his
cartoon series was based on the hit 1987 feature film by the
same name. New episodes of the animated RoboCop were shown as
part of the 90-minute Marvel Action Universe, along with new
episodes of Dino-Riders and reruns of Spider-Man And His
Amazing Friends.
The cartoon's opening segment
summarized the series:
"Detroit... the near future.
Officer Alex J. Murphy and his partner Anne Lewis fight to rid
the decaying city of the criminal element which infests it.
After being mortally wounded in the line of duty, officer
Murphy is outfitted by OCP with bulletproof titanium robotic
parts, and a computer enhanced motor with sensory
capabilities. He has become the ultimate super-cop...
RoboCop!"
In the near dystopian future
described, desperation brought the city to privatize its
police department, charging the mega-corporation Omni Consumer
Products with jurisdiction of the law. OCP was interested in
rebuilding "Old Detroit" and replacing it with what they
called "Delta City." Before this large construction project
could begin, OCP wished to end crime in the city, and so
created RoboCop.
While the animated series didn't
go into as great of detail regarding Alex Murphy's former life
as the feature movie, the storylines for the cartoon followed
many of the same themes as those explored in the film. Given
that Murphy's brain was damaged at the time he was mortally
wounded - and in the process of his mechanical transformation
programmed with four prime directives that would subsequently
govern his actions - moral questions arose regarding RoboCop's
humanity and whether he should be used as a tool for others to
use. While he was viewed as a asset by many on the police
force, some (mainly the disagreeable Lieutenant Hedgecock) saw
RoboCop as mechanical abomination and a menace to be
mistrusted, and wished to have his services terminated.
On the plus side, RoboCop could
face and overcome many obstacles that normal humans could not.
He was equipped with an external titanium shell that rendered
him practically bullet-proof. His hands and legs were enhanced
by hydraulic motors capable of exerting 420 foot pounds (570
N·m) of energy. Stored in a retractable holster built into his
right thigh was a modified Beretta 93R machine pistol, which
he could shoot with unparalleled accuracy due to his automated
targeting system. RoboCop had several other useful features
such as thermal vision, voice recognition and an inbuilt video
recorder, a retractable input/output jack built into his right
hand used to access computers, and a built-in radio
transmitter that allowed OCP and government officials to track
his location and also enabled computerized dispatching
programs to communicate with RoboCop and make him aware of
situations requiring his presence.
On the down side, despite
RoboCop's high end performance capabilities and impressive
array of gadgetry, his volatile encounters while in the line
of duty had a habit of causing a lot of property damage, as
well as chronically hampering him with an array of system
malfunctions. These not-so-insignificant weaknesses burgeoned
the arguments of his detractors.
Main supporting characters
included officer Anne Lewis, who remained Murphy's dedicated
partner even after his transformation, and the overprotective
female scientist Doctor Tyler; RoboCop's primary maintenance
service caretaker.
The first animated outing for
RoboCop ran for a mere 12 episodes, but the cyborg super-cop
saw new life in 1998 with his second animated series, Robocop:
Alpha Commando.