| For other uses, see LMD (disambiguation) |
The Life-Model Decoys, or LMD, were androids designed to replicate every feature of a living person. They were originally designed by S.H.I.E.L.D. to be distractions and life-saving substitutes of their agents. The program is later reactivated and used to help the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight Malachi and his Chronicoms.
History
Original Program
- "You have reached the Life-Model Decoy of Tony Stark; please leave a message."
- ―Tony Stark[src]
Billy and Sam Koenig participated in the original Life-Model Decoy Program of S.H.I.E.L.D. as programmers and technicians. However, despite their efforts, they never managed to create a fully functional android, so the project was eventually abandoned by S.H.I.E.L.D.[1]
Tony Stark was evidently aware of the project as he jokingly purported himself to be his own Life-Model Decoy, analogous to an answering machine, to Phil Coulson when he arrived at Stark Tower to collect Stark for the Avengers Initiative in light of the destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.[2]
Updated Program
Aida is created by Holden Radcliffe
Holden Radcliffe created a body for the artificial intelligence that served as his assistant, Aida, based on the old S.H.I.E.L.D. program, believing that it would prevent the deaths that Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, of whom he had grown fond, had to witness.[3] Aida was programmed as a decoy target for agents.[4] Her skills at being a decoy were proved while fighting Eli Morrow when she was shot twice in the chest.
Melinda May's LMD ready to be activated
Aida also created an L.M.D. of Agent Melinda May, which took the place of the real one. As part of her mission, the May LMD interacted with her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. and assisted in defeating Eli Morrow before returning to the Playground where she continued flirting with Phil Coulson, much like the real May.[5] However, this May LMD soon found herself discovering her true robotic nature, much to her great horror as she was unaware that she was an LMD. May eventually learned that her true mission was in fact to steal the Darkhold from S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to return it back to Radcliffe.
Holden Radcliffe's own Life-Model Decoy
Aware that his deception would soon be discovered as Aida had tried and failed to take the Darkhold for him, Radcliffe also created an L.M.D. of himself, which he allowed to be captured while he made a deal with Ellen Nadeer and the Superior. While being questioned however, Radcliffe's LMD was soon discovered by Leo Fitz who proceeded to shoot it in the head.[6] Fitz questioned the LMD about Radcliffe's true location, eventually discovering the machine's Quantum Brain. Unable to get the information and unwilling to risk the damage it could do, the Radcliffe LMD was ultimately destroyed along with the original Aida body, with them both being burnt to ashes to avoid the risk of them being repaired.[1]
Siege of the Playground
Phil Coulson's LMD activates May's LMD
During the rescue of Jeffrey Mace who had been captured and tortured by the Superior, the elusive leader of the Watchdogs, the key agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were captured by Aida who was able to send in the LMDs of Phil Coulson, Jeffrey Mace, Alphonso Mackenzie and Leo Fitz to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside. While Mackenzie, Mace and Coulson's LMDs focused on killing Inhumans, the Fitz LMD attempted to take control of Jemma Simmons, however he failed and was destroyed, forcing the remaining machines to change their mission tactics.
Quake destroys Alphonso Mackenzie's LMD
However before long, Daisy Johnson discovered her own fleet of Daisy Johnson LMDs and joined forces with Simmons to fight back. In the resulting battle, the Mace and Mackenzie LMDs were both destroyed by Quake. As a final plan, Coulson sent the L.M.D. Melinda May to threaten the agents with a bomb, however the May LMD chose instead to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D. and self-destructed, destroying the Coulson and Fitz robots in an explosion which also destroyed much of the Playground. The army of LMD of Johnson had survived at the explosion and all escaped.
The Superior's robotic body being built
Aida also built a robotic body for Anton Ivanov, leader of Watchdogs whose body had been damaged beyond repair while fighting against Quake, with his head being persevered and in full control of the robotic body.[7] Aida later built for Ivanov several bodies and eventually managed to become a real human being. In the final battle against S.H.I.E.L.D., several LMDs of Anton Ivanov were destroyed by Phil Coulson, Melinda May, an Aida heartbroken by Fitz and Ghost Rider, but the real Ivanov escaped. One Daisy LMD was been destroyed by Ghost Rider, forcing Aida to flee. All Sergei Mishkin LMDs were destroyed by Ghost Rider.
A LMD of Jemma Simmons was created to trick Aida and make her believe that she had killed the real Simmons to make Fitz suffer when she actually destroyed the android. Aida was finally killed by Phil Coulson briefly possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, leaving Anton Ivanov and the rest of the Daisy Fleet as the only surviving LMDs.[8]
Deactivation
- "Speaking of faces, how come your robo-warriors don't have any?"
"They are merely soldiers. Tools for battle."
"Interesting. 'Cause, see, I think, when you lost your partner Aida, you lost the ability to make convincing LMDs." - ―Phil Coulson and Anton Ivanov[src]
Due to the death of Aida and the disappearance of the Darkhold, Anton Ivanov became unable to create more LMDs, being only able to build Sleeper Mechs, android bodies without human faces.[9] In the end, Ivanov was destroyed by Yo-Yo Rodriguez, which caused the deactivation of the Sleeper Mechs. Without Aida or Ivanov, the rest of Daisy Fleet remain inactive meaning apparently the end of LMDS.[10]
Chronicom Advanced LMD
The program LMD is reactivated after Izel and Sarge's deaths, by Enoch. He creates a Phil Coulson Chronicom Advanced LMD to help S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight Malachi and his Chronicoms.
Decoys
Holden Radcliffe's LMDs
Chronicom Advanced LMDs
Appearances
| Appearances for Life-Model Decoys |
|---|
|
In chronological order:
|
Trivia
- In the comics, Life-Model Decoys are androids used by S.H.I.E.L.D. to substitute Nick Fury who would have often used the LMDs in his battle against HYDRA.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.12: Hot Potato Soup
- ↑ The Avengers
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.22: Ascension
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.01: The Ghost
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.08: The Laws of Inferno Dynamics
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.11: Wake Up
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.15: Self Control
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.21: The Return
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.14: The Devil Complex
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.17: The Honeymoon
