Origin
Roger Bochs was born in Canada as was a brilliant engineer and mechanic who invented highly sophisticated robotics. He was also paraplegic who was missing both his legs. In particular Bochs invented a large humanoid robot which he named “Box”, named as a pun on his own name Bochs. At that time James McDonald Hudson assisted Bochs in perfecting his original Box robot. Hudson offered Bochs to become a possible candidate to his newly created team of super humans titled Alpha Flight. It was Hudson’s hopes that he could assemble Canada’s own first superhero team which would be backed by the Canadian government as Department H and would be able to protect its interests as the Avengers or Fantastic Four has done for the United States.
Creation
Roger Bochs was a character who was created for the comic book series from Marvel Comics Alpha Flight. He made his first appearance as Roger Bochs (though unnamed and only in one pannel) in Alpha Flight #1 in 1983 and as Box in Alpha Flight #11 in 1984.
Major Story Arcs
Recruitement
Boches was than recruited as a candidate to join Alpha Flight and he entered the initial training program for recruits named Gamma Flight. As Box he soon graduated into the next level which had been titled Beta Flight. However shortly after Bochs has joined the next level of training the Canadian government disbanded Department H. Bochs returned to his ordinary life in Saskatchewan and turned back into a content life of engineering robotics. Hudson and Alpha Flight continued to operate independently of the Canadian government funding however more loosely than they were originally.
A Mistake
But Bochs would again have his life cross paths with Hudsons as he was later visited by Delphine Courtney, the robotic assistant to Jerome Jaxon. Jaxon wanted to recruit former members of both Beta and Gamma Flight to join his newly created Omega Flight. Years before, Jaxon had been Hudson’s superior at the Am-Can Petroleum Company in Canada, and had insisted that the special suit Hudson had designed for geological exploration be turned over to the American military. Hudson than stole the psycho-cybernetic helmet that made the suit work, later destroying Am-Can’s plans for the helmet and suit altogether. As a result Jaxon’s career was ruined and years later Jaxon discovered the Guardian was actually Hudson. Jaxon had taken a high ranking position at Roxxon Oil, soon organizing Omega Flight to make Guardian and Alpha Flight meet their downfall, and finally obtain his revenge. Bochs who was loyal to Hudson, joined Omega Flight only to sabotage it from within. Jaxon realized Bochs’ intentions, and seized control of Box himself. Controlling Box through Bochs’ helmet, Jaxon sent it into battle against Guardian. Guardian destroyed Box with electronic blast from his power pack, causing feedback that killed Jaxon. However, Guardian’s power pack then blew up, apparently killing Hudson.
Making Up for It
Six weeks later, Bochs met with a man named Madison Jeffries, whom Guardian had called a transmutator. Jeffries can levitate and mechanical part made of metal, plastic, or glass, and can reshape and reorganize such parts into analogues to portions of his body. Together Bochs and Jeffries created a new, bigger, and stronger Box, which Bochs could control from inside by “phasing” into the robot’s body. Bochs felt responsible for Guardian’s death since he had invented the original Box, with which Jaxon had indirectly caused Hudson’s death. Bochs intended to use Box to hunt down Jaxon, if he still lived, and Courtney.
Sometime later Snowbird discovered the truth behind her Alpha Flight teammate Walter Lagowski‘s transformations into the beast-like Sasquatch. Langkowski thought that he could turn into Sasquatch as the result of gamma radiation effects similar to those that create the Hulk. However, he had actually accidentally created a magical link with the other-dimensional mystical beast Tanaraq. Each time that Langkowski became Sasquatch, Tanaraq’s control over him grew. Finally, when Tanaraq had taken full control of Sasquatch, Snowbird killed Sasquatch’s physical form. Several members of Alpha Flight traveled into the beasts’ dimension, where one member, Shaman, recovered Langkowski’s soul. Unable to return the soul to Langkowski’s body, which mystic forces had caused to crumble into dust, Shaman, with Bochs’ consent, instead projected it into Box.
During one mission underwater, Bochs emerged too fast while merged with Box and was suffering from decompression sickness.He was unable to leave Box and started to panic that he could never touch Aurora again.Jeffries’ brother Lionel alias Scramble, who could shape flesh and bone with his mind, not only separated and healed Bochs from his decompression sickness,he also restored Bochs’ legs and gave him an athlete’s body.Lionel did not tell Bochs though that he had used dead human bodies as material for Bochs’ legs and new body. During this time, Langkowski’s soul briefly took over Box again before settling down in the body of the recently deceased Snowbird.Langkowski had been Aurora’s lover before Bochs and she left Bochs for him again. Bochs was left feeling bitter and betrayed by Aurora and with his newly constructed legs starting to decompose, Bochs than went mad. Madison Jeffries took over Box to prevent the amount of damage Bochs could do, but this only increased the sense of betrayal that Bochs felt.
Death
Bochs left Alpha Flight and went to Lionel Jeffries, hoping that he could restore his legs again. Lionel, who also turned out to be insane, merged with Bochs and they formed Omega, who combined Lionel’s powers with Bochs’ genius.Madison Jeffries in Box fought Omega and during the fight, Bochs’ personality came to its senses again and started to rebel against Lionel. In the end, Madison was forced to kill Omega, which Bochs was still a part of and hence also died.
Powers and Abilities
Roger Bochs was a brilliant engineer and mechanic who was capable of creating highly sophisticated mechanical designs with an expertise in robotics.
The original Box robot model was controlled remotely using a cybernetic helmet. Bochs merged with the second Box robot rather than wearing it like a suit. The controller feels a psychic bond with Box and can feel the damage done to Box as pain. If a person remains merged with Box for too long, he may be bonded to the armor permanently. It is constructed of an unknown metal that seems to be alive. Both models have superhuman strength, invulnerability, flight capability, sensors and blasters.