VICTOR MANCHA
Created by the evil sentient robot Ultron with DNA from his human mother, the Latin American Victor Mancha is the cybernetic immaculate child—a teenaged boy programmed to infiltrate the Avengers and destroy them, that is until Victor resists his programming and joins the Super Hero team, the Runaways.
Cybernetic/Human Hybrid
After the Avengers destroyed its body, mad robot Ultron-10A’s still-active CPU realizes patience was needed to defeat its enemies. Discovered years later by architecture student and former drug smuggler Marianella Mancha, it convinces the devoutly religious woman that it was a prophet, promising the infertile Marianella that it would build her an immaculate creation in exchange for helping it construct a new body. Using Marianella’s DNA, Ultron creates an adolescent cybernetic/human hybrid, which Marianella names “Victor.” Ultron installs false childhood memories and gives Victor a fervent desire to one day become a Super Hero, as well as latent electromagnetic powers intended to activate on Victor’s supposed 21st birthday, when he would meet the Avengers during a programmed trip to New York City. Told that his father was a United States Marine killed in combat, Victor enrolls in East Angeles High School. In at least one alternate future (Reality-5421), Ultron’s plan works; as Victorious, Victor infiltrates the heroes, then slaughters them. Dying, Avengers leader Gertrude Yorkes, AKA Heroine, escapes back in time nearly two decades, arriving in modern day Earth-616 to warn her younger self, then a member of the teenage Runaways. Tracking down their timeline’s Victor, the Runaways accidentally triggered his powers prematurely, a situation made worse by the intervention of anti-vigilante group Excelsior. Victor escaped with the Runaways, but Ultron (posing as Doctor Doom) kidnapped Marianella to draw Victor out. The Runaways and Victor battle a Doombot before Ultron reveals himself, killing Marianella and taking control of Victor’s programming. Victor, however, resists Ultron’s influence and the Runaways defeat Ultron with Excelsior’s aid. Now orphaned, Victor joins the Runaways on probationary status.
Metal Manipulation
Victor is a cyborg whose nanite skeleton is designed to eventually become indistinguishable from his human cells. He has infrared vision and superhuman strength (lifting 1000 lbs), enhanced reflexes, and biomechanical repair systems which can gradually fix even major trauma. Powered by an electromagnet, Victor is a magnopath, manipulating metal with his mind, and can fire electromagnetic blasts. Extremely intelligent, he has a photographic memory, subconscious access to an extensive weapons database, is bilingual in Spanish and English, and possesses a fanboyish knowledge of Super Hero history. He can be temporarily shorted out by four conundrums, each usable only once, which cause conflicts within his core program; one of these is used up already. Victor also has a natural aptitude for engineering and electronics, serving as the Runaways’ resident mechanic. He later perishes but with his head still intact, he regrows his body. In this new form, he possesses a “Dragon Claw” which enables Victor to launch projectiles from his arms and direct electric blasts with greater accuracy.
Family Ties and Teenage Teammates
The android killing machine known as Ultron meets Marianella Mancha, an infertile woman from Mexico and convinces her that he can create a child with her DNA. He does so, and creates Victor, a cybernetic/human hybrid. Victor’s family includes Jonas, AKA Vision, who is his “brother” and other extended family through him and Ultron, such as Ultron’s creator, Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym. When Ultron reveals himself as Victor’s “father”, the sentient robot nearly persuades him to join the dark side, but Victor resists the attempt.
Victor joins the Runaways, a team of teenage Super Heroes, after Ultron kills his mother. Though the team does not trust him right away thanks to a future version of fellow Runaways teammate, Gertrude “Gert” Yorkes, AKA Arsenic, who warns of what he could become. Though he proves himself against Runaways enemies such as Swarm, Xavin, Security Daemons, and Dragonness, and the team accepts him.
He forms an intimate relationship with teammate Nico Minoru, AKA Sister Grimm, but that ends after he falls for Lillie, AKA Spieler. That relationship also doesn’t last and he grows close with Gert. Their relationship causes tension between Victor and Runaways member Chase Stein, AKA Talkback as he holds a candle for Gert. Other team members include Karolina Dean, AKA Lucy in the Sky, Molly Hayes, AKA Bruiser, and Gert’s pet dinosaur Old Lace.
Victor later becomes a founding member of Avengers A.I. with Hank Pym, Monica Chang, and Vision. The team forms to combat threats posed by artificial intelligence.
Familial Foes
Victor’s “father” Ultron keeps his identity secret but when Victor learns the Truth, Ultron attempts to control him and destroy the Runaways. Fortunately, Victor overcomes his programming and helps the Runaways defeat the megalomaniac robot.
After Victor accidentally killed his “nephew” Vin Vision[BM2] , Vin’s mother Virginia Vision killed Victor out of vengeance.
A Cyborg’s Chronology
Soon after joining the Runaways, the New Pride’s Hunter hacked into Victor’s brain, using him to unwittingly gather intelligence against the Runaways; but after discovering this, Victor created an internal firewall to prevent further intrusions into his systems. Victor slowly gained the Runaways’ trust, and became romantically involved with teammate Nico Minoru. After the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA) was passed, government forces attacked the Runaways and Victor suffered severe injuries. His pain was felt by the Young Avengers’ Vision, indirectly another of Ultron’s creations, who shared similar programming codes and electromagnetic signatures, prompting the Young Avengers to aid the Runaways. Though Vision was intrigued to discover his “brother,” they found that close proximity triggered violent power surges in both of them.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered their LA hideout, the Runaways fled to New York, where the Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, offered them refuge in return for stealing a time-travel device Fisk had been paid to procure by the elderly Lillie McGurty. After the Runaways stole it, Lillie’s scarred companion Tristan gave Victor a message to deliver, to “leave this world for a better one or waste your days in regret,” telling him he would know the right recipient when the time came. The device transported the Runaways back to 1907, where they were caught up in a war between that era’s “Wonders” (superhumans): the criminal Sinners, ruthless law-enforcers the Upward Path, and the vagrant Street Arabs, the latter including the young Lillie, AKA Spieler, and an unscarred Tristan. Victor and Lillie fell in love, causing Nico to dump him; Victor delivered his message and asked Lillie to accompany them to the modern day, but the prospect scared her too much. Returning to their own time without her, the Runaways helped the Young Avengers and others battle invading Skrulls before returning to LA, where they fought different alien invaders from Majesdane targeting Victor’s teammate Lucy in the Sky.
Victor then joined Avengers A.I. and met his “grandfather” Henry Pym, alongside Vision, Monica Chang, and a Doombot that had been reprogrammed. While going on missions with them, he saved an A.I. civilization by sacrificing himself in the process. Though he survived in a server and reached out to Pym through Morse code. He and the Avengers also faced off Dimitrios, the vengeance-seeking scion of Pym and Ultron.
Victor is later tasked by the Avengers to spy on Vision as they received word from Agatha Harkness that Vision’s attempt at creating a family would result in tragedy. Though Victor, having previously become addicted to Vibranium, misjudged his powers and unintentionally killed Vision’s son, Vin. For his crime, he was imprisoned and confronted by Vision in his cell. Though it was Vision’s wife, Virginia, who avenged their son by killing him.
Victor’s head, completely intact, was sent by Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, to Runaways member Chase, who tinkered with it, in an attempt to revive Victor. Succeeding, Victor came to and decided to remain bodyless, but accepted being attached to smaller devices that limited his movement. Victor then traveled to the past with Gert, who had been saved from her death through time-travel means, and opened up to her about his traumas. They started a romantic relationship and he eventually regrew his body.
Victor and the Runaways, with the exception of Gert, then got caught up with Doc Justice, a local vigilante, after being forced out of their underground headquarters, Hostel. They became Doc Justice’s new J-Team, based on his former squad, with Victor taking on the codename Kid Justice. Though, Gert discovered Doc Justice’s endgame in that he previously killed his former J-Team and was about to do the same to the new incarnation. After Gert revealed the truth to the team and in fighting Doc Justice, things looked dire, until Victor immobilized him allowing Old Lace to attack and defeat the vigilante villain.