Blackarachnia (Beast Wars)
She’s a black widow spider after all, what else can you expect from Blackarachina? She is cunning, loyal and vindictive and one who didn’t cower down to the likes of Megatron. This Predacon turned Maximal flip-flopper (it was complicated) always kept her enemies on their toes, which made many viewers question her integrity when joining the Maximals throughout the Beast Wars series. Blackarachnia was always trying to infiltrate the Maximal’s base and thinking of ways to both carry out her mission and gain as much power as she could. But, even this treacherous femme fatale had a weak spot for a man who knew she was capable of love. Who can forget Silverbolt’s chivalric ways and even omitting to fight her because she was female. That never really worked for Blackarachnia in the beginning, but she eventually let her guard down and fell in love with the big lug (after he endured a few kicks and beatings during their… courtship?). And how can any of us forget that kiss that literally made sparks fly?
Jocasta (Marvel)
When you can’t have the girl of your dreams, one simply turns to science. And that is exactly what Ultron did. With a Weird Science touch, Ultron made his robotic wife Jocasta with the brain frequencies, conscience, and personality of his beloved Wasp. Little did he know that Jocasta would eventually back-fire on him, grow to despise his evil ways and aid the Avengers when ever she could. Although she was welcomed by the Avengers, Jocasta couldn’t help but feel like an outcast, until she met and sought a mutual friendship and understanding with Machine Man. But, her happiness would soon dissolve into sorrow when she decided to sacrifice herself in an attempt to destroy her creator Ultron. Fortunately, her head (which was functional) was recovered from the blast and Machine Man tried his hardest to resurrect his robotic love. And did I mention that in the pages of Mighty Avengers she does eventually marry the metallic goon Ultron?
Note: In regards to this list, I chose to focus more on Jocasta’s character from Earth-616; I did not take into consideration that in the alternate Earth-8410, Jocasta, in another form, does bear the child of Machine Man.
Arcee (Transformers)
Okay, so she may be pink and have somewhat of a breast plate making her obviously female, but this robot has seen a lot during her time on Cybertron. Whether you’re talking about Arcee in the animated series or comics, she’s proven herself to be one formidable Autobot. While she tagged along with Hot Rod and Springer in the animated series and acted as a mother figure towards Daniel, Arcee’s persona took a different — much more darker turn — in the IDW Transformers canon. In the series, she was created by Jhiaxus in an attempt to see what a feminine robot would be like in the male-centric Transformers universe. She was soon treated inferior for her feminine differences (wearing actual robot lipstick) and was ousted by Jhiaxus. Arcee eventually took her rage out on her creator by wreaking havoc on neighboring planets and destroying all of his creations. She was soon imprisoned and was such a menace that her spark was removed and separated from her body while incarcerated… but not for long. Any romance in this robot’s life? Well, kind of, in the Headmasters anime she slow dances with Chromedome where an attraction forms.
Guri (Star Wars)
In the Star Wars universe, human replica droids (HRDs) were an experiment undergone by the Rebel Alliance. Dubbed Project Decoy, scientists hoped to create HRDs so sophisticated that they could replace Imperial officers and gather crucial intel. Sadly, funding was minimal and the project was ultimately scrapped, until the process was perfected by the Empire. Undetectable to metal scanners, synthetic organs and bio-fibers add to their inconspicuous nature. The skin is cloned resulting in a flawless, realistic complexion. An obvious difference was that HRDs had a body temperature that was much cooler than a human’s — so cold that it equated to a dead human body. Of the HRDs the Empire manufactured, the only one to be trained as a ruthless assassin was Guri: the lieutenant, personal bodyguard and right-hand woman to crime lord Xizor and his empire Black Sun. Their relationship was a formidable one, since she was one of the few he could trust; Guri found herself becoming very protective of her master, especially when he would become “interested” in other women. She was the one sent by Xizor to destroy Luke Skywalker once he found out that he was the son of his rival Lord Vader. Skywalker ultimately won in a fight with Guri (using the force no less) and spared her life. After the fall of Xizor, she contemplated her purpose and decided to find her creator and be reprogrammed.
Maria (Metropolis)
It’s only right to wrap up this list with the one non-human woman who started it all: Maria. Putting all literary theory and jargon aside for the time being, the robotic Maria is both created and controlled by man. The robotic Maria has the same likeness and appearance of her fleshy counterparts, but her attitude and actions are a result of staying true to negative feminine stereotypes, including an appetite to destroy and a strong sexual aura bordering on being a tease (did you see her sexy robot dance?). Initially created by Rotwang, who makes man-machines for the city of Metropolis, Maria was an attempt to recreate his late wife Hel. The female robot eventually is given the face and physical likeness of Maria: a young girl living in Metropolis who is also the object of affection to Freder — the son of the master of Metropolis. For a film that was released a little over 80 years ago, Maria still holds the honor of being the first female robot of geekdom and inimitable in regards to sheer complexity and scope.
Freelance writer Theresa Romano blogs, or Tumbls, here.
