Rom ( comics ) Rom the Spaceknight Rom 's first appearance in Rom # 1 , Volume 1 , December 1979 . Publisher Marvel Comics with permission from Parker Brothers First appearance Rom # 1 , Volume 1 , December 1979 . Created by Bing McCoy ( toy design ) Bill Mantlo ( comic book version ) Characteristics Alter ego Rom Affiliations Spaceknights , X-Men Abilities Super-strength ; near tireless ; near invulnerability ; flight . Also equipped with a Universal Translator ; Analyzer and Neutralizer . Rom the Spaceknight was a toy created by Bing McCoy and sold to Parker Brothers , who in cooperation with Marvel Comics also created a fictional character that existed in the Marvel Universe . Creation McCoy originally called the toy COBOL - after the programming language - which was later changed to `` Rom '' by Parker Brothers ' executives . The toy was something of a first for Parker Brothers , which up until that time had only ever produced board games . Given that this was a new venture for the company and that electronic toys were still very new , a decision was made to produce the toy as cheaply as was possible . The final toy had very few points of articulation and also had the twin LED 's that served as Rom 's eyes changed from green to red , as the latter were much cheaper to produce . The toy was to also be supported by a tie-in comic book featuring the character published by Marvel Comics . The comic expanded on the simple premise that Rom was a cyborg and gave him an origin , personality , set of supporting characters , villains and one other vital ingredient - interaction with the rest of the Marvel Universe . Unfortunately , the toy failed and only sold 200 - 300 thousand units in the US , with creator McCoy blaming the failure on poor packaging and marketing . Parker Brothers subsequently abandoned the line and returned to manufacturing board games . The Rom toy in box . ROM is trademark and copyright Parker Brothers ( brand of Hasbro ) 1979 . The Comic The comic was published between 1979 and 1985 , and ironically outlasted the toy the title was created to support . It was written by Bill Mantlo and initially illustrated by artist Sal Buscema . The comic was published from December 1979 until February 1986 . Fictional character biography In the comic book version , Rom was far more than a simple cyborg . He was originally from a utopian society on a planet called Galador . At some point Galador was threatened by a fleet of ships manned by shape-changing aliens known as the Dire Wraiths . Galador 's ruler , the Prime Director , called for volunteers to be transformed into cyborg warriors called ' Spaceknights ' , so they could defend the planet from the invaders . The volunteers were promised that their `` humanity '' ( that is , the body parts that would be removed to accommodate the bionic armor ) would be preserved and restored to them after the danger was over . Rom was the first to volunteer , and was transformed into a large , silver humanoid that at first glance appeared to be totally robotic . Rom was also given Galador 's greatest weapon - the Neutralizer - which on one setting could banish the Wraiths into the dimension known as Limbo forever . Inspired by his example , a total of 1 , 000 Galadorians volunteered and were transformed into Spaceknights , each with his or her own unique armour , powers and code names . The Spaceknights succeeded in stopping the Wraith invasion , although Rom decided to follow the remnants of the fleet back to their home planet - Wraithworld - which orbited a black sun . The Wraiths panicked , and after a futile counter-attack abandoned the planet and scattered throughout space . Rom now felt responsible for spreading the Wraiths’ evil across the universe , and swore he would not reclaim his humanity until all Dire Wraiths had been vanquished . His fellow Spaceknights , including comrades Starshine and Terminator , swore the same oath and left Galador . Earthfall Rom arrives on Earth 200 years later , and it is at this point that the Rom series begins . Landing near the fictional town of Clairton , in West Virginia , USA , Rom encounters a young woman named Brandy Clark . After seeing Rom deal with the Wraiths firsthand , Brandy comes to understand his mission and helps to hide Rom from prying eyes . This becomes necessary once Rom uses the Neutralizer in public , as witnesses only see a `` killer robot '' disintegrating innocents - they do not realise that Rom is in fact banishing Wraiths in human form . In time Brandy 's boyfriend , Steve Jackson , also helped Rom in his mission , although when Brandy began to fall in love with the noble Rom his relationship with Steve was strained . Foes During his time on Earth , Rom fought and banished thousands of Wraiths . The increasingly desperate Wraiths also created new foes for Rom , such as the sorcerous Devil Dogs , robotic Watchwraiths and Firefall - a fusion of human and Spaceknight . Two of Rom 's greatest foes were the aptly named Hybrid - the hideous result of a union between Wraith and human - and Mentus : a suit of Spaceknight armour occupied by the dark side of the Prime Director 's psyche . Many other opponents were more traditional and hailed from the Marvel Universe proper , such as the Mad Thinker ; the Space Phantom ; Nightmare and even the herald of Galactus , Terrax . At one stage , Rom 's war against the Wraiths took a turn for the worst - a new breed of Wraith appeared on Earth , and appeared to be far deadlier than the first variety . It was later revealed that these were in fact female Wraiths , who relied on sorcery , as opposed to the weaker males who placed their faith in science . Unlike the males , the female Wraiths chose not to act in secrecy and openly attacked Clairton while Rom was away , killing everyone ( including Steve Jackson and superhero ally the Torpedo ) with exception of Brandy Clark . Rom , triumphed , however , with the aid of his super-powered allies . The female Dire Wraiths arrive on Earth in Rom # 47 , Volume 1 . Publisher Marvel Comics . Allies Luke Cage ; Iron Fist ; the Fantastic Four ; the Sub-Mariner ; Dr. Strange ; Forge and the Torpedo were among Rom 's allies on Earth . The Spaceknight Starshine would also eventually join Rom on Earth , falling in love with Rom and eventually dying in battle to save him . Once the female Wraiths made the strategic blunder of breaking their cover and openly attacking the Helicarrier of S.H.I.E.L.D. , the nations of Earth united and placed their forces at Rom 's disposal . The Wraiths then launched a major offensive - a spell was cast on Earth 's Sun that used its gravitational pull to draw Wraithworld across space and to superimpose itself on the Earth . This would boost the Wraiths ' abilities as Wraithworld was the source of their power . The Wraiths then attacked New York City en masse , but were halted by an alliance of the city 's superheroes . Rom , with help from the inventor Forge , created a satellite that could boost the power of the Neutralizer to the point whereby it could banish all Wraiths present on Earth . There was , however , an inherent risk - the Neutraliser would also permanently cancel the powers of all superhumans on Earth . Rom instead chose to direct the Neutraliser 's effects on Wraithworld itself , banishing it to Limbo . This rendered the female Wraiths powerless , and they were also subsequently banished to Limbo . The Wraiths were finally defeated , and Rom was now free of his oath . Endgame Rom left Earth soon after the battle and returned to Galador . Unknown to Rom , however , Brandy had accidentally met the entity called the Beyonder , and asked him to transport her to Galador . The Beyonder complied and Brandy found herself on Galador , now occupied by a new group of cyborgs that had been created in the absence of the original Spaceknights . The new Spaceknights had been corrupted by their power , and feeling superior to normal Galadorians , massacred the entire race . In an act of sheer spite the new Spaceknights also destroyed the frozen remains of the originals . Rom arrived too late and could only save Brandy . Enraged , Rom summoned the original Spaceknights and together they destroyed the traitors . Rom then made a surprising discovery - his original humanity had been saved and hidden by Galactus . Reclaiming it , Rom became human again and finally admitted his love for Brandy . The two chose to remain on Galador , while the other Spaceknights , their humanity now lost , set out to explore the universe . Lapsed Copyright and Other Appearances Given that Marvel no longer possesses the rights to Rom , the character may not make a reappearance in his armoured form . In September 2006 , Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort was asked about the future of Rom and replied that `` We don’t own the rights to the toy . We’ve tried , but things haven’t quite fallen into place yet. '' . Marvel , however , has `` cheated '' it to a degree on several occasions . In the recent Captain Marvel series featuring Genis-Vell , Rick Jones was shown to own a toaster in the shape of Rom 's helmet . In the alternate world of Earth X , Rom had ironically been banished to Limbo and was battling against the very Dire Wraiths he had sent there . Rom was seen in human form wielding his Neutralizer and using his chestplate as a shield . Marvel has recently ( January 2006 ) reprinted the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe in the Essentials line of trade paperbacks , and features the original Rom entries . Spaceknights Miniseries Published in 2000 , Marvel launched a 5 part miniseries . The story loosely followed Rom and Brandy and their life on Galador . The series did not sell well and plans for another ongoing Rom title were abandoned . This may have been due to reader complaints that the series did not adhere to the continuity established in the first series . Powers and Abilities Rom’s armour provided him with superhuman strength ; near-invulnerbility ; flight and the ability to warp through space via backpa ck rockets and to breathe any atmosphere , including space . The armour also stored a `` Solar Charge '' that could be used as a weapon and could also drain power sources by mere contact . It also gave him the ability to summon three pieces of equipment stored in “ subspace ” : The Neutralizer - In addition to banishing Dire Wraiths to Limbo by opening a dimensional portal , this handheld weapon could fire energy beams and neutralize various forms of energy . This device was designed so that only Rom would be able to discharge it . The mutant Wolverine once tried to use the weapon and received a numbing blast of energy feedback . The Analyser - Allowed Rom to see shape-changed Dire Wraiths in their true form and could assess the energy and potential of any object/entity . It could also be used on an item which represented a world , such as a globe , and would display lights corresponding to Dire Wraith infestations at that point on the planet . The Universal Translator - Allowed Rom to instantly learn the language of any creature , irrespective of their origin . This device was also used to scan and store printed information from an encyclopedia in Rom 's memory banks for future use . Trivia Rom the Spaceknight was in a scene in an episode of the Cartoon Network show Robot Chicken as part of their Adult Swim block . The episode is entitled `` Metal Militia '' and features a segment where Rom does battle against a man with a giant magnet . References Rom Spaceknight Revisited ! Bibliography Rom # 1 - 75 , Volume 1 ( December , 1979 - February , 1986 ) Rom Annual # 1 - 4 ( 1982 - 1985 ) SpaceKnights # 1 - 5 ( 2000 ) Power Man & Iron Fist # 73 , Volume 1 ( September 1981 ) The Incredible Hulk # 296 , Volume 1 ( June 1984 ) Avengers # 244 - 245 , Volume 1 ( July-August 1984 ) Fantastic Four # 277 , Volume 1 ( April 1985 ) External links http : //home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/comics/Rom/ http : //www.romspaceknight.com Categories : Extraterrestrial superheroes | Fictional cyborgs | Fictional knights | Heralds of Galactus | Marvel Comics aliens | Marvel Comics objects In other languages : Français Rom 's first appearance in Rom # 1 , Volume 1 , December 1979. background : # ff8080 Rom the Spaceknight Rom Marvel Comics with permission from Parker Brothers Rom # 1 , Volume 1 , December 1979 . Bing McCoy ( toy design ) Bill Mantlo ( comic book version ) background : # ffc0c0 Retired , depowered Spaceknights X-Men Super-strength ; near tireless ; near invulnerability ; flight . Also equipped with a Universal Translator ; Analyzer and Neutralizer . 