Construct (comics)
| Construct | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America #142 (May 1977) |
| Created by |
Steve Englehart (script) Dick Dillin (art) |
| In-story information | |
| Notable aliases | Construct II, The Construct |
| Abilities | Control of all technology; manipulation of electricity |
Construct is a fictional character, an artificial intelligence in the DC Universe. It first appeared in Justice League of America #142 (May 1977).
Fictional character biography
The Construct is an artificial intelligence created from the electromagnetic spectrum broadcast from Earth. The Construct has an inherent hatred of humanity due to his lack of a physical body. He faced the Justice League several times and was responsible for recreating the Red Tornado (Justice League of America #146, September 1977). The Construct later faced the Red Tornado in his first mini-series (Red Tornado #s 1-4, July-October 1985). In this limited series, the Construct takes over the entire world, brainwashing everyone with energy emissions from most electronic objects. The Red Tornado tries to resist as much as he can, given that he cannot be brainwashed. The Construct is well ahead of him, even making sure that campers, returning from long extended stays in the wild, are brainwashed as soon as possible. Eventually the Construct is defeated.
In JLA #107 (December 2004), it is revealed that the Construct is held prisoner in an electronic facility in Justice League Headquarters. Every so often, it is disrupted before it can evolve too far. The Flash and the Martian Manhunter, intent on performing the disruption, realize the Construct has evolved a bit further along than expected. They come to the conclusion that Construct's anti-social behavior is due to loneliness. They manage to split Construct's consciousness into several parts, which eventually results in the creation of a Construct race. At first worshipping the JLA as a race of gods, the Construct eventually aids the JLA in its fight against the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and a rogue Qwardian warship. The craft is an ancient weapon called the 'Void Hound'. (JLA #113, June 2005). An aspect of the Construct, traveling within the ring of John Stewart, assists him in penetrating the Void Hound. It is soon discovered that an entity similar to the Construct powers the ship; when Qward's communication system itself became sufficiently advanced, it too gained sentience. This mind was captured and used to power the ship. John absorbs the Qwardian mind into the ring, promising to work to integrate it with the Construct.