Coyote is a a succession of antagonistic robots, designed by David Xanatos and the Scarab Corporation, mainly for the purposes of leading the Pack. So far, five different models have been built and at least three more will be constructed in the future. He is featured in the Disney animated television show, Gargoyles.
Overview[]
Coyote first appears as a humanoid Android replica of Xanatos, masquerading as the real Xanatos dressed in a suit of power armor. He first appears in the episode "Leader of the Pack", where he breaks the Pack out of prison to lead them against the gargoyles. His body is destroyed, but his half-damaged head (resulting in an appearance not unlike Two-Face in Batman or Metallo in Superman: the animated series) survives and escapes.
In subsequent episodes, Coyote reappears as a series of larger and less human robots (though still carrying the partially destroyed head of the original in its core). Each new form carries a new designation similar to a software upgrade: Coyote 2.0, Coyote 3.0, and Coyote 4.0. He acts as a henchman for Xanatos, sometimes working with the Pack.
Each time his body is destroyed, he is rebuilt as a larger version. The latest version, 4.0, has components forged from the melted down remains of the Cauldron of Life, giving him the ability to hold and trap magical creatures.
History[]
The first Coyote was built in Xanatos's exact likeness, but made to look as if he was wearing battle armour. After his creation, Coyote broke the Pack out of prison, took his mask off revealed to be Xanatos telling them that he wanted revenge on the Manhattan Clan for his previous quarrels with them. In reality, the purpose of the breakout was to give Fox a chance at an early parole for deciding to serve her sentence instead of escaping. Coyote was eventually revealed as a robot to the Pack and the gargoyles when Bronx tore off half of his face. Coyote's body was destroyed by Lexington in an ensuing battle, while his head escaped and returned to the real Xanatos.
During his time in the Pack, Hyena developed a twisted sexual lust for Coyote, which did not stop when he was revealed as a robot.
Coyote 1.0[]
Coyote 1.0 was an exact robotic lookalike of Xanatos, who, with Dingo's assistance, broke Wolf, Jackal, and Hyena out of Rikers Island and led them against the gargoyles. During the battle with The Manhattan Clan aboard the oil tanker Otoshiana Maru, Coyote's true nature was revealed when Bronx gnawed half its face off, giving it a half-Xanatos half-robot appearance, and Lexington then destroyed it, except for its head which escaped. While pretending to be Xanatos, Coyote 1.0 claimed to be wearing battle armor, but it is also possible that his "armor" was actually a built-in part of his robotics. ("Leader of the Pack")
Coyote 2.0[]
Xanatos recovered the head and made it part of Coyote 2.0, a more powerful and less humanoid robot who became part of the upgraded Pack and led it against Goliath's clan. It was finally destroyed in a collision with a train, and its half-Xanatos half-robot head destroyed separately by Goliath. ("Upgrade")
Coyote 3.0[]
Xanatos built a third Coyote robot and sent it with Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf to Egypt, to assist the Emir in the summoning of Anubis. Coyote 3.0 still bore the image of a half-Xanatos half-robotic face, although now as an image on its monitor screen rather than as an actual, physical feature. It was reduced to a pile of rust by Jackal when he became an avatar of Anubis. ("Grief")
Coyote 4.0[]
Coyote 4.0 was built by Xanatos (at least, in part) out of the iron that the Cauldron of Life had been originally made from; he brought it with him to Arizona to use in capturing Coyote the Trickster (who was not amused by the robot's sharing his name and even threatened to sue Xanatos for copyright infringement). The iron of which Coyote 4.0 was made allowed it to temporarily contain Coyote the Trickster, but the latter finally escaped and tricked the robot into bringing a pile of steel girders down upon itself, crushing it. ("Cloud Fathers")
Coyote 5.0[]
Coyote 5.0 was constructed with the Coyote Diamond as an important component. Coyote 5.0's mental processes are light-based, and the inclusion of the Coyote Diamond speeds up these processes. As a result, Coyote 5.0's A.I. is more enhanced than previous models.[1] Conducting a task on Xanatos' orders, Coyote 5.0, along with Coldsteel, a Steel Clan, and Iron Clan robot, attacked Hudson, Lexington, Griff, Staghart, and Constance while they were protecting the Stone of Destiny at Westminster Abbey. Coyote warned Lexington to abandon the airspace, and when he refused, rendered the gargoyle unconscious (though he was saved by Staghart from falling to his doom). It was soon destroyed the following morning by Coldstone, and what was left of Coyote 5.0's body was brought back to Xanatos by Coldsteel (including the Coyote Diamond). ("The Rock", "Rock & Roll", "Rock of Ages")
Future Generations[]
In the future, at least two more Coyote robots, will be built. Coyote 6.0 will set up the Ultra-Pack - whether on its own initiative, or upon instructions for somebody else, is also as yet unknown - and Coyote 7.0 will actually lead the Ultra-Pack into battle.
Coyote-X[]
By 2198, the line of Coyote robots will have culminated in the figure of Coyote-X. The "X" is a place holder. The 2198 edition of this robot will become a very cunning and ambitious figure with designs to take over the world. After the Space-Spawn invade Earth, however, it will expand its ambition to the conquest of the entire galaxy.
Characteristics[]
Though the Coyote robots vary in appearance as they are rebuilt, they do share some similar characteristics. All of them are mainly yellow-gold in color with a secondary color ranging from dark blue to metal grey to black filling out the rest of the body. They are generally four-limbed and bipedal.
The one common feature all Coyote robots share is the image of a robotic Xanatos head. The right side of the face (from Coyote's own point of view) resembles the face of David Xanatos, and the left side is a robotic metal skull. The image was created when Bronx tore the skin-like covering off of the left side of the face of Coyote 1.0. The original half-robotic head was destroyed along with Coyote 2.0, but its image has reappeared as a part of all subsequent Coyote models, either displayed on a monitor or projected as a hologram.
Hyena has a strong infatuation with the first three Coyote robots (she never met Coyote 4.0 or Coyote 5.0), which none of them have returned. (It is, indeed, questionable as to whether the Coyote series of robots is even capable of emotion).
It is more than likely that Xanatos christened the Coyote robots thus, not only to fit in with the "wild dog" imagery in the Pack's names, but also as a reference to Coyote the Trickster, in light of the fact that Coyote 1.0 was an exact physical duplicate of Xanatos, and the following four have Xanatos' voice and part of his visage. Xanatos, after all, is himself a trickster.
Appearances[]
- "Leader of the Pack" (as Coyote 1.0, first appearance)
- "Upgrade" (as Coyote 2.0)
- "Grief" (as Coyote 3.0)
- "Walkabout" (mentioned only)
- "Cloud Fathers" (as Coyote 4.0)
- "The Rock" (as Coyote 5.0)
- "Rock & Roll" (as Coyote 5.0)
- "Rock of Ages" (as Coyote 5.0)
Trivia[]
- The imagery of the half robotic face is evocative of the Terminator film series. Coyote's tenacity to keep coming back after being destroyed was also inspired from the Terminator series.
- The Marvel Comics supervillain, Ultron, was another inspiration in how Coyote is always renamed by whatever model number it is on.
- The robots name, Coyote, may be a reference to Wile E. Coyote due to how Coyote the Robot keeps destroying itself in largely wildly destructive ways.
- In an earlier version of the series bible, Coyote was CY.O.T.I. (CYber-Operational Technical Intelligence). He was a robotic coyote head that could fasten itself to different robot bodies and serve as an automated pilot.
Gallery[]
External links[]
Coyote at GargWiki
