Designation: The Automatic Man
Genre: Superhero
Powers/Special Skills: higher-than-human strength; faster-than-human speed; tough metal body
Special Weapons/Tools/Armor: none
Affiliations: Phineas Wainwright
Other Aliases: Johnny Clokwerkz
Status: deceased
Bio:
Phineas Wainwright was a humble inventor in the very earliest days of the now-booming city of Caligo. Wainwright lived in the mid-1800’s, and specialized in clock work and steam machines, particularly novelty toys. He had a small shop where he created and sold his tinkerings. But with the sudden population boom brought by the newly arrived locomotive line, Caligo also saw its first crime wave. Derelicts, con artists, thieves, and murderers following the progress of the rail line began to appear in droves, often stopping in Caligo to take advantage of its native citizens, who were not used to such dealings. To combat the growing criminal element in the young town, Wainwright constructed what would become his magnum opus; a life-sized steam-powered mechanical man. It was intended to simply scare away criminals, but what Wainwright quickly discovered and could never explain nor replicate was that the robot, despite his crude clockwork design, was able to think, learn, and make decisions on its own. The Automatic Man became Caligo’s most famous man overnight. He willingly and tirelessly fought off outlaws in Caligo, until the people unanimously elected him the town’s first non-human sheriff.
Anxious to keep the Automatic Man out of the public light and therefore all to themselves, the folks of Caligo kept him a secret. Phineas Wainwright taught him how to load himself with coal and keep it burning so as to stay active. Eventually, the Automatic Man’s creator died and he was left, immune to death and aging. Also, his thinking evolved and matured as the century turned, and the Automatic Man began to feel emotions. Instead of warrior, he decided to become an agent of peace. He became very interested in human rights and eventually gave himself the name Johnny Clokwerkz. He became a speaker on behalf of the unrepresented women and ethnic groups, even being granted audiences with various U.S. Presidents to discuss social change. As technology changed, Johnny allowed himself to be upgraded to run on newer and more efficient power. Once the rights of women and minorities had become equal to white men, Johnny turned his focus to religious tolerance. This was his unwitting undoing. In 2027, Johnny will be found in a charred heap of parts, a victim of an extreme Christian group dedicated to making America a Christian-only nation.
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