Avengers West Coast (1989) #89

"Ultron Unbound!!!"

Ultron is imprisoned at the Vault, encased in a block of adamantium. Despite strict regulations, one of the Guardsmen on duty has been smuggling in a hand-held video game for weeks, not knowing he is being subtly manipulated by the inert Ultron. Having taken control of the video game, Ultron suddenly speaks, announcing his usual disdain for humanity. The Guardsman tosses down the video game, but it bursts into a swarm of thousands of tiny mechanical bits that proceed to completely devour the guard’s flesh. They then proceed to devour the block of adamantium encasing him and convert it into part of his own body, which is explained with reference to his internal “molecular rearranger.” Once freed, Ultron proceeds to unleash hell upon the Guardsmen and escape.

Meanwhile, at the Avengers West Coast headquarters, the team is yelling at USAgent for having a side-gig working for the government. Adding further chaos, War Machine arrives, offering his services as a West Coast Avenger, despite brawling with the team at Tony Stark’s funeral. They agree, but only if he reveals his true identity, which he won’t, and thus leaves. Myron MacLain, inventor of adamantium, calls to say he has found a way to mass produce adamantium; Hawkeye sends most of the team to go check it out.

Upon arrival, they find MacLain robotic and dismissive and possessed of uncharacteristic super-strength. He quickly proves to be a robot. They smash the robot and find two dead security guards but no sign of the real MacLain. Fearing Ultron’s involvement they contact the Scarlet Witch back at base, but her computers are soon taken over by images of Ultron’s visage.

Ultron activates the computerized defenses to attack Wanda, and then explosively appears himself, in an oversize, beefed-up version of himself. He announces his intention is now to obliterate not just all human life but all life, period, on the planet. Scarlet Witch’s hex powers are inoperative, and Ultron knocks her backwards into the pool and kills the groundskeeper. Hawkeye tags him with an electricity-disrupting arrow to buy time, but he takes over a nearby tractor and uses it to try to run over Mockingbird’s daughter. Ultron unleashes his “robo-ticks” to kill them, when the Vision suddenly appears to confront Ultron.