Deadeye (Starriors)

Deadeye
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Starriors #1
Created by	Louise Simonson, Ian Akin, Brian Garvey

Deadeye is a fictional Marvel Comics character who first appeared in the Starriors series based on the toyline of the same name. Deadeye is a cosmittor, a huge Tyrannosaurus-style robot designed to hunt and kill giant mutant monsters to prepare the earth for the return of man, who is in suspended animation following terrible solar flares. Deadeye is a Destructor, one of 3 classes of Starrior robots. Destructors were charged destroying mutant creatures, caused by the solar flares.

Fictional character biography

Most destructors are human-sized or smaller, making Deadeye, approximately 25 feet (9 m) tall, a real giant. Deadeye is a Cosmittor and is meant to work in conjunction with a Scout, named Cricket, to hunt and battle large enemies. Deadeye is heavily armored, has multiple laser emplacements, and fires exploding discs from his mouth. Deadeye is mobile, but his size makes it hard for him to negotiate unstable terrain. Another function of the Scout may have been to lead enemies to Deadeye, allowing him to operate in areas where he is more effective.

Deadeye, for all of his destructive potential, has the soul of a poet. He does not relish destruction, but considers it his purpose and fulfills it dutifully. Like most Starriors at the time of the storyline, Deadeye believes man a myth. Deadeye is extremely close to his constant companion Cricket.

Deadeye has a terrible disability as well. He is blind. He is totally reliant on Cricket to guide him and tell him where to fire. Because of this, he is slow and not terribly effective against fast targets. It also means Cricket must be very near Deadeye in battle. While Deadeye is heavily armored, Cricket is not. In the final battle, Cricket is killed by Auntie Tank, causing Deadeye to go berserk with grief. He fires wildly, killing friend and foe alike, and is only stopped when Hot Shot activates the Battlestation's Laser Ram. With a blast of its powerful twin lasers, Deadeye is silenced forever.

Last Cosmittor

Deadeye is most likely the last Cosmittor. The Starriors have existed for thousands of years with limited resources to repair themselves. Slaughter Steelgrave used Cosmittors to destroy the Guardians, ensure his position of power, and fight mutant monsters. Given Deadeye's disability, allowing Deadeye to remain in Slaughter's ranks slows them down significantly. Had a more fit Cosmittor been available, Slaughter would have brought it. However, Deadeye is still useful to Slaughter—Deadeye is impervious to attacks from Protectors, who have no real weapons, and can withstand the attacks of any living Destructor as well. This means as long as Deadeye remains loyal, Slaughter is protected from the very real threat of traitors. Deadeye is equipped to fight giant mutant monsters, which can easily destroy smaller Starriors. At the beginning of the series, the Protectors are forced to build a wall to keep mutants out. This wall would be unnecessary if there were Cosmittors still around to handle such threats. Finally, Slaughter realizes that, if the Battlestation is activated, only Deadeye can stand against it.