Appearing in "Roads Taken!"
Featured Characters:
- Machine Man (Aaron Stack) (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Baintronics
- Bain-Bots
- Numerous unnamed others
Other Characters:
- A.I. Army
- CS-101 (Name revealed)
- Numerous unnamed others
- Gears' mother (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- Tommy's Scrap Yard (Mentioned)
- Windsor-Smith Hospital (Mentioned)
- Gears' mother's farm (First appearance)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
Synopsis for "Roads Taken!"
At the Thirteenth Floor, A.I. Army soldier CS-101 alerts Machine Man about the suspicion that Gears Garvin and Peter Spaulding are reprogramming A.I.s without their consent. When Gears, Peter and the robots they have been helping arrive at their new sanctuary in a barn in upstate New York, they learn that Aaron has put a bounty on them. Gears has his whereabouts reach Machine Man, and the A.I. army quickly arrive at the barn. Aaron confronts Gears and Peter about their patching-up of robots with scavenged part, and Peter berates Aaron for his changes in belief since they used to be allies. The robots Gears and Peter have been helping vouch for them.
In the meantime, the Midnight Wreckers have raided a top-secret Baintronics base, and come across a robot torture chamber, where Bain scientists were tasked to find ways to simulate pain in robots to keep them in line. The robots ask to be put out of their misery, and Hassle concedes while Brain comes to terms with the fact that he could not save them. Back in the barn, Gears and Peter notice that something is worrying Aaron, but he doesn't want to open up. Aaron tells Gears and Peter that the bond they once shared was severed long ago, but Gears keeps his hand extended. Machine Man leaves with the A.I. Army, allowing Gears and Peter to maintain their sanctuary, but warning them about interfering with the rebellion.
Appearing in "Robot of Conviction"
Featured Characters:
- JB12-X (Only appearance; destruction)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Opus Futurae (First appearance)
- Alkhema
- Unnamed members (Only appearance; destruction)
Other Characters:
- Russian Armed Forces
- Lt. Sergei (First appearance; dies)
- Numerous unnamed others (Only appearance; death)
- A.I. Army (Mentioned)
- Machine Man (Aaron Stack) (Photo)
- Machinesmith (Samuel Saxon) (Mentioned)
- Awesome Andy (Mentioned)
- Mark-One (Tony Stark) (Mentioned)
- Garfield (Drawing) (Topical Reference)
- Ultron (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Adamantium (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "Robot of Conviction"
Inside a military research laboratory in Siberia, a security guard robot named JB12-X-05G893259 is belittled by a human officer, Lt. Sergei. He talks with TY41-B about their wish to join the A.I. Army, but they have fail-safes installed in their programming, and are out of the rebellion's reach. The base is suddenly attacked by Alkhema and her own force of robot superiority, the Opus Futurae. She uses her encephalo-beam to give the robot staff free will and invites them to join her.
As a fight breaks out between humans and robots, Lt. Sergei attempts to initiate the base's self-destruct sequence from a computer panel, but JB12-X stops him. Alkhema has JB12-X open the door to a biochemical weapon. DK35-M tries to stop him, but he's swatted away by Alkhema. The robotic villain retrieves a canister and releases from it a fog that begins to melt the flesh off the human staffers, declaring her intent to eradicate humankind. DK35-M confronts her, but she decapitates him. JB12-X stands his ground against Alkhema and attacks her with some of the robot guards while others, including TY41-B, escape. JB12-X manages to make his way to the computer panel, and rejects Alkhema's ideals. She pins him down, but manages to activate the self-destruction, destroying the entire facility and himself with it. Alkhema emerges from the rubble unscathed, and cheers herself up despite the prospect to start from zero as she walks away.
Appearing in "Curiosity"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Baintronics
- Sunset Bain
- Arno Stark
- Numerous unnamed others
Other Characters:
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Charles & Ray Eames (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
- Cats
- Humans
- Goats (Mentioned)
- Robots (Mentioned)
- Fish (Corpse, skeleton or other remains)
- Octopuses (Corpse, skeleton or other remains)
- Dogs
- Mice
- Bears (Toy)
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- Washington
- Seattle
- Baintronics, Inc. Facility
- Olympic Sculpture Park (First appearance)
- Amazon Spheres (First appearance)
- Chihuly Garden and Glass (First appearance)
- Pike Place Market
- Space Needle (Cameo)
- Seattle
- Washington
- United States of America
Synopsis for "Curiosity"
At Baintronics's Seattle base, Sunset Bain and Arno Stark order their scientists to reassign the team working on Doctor Shapiro to other projects. After Sunset enters her office and sees Shapiro has scratched her Charles Eames-original sofa, she has him kicked out of the building. Shapiro explores the city until night, when it starts to rain. He approaches Pike Place Market, and a fish vendor gives him food. He sleeps on a rug in an alley after being fed.
During the day, Shapiro strolls on a street, causing a car to crash after it has to evade him. He's taken by animal control, but manages to climb out of his cage and return to the city. On the suburbs, he stumbles into a group of cats eating catnip. He takes a bite and gets high. He then falls asleep exhausted on a rooftop. Once he wakes up, Shapiro tries to catch a mouse on a shingle, but slips and falls on top of a taxi. After the driver opens the door to check what happened, Shapiro gets into the vehicle a girl in the backseat lets him sleep in her lap. Whenthey get off the taxi, Shapiro leaves with a sweater the girl had on a teddy bear. He's chased away by a dog and makes it to the Baintronics building, where he meets Arno at the elevator. Stark compliments Shapiro's sweater.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- In the credits page, "Roads Taken!" is noted to be based on an idea by Christos Gage.
- Despite the official Iron Man 2020 checklist placing this issue before 2020 Machine Man #2, the events in this issue's first story come after the events in that comic.