Ex Machina (comics)



Created by Brian K. Vaughan, the Eisner Award-winning brain behind series such as Y: The Last Man and Runaways and drawn by Tony Harris, Ex Machina depicts the life of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who gained the ability to communicate with machines. He used his powers to become the world's first and only Superhero, "The Great Machine". After using his powers to prevent the fall of the second tower in the 9/11 attacks, Mitchell has since retired from the role and is currently the mayor of New York City. The series contains the events of his term in office, with frequent flashbacks to his superhero days.

The series wrapped up with the planned 50 issues in 2010.


 * Another Dimension:
 * Alternate History: The second tower didn't go down.
 * Asexuality: One interpretation about why Hundred doesn't pursue anyone of either gender.
 * Author Avatar: Both Vaughan and Harris appear as themselves in "Ruthless." Doubles as Leaning on the Fourth Wall / Breaking the Fourth Wall.
 * Bat Signal: Poked at when Angotti puts a gear symbol on a searchlight, but Mitchell doesn't see it.
 * Because Destiny Says So: A fortune teller tells Mitchell he will become the Great Machine again. He also receives a vision from God telling him he will be President of the United States.
 * Big Applesauce: This troper thinks it's justified since the invasion wouldn't have the same impact if it happened in, say, Reno, Nevada.
 * Blessed with Suck: Mitchell's power manifests itself as being able to command machines, and also to "listen" to them. He can't turn it off. To top it all off, he lives in New York City. Think about it.
 * Also, sometimes,
 * Brought Down to Normal: The blackout.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The Failsafe,
 * Chekhov's Gunman:
 * Chest Insignia: And also possible leitmotif, a gear.
 * Colour-Coded for Your Convenience:
 * Comes Great Responsibility: Subverted. Mitchell tries to help people by not using his powers.
 * The Commissioner Gordon: Mitchell tries to establish a police alliance. It doesn't work out so well. It's not the first time this former comic-book geek wasn't more Genre Savvy.
 * Compelling Voice: Mitchell's, Pherson's and powers.
 * Convenient Misfire: Just as Mitchell is telling his mother that the gun he confiscated from the local hick sheriff wasn't loaded, it goes off. It drives her point home.
 * : The final issue strongly suggests that
 * Different World, Different Movies: The main character considers hiring actual creators Vaughan and Harris to make graphic novel based on his life, but decided to go with Garth Ennis and Jim Lee instead.
 * : Bordering on.
 * Dreaming of Things to Come / Psychic Dreams for Everyone: Mitchell dreams. Few of them are pleasant.
 * Empty Shell:
 * Face Heel Turn
 * Failure Knight
 * How Mitchell feels about a lot of things, including his career as a superhero.
 * Flash Back: Mitchell tells the story of his time as mayor as a flashback, so his flackbacks to his time as the Great Machine are flashbacks within flashbacks.
 * Government Procedural
 * The Handler: An NSA cryptologist is assigned to be Mitchell's handler as his powers are regarded as a national secret.
 * Have You Told Anyone Else?
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Mitchell and Bradbury
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Kremlin strongly disagrees.
 * I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: In the last issue,
 * The Handler: An NSA cryptologist is assigned to be Mitchell's handler as his powers are regarded as a national secret.
 * Have You Told Anyone Else?
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Mitchell and Bradbury
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Kremlin strongly disagrees.
 * I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: In the last issue,


 * I Just Want to Be Normal
 * Kryptonite Ring: Mitchell invented two, and gives one apiece to Kremlin and Bradbury.
 * Lampshade Hanging: "Ruthless"
 * Last of His Kind: Implied, but not confirmed.
 * Law of Conservation of Normality: Subverted.
 * Married to the Job: Interpreted in-universe as a Transparent Closet for Hundred
 * The Obi Wrong: Kremlin
 * Old Master: Kremlin
 * Only Six Faces: Harris is a talented artist, but he only has so many models. For example, a random junkie in "Fact or Fiction" happens to look exactly like a younger, brown-haired Kremlin.
 * He uses personally staged photos of real-life models to set up panels. And by real-life models, I mean friends and acquaintances.
 * Power Trio: Kremlin, Bradbury and Mitchell
 * Psychic Nosebleed: While redirecting the second plane.
 * Reality Ensues: While she's walking from her gym, The Great Machine grabs the commissioner of Police and takes her to a rooftop to talk. She reaches inside the bag and he says he could make her gun jam. Then she pulls out a baton. He has enough time for an Oh Crap before she hits him in the head.
 * Reed Richards Is Useless: Subverted.
 * Secret Identity: Mitchell went public when he ran for mayor. However, most of his abilities are still secret, as a matter of national security.
 * Shown Their Work: Comes with the territory for BKV.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Constantly played with throughout the series, before hitting hard on
 * Speaks Fluent Animal:
 * Springtime for Hitler The Lincoln Painting in the first arc.
 * Stalker with a Crush / Villainous Crush: Trouble.
 * Invisible to Gaydar / :
 * Strawman Political: Averted at every step.
 * Technical Pacifist: Mitchell
 * Technology Levels: Played with. Mitchell takes an arrow from a would-be assassin, after trying unsuccessfully to "jam" it. His powers apparently have limits.
 * Technopath Mitchell
 * Toasted Buns: At least Mitchell has friends with fire extinguishers
 * Turned Against Their Masters: It's shown that machines have no qualms about lying to Mitchell, especially about the presence of any hypothetical bullets in any hypothetical chambers.
 * Ultimate Evil:
 * Unwinnable Training Simulation
 * The War on Terror: Alluded to.
 * Weekend Inventor: Mitchell.
 * Wham! Episode: Pretty much all of the last issue.
 * Wham! Episode: Pretty much all of the last issue.