By 2041, North America has been ravaged by "the great toxic gas scare of 1993": large swaths of land have been turned into inhospitable desert, where bands of raiders called "Centros" attack transports.

MRAS-2 conducts tours for civilians, and carries laser assault weapons and a magnetic shield ("mag-shield" for short in dialogue) to defend itself.

Drake opts for a defensive strategy, but his boss Rooney, Chief of Operation in Op Com, orders him to attack so he can show off the robot to General Wa-Lee and his aide Chou-Sing, visiting dignitaries from the Eastern Alliance sent to negotiate the purchase of the mini-meg series.

The violent rocking motions of MRAS-2 during the battle cause an archaeologist passenger, Dr. Leda Fanning, to drop and break her valuable specimens.

Drake is summoned to Rooney's office, and shows him a recovered Centro weapon which appears to be of Eastern alliance origin.

Drake then makes good on his promise to Rooney and gives up pilot duty to volunteer for a special op against the Centros; there he recovers more Eastern Alliance-manufactured equipment.

There, they join Wa-Lee's officers in a mutiny and kill the North Hemi security and Captain Boles, proving Drake right about the Eastern Alliance's duplicity.

Drake removes the MRAS-2's cabin, saving the passengers, and eventually manages to severely damage MRAS-2 and subdue the General.

[2][3] Alongside Santo in the Treasure of Dracula, Robot Wars appeared as one of the first two episodes of the thirteenth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in a Kickstarter livestream in May 2021.