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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magnuswithbettercolor.jpeg]]
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4A [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] [[{{Comics}} comic book]] hero created by writer and artist Russ Manning, originally published by Creator/GoldKeyComics in the 1960s. He was revived by Creator/JimShooter for Creator/ValiantComics in the 1990s, and has appeared sporadically under other publishers' banners since then.
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6The original full title was ''Magnus Robot Fighter: [[TheFuture 4000 A.D.]]'' In the far future, man has grown lazy and decadent, and is dependent on a huge labor force of robots for his wants and needs. The robots are programmed never to harm humans, but an increasing number of rogues are showing signs of rebellion. One robot, named [[RobotNames 1A,]] still loyal to humanity but sufficiently "rogue" to be able to think outside the box, sees that a RobotWar is coming and wants to prevent it. He adopts an orphaned child named Magnus and raises him in a secret undersea base, where he educates him and trains him to be the greatest martial artist the world has ever seen—good enough to defeat a standard metal robot with his bare hands, without resorting to any technology at all. 1A then sends Magnus out into the world--specifically, to the continent-spanning city of [=NorthAm=]--to both prevent a robot overthrow of humanity, and to encourage humans to stand on their own two feet again without depending on machines for everything.
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8A third side in the conflict is the "gophs" [[FutureSlang (contracted from "gopher")]] the humans who live in the squalid slums beneath the "milespires" where the upper classes of humanity live. The human/robot conflict is literally over their heads for the most part, but they will obviously suffer along with everyone else if a robot war comes.
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10The 90's [[Creator/ValiantComics Valiant series]] picks up where the original series left off, initially making a great effort to be faithful to the old setting, characters, and art style. The two main differences are a much greater focus on the class conflict between the gophs and the "cloud cloddies" who live on the milespires; and [[StrawmanHasAPoint Magnus' grudging realization that the robots who are chafing under slavery have a perfectly legitimate point.]] So Magnus now has to try and balance the situation to prevent both a race war between man and robot, and also a class war between the upper classes and the gophs.
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12We also get to see some of the world beyond [=NorthAm=], most notably Japan, home to the hero ComicBook/{{Rai}}, who then gets his own spin-off comic. Magnus's world is also fully incorporated in the the Valiant [[TheVerse universe,]] crossing over with its other titles either by time travel or by the presence of long-lived characters like [[ComicBook/EternalWarrior Gilad the Eternal Warrior]].
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14So it goes for a while, and then [[BizarroEpisode aliens invade.]] Specifically, alien ''robots'' called the Malevs who had appeared in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} series, but had been a minor plot element there. Here, they arrive, co-opt most of the existing robot population, and conquer the Earth. All of the original plot arcs are overwhelmed by the fight against the alien invaders. While the Malev War certainly has strong fans among the Valiant Comics fanbase, it can also be argued that it drastically derailed the basic premise of the comic. Here we get a Robot War, but ironically, it's one that has little to do with the original human/robot conflict. The war does end, eventually; [[spoiler: but not well for Earth's robots.]]
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16There was a short-lived reboot series by Louise Simonson when Valiant changed over to Acclaim Comics. Over a decade later, there was another short-lived reboot series from Creator/DarkHorseComics, written by Jim Shooter again, which went for a more modern, cyberpunk aesthetic than the previous RaygunGothic look. This was followed by a reboot from Creator/DynamiteComics, and then by ''another'' reboot from Dynamite focusing on a ''[[DistaffCounterpart female]]'' Magnus who works as a diplomat/[[Literature/IRobot robopsychologist]] and deals with AI mainly in [[InsideAComputerSystem cyberspace.]] Meanwhile, Magnus' spin-off character Rai received a reboot in the revived Valiant Comics in 2012, omitting all references to Magnus himself for licensing reasons.
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19!!Tropes:
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21* ActionGirl: Leeja in the Valiant version. Also Tekla.
22* AlienInvasion: The Malevs.
23* ArtStyleDissonance: Invoked in the Valiant series. Most elements of Earth's civilization have the same RaygunGothic look as the original Gold Key version, but the invading Malev robots look like something designed by Creator/HRGiger.
24* BadassNormal: Magnus, originally—but during Valiant's company-wide [[CrisisCrossover crossover]] "Unity," this was [[RetCon retconned]] so Magnus' dad had superhuman strength which Magnus [[SuperpowerfulGenetics inherited]].
25* BoisterousBruiser: Slagger, a big tough Goph whom Magnus befriends.
26* BoomerangBigot: 1A, one of the first freewill robots, cannot accept the idea of other freewills being anything but a dire threat to humanity and insists that they must all be destroyed or "repaired."
27* CainAndAbel: Rai's two sons.
28* ContinuityReboot: Every revival ''except'' the one from Valiant.
29* CrapsackWorld: The Valiant version certainly had [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks elements of this]] (that is, the setting as it was portrayed prior to the Malev Invasion; the invasion itself was portrayed as full-on WarIsHell), with its three factions in conflict with one another, but at least it still has that bright sunny Silver Age aesthetic. The Dark Horse cyberpunk version seems, well, darker.
30* CrossOver: Regularly, with the other Valiant characters. More notably, it crossed over once with ''Comicbook/{{Nexus}}'' by Mike Baron and Steve Rude, and with [[Creator/DarkHorseComics Dark Horse's]] ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' comics.
31* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: Milespire culture.
32* DoesNotLikeGuns: Magnus uses martial arts only.
33* DependingOnTheWriter: It's probably safe to say that if Creator/JimShooter had stayed on the 1990's title, Magnus's attitude toward [[spoiler: robot rights would not have undergone the ugly shift it did by the end of the Malev War.]]
34* EvilLuddite: Derkaiser. [[spoiler: Magnus himself might count as well when he takes the decision to destroy every single robot.]]
35* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: ''Magnus Robot Fighter: 4000 A.D.'' is about a guy named Magnus who fights robots in the year 4000 A.D.
36%%* FantasticFightingStyle
37%%* FantasticRacism
38* FemBot: Tekla [[WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders (no relation).]] Also Grandmother's physical form [[note]]Yes, of course future [[{{Anime}} Japan]] is run by a [[HumongousMecha humongous]] [[RobotGirl robot woman]]. You're surprised?[[/note]] (later co-opted by the Malev Emperor).
39* TheFuture: ''Magnus Robot Fighter: 4000 A.D.'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin set in the year 4000 A.D.]]
40* HatOfAuthority: The robot mayor of Synchron wears a silly-looking top hat, thinking it makes him look sophisticated.
41%%* HeroesFightBareHanded
42* HumongousMecha: Xyrkol's Robot Giant in the 60's. In the 90's there's Grandmother, and then the Malev Emperor.
43* JustAMachine: The Creator/DarkHorseComics version makes a clear distinction between sentient and nonsentient robots. Magnus says he'll destroy a nonsentient robot that gets in his way without a second thought, but that he's just as reluctant to kill a sentient robot as he would be to kill a human being. Not that he's above killing if there's a good enough reason, mind you.
44* LegacyCharacter: Magnus and Rai both have sons who take center stage after the Malev War ends. Rai comes from a long line of Japanese heroes who have taken the title "Rai."
45* LoveTriangle:
46** The Dark Horse version has given Leeja a strong rival for Magnus's affections.
47** Magnus, Leeja, and Tekla in the Valiant version.
48* LuddWasRight
49* MechanicalLifeForms: This is certainly how the robots want to be viewed, at least those who care what humans think at all.
50* {{Nanomachines}}: The source of Rai's powers. He inherited them from the 20th century Valiant hero Bloodshot.
51* OfficialCouple: Magnus and Leeja
52* OhCrap: Magnus and 1-A get one of these in Valiant's Magnus #1: after (in the original run) a year or two of fighting the occasional accidental rogue robot, fairly easily mopped up, they hear the following message over the robot communications frequency:
53-->"Do not be afraid. You are not alone. There are ten million of us."
54* PhlebotinumRebel
55* PornStache: Xyrkol has a huge mustache.
56* TheQuisling: Xyrkol tries to sell out humanity to the alien Malev robots.
57* RaisedByRobots
58* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[ComicBook/EternalWarrior Gilad the Eternal Warrior]].
59* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Leeja's dad Senator Clane in the Creator/GoldKeyComics. He becomes more ambiguous in the 90's version for being narrow-minded, but he's still a mostly sympathetic character.
60* RoboticSpouse: Grandmother, the benevolent MasterComputer of Japan, is 1A's girlfriend.
61* RobotMe: Magnus fights one in the 1960's series.
62* RobotNames
63* RobotRepublic: The [[spoiler: sadly short-lived]] city of Synchron.
64* ShoutOut: Magnus was designed to resemble Franchise/{{Tarzan}} in many ways, to play up the primitive vs. technology angle.
65* SpaceClothes
66* StrongFleshWeakSteel: This trope is a central conceit in a series where fleshy humans can dismantle robots with their bare hands. Various adaptions justify it to different extents: sometimes Magnus is just that good of a martial artist with hardened bone and knowledge of engineering weak points sometimes it helps because of [[SuperpowerfulGenetics inherited]] super strength.
67* TranshumanAliens: The Starwatchers.
68* UpperClassTwit: A lot of the cloud cloddies.
69* WrongSideOfTheTracks: The Goph Levels.
70* {{Zeerust}}: In a good way. Everything at the start of the Valiant series has the same art design as the 60's version, from the robots to the buildings to the costumes. It meshes very nicely with the RaygunGothic visual look of ''Comicbook/{{Nexus}}'s'' world in the crossover comic. The new [[Creator/DarkHorseComics Dark Horse]] reboot averts this.

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