Marvel will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its cybernetic super-soldier Deathlok in 2024 with a new one-shot highlighting the sci-fi anti-hero’s past, present, and even a hint at his future.
Written by beloved writer Christopher Priest and up-and-comer Justina Ireland, Deathlok 50th Anniversary Special #1 will feature art from several big-name artists including Dale Eaglesham, Luke Ross, Matthew Waite, and classic Deathlok artist Denys Cowan, who relaunched Deathlok in the early ’90s. It’s all wrapped in a main cover by Ken Lashley, seen below:
On that note, the one-shot will apparently focus on the original Deathlok, Luthor Manning, who was introduced in 1974’s Astonishing Tales #25 by Deathlok’s creator Rich Buckler and scripter Doug Moench. Over the years, there have been several other Deathloks including Michael Collins, Henry Hayes, Jemma Simmons, and even an alt-future Deathlok who was actually Miles Morales, who teamed up with a crew of modern day Avengers.
“An amalgam of reanimated flesh and computer circuitry, former military strategist Col. Luther Manning was locked in a state of living death,” reads Marvel’s announcement. “Stripped of his family, his humanity, but not his will, Manning became the cyborg, Deathlok the Demolisher – a weapon of war programmed solely for destruction!”
“A bold blend of science fiction, horror, and war, Deathlok’s genre-shattering sagas pushed the limits on dystopian storytelling,” it continues. “Fifty years later, this tragic cyborg hero’s take is more relevant than ever and readers won’t want to miss where his path takes him next!”
Marvel’s announcement doesn’t reveal exactly what’s awaiting Deathlok in his next adventure, but a variant cover for Deathlok 50th Anniversary Special #1 by Nick Bradshaw, which features the looming presence of Doctor Doom. Check it out:
“I’m always excited and humbled to write anything in the Marvel universe, but Deathlok as a character is especially important to me because as a US Army veteran, his origin story really resonates in a horrifying way,” states co-writer Justina Ireland. “So I’m excited to dig into the emotional core of what makes Deathlok so unique, while also having some fun.”
Deathlok 50th Anniversary Special #1 goes on sale September 18.
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