Needle Man/Archie Comics

"You were built to "help people"! You get a nice, fuzzy definition to work within! We weren't given that! 'Fight Mega Man!' 'Destroy Mega Man!' IT'S ALL WE'RE GOOD FOR!!!"

- Needle Man

"It's never about what we want. We're just tools, kid. So do your job. Take the shot."

- Needle Man

This article is about Needle Man in the Archie Comics.

Spiritus Ex Machina/Worlds Collide
Needle Man makes an appearance in Mega Man issue 15. Created by Ra Moon from designs created by Dr. Light, Needle Man immediately pledges loyalty to Dr. Wily, and Wily commands him to do some heavy lifting. Needle Man looks at his arms (and lack of hands) in confusion, with which Crash Man sympathized. He was among the Robot Masters who formed an army under Wily and Dr. Eggman and did battle with Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog's team. This took place after the Genesis Wave moved Mega Man's world into its own future, an effect that was later reversed by Mega Man.

Blackout: The Curse of Ra Moon
Afterwards, Needle Man, due to being made by Ra Moon, ultimately served the supercomputer in its plans to unleash an EMP across the planet to short out technology. It later waited out Guts Man, Mega Man, and Rush under Ra Moon's orders in the tunnel (who knew about their plans to infiltrate the least guarded path shown by Break Man due to one of Snake Man's Search Snakes). He then attempted to ambush them with his needle base on his head, but Mega Man saw it coming and grabbed it, also pinning it between two trap stone doors. Needle Man then proceeded to threaten Mega Man that he'll drive a spike so far into his head that "[Mega Man will] be speaking C++." Mega Man attempted to coax him out of fighting him, citing that they're trying to save the world. Needle Man then recognized Mega Man, but then ended up coming under direct control of Ra Moon (his eyes changed to Ra Moon's symbol), and aided Snake Man (who ambushed Mega Man from underneath). Needle Man and his brothers did battle with Wily's first line of Robot Masters and Mega Man's team at Ra Moon's command, but were later freed from the alien computer's control when Mega Man destroyed it.

Redemption/Legends of the Blue Bomber
Needle Man and six of his brothers, under the command of Break Man, were tasked with capturing Shadow Man and bringing him into Wily's army. Shortly after this successful endeavor, the eight Masters brought into being/redesigned by Ra Moon appeared at the unveiling of Gamma. As they moved to steal the giant robot's Energy Elements, Dr. Light recognized them as being based on designs that he and Wily had created together. At some point, Needle Man apparently tried to convince Crash Man and Spark Man to let him join a club they had formed, since like the pair of them he lacked hands.

Needle Man eventually became cynical about his servitude to Wily, becoming depressed from being holed up alone in a derelict ship and thinking that it didn't matter whether or not he defeated Mega Man or is defeated by him, even knitting a sweater with Wily's face on it with the words "World's Worst Boss" emblazoned on it. When witnessing Mega Man's arrival and realizing the latter was confused about his presence there, he sarcastically pointed out under his breath that the ship due to the various masts had thematic ties to "needles". He is eventually confronted by Mega Man, and, after an attempt at sarcasm regarding Mega Man asking whether he's busy failed, attacks him and proceeds to rant to him about how robots are given no choices in what they do and are only tools to be used, shocking Mega Man with such talk. Needle Man engages in battle with Mega Man, but he is eventually felled by the Gemini Laser after Rush tangled up the cable to his Needle Hammer and rendered him immobile. Defeated, Needle Man reiterates his belief that robots have no freedom, and asks Mega Man to finish him off. Mega Man takes pity on the Robot Master for this, and proceeds to honor his request by shooting him one more time.

Prisoners of War
He would subsequently be rebuilt by Dr. Light, and found his attention drawn to a moody Shadow Man. Both lines of Wily Numbers were then offered the chance to be reprogrammed and given new purposes in life by Dr. Light. However, Needle Man and eight of his brethren-four from each line-chose not to accept this offer, and so were deactivated and put on display in the Robot Museum.

Short Circuits
Needle Man first appeared in the Short Circuits strip for Issue 30, where Mega Man briefly mistook both Spark Man and Gemini Man for him and then questioned what purpose Needle Man would serve while Needle Man moved behind him with a Met helmet atop his head. Issue 43's strip found Mega Man laughing hysterically at the fact that Needle Man likes to knit, prompting him to point out that the other Wily Numbers also had hobbies.