaturge, deep down he appreciated having someone by his side.

When the Martians invaded in 1962, Robo-Hood and Mike joined the RTA to repel the invasion, but Robo-Hood wasn’t interested in being apart of a team. He was moody with his identity issues and didn’t want to deal with the color cast of characters that composed the RTA. He figured that Mike was enough “crazy person in a colorful costume” for anyone. But eventually Robo-Hood would join full-time (BBC 33, Image) and become particularly close to the Beacon who helped him rediscover his humanity like a light in the darkness.

Robo-Hood has been one of the longest serving superheroes on Earth A, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

**Powers and Abilities:**

Bulletproof, unaging. Carries an array of trick arrows. Skilled archer.