Zeta
Back to Heroes Main > Zeta
Real Identity: Zeta
Affiliation(s): National Security Agency
Appearances (BB): Zeta and Countdown
Appearances (TZP): All 26 episodes
Powers/Skills: Superhuman Attributes, Technological Aptitude, Armed and Unarmed Combat, Tactical Training and Holographic Emission
Voiced By: Gary Cole/Diedrich Bader/Eli Marienthal/Scott Marquette
Originally sanctioned by General Hardcastle, the mass produced synthoid robots under Project Z8 as combat trainers. The Justice League also purchased Z-8's from the American government for their own training purposes. 50 years later, they were restricted in the future. Several forms and deep pockets could purchase a few synthoids for private use. Under the supervision of the National Security Agency (NSA), the Zeta Project was commissioned to create advanced tactical synthoids. A classified team of scientists, each with different fields of specialty, were recruited and led by Dr. Eli Selig. The Project took place on the Knossos, a floating laboratory whose coordinates are kept secret. The NSA utilized the infiltration units to carry out unsanctioned operations. Each unit was programmed to take their target captive, interrogate, and then kill them after gathering any required intelligence. The infiltration unit would then return to a designated IU Debriefing Post. Their high endurance titanium alloy endoframe, a superb feat of cornblatt-axiom construction, conceals a full array of weapons and tools, including a built in holographic emitter that conceals them as any human being of choice and a credit with unlimited money. He also contains a 100 Gigabyte processor, decryption protocols and a firewall.
The sixth unit, named Zeta, was secretly implanted with a special module by Dr. Selig. It was designed to act as a conscience and force it to rethink its decisions. He had plans for Zeta but the module never activated during his tenure on the Project. Some time later, Zeta was ordered to replace Eugene Dolan, an accountant with alleged terrorist ties, and infiltrate his office. Zeta discovered one of Dolan's clients was a charitable front funded by Brother's Day, an anti-synthoid terrorist organization. Unable to find enough intelligence, Zeta's NSA liaison ordered it to infiltrate the Dolan household. After interacting with Becca and Adrian Dolan, Zeta's conscience module activated. Zeta realized that Eugene Dolan was innocent, spared his life, and abandoned his mission. The NSA suspected Brother's Day discovered Zeta and reprogrammed it for their own sinister purposes. Special Agent James Bennett was commissioned as head of a task force created to apprehend and restore Zeta. If these objectives could not be achieved, Bennett was cleared to destroy Zeta.
As a precautionary, a homing beacon was one of the components built into Zeta and every infiltration unit. In Gotham City, Zeta used Hamilton High School as a cover. Disguised as the school's biology teacher, Ms. Martel, it had access to computers and electronics with minimal security systems. With this technology, Zeta hoped to create a filter to disrupt the homing beacon. Zeta also kidnapped Max Gibson to conceal its secret activities but she persuaded it to abandon its weapons and pursue freedom with non-violence. With Batman's help, Zeta faked its destruction and boarded a monorail west. Zeta resurfaced in Wood Valley, Maryland at a Hoverways bus terminal. It used a communication hub and a Level 9 Clearance to try to plead with Bennett. However, Agents Lee and West attempted capture. Zeta escaped on hover rail to Spring City where it exposed itself to save Ro Rowan, a runaway, during an attempted robbery of a Cred City recharging station on 8th and Merrill.
Zeta became convinced the team of scientists involved with the Zeta Project would convince the authorities of his innocence. After a daring raid on a NSA hovertransport, Zeta partially downloaded an image of the team and became dedicated to seeking them out for help. The first scientist Zeta successfully contacted was a designer named Dr. Arroyo in Ohio while he worked at Dyron Aerospace. Arroyo's clearance on the team was minimal but he implored Zeta to seek out the head of the Project, Dr. Selig. In search for his true purpose and creator, Zeta traveled from city to city along with friend and confidante, Ro. After nicknaming the unit "Zee," Ro helped Zeta take on a more permanent human form. All the while, Zeta and Ro were pursued by the NSA. Along the way, the Zeta returned to Gotham with Ro to visit a science symposium that his creator was supposed to be participating in. However, the event was disrupted by Mad Stan who later saved an offline Zeta. Mad Stan believed it was a government conspiracy and planted a time bomb on Zeta and sent him to his doom. Luckily, Batman found him in time and tossed the explosive. Posing as Batman, Zeta escaped the NSA and met with Ro and Batman before leaving yet again to find his answers.
Zeta and Ro continued to find out the truth about their respective pasts but also saved lives and made new allies and new enemies at every turn. One faithful ally turned out to be boy genius, Bucky Buenventura. Buenventura used classified schematics downloaded to his Inductance Controller to take control of Zeta, just in time for the 8th Annual Innovation Awards. Despite this, Zeta and Ro helped Buenventura discredit the Awards' host, Dr. Tannor, for stealing his invention. For a year's time, Zeta and Ro became the target of Zeta's successor, Infiltration Unit 7. Unit 7 pursued Zeta from the San Palago island to Diamond Springs and tried to destroy him. However, Ro suffered a minor concussion. Batman suspected Zeta and traveled there to destroy him once and for all. Following a confrontation at Arlington Mercy Hospital, IU-7 attacked again. Thanks to the combined efforts of Zeta, Batman, and Ro, the IU-7 was destroyed in the Ultra MRI room.
The duo also became the target bounty hunter, Krick. They first met while on the run near an abandoned Cody Koala Candy Factory. Krick concluded Zeta was innocent but still intended on collecting the federal reward. However, Zeta and Agent Lee overpowered Krick. Scarred in the battle, Krick swore revenge. Months later, he escaped federal prison and tried to kill Zeta and Ro near the Ridel Bridge only to fail again. Zeta and Dr. Selig finally met at Cryobin however, Zeta was unable to reveal himself before a lab accident froze Selig. Dr. Selig's life was saved by Zeta but as a result, he was elevated to more restrictive government protection. Zeta was soon captured by Bennett's team and subjected to reprogramming. Zeta managed to resist the ordeal and create copies of his memory before going rogue. After hearing Rowan's voice, he returned to normal and they escaped. A short while later, they tracked a rebuilt IU-7 to address, Strata 13, Sector 199-H, Zone 4 in Diamond Springs. It was defeated and confiscated by Agent Lee's team.
The duo had to once again infiltrate an NSA craft, this time to save Buenventura. In return, he outfitted Zeta with a variable inductance circuit to prevent the NSA from using his technology to neutralize Zeta. After staking out an IU Debriefing Post, Zeta and Rowan thought they found Dr. Selig again only to save another Zeta Project scientist, Dr. Edmund, from Brother's Day. Zeta and Rowan elected to take Edmund's place with their holographic emitters and infiltrate Brother's Day as they traveled to the Knossos, hopefully where Selig was, too. Zeta met Selig again and learned Selig was the one who implanted him with the conscience module and had great plans for him. However, before he could reveal his identity, Brother's Day activated several thermal devices and scuttled the Knossos. Selig and his assistant Andrea Donosso were shot down while evacuating. Zeta was disheartened but with Rowan's encouragement, escaped and continued to find a way to prove his innocence.