Fire Man in the Mega Man comic.
| This article is about the Archie Comics version of Fire Man. For other uses, see Fire Man (disambiguation). |
History
Let the Games Begin!
Fire Man appears along with the other original Robot Masters in the first issue. He was introduced as a waste management robot, and was later stolen and reprogrammed by Dr. Wily. He was defeated last, and within seconds of Mega Man finding him with the Ice Slasher. Later, in issue 4, he and the other five robots ambush Mega Man in Wily's castle, and when Mega Man attempts to talk sense into them not to fight, he stops Elec Man from attacking him and the six end up fighting, so Mega Man moves on to the Copy Robot's room. Soon afterwards, Fire Man and the others barge in and destroy the Copy Robot, and they are later re-programmed by Dr. Light.
Time Keeps Slipping
Fire Man later assists with the clean-up of the city after the ordeal, and much later, he helps Mega Man rescue Roll, along with the other Robot Master and the agent Roslyn Krantz. However, the Robot Masters ended up being reprogrammed again along the way to serve Wily again, at least that's what they want them to think. Turns out, Dr. Light made sure they weren't reprogrammed again, and they decided to pretend to be working for Wily again to set up an ambush which Fire Man helped by subduing Oil Man.
The Return of Doctor Wily
Fire Man returns in issue 11, System Corruption, where he is seen with the other seven Light Robot Masters, Time Man and Oil Man included, and they are asked by Dr. Light to rescue Mega Man, who was reprogrammed. Fire Man and Elec Man lead the brigade to storm Dr. Wily's castle. He was also suspicious that Wily may have anticipated their arrival and acted accordingly regarding defenses, which were eventually confirmed when the Mecha Dragon was deployed. He and the other Robot Masters together eventually defeated the Mecha Dragon, although at the cost of Elec Man being damaged. He, along with Cut Man and Ice Man, led Elec Man out of the castle and later return. The next time he is seen, the group is fleeing Dr. Wily's castle before it self-destructs.
Worlds Collide/Worlds Unite
After reality was altered by Wily and Dr. Eggman's Genesis Wave, Fire Man was one of the few Robot Masters not to be drafted into their evil Robot Master army. Instead, he and his seven brothers were contacted by Roll to provide assistance to Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and their allies. Entering the Skull Egg Zone on Item-1s, Fire Man and his teammates rained their attacks down on the evil Robot Masters. Their arrival provided an opening for Proto Man, Dr. Light, Rush, and Knuckles the Echidna to go to Mega Man and Sonic's aid. The group would later return in the Worlds Unite crossover in Sonic Universe #76, helping Dr. Light rebuild Light Labs after its destruction. Fire Man and Ice Man apparently joined forces to maintain the environment for the residents, much to the amusement of their fellow Robot Masters. The fun wouldn't last long, as Mega Man disappeared shortly before the appearance of a new enemy: Sonic Man of the Roboticized Masters.
Fire Man and his brothers of the first line engaged Sonic Man in Worlds Unite Battles and Sonic the Hedgehog #273, but found themselves thoroughly outmatched. Fire Man attempted to strike Sonic Man down with his flames, but was unable to penetrate the Roboticized Master's Energy Shield ability. Regrettably, Fire Man had no such defense against Sonic Man's Spin Slash attack, and after holding up the defeated Robot Master Sonic Man tossed him aside like trash and went after Bomb Man and Time Man. As a result of their defeat, Dr. Light was forced to call upon Dr. Noele Lalinde's Robot Master Quake Woman and the reformed Wily Numbers-Flash Man, Hard Man, Bubble Man, Spark Man, Wood Man, Snake Man, Air Man, and Shadow Man (Who was pretending to save his loyalty to Wily after that evil choice of reform or deactivion)
After the timeline was reset, Fire Man was working at the furnace, with his eventually giving Mega Man (who was unsure what to do now that everything seemed to be at peace) advice about how it wasn't the fighting he wanted, but rather to help others.
Short Circuits
Fire Man appears in the Short Circuits strip in issue 19, where he commiserates with Crash Man over their mutual lack of hands.
Background Information
- In the series, Fire Man speaks with a Southern accent, like in Mega Man Powered Up, as he often refers to others as "pardner".
- In the Graphic Novel Volume 1, Let the Games Begin!, it is said that "his fiery passion for law and order burns fiercely to keep the streets clean-- figuratively and literally", although he is not obsessed with fire and justice, but is rather calm with a sense of duty.
- Fire Man appears with the least frequency of any of the Light Robot Masters, and following his initial battle with Mega Man he is never seen outside the company of the other Mega Man: Powered Up Robot Masters. In fact, he doesn't even reappear in the standard comics until the third-to-last issue.