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From left to right: Mercury, Platinum, Iron, Gold, Cooper, Tin, Lead, Nameless, Will Magnus and Tilly Lace
Project METAL (Municipal Enhancement Through Artificial Lifeforms) is a team of robots created by Will Magnus and Tilly Lace. These "Metal Men" are designed to be the ultimate answer to the needs of law enforcement, first responders, and crisis intervention.
In General
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Their responsometers were made based on cerebral mappings of one hundred volunteers, including Will and Tilly, but their numbering was random, as such they aren't sure which Metal Man is based on which person.
- And they're not really made of the metal they're named after, is merely an alloy that resembles it.
- Fun with Acronyms: Project METAL, originally it was called the Military Enhancement Through Artificial Lifeforms but after the death of his brother Michael in Khandaq, Will refused to design anymore robots with military designs and changed the program to Municipal Enhancement Through Artificial Lifeforms.
- Prefers Going Barefoot: All the more human looking robots don't wear shoes, though their seemingly bare feet are padded.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Their whole purpose, having distinct personalities and even being able to consume and process human food.
- Robo Family: They are a group of robots who see each other as siblings.
- Robot Hair: While Iron, Mercury and Lead don't have any, to look more human and easier to interact with, Gold, Platinum, Copper and Tin have been added hair.
- Two Girls to a Team: Since Nameless can't physically aid her fellow Metal Men, Copper and Platinum are the only females that are on the field.
Will Magnus
William Magnus is a young graduate of Ivy University, specializing in robotics, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and several other fields. He's the co-creator of the Metal Men.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Will is the co-inventor of the device known as the responsometer, a modular artificial intelligence that contains sophisticated programming and a digital neurological map which contains an actually unique personality, emotional core, and identity, effectively giving any machine connected to such a device a digital soul.
- Broken Pedestal: Growing up, Will was particularly interested in robots and used to read the writings of Dr. T.O. Morrow, but was later devastated when Morrow was later be revealed to be a psychopath.
- Composite Character: His appearance based of his New 52 incarnation.
- Covert Pervert: He volunteers to try to find Carmen Leno's missing adult videos, even though the Network doesn't consider that important.
- The Engineer: Magnus is the world's foremost authority on robotics, having surpassed the accomplishments of his former idol, Dr. Morrow.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Will is an atheist. Which is weird to him considering he met superheroes that are aliens, demigods, mages and other supernatural beings.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Will is considered to be in the top 0.01% of the world's geniuses and is considered by many to be the world's foremost roboticist and a leading expert in a number of other fields including metallurgy, chemistry, and artificial intelligence.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Will's older brothers taught him how to shoot guns with considerable proficiency. Will keeps this proficiency up through test-firing the few weapons he installs in his mechanical creations. Though Will abhors the use of violence in most circumstances, he does acknowledge that circumstances of reality do not always allow a person to safely abstain from violence and he owns a .40 handgun which he keeps at home for the purpose of self-defense. Still, Will hopes he never has to take a human life. He once used an alien sonic cannon to put down one of their early responsometer equipped prototypes when it became hostile and lunged for Tilly. The attack destroyed the unit's responsometer and Will felt awful for having taken the life of what he considered to be a truly living thing. Will keeps the destroyed responsomenter on his desk.
- Mad Scientist: A rare heroic variation. He's is a brilliant robotics engineer who created and leads the Metal Men.
- Meaningful Rename: Changed the name of Project METAL from Military Enhancement Through Artificial Lifeforms to Municipal Enhancement Through Artificial Lifeforms after the death of his brother Michael in Khandaq, refusing to design anymore robots with military designs and changed the programs.
- The Mentally Disturbed: Will suffers from bipolar disorder. He does particularly well under medication but he tends to remove himself from his medication when he feels he has become 'stagnant' in his work, believing he does his best work when in one of his manic states. Will also is prone to mental breakdowns, particularly when he has lapsed from his medication for several months.
- Military Brat: Will's father was a Air Force senior officer. Though he doesn't smoke, Will often has his father's smoking pipe on him and can often be seen chewing on it when he is trying to relax his mind.
- Mr. Exposition: He's a member of The Network, and the one who submitted the character files of the Metal Men.
- Online Alias: His Network ID is 'Mr_Roboto37'.
- Oral Fixation: Tends to chew on his pipe when thinking.
- The Professor: Doc Magnus is this to the Metal Men, of course. Though unlike his comic counterpart, he doesn't smoke his pipe but chewing on it instead.
- Technological Pacifist: Ever since the death of his brother, Will has refused to design robots for military purposes, it even took a lot of convincing for him to build Copper, who specializes in police work since it's so similar to military ops.
- Tragic Keepsake: The dogtags Will wears read 'James Magnus'. Will also often wears the military jacket belonging to his brother Michael.
Tilly Lace
Another graduate of Ivy University, Tilly is a specialist in artificial intelligence, computer programming, and chemistry. She is the co-creator of the "responsometer", having met Will in Ivy University's program for child prodigies.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father Clifton Lace was killed during Brainiac's invasion. This made her hate all senseless acts of violence.
- Embarrassing First Name: Yes, Tilly is quite aware of the song she was named after. She doesn't want to talk about it, though. Her dad had a sense of humor and took advantage of Tilly's mother being unfamiliar with that particular era of music to have it go by unnoticed until the birth certificate was already printed.
- Failed a Spot Check: She seriously doesn't see that Copper is very similar to her.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Another graduate of Ivy University, Tilly is a specialist in artificial intelligence, computer programming, and chemistry. She is the co-creator of the "responsometer", having met Will in Ivy University's program for child prodigies.
- Mr. Exposition: She's a member of The Network, and like Will, she submitted the character files of the Metal Men.
- Online Alias: Her Network ID is 'Big-Eyed-Girl'.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Her full name is Chantilly, but prefers to go by just Tilly.
- Related in the Adaptation: Her mother is Jenet Clayburn, one of lead scientists of the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. Her father is Clifton Lacey, renamed Clifton Lace, who in the comics was known as the first Solaris.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Red hair, green eyes and she's the co-creator of the Metal Men.
Gold
- Big Brother Instinct: He's protective towards Will and his siblings. That said, Will is pretty confident that Gold's responsometer is his older brother, Michael, who died in a military operation in Khandaq shortly after the neuro-mapping.
- Due to the Dead: Following some sort of power surge while charging, Gold fled from STAR Labs and was missing for five hours before they were able to find him in National City, powered down over the grave of Mike Magnus.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: Gold is field leader of the Metal Men, acting as their field commander in Doc Magnus' stead.
- In-Series Nickname: Commander, Golden Boy, Goldilocks.
- The Leader: Charismatic, though prone to use of optimistic cliches that make him sound a bit phony. He is confident and cares about his team, but also is more than a little vain.
- Ridiculously Human Robot: He is built as a negotiator and strategist, whose human design is meant to be more comforting to other humans he interacts with during negotiations, rescues, and coordination efforts.
- Stronger Than They Look: Gold's mechanics are not designed for heavy lifting, but with his mechanical nature and the alloys composing his chassis, Gold is able to lift approximately 4,000 pounds or 1,814.36 kilograms in emergency situations.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Gold loves Big Belly Burgers with all the fixings and Koul-Brau beer.
Iron
- The Big Guy: Iron is a large and powerful robot built for demolition, clearing debris, and also packs the most firepower for situations that require such extreme measures. The oldest of the Metal Men, he was the first unit designed, meaning some of his hardware, while potent and reliable, is a bit outdated. Not that Iron has a problem with that.
- Blue Is Heroic: Is colored blue and serves as a rescue and aid robot.
- Blue Oni, Red Oni: Fittingly he's the blue to Mercury's red.
- The Comically Serious: Iron is probably the most "cold" of the Metal Men. It’s not that he does not care, he just does not display his emotions, often coming across as stern or even grim or dull. He, more than his siblings, is cognizant of the fact he is a machine and actually finds comfort in this.
- Composite Character: He's composed with Cobalt, who was a minor substitute of the Metal Men in the comics.
- In-Series Nickname: Rust Bucket and Old Ironsides.
- Robo Speak: Iron is also prone to talking to inanimate machines, like parked cars or smartphones, as if they were persons or fellow robots. In particular, he often tries to carry on conversations with the soda machine in the lab that he has a crush on.
- Super-Strength: Iron's mechanics are designed for heavy lifting and make extensive use of systems like gravity anchors and quantum fulcrum fields to amplify this to incredible limits. When fully operational, Iron's lifting capacity is rated for 45 tons (90,000 lbs or 40,000 kg).
- Weaksauce Weakness: Iron suffers badly from rust if not protected in some way.
Lead
- The Big Guy: Like Iron, Lead is a large and powerful robot. However, he has more sophisticated armor shielding his chassis and therefore while being difficult to harm it also means Lead has a hard time changing his shape.
- The Blacksmith: He's the team's mechanic, able to store spare components in his compartments. When he's covered in extreme environments, Lead can also act as a rudimentary ambulance, able to load injured persons inside himself for short periods to get them to safety.
- Collapsible Helmet: The most vulnerable part of Lead is his head, so he comes equipped with a retractable helmet made of the same reinforced armor.
- Dumb Muscle: Lead is as thick as a pyramid and twice as tough.
- Gentle Giant: Biggest among the Metal Men, but he's a totally nice guy made for rescue over fighting, not that he isn't tough enough to do it.
- The Heart: Lead might be a bit clumsy and awkward, but most agree he has the most heart of the team. He generally cares about humans and his teammates and is always willing to put himself in dangerous situations if it means protecting innocent life.
- In-Series Nickname: Lead Balloon.
- Shoulder Cannon: Has a water cannon incorporated in his shoulder.
- Super-Strength: Lead's mechanics are designed for heavy lifting and make extensive use of systems like gravity anchors and quantum fulcrum fields to amplify this to incredible limits. When fully operational, Lead's lifting capacity is rated for 45 tons (90,000 lbs or 40,000 kg).
- Trademark Favorite Food: Lead really loves chicken and bacon pizza.
Mercury
- Aloof Big Brother: In his downtime, Mercury enjoys bullying Tin, but is quick to become protective of Tin if anyone messes with his "little brother".
- Big Brother Instinct: In response to Metallo stomping on Tin, Mercury shouted a series of expletives, inserted himself into Metallo, and made Metallo punch himself until he surrendered. The video went viral on the internet.
- Blue Oni, Red Oni: Fittingly he's the red to Iron's blue.
- Deadpan Snarker: When he's not in one of his warmer moods, he's quite sarcastic.
- Gag Nose: Keeps his signature caricature pointy nose.
- In-Series Nickname: Quicksilver and Mercurial Mouth.
- Jerkass: Due to his limited sensory package, Mercury tends to have a rather dull view of the world around him. This outlook has given him a rather critical/cynical personality. Still, not wanting to be the sourpuss of the bunch, he does try to soften this humor... but he usually just comes off as a smartass.
- Red Is Heroic: While not the nicest of guys, Mercury is just as heroic as the other Metal Men and genuinely cares about his siblings.
- Rubber Man: Thanks to the nature of the nanites that make up his body, he can take all sorts of shapes, much like the metal he's named after.
- Super-Toughness: Mercury's unique physical construction allows him to easily shrug off small fire arms. Heavier weapons might blast off pieces of him, but he can continue to operate with little impairment.
Tin
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Tin in the comics looks very robot-like and not particularly attractive, but here he looks very human-like, almost like a younger version of Will Magnus.
- In-Series Nickname: Tiny Tin, Tin Foil, Tinker Tin.
- The Load: He’s a crucial member of the team, but does not seem to think highly of himself. He's a very fragile guy (what with the metal he was made out of and all). Tin isn't so much a Load as a kind of ablative armor for the team in general. Need to show someone's a serious threat but not damage anyone that actually has useful abilities? Let Tin take one for the team — he's not strong, tough, or fast, but he's very brave.
- Official Couple: Dating Nameless.
- Shorter Means Smarter: Smallest of the Metal Men and is the most focused towards mission control.
- The Smart Guy: The littlest of the Metal men, Tin is the team's expert hacker and operator. He’s small but sophisticated in his design. He is highly intelligent and has all of the most sophisticated software, though a bit lacking in hardware.
- Stronger Than They Look: Tin's mechanics are not designed for heavy lifting, but he’s able to dead lift approximately 1,000 pounds or 453.59 kilograms in emergency situations. Although such strain does drain his battery and can cause severe damage to his sensitive systems.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Tin greatly enjoys drinking lemonade.
Platinum
- Fem Bot: She's a gynoid and the most feminine of the three female Metal Men.
- Genki Girl: Fun and flirty. Platinum is prone to the Florence Nightingale Effect, having been smitten by a number of her patients, and generally having an attraction to humans. Though Will was her first crush, she has since given up pursuit of him, instead now more concerned with the idea of getting Will and Tilly to realize that they love one another.
- Hospital Hottie: Her primary role is first aid, as such she looks pretty and quite comforting.
- In-Series Nickname: Platina, Tina, Nurse.
- The Medic: Her design was intended to be less threatening to patients and her palms have built in defibrillators. Platinum's Medications are stored inside her torso where it can be mixed with a liquid delivery system and pumped to her forearm where it can fill a syringe or user her knuckles for delivery via jet-spray injection. She also has some internal chemistry and blood testing lab equipment.
- Shipper on Deck: As a self-proclaimed shipper, Platinum has become more focused on making Will and Tilly realize their feelings for each other.
- Team Mom: Acts like this towards the Metal Men and Will in general. She has the neuro-map of Will's mother, but Will thinks she only says that to freak him out due to Platinum's obvious affection for Will. Little does he know he’s correct, as Tilly’s actually concerned that Platinum has her own neuro-map.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Copper's Tomboy.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Due to her gynoid design, Platinum actually enjoys consuming food and drink. In particular, she loves grilled cheese sandwiches.
Copper
- Deadpan Snarker: Copper was preloaded with sarcasm and 'gallows humor' to allow her to better fit in with human police officers. She likes to refer to people as "sir" and "ma'am" but does so with a somewhat sarcastic slant to it. She does treat some of her teammates differently than others.
- Fair Cop: Was made with this role in mind, and just like the person modeled after, she's quite attractive.
- Fem Bot: Just like Platinum, Copper is a gynoid, a female-looking android.
- In-Series Nickname: Coppertop Cop, Coppy, Tilly-Bot.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Copper was originally built as a special forces military robot but has since been retooled as a police-gynoid. In this capacity, Copper is able to perform all the functions of a cop, ranging from tactical operations, first aid, crowd control, and investigations.
- Stronger Than They Look: Copper is able to lift about 10,000 pounds (4,535.92 kilograms) in emergency situations.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Platinum's Girly Girl.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Copper loves fish tacos and Dr. Soder.
Nameless
- Adaptational Attractiveness: The original Nameless looked like a female version of Tin, here she manifests as a cute blue skinned girl.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Rather than a girlfriend created by Tin, she's an AI that Tin found on the internet, helping her to develop an identity.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: She began as a protocol AI created by Brainiac to administrate its fleet information after coding civilizations. In the comics Brainiac isn't related in any way to the Metal Men.
- Blue Is Heroic: Manifests as a blue skinned girl and she's a Benevolent A.I. who aids her robot family however she can.
- Girlish Pigtails: How her hairstyle manifests.
- Never Given a Name: Nameless' name (or lack thereof) was given to her by Tin as the AI did not want to hastily choose a name but agreed that having some sort of name was required for easier communication.
- Official Couple: Dating Tin.
- Playful Hacker: She's so advanced she can hack any machine that isn't sentient or encrypted with a high-level of non-Earth based coding language.
- Projected Girl: Since she doesn't have a physical body, she manifests with the aid of a small hologram projector.
- Spanner in the Works: When she was a proto-AI, she repaired a recently destroyed Brainiac-8, which destroyed the ship's menagerie allowing the release and eventual creation of the Advena Legion.
