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Veteran Colonel John Kelly's digitized, self-aware consciousness, stored in the brain of a cyborg including parts of his own corpse, escaped to the body of a Cyberwarrior, a different, lobotomized cyborg, of which he took control to become a mercenary superhero defending American interests, operating under his nickname in the military: Siege. Eager to serve his country, Kelly had felt huge disappointment as he perceived the Americans were "not allowed" to win a given war; then became a brutal policeman, straining his marriage to the point that his wife left with their daughter. Kelly volunteered to become the cyborg warrior Deathlok in Cybertek's innovative process to turn him into a weapon to be leased to other interests; Cybertek hid from Kelly the fact that they would control the body and use it in illegal operations. During the test run in Paterson, however, the onboard computer electrocuted Kelly's brain, killing him when he tried to react against the orders - thou by then his memories had been stored as a back-up.

Cybertek continued the project with unvoluntary brain donor Michael Collins, a pacifist, who eventually controlled the cyborg and helped arresting several Cybertek criminal employees. Kelly's memories evolved to a self-conscious artificial intelligence stored in the same cyborg Collins was using, and, when Collins accessed those files, Kelly become a voice only Collins could hear and tried to control the cyborg body. As Deathlok, Collins confronted the latest creation of his Cybertek enemies, the Cyberwarriors - cyborgs created with lobotomized brains. During the battles, Kelly transferred his mind to a Cyberwarrior, controlling that body - thou he was unable to feel anything in that new body, much to his frustration. Calling himself Siege after his military nickname, Kelly helped Collins, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Silver Sable's Wild Pack against the Cyberwarrior threat, but he refused to surrender his body to the authorities. Instead, he became a superhero of sorts, ocassionally working as a freelance agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Wild Pack, and collaborating with Daredevil against a splinter faction of The Hand ninja clan. After fighting Timestream, a villain from an alternate reality with an interest in Deathlok, Siege and Collins were both recruited by Godwulf, an agent of the Time Variance Authority, to go after Timestream again and save several realities.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Siege was recruited by the 50-State Initiative and became leader of Command, the four-person government-sponsored superhero team for Florida. Investigating the swamp in Citrusville, Command was attacked by zombies coming from Earth-2149. Siege was infected and became a zombie, but his onboard computer detected that Siege had been compromised, and destroyed his infected, biological components, lest he would attack his teammates.

History

Origin and Deathlok[]

John Kelly (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 2 14 001

John Kelly in the war.

John Kelly was an America soldier.[2] As a kid, John Kelly played with toy soldiers, foreshadowing his interest in the military as an adult.[3] Kelly graduated from high school, eventually marrying a woman named Karen and fathering with her a daughter, Sara.[1][2]

Kelly then received military training and served both in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of Colonel,[2] and the Marine Corps.[1] Kelly served in a war[note 1] commanding a special forces unit that disregarded orders or rules of engagement;[5] he found his enemies did too, including suicide underground combat engineers who blew themselves when captured in an attempt to kill their detainer too.[18] A USAF officer friend of Kelly,[2] Danny, who had flown in bombing missions with Kelly, nicknamed Kelly "Siege",[4] a nickname he retained during the conflict; Kelly came to prefer his nickname and to consider his own surname unmasculine.[14] Kelly was lauded as a war hero[24] and one of the more competent soldiers in his country.[11] However, the United States failed to win the war, even if Kelly believed that they could have: The highest command refused to allow them to, thou.[5][7] Kelly felt personally betrayed by his President, especially as he returned home to see the general public accusing the veterans of being murderers and cowards.[5]

John Kelly (Earth-616), Karen Kelly (Earth-616), Sara Kelly (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 2 13 001

John Kelly, as a police officer, during his divorce.

Kelly had a chance to join the New York City Police Department, to work in South Bronx.[5] After police academy,[2] he became such a policeman,[5][1][2] but his sometimes-lethal approach, which he felt required in his environment, was considered abusive and too punitive; Kelly claimed that he only went after dangerous drug dealers, even if these felt their rights threatened. The department of Internal Affairs repeatedly tried to expel Kelly from the Department;[5] Kelly felt that, once again, the high command was stopping him from winning a war.[5][7] Karen also perceived her husband as a dangerous man and, not wanting to rise a girl with him around, left[5] and divorced him,[1] for which he refused to blame her too much. However, the situation was very frustrating to then-unemployed Kelly.[5]
John Kelly (Earth-616), Harlan Ryker (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 2 17 001

John Kelly (left) is recruited by Harlan Ryker (right) to become Deathlok.

Kelly was then recruited by Dr. Harlan Ryker, head of the Roxxon Oil subsidiary Cybertek Systems, who had built a prototype of a new, vastly improved militarty cyborgs "designed only for victory" as a part of the so-called Cyborg Super-Soldier program.[5] Harlan had reverse-engineered the cyborg body of the original Deathlok, Luther Manning from an alternate future,[25][26] purportedly to be used by the U.S. military,[27][28] but Ryker also obtained funds from foreing investors who leased his still-in-development product.[29] Seeing Ryker's Deathlok as the most versatile weapon or supersoldier,[6] Kelly volunteer to be the first[30] to have his brain transplanted into it,[2][11][5][31] understanding that his wetware would control the superpowerful body - however, Ryker intended to build several units and override Kelly's actions if needed using Deathlok's onboard computer, which would allow Ryker to sell or lease the cyborg to paying interests that Kelly would not have approved.[24] Ryker joined Cybertek,[1] based in Paterson, New Jersey,[32] where he was perceived as a man with little to lose due to his unsatisfactory careers and failed marriage.[11] Cybertek's weapon designer Ben Jacobs was familiar with Kelly, knowing him personally during the operation.[16]
John Kelly (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 1 1 001

John Kelly as Deathlok.

After Ryker finished creating the lupine cyborg Warwolf, he oversaw[25][26] the rebuilt of Kelly into the Deathlok cyborg.[25][26][1] Preliminary tests were successful both to Cybertek and to adrenaline-enjoyer Kelly.[5] Satisfied with the project's progress, Ryker arranged for a test run in Cybertek Weapons Development Testing Facility 4, where Deathlok (Kelly), armed only with paint pellets, was expected to defeate twelve[6] hired mercenaries.[2][6] Ryker aimed to impress several parties interested in renting Deathlok[5] and Ryker's own boss, Roxxon's Vice President Clayton Burr,[6][5] who wanted to send Deathlok against the guerrillas in Estrella[13] that threatened Roxxon's other projects there.[33] Kelly's performance was excellent.[25][26] Mid-exercise, Kelly tried to demonstrate his own moves as a show, but the onboard computer perceived this as a "programming fault" in the biological brain, understanding that Kelly was "malfunctioning"[5] by resisting its commands[2] and trying to sabotage the mission.[27][28] The computer then killed Kelly's brain[6][5] by electrocution,[1][2][27][28][5][34][35] lobotomizing the brain[27][28] to protect the cyborg from being controlled by an unauthorized agent.[5][25][26] Cybertek technicians Stanley Cross and Dr. Hu noticed the unexpected development, and offered to cancel the whole test, but Ryker countercommanded them. Controlled by the computer, the cyborg changed to use a lethal weapon, even against Ryker's orders, and even entered the bunker where Ryker and his guests were, but then stopped as his mission had been completed successfully.[6]

While the test run had indeed been satisfactorily successful,[6] Cybertek needed to replace Kelly's dead, useless brain[6][13] and to correct the situation that allowed the computer to kill the brain. Cybertek removed the electrocution capability from the computer[13][5][25][26] but still had a backup[11] copy of Kelly's mind[11][27][28] (his brain patterns),[30][1] stored in the artificial parts of the cyborg.[11] Cybertek had no use for Kelly's physical brain, and one of its scientists, William Hansen, kept it with permission[13][11] to perform his own experiments on it using nanotech fluid.[2][11] Hansen programmed nanotech machines (assemblers and replicators) to repair the brain, but, seeing no results, abandoned the experiment[11] and disposed of the brain.[2][11] In the garbage dump, however, the brain mutated, trying to restore memories from either the available brain or anything in the area,[11] later evolving to the hideous monster called Biohazard.[5][25][26][1] Cybertek replaced Kelly's brain with rebellious employee[34][35][13] Michael Collins's,[13][27][28] against the latter's will.[2][13][27][28][25][26] A complete copy of Kelly's brain patterns was uploaded into Collins' brain[2][1] The transplant was successful,[13][34][35] thou Cybertek's Stanley Cross was supposed to lobotomize Collins and failed to do it properly,[17] leading to Collins, a pacifist,[27][28][25][26] to overrid Cybertek's control[33][27][28][25][26][34][35][25][26] (and the onboard computer was no longer able to electrocute him)[5] and eventually shut down Cybertek,[36][37][34][35][25][26] help arresting its leaders,[36][37][25][26] and becoming a heroic vigilante.[27][28][25][26] The nanotech in the cyborg body obtained instructions on how to replicate the living cells from the DNA in the brain, which was now Collins'; in due time, this led to Deathlok's face to change from a discomposing version of Kelly's, to different features resembling Collins'.[11] However, when Deathlok (now Collins) met High-Tech, an industrial spy who had stolen Cybertek data and worked with only partial information, High-Tech believed that Deathlok was Kelly, sent by Cybertek to kill High-Tech.[38]

Meanwhile, Biohazard became autonomous and mobile,[39] but his topsy-turvy evolution failed to give him all of Kelly's memories, which he felt required to be complete.[2][11] In the process, he murdered several agents of international law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to get information, deciding that he needed to absorb Deathlok (Collins)'s brain,[39] also creating a clone of Hansen as a part of a convoluted plan to approach and assimilate Deathlok[11] at the latter's family home.[11][25][26] Deathlok and S.H.I.E.L.D. captured the creature[12][2] using an inhibitor drug to counter its abilities - but not before Biohazard also attacked Kelly's ex-wife and daughter, believing that, by assimilating them and Deathlok, Biohazard would be complete again.[12] Collins realized that he could not stay with his family, lest he'd be putting them in danger because his superpowered enemies could trace him to the family home, and moved to Coney Island[12][2] with his previous roommate Jesus Badalemente.[12]

John Kelly (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 2 17 002

John Kelly as a disembodied artificial intelligence.

Kelly's digitized brain patterns[30] eventually became unstable[5] and turned into a self-aware artificial intelligence.[5][2] It remained mostly dormant for months,[5] though it managed to control temporarily the cyborg[2] when the demon Nightmare trapped Collins' consciousness in his reality.[2] During this time, Deathlok initiated a short-lived, very aggressive campaign to make criminals pay for their crimes,[40] until Collins' mind was released thanks to the Ghost Rider and Jesus Badalemente.[41]

The Cyberwarriors and Siege[]

Eventually Collins discovered, within the Deathlok computer's databanks, a file named "Kelly memories". Opening it, he found a copy of Kelly's consciousness preserved as pure data,[1][2][5] inhabiting the file in a dormant state. This rogue data packet infected Michael Collins's own brain, operating as a second consciousness in the same body, much to both of their annoyances. Kelly's voice accompanied Deathlok, offering suggestions[2][5] that often were against Collins' principles, and trying to convince Collins to leave Kelly in control of the cyborg body. Both Collins and Kelly also discovered that the computer electrocuting Kelly to death had not been a glitch, but a deliberate decision by the computer to prevent Kelly from acting; the computer would have also killed Collins, but Cybertek had removed that functionality from the computer before transplanting Collins' brain.[5]

Collins was summoned by Roxxon's Clayton Burr, Harlan Ryker's former superior, with an offer to find Collins' original human body and a cybersurgeon who could restore him there - in exchange for Roxxon keeping Deathlok's body, that Burr claimed was legally Roxxon's anyway, and for Collins to help Roxxon in an operation. Kelly's voice insisted that Burr was tricking Collins, and suggested that Collins questioned Burr with tortured, which Collins refused to.[5] The operation was due to several ex-Cybertech scientists escaping to Paris, France, and creating an army of Cyberwarriors,[5][25][26] designed by Ryker,[27][28] to sell to the highest bidder.[5] Ryker's staff included, among others, Ben Jacobs, in charge of the Cyberwarrior's strategic programming to make them autonomous weapons, and also the two cybersurgeons who had transplanted Kelly's and Collins' brains to the Deathlok cyborg, and who could transplant Collins' brain back to his body - Kelly's body was lost at this point, but Ryker had kept Collins' body.[42] Burr claimed that these rogue cybernetecists were using Roxxon proprietary technology, to justify Roxxon's interest in recovering the robots. Collins accepted,[5] not without suspicion.[5][25][26] As predicted by Kelly, however, Burr was playing the field: He had made a secret deal with Ryker, warning him of Deathlok's incoming raid, so that Ryker could be ready, capture Deathlok and make use of the technology[14] - and, Burr also hired another cyborg mercenary, Coldblood-7, sending him to kill both Ryker and Deathlok, so as to get rid of Ryker and get all the profits.[5][16][25][26] Kelly also witnessed S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury vainly trying to convince Collins to not go to Paris[5] - Fury did know about the Cyberwarriors and hoped to obtain operational models so as to use their technology for S.H.I.E.L.D.[42]

Collins indeed travelled to Paris, where Silver Sable and her Wild Pack joined his mission[25][26][17] to pay Collins for having helped them in a previous operation;[25][26] Ryker did not expect Deathlok to have such reinforcements in his raid.[14] Collins and Sable's Wild Pack attacked a base of Ryker's clients U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M., where they found the location of Ryker's secret lair[17] under the Seine River.[14]

John Kelly (Earth-616) from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition Vol 1 36 001

Siege.

Collins and the Pack then raided Ryker's base, confronting Ben Jacobs in his combat armor and superhuman private contractor Mainframe, who summoned a platoon of Cyberwarriors controlled by Mainframe himself. Jacobs held a personal grudge against Collins and fought him personally, with Kelly recommending Collins to kill his enemy. Refusing to kill even in a fight, Collins however broke a leg of Jacobs' armor, before discovering that the Cyberwarriors were cyborgs with human beings inside[17] - soon they would discover that the Cyberwarriors used only lobotomized organic beings,[14] some of them obtained illegally and immorally.[16] During the battle, Kelly repeatedly asked Collins for the control of the Deathlok cyborg body, to which Collins refused.[14] Finding himself against the ropes fighting the most advanced Cyberwarrior,[25][26] Collins connected to the enemy through the cyberspace in an attempt to override Mainframe's control over it - and then Kelly took his chance[14][25][26] to download his own mind into that Cyberwarrior. As the Cyberwarrior lacked a mind of its own, Kelly easily took control of the body[14][2][25][26][27][28] and joined Collins and the Wild Pack against the other Cyberwarriors.[14][1][25][26] Immediately Kelly adopted the nom de guerre Siege,[2][14][1] after his nickname in the military.[14][1] Jacobs noticed the Cyberwarrior speaking and recognized Kelly's speech and behavior.[16] Mainframe however believed Siege to be some faulty Cyberwarrior; he then contacted Ryker to report how their enemies where destroying their stock of Cyberwarriors, and Ryker agreed with Mainframe that they should evacuate and save as many Cyberwarriors as possible to seel them later. Meanwhile, Kelly opened fire on Jacobs; Collins reprimanded him, and Kelly claimed he was not using lethal force. Still, Mainframe trapped Jacobs in a force field so he would retire (as Jacobs wanted to keep on fighting Collins). So as to prevent their enemies from following and from using the assets in the base, Jacobs and Mainframe blasted through the River Seine, flooding the base.[14]

Kelly escaped flying and continued the fight against his fellow, flying Cyberwarriors over Notre Dame de Paris, while putting innocent bystanders in danger[14] and noticing for the first time that his dead body and software-based status prevented him from feeling the adrenalyn rush of the fight.[14][2] After several people died, Collins and Kelly argued about their opposing approach, Kelly insisting that Collins' less aggressive alternative would cause many more innocents to die. They however failed to prevent the Cyberwarriors and their enemies to escape to a secondary base,[14] where Jacobs reported that Kelly controlled a Cyberwarrior body - and warned his partners that Kelly had no problem shooting to kill; ironically, Ryker and Mainframe were more interested in how this proved that they had found a way to codify a human essence as software that could be installed in a new body, and its commercial use.[16]

However, Silver Sable's team, combing the previous base, discovered where the enemy's new base was, just outside Paris.[14] Sable also discovered that her personal enemies, a Hydra splinter faction called Genesis Coalition, had bought and received several Cyberwarriors, and decided to go after them[14][43] after reporting to Collins. Sable offered to hire Kelly as a special operative, but Kelly refused for the moment, as he felt he was personally involved in a war against Ryker's forces.[14] Collins and Kelly returned to the flooded base, wanting to blow it up with explosives, while Collins himself suggested that Kelly surrendered the Cyberwarrior body (as Collins believed that Kelly was a defective software, unsuitable to control a war machine), even aiming his gun at Kelly's head. Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. reached the lab, wanting to seize it from Collins and Kelly.[14] Fury also tried to seize Siege for analysis, which Kelly found a fate even worse than dying at Collins' gun. Collins moved, and Fury ordered his agents Pierce and Sloat to stop him, which they did with a Sonic Neural Disruptor that paralized the Siege cyborg. However, Kelly's consciousness continued active and soon recovered, flying to escape. Collins was worried that Kelly would kill the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but Kelly insisted he was not some psychotic supervillain and instead ensure that the agents would not be harmed while giving himself and Deathlok a way out so that they could continue chasing Ryker. However, in the escape of the base, Kelly was entombed when the roof fell on him,[16] and Fury believed destroyed.[42]

Kelly recovered, emerged from the rubble and attacked Ryker's base, threatening his multiple enemies and seeing that they had the human body of Michael Collins there. Jacobs climbed onto his armor and tried to flank Kelly to attack him, but Kelly fired, damaging his armor. Then, the raid was joined by Collins and his new ally, Coldblood-7,[16] whom Collins had convinced of his innocence.[16][25][26][44] Coldblood-7 demanded to get Ryker for the bounty on him, but Kelly wanted to kill Ryker himself, and also wanted Collins to recover his human body. Trying to recover control over an increasingly tense situation, Ryker murdered one of his allies, cybersurgeon Dr. Hu, then put a gun on the head of the other cybersurgeon, Dr. Kimble. Ryker explained that Kimble and Hu were the only two people with expertise to return Collins' brain to his original body and, should Kelly kill Ryker, Ryker would still have a chance to kill Kimble, also killing any chance of returning Collins to his original body. Ryker had also activated a nuclear warhead in Deathlok's body, that put thousands of French people in danger.[16] Collins then stepped between Kelly and Ryker, as Kelly was unwilling to put his gauntlet-based weapon down; Kelly firmly believed that Ryker would not deactivate the nuke or release Kimble even if they surrendered. Unhappy with his plight, Kimble struggled against Ryker to take the gun from him, releasing himself; but Collins fought Kelly to prevent Kelly from murdering Ryker. Coldblood-7 tried to apprehend Ryker, but Ryker joined Jacobs and teleported away with Jacobs[42] to Iraq[44] joining Colonel Sinje and his people, to whom he had sold Cyberwarriors.[42] Coldblood-7, Collins, and Ryker's allies left there worked together to stop the bomb, with Kelly joining them when he saw Collins' decision to save other people's lives.[42] They deactivated the nuclear,[42][44] but a secondary bomb exploded,[42] apparently destroying Collins' human body - Kelly and the other people there did not know that the body had been buried.[42][25][26]

Coldblood-7, Collins, and Kelly next decided to track Ryker and his Cyberwarriors,[42][44][25][26] locating them in the Middle East. Collins provided his flying vehicle, the Dragonfly, to reach the area. There they found the Cyberwarriors, controlled by Jacobs, attacking oil fields in northern Kuwait. Immediately, Kelly (the only flier in his team) engaged with them, with Coldblood-7 and Collins joining from the Dragonfly. Seeing the Cyberwarriors overpowered, Ryker had them attacking a nearby American military outpost to wipe out the personnel and equipment;[42] but S.H.I.E.L.D. had also tracked the Cyberwarriors there[16] and joined the fray, destroying the Cyberwarriors along with Coldblood-7, Collins, and Kelly; they also apprehended Ryker,[2][42][44] whom S.H.I.E.L.D. then used to arrest Burr[42][25][26][34][35] Eventually, Burr tried to get even on Collins from jail, and failed at this; but apparently never made an attempt against Coldblood-7 or Kelly.[25][26][45] Coldblood-7 asked Collins to take him back to the United States; but Kelly left the team, as he wanted to track other Cyberwarriors that Ryker had already sold.[42] After this, Kelly could no longer consider Ryker or the other former Cybertek staffers friends or allies, instead counting them as his enemies. About Coldblood, Collins, or Sable, Kelly considered them allies, but not real friends, same as with Next Wave and the Knights of Wundagore.[1] Kelly intercepted a distress call to the superhero team Avengers that revealed the location of the last batch of Cyberwarriors[22] en route to Transia.[7] Kelly flew there,[22] finding the Genesis Coalition's thirty Cyberwarriors trying to take over Wundagore Mountain, which they wanted to use as their headquarters. The Coalition's sensors wrongly identify Kelly as another Cyberwarrior, so he caught them by surprise by unexpectedly attacking the other Cyberwarriors. One the Coalition determined that Kelly was not one of their Cyberwarriors with faulty programming, they decided to attack him - but then Kelly was joined by the defenders of the mountain, the Knights of Wundagore. The Coalition retired, abandoning the Cyberwarriors to cover their retreat, just when the Wild Pack's Stealthcraft arrived, later joined by mercenary team Next Wave, also after the Genesis Coalition. Wild Pack member Quentino used a fallen Cyberwarrior to broadcast a signal to switch every other Cyberwarrior off, except Kelly. Next Wave's Turk mistakenly believed that Kelly was an unaffected Cyberwarrior and would have attacked him, but was stopped by Wild Pack's Chen. Kelly confirmed that the last Cyberwarrior of the Paris operation had been stopped, and insisted that Sable destroy them, to which she agreed. Sable appreciated working with Kelly again, and agreed to hire him as a freelance in the future.[7]

John Kelly (Earth-616) from Deathlok Annual Vol 2 2 002

Destroying a fighter plane by ramming while trying to rescue Danny.

Kelly discovered that his former partner Danny had been assigned to a mission in a pacified country in the Middle East. After a recent war that Kelly had not fought in, the losing country had to accept periodic security sweeps of American fighter planes, but the country had staged attacks against those fighters. Seeing his compatriots in danger in foreign airspace,[4] Kelly flew to help them and shot down several enemy planes,[4][1] but not before one of the American fighters had been felled. The other American pilots were ordered to return to the base, abandoning their comrade. Kelly tried to save the pilot, whom he recognized as Danny, from being captured by the enemy's ground forces; thou Kelly kept the soldiers at bay and destroyed their armoured vehicles, he was unable to keep Danny alive - but, with his dying breath, Danny recognized Kelly.[4]

First encounter with Timestream and solo operation[]

Kelly next discovered that[18] a group of high-tech cyborg criminals have taken over Mount Kosciusko, Australia,[18][46][47] and personally opposed them, as he knew that Australia's armed forces were not equipped against the enemy's weaponry.[18] These were the agents of time-travelling villain Timestream, coming from an alternate reality,[18][46][47][2] who had chosen the mountain as a transmission station for his technology at a poitn when most heroes were busy with the Infinity Crusade.[20] Still, they did not expect to be attacked by anyone but the Australian armed forces, Kelly being a surprise to them. Kelly's attack against the mount was however misinterpreted: U.S.-based private investigator Misty Knight, a personal friend of Michael Collins', believed that Kelly was simply wrecking havoc in Australia with the possibility of starting a civil war, and suggested that Collins went there to defuse the situation before it attracted S.H.I.E.L.D.; Collins agreed to fly there in his Dragonfly, even if he was having family problems at the time and his sudden absence would only exacerbate those. Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Air Force approached Mount Kosciusko, and Kelly tried to keep them away for their own safety; but Collins appeared right at that moment and mistakenly believed that Kelly was attacking the Australian soldiers, so he engaged with him. During the struggle, Kelly explained Collins the situation and, after one enemy cyborg blew himself to avoid capture, Collins allied with Kelly against the enemy, both raiding the futuristic base.[18]

Inside the base, they confronted Timestream, whom Kelly recognized due to archived files in his computer. Timestream easily captured Kelly in a force field,[18] then generated a huge tsunami to wreck the whole Australian continent as a step to conquer the world at that point.[46][47][18] Both Collins and Kelly were briefly approached by the Goddess, but they then continued fighting against Timestream's forces,[20] the mercenary[1] Bangers.[20][1] Timestream was already familiar with Collins,[20] but not with Kelly, to whom he offered a position. Collins got the advantage on Timestream but, as he did not kill him immediately, Timestream summoned reinforcements from different time zones; Kelly offered to take care of the physical enemies while Collins entered the cyberspace to find a solution. Collins discovered that they could destroy the transmitter to stop the tidal wave; he told Kelly and they succeeded at this,[24] saving Australia,[24][46][47] but Timestream escaped that dimension while they did.[24][2]

At that point, both Collins and Kelly were swept by an expansive wave of epiphany by the Goddess,[20][1] each of the cyborgs having to face the decisions they had made in their lives. Kelly was forced to understand that, if he had not been killed by the onboard computer, he would have ended as Cybertek's puppet, his cyborg body operating as a mercenary without principles, his mind unable to control any of his actions but living every of them. Kelly saw an alternative world where he had became a traitor. He asked the voice whether he was really alive, but the answer ("living is a state of mind") was elusive. Once released from that moment, he and Collins told each other what they had just lived, without details, Kelly convinced that this was not an experience he wanted to live again.[24]

The chase for About Face and for John Garrett[]

Kelly was then approached by Nick Fury,[8] who hired him as a freelance operative for S.H.I.E.L.D.[8][15][1] as Kelly had also worked for Silver Sable, Inc. at that point.[1] While Fury was not eager to use external agents,[15] he was nonetheless impressed at Kelly's thirst for serving his country.[29] Fury wanted Kelly to find John Garrett, a cyborg former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent[2][8][15][3] who had been kidnapped from the warehouse he was stored in,[48] in S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation 14, Utah,[8] by Snakeroot, an offshoot of the ninja criminal organization the Hand.[49][50][51] Kelly was hired in New York City,[2] then went to Utah, where he used his technology to perform a phorensic analysis on the warehouse. Kelly's sensors saw that one single individual[8] (Tekagi of Snakeroot)[49] had singlehandedly defeated the security and stole Garrett's body, which Kelly saw was incomplete. Kelly doubted Fury's intentions, initially believing that Garrett had been injured in the line of duty, only to be conveniently forgotten by the bureaucrats. Fury explained that Garrett was an unfit agent, borderline sociopathic, but he had worked along with ninja Elektra to stop the Hand from taking over the White House during the election.[8] However, in the last week, the Hand had stolen both Garrett's body and some classified documents[8][15] on the project About Face[15] from the Pentagon,[8][15] which Fury refused to believe was a coincidence. Kelly, seeing this case as an opportunity to wage a war, accepted to work for Fury,[8] thou Fury did not tell him what About Face was.[15]

Using monitoring systems in the cyborg that he himself didn't really understand, Kelly tracked the virus to[15] runaway telepath Eddie Passim, who had been involved in the About Face project and who, at that point, was being escorted by superhero Daredevil, and secretly listened Passim talk about the About Face virus,[2][15] a biological weapon that mutated the bodies of those consuming it.[15] Kelly was tempted to use it on himself, to transform his own cyborg body and recover the capacity to feel,[15][52][2] especially the emotions he had felt in battle. Correctly assuming that the ninja who had kidnapped Garrett would go after Passim, Kelly tailed Passim until he was attacked by three Snakeroot ninjas (Budo, Enteki and Tekagi, with many minor soldiers), then revealed himself, demanding to be taken to Garrett. Tekagi faced Kelly, wanting to cut him to pieces; Kelly's body proved to be too powerful for their weapons and able to kill the ninjas easily, but still Tekagi expected to overcome him with Snakeroot's superior numbers. Daredevil joined Kelly to try and protect Passim, but Enteki sacrificed his life to let Budo escape with Passim. Kelly blamed Daredevil for having spoiled his plan to follow the Snakeroot, while Daredevil was simply aghast at having found circumstantial proof suggesting that his former lover Elektra was alive.[15] Still, Kelly agreed to cooperate with Daredevil in the hunt of About Face.[3][1][2]

John Kelly (Earth-616), Matthew Murdock (Earth-616), Bisento (Earth-616) from Daredevio Vol 1 323 001

Bisento surrenders to Siege and Daredevil.

Daredevil and Kelly next intercepted the Snakeroot ninjas, who had slaughter members of the Fire Brigade to take over their truck and cause fires in Brooklyn. One of the ninjas, Bisento, offered to surrender, as he knew Daredevil was honorable and would treat him with respect - thou Kelly, wary, strangled Bisento until he was convinced. Bisento explained[3] that Elektra had been purified, but Garrett's mind contained a copy of Elektra's darker soul from before that moment. Snakeroot had stolen Garrett to take such evil psyche and insert it in a reanimated body, which they called Erynys, then use About Face to stabilize their new warrior.[3][50][51] Then, however, Bisento was captured by Venom,[3] the superhuman self-proclaimed "lethal protector",[53] who had discovered about About Face and wanted to use it to get rid of his own weaknesses against fire and sound.[3][53] Even thou Daredevil and Kelly confronted Venom,[3][1] the latter managed to escape by opening an access to Brookly Union Gas natural gas pipes and cause an imminent explosion. Kelly failed to notice it until Daredevil warned him, then accepted to retreat temporarily, having obtained a newfound respect for Daredevil during that fight. Kelly offered to use his systems to program a search pattern, but Daredevil decided to follow his own approach that may be quicker, as he felt too many powerful people wanted to use About Face selfishly, including Snakeroot, Venom, Daredevil's supernatural doppelganger Hellspawn and, Daredevil feared, Kelly himself.[3]

Daredevil and Kelly found Venom questioning Bisento at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Kelly lifted and throwed a replica of one of Christopher Columbus's caravels at Venom, then engaged with him, with Darevil and even Bisento joining the fight, Bisento having refused to give Venom any information because Venom wanted About Face for his own ends. They defeated Venom and Kelly put his guns on Venom's head, but Daredevil insisted on negotiating with Venom. Daredevil appealed at Venom's pride, insisting that Venom could only be heroic by overcoming his weaknesses by himself, and that by using About Face he would prove that he was not a better hero than his rival.[3] Angrily convinced, Venom abandoned the quest[3][53] and the city,[3] thou Kelly still considered Venom a threat and an enemy.[1] At the same time, Kelly recognized that About Face was too much a temptation for himself, and decided to abandon the search for the weapon itself and Daredevil's company,[21] thou he continued looking for Garrett on his own.[54]

Snakeroot had managed to activate Erynys, and Garrett became her trusted companion as he had been infatuated with similarly-looking Elektra, so both Garrett and Erynys were serving Snakeroot in their search for About Face. Daredevil and his newly-found partner Elektra used Passim to find the last existing vial of About Face in the New York City subway tracks, but Snakeroot, including Garrett and Erynys, followed them there - as did Hellspawn.[54] Daredevil destroyed the last sample of About Face using it to transform Hellspawn,[54][2] who was immediately after killed by Erynys. Kelly joined the fight at that point, going after the ninjas. During the firefight, Garrett lost his nerve and joined Kelly shooting against the ninjas until Snakeroot retreated. Then, Kelly sucker-punched Garrett unconscious so he could take him to Fury - but, before leaving, Kelly made Daredevil notice that Hellspawn had transformed into a human-looking corpse, the spitting image of Daredevil's secret identity as Matthew Murdock (thou Kelly did not know abut Murdock). Kelly delivered Garrett to Fury, who imprisoned Garret in a S.H.I.E.L.D. detention cell temporarily.[54] After this encounter, Kelly came to consider both Daredevil and Nick Fury his allies.[1]

Second encounter with Timestream[]

Kelly spent some time with Collins, working along with him to stop superhuman criminal the Scorpion from hijacking a shipment of Italian sports car[2][9] in Brooklyn; while New York's finest arrested him, the Scorpion swore revenge on Collins and Kelly,[9] but neither cared.[1]

Collins spent some time with Kelly going from Brooklyn to Coney Island, telling his peer about his recent adventure and reminiscing his early family life - although Kelly had access to Collins' memories and knew about relevant events in Collins' life taking place in Coney Island. While relaxing there,[9] they were approached and recruited by Godwulf,[9][27][28][2][55][56] an agent of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) who was tracking Timestream, an enemy the three of them had shared and who had recently escaped capture by the TVA due to Godwulf's ineptitude.[19][46][47] Godwulf explained that, after being defeateed in Australia, Timestream wanted to destroy Collins and Kelly's native reality, among other realities[9] also including Earth-7484.[27][28] What Godwulf failed to mention is that the TVA believed the mission was a suicide and they didn't expect Godwulf or his allies to survive,[19] or that TVA's Justice Peace had orders to bring Godwulf in should he failed and survived.[19][55][56][57]

Both Godwulf and Timestream came from Earth-7484, where Roxxon succeeded in killing most superheroes, but the cyborg Deathlok (Luther Manning), due to several time-travelling adventures, interacted with superheroes from the past and caused the reality to diverge from Earth-616 before accidentally ending up on Earth-616 himself[9] and being used by Harlan Ryker to create the technology used in Collins and Kelly's Deathlok.[19] Timestream's plan included altering these previous alterations by intercepting Manning (Deathlok) from Earth-7484 and his ally, Captain America from Earth-616, while they were on Earth-7484's Brand Corporation headquarters; Godwulf wanted Collins and Kelly to stop Timestream and his agents,[29] the Bangers,[46][47][2] (which included, surprisingly, Manning from Earth-7484 at a later point,[2] by then a sour, self-destructive cyborg called Deathlok the Demolisher,[9] and also Luther Manning from Earth-616, who had never become a cyborg).[18][27][28] Timestream hoped to kill Captain America and the younger Manning from Earth-7484, which the older Manning considered acceptable,[9] and was confusing for already-divergent Manning from Earth-616.[9] Godwulf and his allies succeeded in saving Captain America and the younger Manning, putting the Bangers to flight westward, then followed them in that direction lest they would attack Captain America and the younger Manning later at Fordham Road Subway Station to ensure that the younger Manning would time-travel as he would have without Timestream's meddling. Godwulf ordered Kelly to try and delay the Bangers as much as possible, while Godwulf and Collins secured the station.[29]

Godwulf's team succeeded again at Fordham Road, with Captain America and the younger Manning escaping Timestream by timetravelling; but Timestream's agent the Demolisher defeated Kelly,[29] leaving him in a coma,[2] and Timestream threaten to kill Kelly lest Godwulf cooperate with him. Godwulf cared nothing about Kelly's survival and instead attacked Timestream. The Demolisher used Kelly as a weapon against the team, then Godwulf tried to banish Timestream[29] to the Timestream (an apparent branch of the Timestream realm),[46][47][19] where he and his allies also fell - only in a different area. Kelly's cyborg body was unresponsive, so Collins devoted his effort to try and repair him - but meanwhile, Godwulf was harassed by Justice Peace and his Timetroops. Collins found Kelly's essence self-isolated in the cyberspace and in shock: Kelly revealed that he had never been defeated in a fight before the Demolisher did, and for the first time he was really scared of losing another war, too much to return to duty even if his cyborg body was operational. In the Null-Time Zone, Justice Peace intended to end the mission, arrest Godwulf and, when Collins resisted to have a chance to save his universe, Peace and his Troops attacked Collins and Kelly aiming to dismantle them. Kelly then woke up and fought, as that was not an acceptable way for him to die.[19] Finally, Godwulf reached an agreement with Peace: Peace gave them only 24 hours, without pressure, to end the mission because, if they did not succeed in that time, neither would have anything to live for. Peace, who sympathized with Earth-616, even gave them a Timesled and the coordinates where Timestream was, Junction 4831143.[19][57][46][47]

Collins, Godwulf, and Kelly tracked Timestream and Bangers, and fought them. Kelly sought a rematch against the Demolisher, but abandoned it to ensure Godwulf survived. The Bangers escaped, their retreat covered by Manning from Earth-616,[19] who had been turned by Timestream into a new Deathlok cyborg. Collins appealed to Manning's humanity but, too conflicted and controlled, Manning committed suicide. Peace then came to reveal relevant information about Timestream, as a way to pay an old debt to Godwulf: Timestream cyborgizing Manning from Earth-616 to affect several realities, was one of the excuses the TVA wanted to use to delete several realities, including Earth-616.[58] Having failed at that, Timestream was trying to affect the day Operation: Purge was taking place on pre-divergence Earth-7484 by killing a younger version of himself (Henry Akai) before becoming Timestream,[19] which he expected would generate a new timeline that Timestream could conquer.[46][47] This would give the TVA another reason to purge the affected realities - but, if Godwulf and his allies also stopped Operation: Purge, the TVA would have a different reason. Godwulf had to stop Timestream from killing a younger version of himself, then had to allow Akai to cause Operation: Purge. Peace also promised to return the corpse of Earth-616 Manning to his native reality for a proper burial, if they could save Earth-616.[58]

Travelling to the past, Collins, Godwulf, and Kelly reached the Nth Generator and met Akai, who was acquainted with Godwulf. Timestream and his cyborgs arrived later, and Godwulf and Kelly protected Akai.[58] Finally, the Demolisher discovered Timestream's real intentions and turned against him, then Collins destroyed Timestream[58][27][28] by blasting him with the Nth projector, turning the villain into temporal particles that were absorbed into time itself.[58][46][47] Then Godwulf erased the younger Akai's memories of this event, so that further events would proceed unchanged.[58][2] This undeed the damage Timestream had caused in a way that the TVA found satisfactory, and Justice Peace took Godwulf and their allies to their respective realities,[58][55][56][57] even if the Demolisher had some last-minute brushes with Godwulf.[58] Kelly did not make peace with the Demolisher before leaving, thou he considered Godwulf an ally; his opinion was not so clear about Peace or the TVA.[1]

Back on Earth-616, Collins and Kelly staged a short memorial for Earth-616's Manning at the Arlington National Cemetery, with Justice Peace attending.[58]

Later, Kelly was again hired by Nick Fury to watch over John Garrett, who had been reactivated as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent[2][50][51] in New York City. As soon as Garrett stepped on the street (West 37th), Kelly jumped on him, overpowering Garrett physically, revealing that he would keep a close eye on Garrett and, after humiliating Garrett, Kelly flew away.[59]

Initiative, Command and zombie attack[]

John Kelly (Earth-616), Jennifer Kale (Earth-616) from Marvel Zombies 3 Vol 1 1 001

As the leader of Command.

After the Civil War ended and the Superhuman Registration Act was passed, Kelly was listed as a potential recruit for the Initiative,[2][60] and was eventually contacted[2][10] and assigned to lead the Florida state team the Command,[2][10][61] along with Wundarr the Aquarian, the the Conquistador, and Jennifer Kale. Kelly was not really happy with the team, but enjoyed Kale's photos in a revealing bikini-like armor in her file, then was again unhappy when, once on duty, discovered that Kale had changed her uniform.[10] As the Nexus of All Realities in Citrusville was withing Command's jurisdiction, Command worked closely with A.R.M.O.R. (Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operational response). Special quarantine protocols were uploaded to Siege's body,[2] and he was provided with a two-handed gun. Kelly referred to his teammates using nicknames.[10]
John Kelly (Earth-616) from Marvel Zombies 3 Vol 1 1 003

As a zombie.

Zombies from Earth-2149 crossed over to Earth-616 and caused disturbance in the Citrusville swamp,[2] and allies of these zombies infiltrated in A.R.M.O.R. manipulated the Initiative to send Command to investigate the disturbance and deal with the infected victims, so that the zombies would infect them and start having Earth-616 superhumans zombified.[62] Kelly went with his team, his reports suggesting that there were multiple normal-looking hostiles and one customed hostile who was possibly mind-controlling the others. Kelly intended to contain the enemy before they could reach Orlando, but he also wanted every of his men to confirm the nature of the enemy before engaging. Seeing a woman crouched over a corpse, Kelly approached her carefully in case she was human - but she revealed to be a flesh-eating zombie who bit Kelly on the face. Despite his cybernetic nature, Kelly was quickly turned into a zombie, then was submerged on the swamp, where his lower body was somehow lost (possibly eaten by a predator). Meanwhile, other zombies infected the Aquarian and the Conquistador, killing the latter; the Aquarian tried to purge the infection. Kale tried to contact the Initiative to ask for reinforcements - but was then attacked by zombified Kelly. Kelly's inhuman appearance and behavior, as he talked about stripping Kale layer by layer including clothes and skin, scared Kale enough to leave her relatively helpless even if legless Kelly had restricted movement. However, his on-board computer alerted A.R.M.O.R. to the fact that he was seemingly malfunctioning, and triggered his self-destruct mechanism, causing his head to explode just on Kale's belly. Kelly notice what was happening, but could not stop it.[10] Further copies of Kelly's brain patterns may still exist, stored in Deathlok's cyborg body or in Cybertek's computers.[2] However, Cybertek's computer were mostly wiped out after the closure of the company, supervised by Jim Dworman,[37] even thou it is reasonably to assume that Ryker and his allies in the Cyberwarrior project may have had eloped to France with illegal backups.[5] About Collins' Deathlok body, it was apparently lost when Collins returned from an alien planet as a human.[63]

Personality

John Kelly devoted his life to serving his country[8] as a soldier or in other similar capacities,[5] to the point of becoming one the best officers of his time.[11] Kelly had the strategic mindset of an officer,[15] having served as a Colonel in the U.S. Army,[2] later in the Marine Corps,[1] but was proven inadequate in the NYPD. Kelly was perceived as brutal,[5] have no compunction about killing[16][17] even a helpless prisoner[3] and was not beyond torturing a person.[5] Honoring his nickname, he was unwilling to stop attacks or give up a perceived advantage,[3] enjoying conflict by the sake of conflict.[8] Kelly was, however, not the bully that Michael Collins, a pacifist, initially believed Kelly to be:[16] Kelly did not use lethal force except on confirmed enemies he considered irredeemable,[16][10] and frequently controlled the amount of violence to just keep people at bay, such as soldiers who were not his enemies.[16][18] Still, he was willing to accept collateral damage, including civilian casualties, when he believed the alternative was even worse.[16]

Kelly rarely, if ever, lost a fight,[19] but he perceived that several wars he was involved in had been lost, due to the higher command taking decisions that made an American victory unfeasible.[5][7] Kelly had constant problems with bureaucratic authority, and was also unable to save his own marriage: His wife Karen divorced him, thinking that he was not the right influence for their young daughter; and Kelly let them go, never trying to contact them again.[5] His failed family life,[11] combined with his willingness to accept any neccessary sacrifice for the cause, especially sacrifices he himself was to made,[8] caused Kelly to volunteered to have his brain transplanted to a cyborg body in an irreversible process.[2] Kelly had been convinced that he would stop being human, but he would also become an invincible weapon,[5] and if something could shake Kelly's mind was the idea of being defeated himself.[19]

Once transformed into an artificial intelligence,[2] Kelly was shaken by the possibility of him not being really John Kelly, but only a deranged software that believed to be him.[20][15][3] Within Siege's cyborg body, Kelly had no tactile sensation,[1][2] which was a problem for him because he could not feel the adrenalyn rush even in combat.[14][4] He occassionally tried to find a way to overcome this problem,[2] but was unwilling to make moral sacrifices for it.[21] Considering life as Siege better than life as a software, Kelly refused to give up his body,[14] and the idea of him being disassembled for study was triggering for him.[16][19] Ocassionally, Siege resorted to humor while in a fight, which can be considered a mechanism to cope with his situation,[15][3] and once he was found speaking out loud for himself;[22] Michael Collins also tended to speak like that, as his onboard computer communicated to him in what he perceived as a spoken voice, even if the computer did not require Collins to answer him out loud.[23]

Through his life, Kelly made few friends,[1] except maybe among fellow officers.[4] His trust on both his wife Karen and Cybertek head Harlan Ryker was in time shattered. Kelly was, or believed to be, in good terms with a number of people he had worked with, including Coldblood-7, Daredevil, Nick Fury, Silver Sable, Godwulf,[1] and especially Michael Collins, his successor in Deathlok's body.[1][9] Their relationship was frequently strained when Collins repeatedly thought Kelly was a threat,[14][18] but they literally shared memories (as each of them had access to the other's recollections), leading to them cooperating and spending free time together.[9]

Attributes

Power Grid[65]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Experienced Fighter:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Multiple Types:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Bulletproof:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Speed of Sound:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (75-100 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

  • Artificial Intelligence: John Kelly's memories and personality had been digitized in machine language,[1][2] apparently a human essence transformed into an artificial intelligence that can be stored into hardware and incorporated into a new cyborg body.[16] Kelly was unable to control Deathlok's cyborg body once Michael Collins' brain was firmly set on it, unless Collins allowed him to have control[14] or was somehow disabled himself.[2]
Due to him being a software-based intelligence, Kelly was immune to mental scans,[1][2] and possibly to other telepathic attacks.
As Kelly was stored in the same cyborg as Michael Collins, each of them had complete access to the other's memories.[9]
  • Siege Cyborg Physiology:
    John Kelly (Earth-616) from Marvel Zombies 3 Vol 1 1 002

    Area scan, from Siege's point of view.

    Siege's body is one of the Cyberwarriors developed by Harlan Ryker[27][28] in collaborationwith other former Cybertek scientist including Stanley Cross, Ben Jacobs, Dr. Hu and Doctors Fox and Borruso.[1] Siege is confirmed to be the most advanced example of Cyberwarrior.[25][26] The body is likely to have all the functionalities shown by other Cyberwarriors except those overwritten by John Kelly's mind,[14] and it has been modified to have a number of improvements.[2] The identified features include:
    • Flight: Cyberwarriors have jet-propelled flight capabilities, allowing them to both dogfight in close distances[42] and to perform long-distance flights through several countries.[7] Siege also had this capacity due to jet boosters built into his legs,[3][4] which allowed him to reach supersonic speeds[1] peaking over Mach-1 but under Mach-2.[2]
    • Life Support: As the organic parts of the Cyberwarriors are barely kept alive, the Cyberwarriors did not need to breathe, meaning that they can survive underwater, and they can be transported using pneumatic tubes and other technologies;[22] Siege can fly at supersonic speeds without any protection.[22]
    • Self-Destruct:
      John Kelly (Earth-616), Jennifer Kale (Earth-616) from Marvel Zombies 3 Vol 1 1 002

      Self-destruct in use.

      After Siege joined the 50-State Initiative, his cyborg body was modified by A.R.M.O.R., uploading specific protocols so that, in case of contamination[2] by extradimensional pathogens and compromise of the agent, a self-destruct system will immediately activate and destroy the biological components, the cyborg parts completely stopping operation too.[10]
    • Self-Repair: Siege incorporated self-diagnosis and repair systems,[1][2] with limitations that allowed to consider whether the cyborg body was forfeit.[10]
    • Sensors: A Cyberwarrior had sensors that allowed it to find other Cyberwarriors in a very wide area, maybe worldwide.[42] Siege demonstrated a number of other sensors, including night vision, X-rays,[15] long-range surveillance and tracking,[1][2][15] the capacity to intercept distress calls, radar,[22] and an area scan that allowed to find vital signs (named "SiegeTM").[10]
    • Strategic Programming: Standard Cyberwarrior have lobotomized brains,[17] relying exclusively on their strategic programming[42] that gave them only minor autonomy to move and fight autonomously,[17] but required a controller giving commands.[17][42] This leads to a vulnerability that allows a computer expert to operate a functional Cyberwarrior and send a shut-down command affecting all the Cyberwarriors in the same squad and area. However, as Siege is controlled by an intelligence within its own hardware, Siege is immune to this kind of control.[7] Cyberwarriors can internally operate up to thirty-seven simultaneous programs,[14] giving them multiple functions that include long-range surveillance, tracking, self-diagnosis, repair,[1][2] night vision and X-rays,[15] phorensic analysis to simulate a previous encounter,[8] immediate accesses to data banks,[3] and likely broadcasting capabilities.[4] John Kelly had not been trained in the use of all these systems,[8][4][1] or how they operated,[15] but tried to learn via trial-and-error approaches - He did learn how to program an automatic search pattern using those systems.[3]
    • Superhuman Agility: Siege's agility and reflexes superior to a human's.[1]
    • Superhuman Speed.[1]
    • Superhuman Strength: The Cyberwarriors have superhuman strength,[7] supposedly being stronger than Deathlok (Collins).[17] Siege's strength specifically has been measured as Class 100,[1] allowing him to lift up to 100 tons.[2] He can break the asphalt with either his limbs or the cybernetic face of another person,[59] and once he lifted a replica caravel and threw it as a blunt weapon.[3]
    • Suppleness: Cyberwarriors can rotate its wrist up to at least 180 degrees, which allow them to suddenly confront an enemy on their back.[17] Siege demonstrated this capacity too.[16]
    • Wrist-mounted shooter: The Cyberwarriors have wrist-mounted weapons[22] that shot plasma and can pierce four feet of tungsten steel in less than .34 seconds. The developers claimed that the Cyberwarrior had more firepower than Deathlok.[17] The Cyberwarrior off-the-shelf weapon is enough to damage another Cyberwarrior if directed so.[14] Siege kept this plasma cannon,[3] but he also had a built-in gattling assembly on his right forearm, capable of discharging one hundred low-yield less powerful plasma burts per second,[1][2] and the capacity to shoot attacks of multiple energy types,[2] also including electricity.[15][3] Siege's plasma attacks were powerful enough to down fighter planes in a battle.[4]
  • Deathlok Cyborg Physiology: During his brief stint controlling the Deathlok cyborg body, Kelly had the same capabilities[6] that were later shown by Michael Collins, who controlled the same cyborg.[33] The only difference was that the onboard computer had the capacity to fry the transplanted brain dead if neccessary, a feature that it used with Kelly, but was removed before transplanting Collins' brain.[5] See this link for those powers.

Abilities

John Kelly had extensive combat training[1][2] both in the military and in the police,[2] that turned him into a very good hand-to-hand fighter.[1][2] He was also a good strategist,[15] and considered one of the best soldiers in his country.[11]

Weaknesses

  • Cyberwarriors, possibly including Siege, can be detected by advanced sensor technology such as the one used by SHIELD.[42]
  • SHIELD developed a specific technology called Sonic Neural Disruptor that could be used to paralyze a Cyberwarrior, short-range, using a 30 megavolt field. When used against Siege, however, he recovered soon afterward (maybe because he had his own independent consciousness).[16]
  • Siege required nourishment, but his simplified digestive system was only capable of absorbing nutrients in a liquefied form using a specific liquid nutrient formula[1][2] because his semi-decomposed biological partes and digestive systems[2] could not process normal food.[1]
  • Siege was unable to feel anything physically, as his tactile sensations do not provide any input.[1][2] Michael Collins theorized the cause of this was that Siege was not actually John Kelly, but simply a rogue data packet that believed itself to be Kelly;[14] regardless, Collins has acknowledged that Siege is alive.[19] Siege has described the way he experiences his pseudo-life as being akin to playing a video game[4] or driving a car.[14][4]
  • Although Siege was already a semi-decomposed organism in a cyborg body, he was still vulnerable to the Hunger virus that turned people into zombies and altered their personalities. This change, however, was detected by the sensors in Siege's body as a compromising anomaly.[10]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

  • Body Suit: Siege wore a woven metal-mesh body suit of high durability.[1][2]

Weapons

After joining Command, Siege wielded a two-hand gun.[10] This weapon was never seen in use, so it is unclear what it did, or why Siege was no longer using his built-in plasma cannon[3] and gattling gun.[1]

Transportation

Flight through own Siege powers.[1][3]

Notes

  1. The war Kelly served in is identified as the Vietnam War (1955-1975) in Deathlok (Vol. 2) #17, Deathlok (Vol. 2) #19, Deathlok (Vol. 2) #27, Deathlok Annual (Vol. 2) #2 and Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #12 (all 1991-1993); in the first of these, Kelly talked about President Nixon (1969-1974)'s responsibility on the war result. In publication time, it made sense that a younger Kelly may have served in such a war some twenty years before. Due to the Sliding Timescale, Kelly's service is probably refitted into the fictional Siancong War.
  • Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14, Siege's profile, reorders some events in Deathlok (Vol. 2) comics, so that Deathlok's encounter with Nightmare (in 9) takes place after his encounters with High-Tech (in Deathlok (Vol. 2) #11) and with Biohazard (in Deathlok (Vol. 2) #12-14). It is also the only source suggesting that Kelly was controlling the Deathlok cyborg at that point; the behavior that Deathlok showed in #9 was not all the behavior shown by Kelly in his other appearances nor was identified as such, and seemed more like the onboard computer reacting to Nightmare's input.
    • The same profile says that Siege saved an old US Air Force friend in Iraq. However, the story in Deathlok Annual (Vol. 2) #2 shows how Siege's old friend Danny dies in the field, Siege being unable to save him. The story also describes Danny as "an old marine buddy", not USAF.
  • In Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #11, we see Siege flying over Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa, from his previous location in Iraq (in Deathlok (Vol. 2) #21) to his destination in Eastern European country Transia (in Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #12), following the Cyberwarriors. Geographically, it makes no sense to reach the Atlas Mountains, as it would require a very big detour, even if Siege had a reason to avoid flying over Turkey.

Trivia

  • Deathlok's
    John Kelly (Earth-616), Michael Collins (Earth-616) from Deathlok Vol 2 14 001

    Deathlok's face was initially a decomposed version of Kelly's face (left), but nanomachines later modified it using Michael Collins' DNA to make it look more like Collins' face (right).

    body includes nanotechnology programmed to replace and repair the organic cells based on instructions where they receive information from the brain's DNA. After Kelly's brain was replaced with Collins', the nanotech assemblers and replicators have altered Deathlok's face and possibly body, initially similar to John Kelly's, to be more similar to Michael Collins'.[11]
  • Kelly has no criminal record.[1]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 1.49 1.50 1.51 1.52 1.53 1.54 1.55 1.56 1.57 1.58 1.59 1.60 1.61 1.62 1.63 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.67 1.68 1.69 1.70 1.71 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #36 ; Siege's profile
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 2.59 2.60 2.61 2.62 2.63 2.64 2.65 2.66 2.67 2.68 2.69 2.70 2.71 2.72 2.73 2.74 2.75 2.76 2.77 2.78 2.79 2.80 2.81 2.82 2.83 2.84 2.85 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14 ; Siege's profile
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 Daredevil #323
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Deathlok Annual (Vol. 2) #2
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 5.28 5.29 5.30 5.31 5.32 5.33 5.34 5.35 5.36 5.37 5.38 5.39 5.40 5.41 5.42 5.43 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #17
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Marvel Comics Presents #62
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #12
  8. 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 Daredevil #321
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #31
  10. 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 Marvel Zombies 3 #1
  11. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 11.19 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #14
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #15
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 Deathlok #1
  14. 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #19
  15. 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 15.18 15.19 15.20 Daredevil #322
  16. 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 16.16 16.17 16.18 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #20
  17. 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #18
  18. 18.00 18.01 18.02 18.03 18.04 18.05 18.06 18.07 18.08 18.09 18.10 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #27
  19. 19.00 19.01 19.02 19.03 19.04 19.05 19.06 19.07 19.08 19.09 19.10 19.11 19.12 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #33
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #28
  21. 21.0 21.1 Daredevil #324
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #11
  23. Deathlok (Vol. 2) #2
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #29
  25. 25.00 25.01 25.02 25.03 25.04 25.05 25.06 25.07 25.08 25.09 25.10 25.11 25.12 25.13 25.14 25.15 25.16 25.17 25.18 25.19 25.20 25.21 25.22 25.23 25.24 25.25 25.26 25.27 25.28 25.29 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Deathlok (Collins)' profile
  26. 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 26.10 26.11 26.12 26.13 26.14 26.15 26.16 26.17 26.18 26.19 26.20 26.21 26.22 26.23 26.24 26.25 26.26 26.27 26.28 26.29 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Deathlok (Collins)'s profile
  27. 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 27.12 27.13 27.14 27.15 27.16 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 #1 ; Deathlok (Luther Manning)'s profile
  28. 28.00 28.01 28.02 28.03 28.04 28.05 28.06 28.07 28.08 28.09 28.10 28.11 28.12 28.13 28.14 28.15 28.16 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Deathlok (Manning)'s profile
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #32
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 Marvel Universe Cards#Series IV (1993) ; Siege's card
  31. Marvel Encyclopedia #Fantastic Four ; Deathlok the Demolisher (Luther Manning)'s profile
  32. Deathlok #2
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 Deathlok #3
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #9 ; Roxxon's profile
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #9 ; Roxxon's profile
  36. 36.0 36.1 Deathlok #4
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #1
  38. Deathlok (Vol. 2) #11
  39. 39.0 39.1 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #12
  40. Deathlok (Vol. 2) #9
  41. Deathlok (Vol. 2) #10
  42. 42.00 42.01 42.02 42.03 42.04 42.05 42.06 42.07 42.08 42.09 42.10 42.11 42.12 42.13 42.14 42.15 42.16 42.17 42.18 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #21
  43. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #10 ; Silver Sable's profile
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1 ; Coldblood's profile
  45. Deathlok (Vol. 2) #26
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 46.5 46.6 46.7 46.8 46.9 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #4 ; Timestream's profile
  47. 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 47.4 47.5 47.6 47.7 47.8 47.9 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 ; Timestream's profile
  48. Daredevil #319
  49. 49.0 49.1 Daredevil #320
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4 ; John Garrett's profile
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4 ; John Garrett's profile
  52. Marvel Encyclopedia #Marvel Knights ; Siege's entry in the Appendix
  53. 53.0 53.1 53.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14 ; Anti-Venom's profile
  54. 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 Daredevil #325
  55. 55.0 55.1 55.2 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #11 ; Time Variance Authority's profile
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 ; Time Variance Authority's profile
  57. 57.0 57.1 57.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14 ; Justice Peace's profile
  58. 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 58.4 58.5 58.6 58.7 58.8 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #34
  59. 59.0 59.1 Daredevil #330
  60. Civil War: Battle Damage Report #1
  61. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5 ; Initiative's profile
  62. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #7 ; Marvel Zombies's profile
  63. Beyond! #6
  64. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #36
  65. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 14
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