H8, the Robot Police chief of the civic sector of North Am, a continent-spanning mega-city, is damaged in a radiation accident.

It seeks to promote the human dependency on robots and gradually impose totalitarian rule in the area under its control.

Magnus was trained from infancy by 1A in an under-sea domed house, using advanced techniques, to become a skilled martial artist who could break steel with his bare hands.

It was written and drawn by Russ Manning, and as a nod to its influences, included Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics as a quote in the beginning of the first issue.

For the duration of the title's original run, Magnus battled rogue robots, aliens, space pirates and other threats.

Leeja developed limited telepathic abilities after training by M'Ree and other humans who had acquired them as a result of their minds being linked together while imprisoned in suspended animation by H8.

[5] In 1991, Jim Shooter obtained rights to three Gold Key characters: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom; Turok, Son of Stone; and Magnus, Robot Fighter.

In issue #5, a Japanese hero known as Rai began appearing in Magnus's title, and would eventually move on into his own series.

Shortly after the Unity crossover, the future Earth was invaded by alien robots called Malevs (short for Malevolents) directed by the Malev Emperor, a giant hive-mind, introduced in the original series, that encompassed the planet of Malev-6 that was destroyed by Doctor Laszlo and Magnus.

Their adventures were showcased in both the Magnus series, a spin-off title, Rai and the Future Force, and other tie-ins, for a combined 37 issues over two years (1993-94).

The series concluded with Magnus being transported to an unknown time and place, while Torque took up his mantle as protector of earth.

In this continuity, Magnus was given the name "Chris Torkelson" and was a child raised and trained by Battlestone, who was working for the Harbinger Foundation.

Years later, Magnus would confront Battlestone about this, and fight him to more or less a standstill, while Geoff McHenry, the Geomancer of Earth, would lament that reality was literally coming to an end around them.

This time, Magnus was re-imagined as an insane robot fighter who, in addition to the original's strength and skills, had metallic blood that repaired his injuries.

In 1999, Acclaim Entertainment made a final attempt to revive its comic book line, and Jim Shooter was invited to write a "Unity 2000" crossover.

In 2002, the rights to Magnus, Robot Fighter reverted to Random House, which, at that point, acquired Western Publishing's assets.

In 2006, ibooks Inc published a graphic novel (of novelette length) reintroducing the characters, with new extraterrestrial robotic foes.

[7] In 2009, at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Dark Horse Comics would begin publishing a new Magnus, Robot Fighter series written by Jim Shooter.

[8] As of the end of 2013, Dynamite had acquired the rights to Magnus along with three other Gold Key Comics characters: Turok, Doctor Solar and Dr. Spektor.

The first issue was written by Fred Van Lente, with art by Cory Smith and cover by Gabriel Hardman.

Humanoid robots attend Magnus' school as students, as well as being integrated into a variety of purpose-built chassis.

In June 2017, Dynamite launched yet another rebooted version of the character, this time a female psychologist named Kerri Magnus who is tasked with reintegrating rebellious robots, or "AIs", into society.