Man in the Machine: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''Faster than a bullet

''Terrifying scream

''Enraged and full of anger

 

In the intersection where man and machine meet, this man has been buried in a metal mausoleum.

 

Subtrope of [[Cyborg]].

 

* The old man and his robotic bed-turned humongous mecha from ''Roujin-Z'' is a good example of this.

* In ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' the third episode of the anime series had a tank which {{spoiler|the terminally ill designer convinced his friend to implant his brain into}}.

* Zone, from [[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]].

* Venusis/Neo from [[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water|Nadia.]] His robotic body ''looks'' human, but it is fairly obvious from his almost nonexistent expressions and the mechanical noises when he as much as moves his head how blatantly fake it is. He's dependent on a hugeass power cable protruding from his back and it is only one that we see him standing up from his throne. The contrast between that all and his very normal-sounding voice is jarring to behold.

 

== Comic Books ==

* The [[Legacy Character|various incarnations]] of Box from ''[[Alpha Flight]]''.

 

== Film ==

* Alex Murphy, aka [[RoboCop]].

* [[Source Code]]: {{spoiler|The original fate of Cptn. Colter Stevens}}

 

== Literature ==

* Max Barry's ''Machine Man'' features Dr. Charles Neumann, who spends some time in an exceptionally powerful robot body {{spoiler|before eventually just [[Brain Uploading]]}}.

* In ''The Moon Maze Game'', one of the players is a champion gamer crippled by an illness. To allow her to play in the steampunk-themed adventure, she's equipped with a robotic life-support capsule which, in-story, was supposedly crafted by Captain Nemo.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Obscure late-90s superhero series ''[[M.A.N.T.I.S.|MANTIS]]'' starred a roboticist who ends up paraplegic after being shot in a street robbery, and builds himself a sort of exoskeleton in order to no longer be wheelchair-bound. Then at some point he did what anyone else would in that situation; he upgraded it into a suit of [[Powered Armour]] and set himself up as a Batman expy.

* The Cybermen in ''[[Doctor Who]]''

 

== Tabletop Games ==

*** And then of course there is the Emperor. Unfortunately, he can't move about because his life support machine is so massive and complex that it is the size of a small country, and it requires thousands of psykers a ''day'' to be sacrificed to power it. Plus, the Emperor was so horrifically injured when placed in the machine that he is almost entirely incapable of any kind of functioning. The only reason that he is kept alive (or rather, on the very brink of death) is that he is necessary for intragalactic travel and communication.

 

* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', Grey Fox is this. His body is [[We Can Rebuild Him|grafted surgically]] to his robotic exoskeleton, and he has to constantly take anti-rejection drugs or suffer extreme pain. It's something of [[Did Not Do the Research]] on Kojima's part, though.<ref>In [[Real Life]] people had to take anti-rejection drugs when they have the ''organic'' transplants that don't perfectly match their antibody profiles and are thus rejected by their immune systems. That's why the transplants from the close relatives are usually preferred -- there's less immunologic differences. In case of the cybernetic implants on the other hand the only thing to worry is the matter of allergy and biological compatibility. There's plenty of such materials, one of which, titanium, actually has one of the best strength/weight ratios known.</ref>

** Even worse, Raiden in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'', whose only organic parts are his head and spine.

* The ''[[Master of Orion]]'' universe features the Meklar race, who have proceeded to this condition willingly.

* Karen S'Jet of [[Homeworld]].

* The Templars, one of the most hated enemies from [[Strife]]. They are members of The Order whose bodies have decayed so much that they can't live without being hooked to the life support in their [[Powered Armor|powered armors]].

* [[World of Warcraft|Deathwing]] is a special case of this. His proximity to the Demon Soul he created with stolen power from the other four dragon aspects ruptured his body so much, that the goblins had to encase him in a full-body adamantium plating in order to keep him in one piece. Behind that armor is a horribly crippled, yet still cosmically powerful, draconic body that would nevertheless bleed to death and spill its organs all over the place if it wasn't for those plates.

* [[The Legend of Zelda CDI Games|Militron.]] Defeating him will actually cause his robotic shell to fall off, revealing a scrawny old man in his boxers who then slinks away in humiliation.

* Alcatraz from ''[[Crysis (series)|Crysis]] 2''. Later on, it is revealed that {{spoiler|all wearers of the N2 nanosuit eventually become this.}} Toward the end of the game, {{spoiler|Jacob Hargeave}} is revealed to also be one.

* {{spoiler|The golems}} from ''[[Dragon Age]]'', who {{spoiler|were dwarves who were transformed into 10-foot-tall rock creatures, a process that involved having molten rock poured over them and their free will removed. Some volunteered; some didn't.}}

 

 

== Western Animation ==

** Technus also counts. A ghost that fuses with technology to form a much bigger mecha. Although not quite big enough to count as a [[Humongous Mecha]].

** This has made him become quite paranoid, due to the random creation of Evos from Nanite-infected life being the main issue in his universe (and main plot to the show). The possibility of a normal, mundane businessman turning, at any moment, into a giant, rampaging cancer-cyclops has lead him to believe that he can only trust himself, because he is the last "clean" being alive.