Gizmo (comics)

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caption=Gizmo, from " Outsiders" #13, (August 2004). Art by Tom Raney
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Gizmo
real_name=Mikron O'Jeneus
publisher=DC Comics
debut="New Teen Titans" #3 (December 1980)
creators=Marv Wolfman
George Pérez
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
alliances=Fearsome Five S.T.A.R. Labs
aliases=
powers=Genius intelligence, Brilliant inventor and engineer|

Gizmo (also known as Mikron O’Jeneus) is a fictional character, a supervillain from DC Comics. He was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and he first appeared in "The New Teen Titans" #3 (January 1981) as a founding member of the Fearsome Five, a supervillain team that frequently fought the Teen Titans and the Outsiders.

Character History

A bald dwarf who flies around on a jet pack, Gizmo is a genius inventor who can turn seemingly innocuous objects like vacuum cleaners into dangerous weapons. (His given name, Mikron, has the same origin as "microchip", and Jeneus is a purposeful misspelling of "genius".) Gizmo created a corporation, Gizmos, Inc., which supplied technology to various persons, including criminals. Hoping to increase his wealth, Gizmo joined the Fearsome Five through an ad placed in the "Underworld Star", a criminal underground paper, by the psychopathic criminal Doctor Light.

After a number of unsuccessful conflicts with the Teen Titans, (and Superman in "Adventures of Superman" #430) Gizmo went straight for a while, and took a job at S.T.A.R. Labs, until his former Fearsome Five teammate Psimon, after having been seemingly killed by his teammates, resurfaced looking for revenge, and shrank Gizmo to microscopic size. Years later, Gizmo found a way to revert to his normal size, and took up a life of crime once again, partnering with his former teammate, Mammoth.

In a storyline in "Outsiders" #12–15 (July–October 2004), frequent Captain Marvel archenemy Dr. Sivana gathered Gizmo and the others, and put the team to work for him in a scheme to short sell Lexcorp stock by having them steal its accounts from its corporate building in Metropolis, and then driving down the stock by killing all the people in the building, and destroying two other Lexcorp properties. At the latter of the two, a microchip processor factory of Lexcorp's subsidiary, Kellacor, the Five were confronted by the Outsiders. After escaping, the criminally unsophisticated Five urged Sivana to take Lexcorp's nuclear missile facility near Joshua Tree, California. When Sivana refused, Psimon asserted that they would take it anyway, and in response, Sivana killed Gizmo with a laser blast to the head, and severed relations with the remaining four, warning them that he would kill them if they ever crossed his path again. Sivana used the money he made from the scheme to purchase a tropical island off the coast of Thailand to use as his lair, and the remaining members of the Five were defeated in their plan to take the facility and fire a nuclear missile at Canada.

Whether the remaining members will take on a new member, find a way to revive Gizmo (as had been done with his teammate Shimmer), or change their name to the Fearsome Four (as Sivana sarcastically suggested after killing Gizmo) remains to be seen.

Gizmo appeared in undead form, summoned by Brother Blood to prevent the Teen Titans from freeing Kid Eternity, in "Teen Titans" #31 (2006). In "Birds of Prey" #120-121 (2008), Gizmo was reanimated by the geniuses at Manitech Research & Development, a technology company located in Platinum Flats. He disposed of their C.E.O and earned his seat on the Silicon Syndicate, a sinister group of high-tech criminals. Gizmo retained most of his brain function, but is still missing his eye and is partially decomposed.

In DC Special:Cyborg issue 5 a new Gizmo has been shown. In an interview with comic writer Mark Sable, the new Gizmo is revealed to be the son of the original.

Powers and abilities

Gizmo is capable of creating unbelievable weaponry by transforming one machine into another. In his tiny hands, using state-of-the-art technology, an ordinary vacuum cleaner, for example, can easily be converted into a deadly, unstoppable tank.

Bibliography

* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/animated/chargizmo.html Teen Titans: Characters]
* [http://www.titansgo.net/characters.php?id=12 TitansGo.net: Characters]
*DC’s "Who's Who"
*"The Official Teen Titans Index" (ICG; 1985)
*"The New Titans Sourcebook" (Mayfair Games; 1990)
*"New Teen Titans" #7 (May 1981)
*"New Teen Titans" #37 (December 1983)
*"Batman and the Outsiders" #5 (December 1983)
*"Tales of the Teen Titans" #56–58 (August–October 1985)
*"Adventures of Superman" #430 (July 1987)
*"New Teen Titans" #41–42 (March 1988)
*"New Titans" #116–117 (December 1994 – January 1995)
*"Green Lantern" #57 (December 1994)
*"Outsiders" #12–15 (July–October 2004)

In other media

In the "Teen Titans" animated series, Gizmo is a recurring villain from the H.I.V.E Academy. He is voiced by Lauren Tom (he was voiced by Tara Strong in "Revved Up" and in "Titans Together"). Gizmo was redesigned into a probably pre-teen kid (as opposed to being a middle-aged dwarf as he was in his comic book form). He works with Jinx and Mammoth most of the time, although in the episodes "Car Trouble", "Revved Up", "Crash", and "Winner Take All", he is seen conducting solo acts.

Gizmo's main gadget is a harness that can deploy wings, large mechanical spider legs, a device that creates holographic copies of himself, and a technological suit of armor. His knowledge of computers and incredible hacking skills make him a formidable foe for the Titans (though constructing a Level 4 Containment Field is hard, even for him). He also has a short temper and swears in pseudo profanity ("crud" and "snot" are his most frequently used terms). He has a special emnity with Cyborg and was able to tell that something was wrong with him when Cyborg went undercover as "Stone" at the H.I.V.E Academy. He later forms The H.I.V.E. Five with Jinx, Mammoth, See-More, and Private H.I.V.E. He was sent with Billy Numerous to capture Kole and Gnarrk, but failed when Kole turned into a boomerang and severed his spider legs.

During the final battle of "Titans Together", he was knocked unconscious by a giant hex from the reformed Jinx while trying to escape. Kid Flash placed him in the Brotherhood of Evil's freezing machine, taking him out for the rest of the battle.

Gizmo is the only villain to appear in all five seasons of Teen Titans (as opposed to Slade, who is seen only once in the third season as an illusion and as a Slade-bot in the last season).

Gizmo has also made several appearances in "Teen Titans Go!". He is the main villain in issue #9.

He is also a boss in both "Teen Titans" video games.