Spider-Man Unlimited Episode Five: Steel Cold Heart

Steel Cold Heart

First Aired: January 13th, 2001

Synopsis: The rebel Bromley is on a mission when he's captured by a machine man. Elsewhere, Peter is at a construction site with Shane when a damaged machine man - serial number X-51 - is found. It's old enough that it's supposed to be dismantled, but it objects and causes chaos at the site. Spider-Man helps contain things, but when Shane is in danger it's X-51 who saves him. Lady Ursula shows up, wanting X-51, and although Spider-Man's willing to fight for him, X-51 surrenders and goes with her. Spider-Man goes after X-51 later with a spider-tracer he put on him but can't get into the laboratory where he is, so teams up with the rebels for help. They manage to get in, but the rebels want X-51 so that they can trade him for Bromley. The rebels and Spider-Man fight Sir Ram, who's examining X-51, and other scientists, and are able to defeat them. They manage to free X-51, but since the rebels are still just planning on trading him away, Spider-Man objects and flees with X-51.

Spider-Man takes X-51 to Naoko's. He's too damaged and needs to be repaired, but Shane reveals that he's got a lot of spare electronic parts left over from his dad, who's an inventor. X-51 repairs himself and starts contemplating his existence, as he shows more sentience than regular machine men, but snaps, goes crazy, and flies away. He's captured by the rebels and taken to a trade with Lord Tyger, but it turns out that it's a trap when Lord Tyger overwrites X-51's personality and makes him attack the rebels. Spider-Man shows up and helps the rebels. X-51 is ordered to kill the rebels, but Spider-Man convinces him to fight his programming and he manages to do so. The rebels manage to escape, and X-51 agrees to join them.

Subplots:

• During the fight, a wall is damaged and randomly reveals that the spaceship John Jameson used to get to Counter-Earth is behind it. Spider-Man tries to tag it with a tracer, but is unable to.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• When Peter's at the construction sites, we get helpful captions labelling the creatures assisting with the work, namely DEMOLITION CHIMERA: RHINO WHALE and EXCAVATION CHIMERA: MOLE ELEPHANT. I'm sorry, what?
• Sir Ram is able to cut through a big ball of Spider-Man's webbing using what appears to be a fairly mundane buzzsaw but I guess must be coated in adamantium or something to manage a feat like that.

Review: This is probably the strongest episode of the series so far, which says something about the competition. If I had to choose Marvel Universe characters to appear here, Machine Man probably wouldn't crack the top fifty, although the integration does feel pretty natural (and I'll give the show bonus points for unintentionally making his head look like H.E.L.P.eR.'s from The Venture Bros). While there's no real explanation for why he's suddenly developing sentience beyond Spider-Man's speculation, and I doubt we'll get it, it does give him a nice little arc here to come to terms with his growing awareness and to show that he's more than his programming. An obvious direction to go in but it works.

Outside of Machine Man, the episode's fine, I guess? The fight with the scientists and Sir Ram goes on for waaaaay too long, and I can't say I'm too enamoured with the fight during the trade even though X-51 being controlled against his will should be exciting. Spider-Man bringing X-51 to Naoko's feels a little reckless - what if he was followed? What if someone realises that Spider-Man's friends with the Yamada-Joneses and gets to him through them? If the show hadn't flashed giant neon signs telling us that Shane's father was the Green Goblin, I'd be impressed with the hinting of him saying that his dad was an inventor.

Overall I guess this episode is more interesting for what it sets up than anything of substance within it - namely, X-51 joining the rebels and a hint for how John and Spider-Man can get home. X-51 is probably the best character on the show so far, and I'll be keen to see more of him in the future as he keeps dealing with a purpose in his life.