Master Mold is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics most commonly appearing as an enemy of the X-Men and the leader of the Sentinel mutant-hunting robots.
Publication history
Master Mold first appeared in
The X-Men #15–16 (Dec. 1965 – Jan. 1966), and was created by
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby.
The character subsequently appears in The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (1978); X-Factor #13–14 (Feb.–March 1987); Power Pack #36 (April 1988); Marvel Comics Presents #18–24 (May–July 1989); The Uncanny X-Men #246–247 (July–Aug. 1989); The Sensational She-Hulk #30 (Aug. 1991); and Cyclops: Retribution #1 (Jan. 1994).
Master Mold received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #5.
Fictional character biography
Original version
The original version of Master Mold is created by
Bolivar Trask. Fearing superhuman mutants such as the X-Men, Trask makes a super-computer in the shape of a giant robot that will control and facilitate the construction of the Sentinels (mechanical warriors programmed to hunt and capture mutants).
Master Mold is secretly programmed by the time-traveling
Madame Sanctity of the Askani Sisterhood with the mission to find and destroy the Twelve, a group of mutants linked to Apocalypse's rise.
[ Uncanny X-Men Minus 1 (July 1997)] Master Mold has Trask captured and decides to take over humanity in a bid to protect them. Trask sacrifices himself to destroy Master Mold and prevent the Sentinels from taking over humanity.
Second version
Another version of Master Mold possesses Steven Lang's brainwaves. After Project Armageddon, Lang tries to activate Master Mold, which merges the former's mind with it instead. The computer suffers great damage by the
Hulk and is seemingly destroyed when the base explodes.
[ The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (October 1978)] However, Master Mold survives and creates the Retribution Virus to wipe out mutant-kind. It blames Cyclops entirely for its "death" as Lang. He hypnotizes and utilizes
Moira MacTaggert to unleash the virus, infecting Cyclops, Callisto, and Banshee before MacTaggert breaks free of his grasp. While she attempts to cure the virus, Cyclops and Callisto team with Conscience (another artificial construct developed from Lang's brain engrams) to stop Master Mold and save mutant-kind as well as all humanity, which had become threatened by the virus. Cyclops is weakened from the disease's effects but nearly single-handedly destroys Master Mold before falling unconscious. As Master Mold prepares to kill Cyclops and finish unleashing the virus, he is attacked and destroyed by Banshee. The virus is then cured before it has a chance to spread.
[ Marvel Comics Presents #18-24 (May - July 1989)]
The remains of Master Mold later merge with Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel from the future. Both are forced through the Siege Perilous, causing them to be reborn as the cyborg Bastion.[ Machine Man/Bastion Annual (June 1998)]
Third version
A Master Mold-esque factory is built in secret in the jungles of
Ecuador. This particular version builds the
Wild Sentinels which are capable of assimilating non-organic materials to assume different shapes, such as an insectoid, as well as a breed of Nano-Sentinels. The Wild Sentinels are taken over by
Cassandra Nova to devastate
Genosha and attack the X-Men. Following their defeat by Rogue's X-Men team, the Children of the Vault escape and regroup in the factory.
Other versions
In
,
X-Force travels to the Days of Future Past timeline where there are two Master Molds, one producing Nimrods and another one protecting the first Master Mold.
Mendel Stromm is approached by a mysterious benefactor involving a Master Mold that specializes in the creation of Tri-Sentinels.[ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #4 (October 2018)] Spider-Man takes remote control of the Tri-Sentinels and sends them back to Master Mold to destroy it.[ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #5 (November 2018)]
Mother Mold
A new version called
Mother Mold is seen in "House of X and Powers of X". Orchis creates a variant designed to create other Master Molds.
[ House of X #1 (September 2019)] It is later revealed that Mother Mold will be the Sentinel generation that lead directly to the creation of Nimrod.
[ Powers of X #2 (October 2019)]
Capabilities
Dr. Bolivar Trask equipped Master Mold with powerful weaponry and the ability to speak; Master Mold was also mobile so that it could defend itself from mutant attackers or so that it can be relocated easily if Trask had to find a new headquarters. The Steven Lang Master Molds were also capable of self-repair.
Other versions
Infinity Warps
Master Mole, a fusion of Master Mold and
Mole Man created by the
Infinity Gems, appears in
Infinity Wars: Infinity Warps #1.
Ultimate Marvel
Two characters based on Master Mold appear in the
Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610):
-
The first equivalent is an alternate timeline version of Wolverine who was used as a template to create an army of Sentinels before being Euthanasia by the present-day Wolverine and Rogue.
[ Ultimate Fantastic Four/X-Men Annual (November 2008)]
-
The second equivalent is a giant Sentinel which houses the consciousness of Jason Stryker
[ #11 (July 2012)]
Weapon X: Days of Future Now
In the alternate reality of
Weapon X: Days of Future Now, one of
Madison Jeffries's Boxbots, dubbed "Bot", becomes the new Master Mold and traps Jeffries within its body to harness his powers.
[ Weapon X: Days of Future Now #1 (September 2005)]
What If?
In
What If? Age of Ultron series set in an alternative future, Wolverine, the Hulk, Peter Parker and a Ghost Rider travel to the
Savage Land to confront
Ezekiel Stane using Master Mold to reproduce Iron Man armors. Stane uses an unnamed girl, described as an orphan, the sole remaining Trask descendant, and referred to only as 'Ms. Trask', to operate Master Mold that had apparently been left behind in the Savage Land. Seeking to unleash a wave of the armors upon the world, Stane is stopped and Master Mold destroyed.
[ What If? Age of Ultron #2 (June 2014)]
X-Factor Forever
In
X-Factor Forever Master Mold, Master Mold is bonded to
Cameron Hodge by Apocalypse to form
Master Meld.
[ X-Factor Forever Master Mold]
In other media
Television
-
Master Mold appears in , voiced by David Fox in the first season and Nigel Bennett in the fourth season.
-
Several variants of Master Mold appear in X-Men '97. A lobotomized version was constructed in the Sahara until it is destroyed by the X-Men. Bastion utilizes a version resembling the Tri-Sentinel to attack Genosha.
-
Master Mold appears in Wolverine and the X-Men, voiced by Gwendoline Yeo.
Video games
-
Master Mold appears in a boss in Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge.
-
Master Mold appears as a background character in .
-
Master Mold appears in .
-
Master Mold appears in X-Men Legends. This version is a giant Sentinel piloted by anti-mutant extremist William Kincaid.
-
Master Mold appears in . This version was created by William Stryker and Hydra.
-
Master Mold appears as the final boss of The Uncanny X-Men - Days of Future Past.
-
Master Mold appears as a boss in .
-
Master Mold appears in Marvel Snap.
-
Master Mold appears in Marvel Cosmic Invasion, voiced by James C. Mathis III.
Miscellaneous
Master Mold appears in
.
External links
