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This page is about the fictional character. For other uses, see OMAC.

OMAC (originally One-Man Army Corps) is a superhero created by Jack Kirby in 1974 for DC Comics. Over the years concept was brought back multiple times with various alterations but core idea of human merging with machine, usually initiated by Brother Eye, and visual aesthetics prevailed.

Publication history

Original series

Original, short-lived, series were developed due to Kirby having to fill his contractual quota of 15 pages per week and ended with its eighth issue. Series focus on Buddy Blank, a corporate nobody, who is transformed into OMAC by Brother Eye and is enlisted into Global Peace Agency.
After cancellation character was relegated to backups and cameo appearances until 1991 when character was featured in limited series by John Byrne. Conclusion of limited series marked the last time that series, starring original OMAC, were published.

The OMAC Project

Main article: The OMAC Project

In 2005, as build up for Infinite Crisis, four miniseries were published. One of them was The OMAC Project (by Greg Rucka) featuring a different interpretation of the original character. In this version OMACs are humans transformed by virus into living machines with the goal of eliminating all beings with superpowers. As with original version transformation is monitored and controlled by Brother Eye. After conclusion of Infinite Crisis a new miniseries titled OMAC were published and focused on the last active OMAC.
OMAC(s) did not receive any additional series till The New 52 relaunch, but continued to appear in other series, usually as foil for heroes or plot elements.

The New 52

A new version of the character was released during the first wave of The New 52 launch. Unlike The OMAC Project this version was closer to the original but also incorporated some of the ideas from The OMAC Project in an attempt to bridge them. Just like original series it concluded with eighth issue and character was relegated to appearances in other character's titles.

Fictional character biographies

Buddy Blank

Main article: OMAC (Buddy Blank)

ReMAC

A modified OMAC is shown as a part of the Outsiders team in the 2008 Batman and the Outsiders series.

When a team from the Justice League attempts to seize a partially active OMAC, a leftover from The OMAC Project events, Batman takes the opportunity to reclaim it for himself—having Dr. Francine Langstrom create a clever forgery to leave in care of the League.

The OMAC, aptly renamed ReMAC, appears to be "an iPod with its tracklist wiped." Dr. Langstrom is unable to discern who ReMAC was before being infected by the OMAC virus; finding ReMAC a mere husk, devoid of any personal identity. This complete lack of personality makes ReMAC the perfect infiltrator, using its advanced shape shifting abilities and its unquestioning obedience for the Outsiders' sake.

Since its lack of personality allows villains to snatch control of ReMAC, turning it into an enemy, Batman rigs up a telepresence system turning ReMAC into an advanced drone for Salah Miandad, Dr. Langstrom's chief assistant, enabling operation from the Outsiders HQ, the Batcave, or other secret locations.

However, while testing a new neural interface, less dependent from his stamina, to control the former OMAC, Salah is knocked into a coma. His mind comes to reside in ReMAC, supplanting the missing personality of the drone for a while (one full issue), until, due to the machinations of the villainous Simon Hurt, ReMAC is fed a malicious self-destruct code that blows it to pieces, making the restoration of Salah's consciousness impossible.

Kevin Kho

Following the events of Flashpoint and the events of The New 52 a Cambodian-American man named Kevin Kho is introduced as the new OMAC. Maxwell Lord is revealed to have had a hand in Kevin's transformation. The series has been cancelled as of issue 8, as part of DC's 'Second Wave' of new titles, with OMAC joining Justice League International for the title's closing issues.

Powers and abilities

Brother Eye can activate the virus in any infected person, at any time, within planetary range. Once activated, the person is covered in cybernetic armor and becomes a thrall to Brother Eye's commands.

An OMAC unit has access to archives on almost every metahuman on file, and can simulate the powers of a variety of superheroes and supervillains in order to target its opponent's weaknesses. Among the powers displayed were the ability to fly, shoot fire, project needles of artificial cellulose (against Alan Scott; an approximation of his weakness to wood), dispense flame-retarding foam, and fire various energy beams from its eye and hands with caustic, concussive, or blinding effects. In addition, the OMAC unit can morph its extremities into blades and pincers. It once simulated Shazam's lightning power and forced Mary Marvel to revert to her human form. It can disable the Eradicator effortlessly.

The only weakness an OMAC has is that it is human beneath its shell, intended as a deterrent to prevent heroes from using lethal force against them. The OMACs are dependent on their assessment of individual heroes. When fighting multiple opponents, they require a few seconds to adapt their countermeasures for each hero. Atom Smasher was able to stop an OMAC that was attacking the JSA by stomping it before it could assess his threat level. OMACs are also very vulnerable to Mister Terrific, as he cannot be detected by technology.

In the Superman/Batman series, Brainiac temporarily occupies an OMAC body.

ReMAC, the OMAC possessed by the Outsiders, has the same powers and abilities of a regular OMAC. He greatly differs in his physical makeup, being redder in color and with a more human-like face even in his armored form.

Unable to contact Brother Eye and unable to access his former personality, ReMAC was controlled for a period by Dr. Salah Miandad. In this way, ReMAC retained his invulnerability and strength, but was limited by Salah's personal stamina and attention span, which was not always sufficient for a fight. Salah's mind was later trapped into the ReMAC body by a faulty mind interface, removing the limits of his below-average stamina.

In other media

Television

• Brother Eye appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "When OMAC Attacks!" voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.

Video games

• The OMAC Project makes a cameo appearance in Batman's ending for the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. In the game, it is explained that Batman designed the OMACs as a way to defend New Earth from multiverse invaders following the destruction of the merged Darkseid/Shao Kahn. These OMACs have an armor pattern that is similar to Batman's own costume, and the acronym stands for Outerworld Monitor and Auto Containment.
• Brother Eye and the OMAC Project appear in DC Universe Online with Brother Eye voiced by Ken Thomas. Brother Eye is reactivated and becomes a pawn of Brainiac in his plot to take over Earth. Brother Eye unleashes the OMAC virus and begins assimilating the area around the Gotham City Knights Dome. The players find Brother Eye in the sewers in Gotham City. Brother Eye's OMAC minions consist of Defective OMAC, OMAC Drones, OMAC MK II, OMAC Nanosyths, OMAC Sigmas, OMAC Units, OMAC Delta, and an OMAC Incinerator.

References

Category:DC Comics supervillains Category:DC Comics supervillain teams Category:DC Comics science fiction characters Category:Fictional cyborgs Category:DC Comics titles Category:2005 comic debuts Category:Characters created by Greg Rucka