Fantastic Four #226
The Samurai Destroyer
Reed, Sue, Johnny and Franklin are watching a television news broadcast about a giant robot reported to have attacked a Czechoslovakian train and made off with its cargo of gold bullion. Reed surmises that it may have something to do with the Shogun Warriors, as they are the only people on earth in possession of such technology and decides the situation is worthy of investigation.
Meanwhile, as they are returning from a Broadway show, Ben and Alicia engage in a heart-to-heart that attracts the attention of passers-by, the pair oblivious to the crowd that has gathered until they burst into applause. Ben is clearly piqued by the crowd's interest and drags Alicia back to the Baxter Building with impatient haste. As the couple arrives at the Fantastic Four's headquarters, Ben notices three mysterious figures loitering by the elevator, whose presence triggers an alert signal upstairs in the penthouse suite. As Reed, Sue, and Johnny scramble to investigate the alarm, they find that Ben has already dealt with the situation as he introduces the Fantastic Four's three guests: Richard Carson, Ilongo Savage, and Genji Odashu -- the Shogun Warriors. Carson explains that the giant robot responsible for the bullion theft had already systematically sought out and destroyed each of the Shogun Warriors' own robots, hence the trio's need for the Fantastic Four's help.
As Franklin wanders in with a transistor radio it picks up a bulletin describing the sighting of a giant robot near Mt. Fujimoto, and so the seven heroes are soon on their way to Japan in the Pogo Plane. As the Fantastic Four try to deal with the giant robot which is rampaging through a Japanese city, the Shogun Warriors investigate the Sanctuary, their former base of operations now being used as a storage facility for the robot's plunder. The Fantastic Four are unable to halt the robot's rampage as it rips a bank off its foundations and absconds with it, before returning to the Sanctuary where it confronts the Shogun Warriors. The Samurai Destroyer, as the robot introduces itself, is actually a fourth Shogun Warrior-type robot, found half-built and constructed by its un-named occupant, whose goal is nothing greater than wanton destruction and the acquisition of tremendous wealth.
The combined efforts of the Fantastic Four and the Shogun Warriors are enough to overpower and destroy the robot, whose occupant is taken into custody. For the Warriors, however, the victory is hollow, for with their giant robots destroyed they must face the prospect of living ordinary lives away from the superheroics they had become accustomed to.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Shogun Warriors (Ilongo Savage, Richard Carson, Genji Odashu), Franklin Richards, Alicia Masters
Continuity Notes
This story begins in what is stated as Czechoslovakia, this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. At the time of this writing, Czechoslovakia was a country, but it had since broken into two different countries the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993. As such, it is listed as Slovakia in the appearance listing as the Carpathian Mountains pass through modern-day Slovakia.
This is the only appearance of William McLaughlin and the Samurai Destroyer. William is not named until Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four.
The Sanctuary of Light and the Shogun Warrior robots were created by the Followers of the Light, aliens who opposed Maur-Konn. The Followers were slain and the Sanctuary destroyed in Shogun Warriors #16.
The Fantastic Four had a previous encounter with the Shogun Warriors in Shogun Warriors #19-20 when the team assisted them in bringing down Maur-Konn.
