[1] Murphy is killed in the line of duty, and is resurrected and transformed into the cyborg law enforcement unit RoboCop by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP).

Verhoeven said the outfit design was one of the project's most difficult aspects because he had unrealistic expectations about what he wanted after reading Japanese science fiction manga.

[34][35][29] Stuntman Russell Towery served as Weller's stunt double; he walked through the flames of the exploded gas station and was injured by an explosive during the first fight between RoboCop and ED-209 in OCP that threw him across the hallway.

Originally, OCP Senior President Dick Jones develops a fully robotic unit called ED (Enforcement Droid)-209, with plans to secure a profitable long-term contract with the military.

Ambitious junior executive Bob Morton takes this as a justified reason to go over Jones's head and pitch his "RoboCop" program directly to OCP's CEO, the "Old Man".

This unit will build upon the deceased's lifetime of on-the-street law enforcement experience by adding the fastest reflexes modern technology can offer and a memory assisted by an on-board computer.

One day, Murphy and Lewis pursue Boddicker's gang in a rolling shootout following an armed robbery, chasing them to an abandoned steel mill.

[42][44] RoboCop quickly proves to be an effective weapon against crime, but he eventually begins to remember his past life as Murphy, starting with his traumatic death at the hands of Boddicker and his gang.

Enraged at having had his life stolen from him, RoboCop embarks on a personal quest for vengeance as he hunts down Boddicker, resulting in the arrest or death of his entire gang.

[45] A year later, OCP is attempting to replicate the success they had with Murphy with a new "RoboCop 2" program; however, all selected candidates go insane upon activation and commit suicide or harm others, due to the severe mental strain of their new situations.

He is reconstructed and then programmed with numerous other conflicting directives that render him virtually unable to perform his duties, as a public relations group thinks he should be more 'people-friendly'.

[46] On the verge of bankruptcy, OCP creates an armed force called the Urban Rehabilitators ("Rehabs" for short), under the command of Paul McDaggett.

In reality, it has been set up to forcibly relocate the residents of Cadillac Heights, killing some of them (including the parents of Nikko, a Japanese American computer whiz kid) in the process.

The Delta City dream of former OCP CEO, "The Old Man", lives on with the help of the Japanese zaibatsu, the Kanemitsu Corporation, which has bought a controlling stake in the organisation.

The company develops and uses its own ninja robots (called "Otomo") to help McDaggett and the OCP President overcome the resistance of the anti-OCP militia forces.

Due to severe damage sustained in the shoot-out RoboCop's systems efficiency plummets, and he asks the resistance to summon Dr. Lazarus, one of the scientists who created him.

As the combined forces of the Rehabs and street gangs are about to wipe out the rebels and Detroit Police, RoboCop mounts an aerial assault on the attackers, leading to their defeat.

After the death of Delta City Security Commander John T. Cable, OCP uses portions of his body to create Crime Prevention Unit 002, moving back to the original elements of Morton's RoboCop Program.

[47] In this reboot of the series, Alex Murphy and his partner, Jack Lewis, are attempting to arrest crime lord Antoine Vallon, unaware that he has contacts inside the department.

With his emotions shut down, Murphy proves to be an effective detective and police officer, quickly tracking down assorted un-arrested suspects through his access to various security systems.

When Sellars attempts to use this discovery of police corruption to have RoboCops put in action on a country-wide scale and destroy the original, Norton has a crisis of conscience and not only reactivates Murphy, but admits what was done to him psychologically during the program.

[46] This dedication explains why Murphy exhibits none of the negative attitudes and statements shared by his fellow officers when he is transferred to the Metro West Precinct, the most violent area of Old Detroit.

This disables him from prosecuting, arresting, trespassing or harming innocent civilians without a warrant or probable cause, or act in any way against the public's trust.

It also forbids strike action or to request termination of employment, and disables him from directly assaulting, arresting, resisting, impeding, or harming a police officer.

Senior OCP employees are technically "untouchable", as the company legally owns both RoboCop and all administrative branches of government within the City of Detroit; they are a corporatocracy free to operate above the law without consequence.

This recording capability enables RoboCop to document any situation he encounters with perfect recall and unbiased neutrality, with his memory being deemed through legal agreement as admissible evidence in a court of law.

His right hand also contains a spike (referred to by fans as a "dataspike" and by production as the "terminal strip") which is used to retrieve or display data from any computer bank with a corresponding port.

Omnicorp CEO Raymond Sellars later has marketing executive Tom Pope conduct focus group testing on a number of other designs.

One such design features a transformation function, in which RoboCop could switch from his usual, bulky shape into a slimmer, more human-like form for off-duty public relations purposes.

Since his 1987 film debut, the RoboCop character and franchise have been exercised through numerous entertainment media including multiple television series,[47][49] comic books, video games, and action figures.