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Master Mold

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Master Mold
Master Mold in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 Annual #7 (Oct. 1978).
Art by John Byrne.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #15 (Dec. 1965)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
SpeciesRobot
Team affiliationsSentinels
Project: Armageddon
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and durability
  • Ability to incorporate metal into itself
  • Concussive blasts
  • Plasma discharges
  • Ability to scan mutants
  • Flight

Master Mold is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics most commonly appearing as an enemy of the X-Men and the leader of the Sentinel mutant-hunting robots.

Publication history

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Cover to X-Men #16 (January 1966). Art by Jack Kirby.

Master Mold first appeared in The X-Men #15–16 (Dec. 1965 – Jan. 1966), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[1]

The character subsequently appears in The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (1978); X-Factor #13–14 (Feb.–March 1987); Power Pack #36 (April 1988); Marvel Comics Presents #18–24 (May–July 1989); The Uncanny X-Men #246–247 (July–Aug. 1989); The Sensational She-Hulk #30 (Aug. 1991); and Cyclops: Retribution #1 (Jan. 1994).

Master Mold received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #5.

Fictional character biography

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Original version

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The original version of Master Mold is created by Bolivar Trask. Fearing superhuman mutants such as the X-Men, Trask makes a super-computer in the shape of a giant robot that will control and facilitate the construction of the Sentinels (mechanical warriors programmed to hunt and capture mutants).[2] Master Mold is secretly programmed by the time-traveling Madame Sanctity of the Askani Sisterhood with the mission to find and destroy the Twelve, a group of mutants linked to Apocalypse's rise.[3] Master Mold has Trask captured and decides to take over humanity in a bid to protect them. Trask sacrifices himself to destroy Master Mold and prevent the Sentinels from taking over humanity.[2][4][1]

Second version

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Another version of Master Mold possesses Steven Lang's brainwaves. After Project Armageddon, Lang tries to activate Master Mold, which merges the former's mind with it instead. The computer suffers great damage by the Hulk and is seemingly destroyed when the base explodes.[5] However, Master Mold survives and creates the Retribution Virus to wipe out mutant-kind. It blames Cyclops entirely for its "death" as Lang. He hypnotizes and utilizes Moira MacTaggart to unleash the virus, infecting Cyclops, Callisto, and Banshee before MacTaggart breaks free of his grasp. While she attempts to cure the virus, Cyclops and Callisto team with Conscience (another artificial construct developed from Lang's brain engrams) to stop Master Mold and save mutant-kind as well as all humanity, which had become threatened by the virus. Cyclops is weakened from the disease's effects but nearly single-handedly destroys Master Mold before falling unconscious. As Master Mold prepares to kill Cyclops and finish unleashing the virus, he is attacked and destroyed by Banshee. The virus is then cured before it has a chance to spread.[6]

The remains of Master Mold later merge with Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel from the future. Both are forced through the Siege Perilous, causing them to be reborn as the cyborg Bastion.[7][8][2][4][9][10]

Third version

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A Master Mold-esque factory is built in secret in the jungles of Ecuador. This particular version builds the Wild Sentinels which are capable of assimilating non-organic materials to assume different shapes, such as an insectoid, as well as a breed of Nano-Sentinels. The Wild Sentinels are taken over by Cassandra Nova to devastate Genosha and attack the X-Men. Following their defeat by Rogue's X-Men team, the Children of the Vault escape and regroup in the factory.[volume & issue needed]

Other versions

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In X-Men: Second Coming, X-Force travels to the Days of Future Past timeline where there are two Master Molds, one producing Nimrods and another one protecting the first Master Mold.[volume & issue needed]

Mendel Stromm is approached by a mysterious benefactor involving a Master Mold that specializes in the creation of Tri-Sentinels.[11] Spider-Man takes remote control of the Tri-Sentinels and sends them back to Master Mold to destroy it.[12]

Mother Mold

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A new version called Mother Mold is seen in "House of X and Powers of X". Orchis creates a variant designed to create other Master Molds.[13][4] It is later revealed that Mother Mold will be the Sentinel generation that lead directly to the creation of Nimrod.[14][15]

Capabilities

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Dr. Bolivar Trask equipped Master Mold with powerful weaponry and the ability to speak; Master Mold was also mobile so that it could defend itself from mutant attackers or so that it can be relocated easily if Trask had to find a new headquarters. The Steven Lang Master Molds were also capable of self-repair.

Other versions

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Infinity Warps

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Master Mole, a fusion of Master Mold and Mole Man created by the Infinity Gems, appears in Infinity Wars: Infinity Warps #1.[16]

Ultimate Marvel

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Two characters based on Master Mold appear in the Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610):

  • The first equivalent is an alternate timeline version of Wolverine who was used as a template to create an army of Sentinels before being mercy-killed by the present-day Wolverine and Rogue.[17]
  • The second equivalent is a giant Sentinel which houses William Stryker Jr.'s consciousness.[18]

Weapon X: Days of Future Now

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In the alternate reality of Weapon X: Days of Future Now, one of Madison Jeffries's Boxbots, dubbed "Bot", becomes the new Master Mold and traps Jeffries within its body to harness his powers.[19]

What If?

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In What If? Age of Ultron series set in an alternative future, Wolverine, the Hulk, Peter Parker and a Ghost Rider travel to the Savage Land to confront Ezekiel Stane using Master Mold to reproduce Iron Man armors. Stane uses an unnamed girl, described as an orphan, the sole remaining Trask descendant, and referred to only as 'Ms. Trask', to operate Master Mold that had apparently been left behind in the Savage Land. Seeking to unleash a wave of the armors upon the world, Stane is stopped and Master Mold destroyed.[20]

X-Factor Forever

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In X-Factor Forever Master Mold, Master Mold is bonded to Cameron Hodge by Apocalypse to form Master Meld.[21]

In other media

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Television

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Master Mold as he appears in X-Men: The Animated Series

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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Master Mold appears in Wolverine: The Lost Trail.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bone, Christian (March 20, 2024). "Who is Master Mold in 'X-Men '97?'". We Got This Covered. Retrieved October 13, 2025. Master Mold was one of the team's original foes in the comics, dating back to 1965's The X-Men #15 from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In short, Master Mold is a sentient supercomputer in the shape of a colossal Sentinel who is able to create regular Sentinel drones at will. As AI tend to do in the Marvel universe, he has a habit of defying his original programming and deciding that all humanity needs to be annihilated, causing Trask to reluctantly team up with the X-Men to stop him.
  2. ^ a b c Zalben, Alex (April 13, 2024). "X-Men 97 Sentinels: Master Mold, Tri-Sentinel, Wild Sentinel, More". Comic Book Club. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  3. ^ Uncanny X-Men Minus 1 (July 1997)
  4. ^ a b c Diaz, Eric (March 31, 2024). "Who Are the Sentinels in X-MEN? The History of the Dangerous Marvel Enemy, Explained". Nerdist. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  5. ^ The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (October 1978)
  6. ^ Marvel Comics Presents #18-24 (May - July 1989)
  7. ^ Machine Man/Bastion Annual (June 1998)
  8. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (April 24, 2024). "X-Men '97's Bastion Explained: What You Need to Know About This Deadly Super-Sentinel". IGN. Retrieved October 13, 2025. [Bastion's] actually a fusion of a Master Mold and the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod, becoming something wholly new after passing through the mystical portal known as the Siege Perilous.
  9. ^ "Retro Review: Marvel Comics' Uncanny X-Men #247 By Chris Claremont & Marc Silvestri". Inside Pulse. August 24, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2025. Dazzler remembers she has the mighty mystical doodad the Siege Perilous in her coat pocket and decides that the only way to deal with Master Mold is to open up Roma's promised wormhole to new lives...Master Mold/Nimrod will fuse into Bastion on the other end of their trip through the Siege.
  10. ^ Harrison, Adam (November 5, 2024). "Marvel: Crisis Protocol - Five 'Sentinel' Characters We Need". Bell of Lost Souls. Retrieved October 13, 2025. [Bastion's] essentially the result of the merging of a Master Mold and Nimrod. Thanks to Nimrod's timey-whimey shenanigans, along with some weird magic-like stuff (depending on the origin you want to go with) we end up with Bastion.
  11. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #4 (October 2018)
  12. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #5 (November 2018)
  13. ^ House of X #1 (September 2019)
  14. ^ Powers of X #2 (October 2019)
  15. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (August 28, 2019). "Will the X-Men's Bright New Future End in Tragedy?". IGN. Retrieved October 13, 2025. The new mutant nation is currently facing an existential threat from Orchis, a collective of human scientists working to build a massive Sentinel factory called a Mother Mold. Worse, using knowledge gleaned from her ninth life, Moira knows that Orchis is on the verge of inventing the ultimate Sentinel, Nimrod.
  16. ^ Clements, Brian (November 14, 2018). "Infinity Warps #1 review: What If? for a new generation". AIPT Comics. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four/X-Men Annual (November 2008)
  18. ^ Ultimate Comics: X-Men #11 (July 2012)
  19. ^ Weapon X: Days of Future Now #1 (September 2005)
  20. ^ What If? Age of Ultron #2 (June 2014)
  21. ^ X-Factor Forever Master Mold
  22. ^ a b c "Master Mold Voices (X-Men)". Behind The Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.). Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Knox, Jaret (March 2, 2023). "Marvel Snap Master Mold card, explained". Pro Game Guides. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
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