Machine Head is a supporting antagonist in Invincible, debuting from Season 1 and onwards.
An infamous crime lord and part of an underground syndicate called the Order, Machine Head dominated Chicago's criminal underworld by instilling fear and intimidation. Nonetheless, he would quickly be usurped by his own henchman. Machine Head spent over a year in prison but would eventually reclaim authority after killing his criminal adversary and superior, Mister Liu, thereby becoming the new head of the Order.
Following the resurrection of Mister Liu and the departure of Titan, Machine Head devised an intricate plan to pit the two against each other before they were ultimately forced to rejoin the Order and under his control.
Quick Answers
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Appearance
Machine Head is a slender individual with light skin. As the name would suggest, his head and neck are entirely mechanical, made out of some grey colored metal alloy (possibly iron and/or steel, as implied by the visible rusting he has in his appearance in Season 3). His face plate is colored black, with yellow lines surrounding his mouth and eyes, as well as one line crossed horizontally over his forehead, similar to a Luchador's mask. His mouth and eyes are magenta, with a pink "T" shaped line on each eye which converge into a "U" shape inside his mouth. Whenever Machine Head perceives future events several LED lights flare-up around his temple regions.
As expected from a mob boss, Machine Head dresses sharp and opulent. He wears a white buttoned suit with matching white undershirt and white pants, a pink neck tie and black shoes. While in prison he wore the standard orange jumpsuit and pants of the inmates, with a pair of black slippers.
Because he could not maintain his cybernetic parts properly in incarceration Machine Head's appearance became noticeably poor and worn out. His right "ear" was sticking loosely out, his grey shine became darker and what appeared to be rust was building up his neck. These were all patched up after having escaped and he resumed his proper appearance.
Personality
Machine Head comes across as fastidious, materialistic, short tempered, and callous. His primary concern is amassing wealth, showing no regard for how many people are hurt or killed because of his demands. This is best shown when he tells Titan that “sometimes you let people live when they need to die,” likely referring to Titan evacuating a building instead of burning those inside. He has little tolerance for failure or mistakes and reacts violently and crassly, such as lashing out at his bodyguard Isotope for complaining about taking bullets on his behalf.
To complement his elitist criminal behavior, Machine Head is both threatening and sly. He demands that Titan continue working for him, framing it as if there is no alternative. He remains completely unfazed when Titan nearly strikes him, nonchalantly reminding him that he can have his family killed at any moment.
Machine Head also indulges heavily in luxury and openly displays his wealth through fine suits and high end materials, such as Italian maple used throughout his furniture and doors. His fortune feeds into a sense of invulnerability, as he remains calm and indifferent even when Invincible breaks into his office and confronts him directly. He confidently states that it does not matter how powerful someone like Invincible may be, since he has enough money to hire as many powerful allies as he desires.
After Titan’s betrayal, Machine Head develops a begrudging respect for him, acknowledging his victory while vowing never to underestimate him again. Despite his otherwise ruthless nature, this shows he is capable of recognizing strength when it is proven and giving credit where it is due. He also honors his agreements, allowing Titan to leave the Order peacefully and continue operating in Chicago as previously arranged.
At the same time, Machine Head is a man set in his goals, refusing to give up on what he wants. To which, while not breaking his agreements, he is shown to be a very resourceful and crafty man, devising elaborate schemes for the sake of his goals. This demonstrates that his power does not rely solely on wealth and intimidation, but also on his ability to manipulate outcomes in advance.
History
Background
Machine Head is a cyborg of unknown origin that controls a protection racket in the city. He is also involved in drug traffic, disguised as garbage disposal, and building insurance fraud, ordering the destruction of buildings but staged to look like accidents so he could collect the insurance money.
Underestimating Titan
After recruiting Titan and being impressed after he successfully retrieved a special microchip, Machine Head forced Titan into permanent employment after threatening his family if he didn't continue to work under him.
Some time later, both Invincible and Titan planned an attack on Machine Head but were confused that he had knowledge of the assault due to the aforementioned microchip which granted him the ability to predict future events and prepared by contracting Battle Beast, Magmaniac, Kursk, Furnace and Tether Tyrant to protect him. During the ensuing fight with Invincible, Titan and later the Guardians of the Globe, Machine Head is protected by Isotope, but is later apprehended by the Global Defense Agency where Cecil Stedman uses an electro-magnetic pulse, removing the microchip.
Alliance with Titan
Over a year after his imprisonment at Payton Penitentiary, he was visited by Titan, who informed him of Mister Liu's constant threats against him. At first, Machine Head reveled in his agony, but the two later made a secret agreement in which he would help Machine Head take over the Order in exchange for letting him keep Chicago and his business to himself. As Mister Liu, in his dragon form, attacked Payton to break out Multi-Paul, Machine Head escaped thanks to Isotope and brought him to his former tower, where he executed Mister Liu in his human form. Later, he met with the Order and declared himself its new leader. Feeling uniquely generous, he allowed Titan to leave and run his criminal organization, but warned him to never try to double-cross him again; otherwise, his family would pay the price.
Several months later, Machine Head met Titan in a bar to inform him that Mister Liu was still alive and seeking revenge against him. Machine Head offered Titan a position in the Order as protection from Liu, but Titan refused, as joining would cost him his independence and control of Chicago. Secretly, Machine Head and Isotope pitted Liu and Titan against each other so that, after their assassination attempts failed, the two would be desperate enough for the Order's protection. After his failure to kill Liu, Titan reluctantly accepted Machine Head's offer and joined the Order. Machine Head welcomed Titan and revealed that Mister Liu had also rejoined the Order. The two realized they had been set up by Machine Head as he reveled in his plan's success and promised they would make a lot of money together.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Quantum Probability Perception (Formerly): Machine Head briefly integrated an advanced upgrade module supplied by Titan that allowed him to perceive and interpret probable quantum outcomes, effectively giving him a limited ability to “see” potential future events and or likelihoods of actions. This ability was temporary and was later rendered inoperative by Cecil after the chip was shut down.
Abilities
- Leadership: Being a crime lord, Machine Head has some skills in leading his own henchmen, from Isotope to other hired supervillains.
- Technological Tactician: With the Quantum Probabilities Upgrade, Machine Head could anticipate multiple potential outcomes and plan for numerous possible situations. He demonstrated this ability hiring supervillains before Titan’s betrayal.
Weaknesses
- High Maintenance: Due to his cybernetic head, Machine Head requires regular upkeep of his mechanical components. While imprisoned, poor maintenance led to visible degradation such as his right earpiece protruded, rust formed around his neck and he occasionally emitted sparks during conversations.
- Electromagnetic Pulse: Cecil temporarily deactivated Machine Head and removed the stolen microchip from his head using a club that emitted an electromagnetic pulse.
Sightings
| Season 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "It's About Time": | Absent | 5. "That Actually Hurt": | Debut | |||||||||
| 2. "Here Goes Nothing": | Absent | 6. "You Look Kinda Dead": | Absent | |||||||||
| 3. "Who You Calling Ugly?": | Absent | 7. "We Need To Talk": | Absent | |||||||||
| 4. "Neil Armstrong, Eat Your Heart Out": | Absent | 8. "Where I Really Come From": | Absent | |||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "You're Not Laughing Now": | Absent | 5. "This Was Supposed To Be Easy": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "A Deal With The Devil": | Absent | 6. "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry": | Absent | |||||||||
| 3. "You Want A Real Costume, Right?": | Mentioned | 7. "What Have I Done?": | Absent | |||||||||
| 4. "You Were My Hero": | Absent | 8. "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up": | Absent | |||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "Making the World a Better Place": | Absent | 5. "Give Us a Moment": | Absent | |||||||||
| 2. "I'll Give You the Grand Tour": | Absent | 6. "You Look Horrible": | Absent | |||||||||
| 3. "I Gotta Get Some Air": | Appears | 7. "Don’t Do Anything Rash": | Absent | |||||||||
| 4. "Hurm": | Absent | 8. "Don’t Leave Me Hanging Here": | Absent | |||||||||
Gallery
Trivia
- He is based on Black Mask from DC Comics.
- Machine Head's autotune voice also shares similarities with Soundwave from the Transformers franchise.
- His name is likely a reference to the song by Bush.
- Machine Head appears as a profile icon in Invincible VS.