Avengers Arena: News and Speculation

[Swashbuckler]

Yes its original intention.

Dynamite's original intention was to clear mines and help speed up the mining process but dynamite became much more used in combat time.

Juston has altered its programming to where it cannot harm another individual unless that individual is threatening him.

And yet we've seen it break this programming and revert to a killing machine.

[crimsonspider89]

No we haven't. It says its original programming but has yet to hurt a mutant not in self defense. The other programs prevent it from taking action unless Juston or his friends are threatened.

[Swashbuckler]

No we haven't. It says its original programming but has yet to hurt a mutant not in self defense. The other programs prevent it from taking action unless Juston or his friends are threatened.

And Juston never mistakenly feels threatened?

[Lady_Alternate]

Now your comparing two entirely different things?

No. I'm comparing Sentinels, machines designed out of racial fear and hatred, to the gas chamber, a mechanism designed out of racial fear and hatred.

[Sanji]

You guys are ridiculous.

Sentinels have one objective- kill mutants. If you think they can help with construction, you're thinking about a big ass robot, not a Sentinel. It's not a dog, who has free will, or a dynamite, that have multiple purposes. It has only one, and it's not good, as proven by the Avengers Academy AvX tie-ins. That one time the Sentinels reasoned a bit about their existence, they ended up destroying themselves. That alone should tell you how good they are.

And that's not even considering they're the most iconic symbol of mutant oppression.

[Majin Gojira]

That's the Avengers Academy AvX tie in, Sanji.

From the way people are talking, it's that one programing element that makes it a sentinel rather than any intrinsic part of its construction. Change that, is it no longer a sentinel aside from looks?

Eh, Juston should have gotten a Red Ronin scrapped prototype. Because Red Ronin is much cooler than any sentinel.

[Sanji]

From the way people are talking, it's that one programing element that makes it a sentinel rather than any intrinsic part of its construction. Change that, is it no longer a sentinel aside from looks?

Yes (there are many models of Sentinels after all). And when Emma tried to remove the programming but keep the shell to accomodate the crybaby, they ganged up on her. Although even then, given what they look like and stand for, parading it around like a pet would still make Juston an asshole.

[Personamanx]

While I liked Juston's original "Sentinel" series as well as it's sequel when you put them into any situation with other superheroes let alone mutants it all falls apart. There's no reason for them not to want that thing dismantled. It's a robot designed to destroy mutants, even if it's no longer actively doing so or programmed to there's very little reason for anyone mutant or hero to think that it's a good idea for a teenager to be hanging around with it.

[Peter F.]

Cool cover. Apex looks amazingly twisted.

The Sentinel though? I thought we were already free of that thing

[Sanji]

Apex is amazing. I hope she wins even if I like X-23 (besides she can regenerate from a drop or blood or whatever).

[Lady_Alternate]

Juston's "A Boy And His Dog" Tsunami-imprint story was fun. But remove it from that context and try to integrate it with other characters, especially mutant contemporaries, and it all just goes wrong.

Then when you get a story arc that goes as far as to reinforce that the walking genocide metaphor remains a death machine and that although it's fundamental, essential nature can be obscured and somewhat misdirected, it will always remain, you have to stop and ask why you're still expected to have any sympathy for this thing.

[Majin Gojira]

Yes (there are many models of Sentinels after all). And when Emma tried to remove the programming but keep the shell to accomodate the crybaby, they ganged up on her. Although even then, given what they look like and stand for, parading it around like a pet would still make Juston an asshole.

That's because it would destroy the personality it developed, as well as the rudimentary free will it had developed through interacting with Juston.

It had the potential to be something more than what it was built for.

But it was mostly for emotional logic reasons than anything else.

[Personamanx]

Juston's "A Boy And His Dog" Tsunami-imprint story was fun. But remove it from that context and try to integrate it with other characters, especially mutant contemporaries, and it all just goes wrong.

Exactly. Really the only way for the AVX to have worked in their favour is if they just got up and left to parts unknown while everyone else was distracted. It just comes off as morally shakey at best when you try to have him interact with the greater MU, at least when the greater MU is defending him.

[pepper]

Juston's "A Boy And His Dog" Tsunami-imprint story was fun. But remove it from that context and try to integrate it with other characters, especially mutant contemporaries, and it all just goes wrong.

Then when you get a story arc that goes as far as to reinforce that the walking genocide metaphor remains a death machine and that although it's fundamental, essential nature can be obscured and somewhat misdirected, it will always remain, you have to stop and ask why you're still expected to have any sympathy for this thing.

You're not, you're supposed to have sympathy for the technophile.

[Sanji]

It had the potential to be something more than what it was built for.

It doesn't. That's the thing about Sentinels.