Darkness was a competitor robot from Acton, California, that fought in the second season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors. It fought exclusively in the US Championship, reaching the Heat Final before being defeated by Rosie the Riveter 2 there on a judges' decision.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Robotics also competed in the Season 2 Annihilator with Revenge.
Design[]
Darkness in the pits
Darkness was a four-wheel drive, box-shaped robot armed with a pair of front cutting blades. It was painted red and silver with a Gothic theme, featuring a pair of skull-and-crossbone flags and a skull mascot named 'Manny' on its top panel. 'Manny' was positioned behind the blades and quoted by Valek Xavier Sykes as being the robot's 'driver'. While Darkness possessed good pushing power and excellent durability throughout its appearances, the robot had exposed wheels and a high ground clearance which was easily exploited by wedges. Additionally, its cutting blades were fragile, with one of them breaking off in two of its three battles following repeated slams against its opponents.
The Team[]
Darkness with a team member
Darkness was built by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Robotics, a team from Acton in California. Valek Xavier Sykes was the team captain and he was joined by Scott Millenbaugh. The same team would also build Revenge, entering it into the Annihilator of the same season with Valek Xavier Sykes retaining his captain role (in contrast to, for example, Unibite and Hyperactive nominating a different captain for the same team).
Robot History[]
Season 2[]
Darkness competed solely in the US Championship, appearing in Heat E. In its first round battle, it fought fellow newcomer Techno Trousers and Team Dreamdroid's new robot Mechadroid.
Darkness backs into Mechadroid
Darkness falls into the pit after shoving Mechadroid in
Darkness immediately drove towards Mechadroid, which hastily backed away, before slamming into its side and darting across the arena. It avoided the action as Mechadroid pushed Techno Trousers into a CPZ, before slamming into both its opponents as Sir Killalot came in to attack Techno Trousers. After briefly being pushed sideways, Darkness drove away to slam into Techno Trousers again, before bashing into Mechadroid and finally pushing it into the pit, although not without falling in itself seconds later. Nevertheless, Darkness progressed to the second round along with Techno Trousers.
- "We're gonna put them down like dogs… just like they are! Now, we’re gonna go in there, we're gonna have a good time and we’re gonna fight to the finish. We're gonna see what we can do!"
- — Valek Xavier Sykes explains his battle strategy to Carol Grow before the battle with Basenji
There, Darkness faced another fellow newcomer Basenji for a place in the Heat Final.
Darkness drives off Basenji's wedge
Darkness survives as Basenji's wheels fall off
It immediately rammed into Basenji in the opening seconds, before both robots dodged and bumped into each other. After briefly being pushed around, Darkness shoved Basenji from the side towards Matilda's CPZ before slamming into its front wedge, which caused one of its cutting blades to detach. It was again pushed around by Basenji, but Basenji's left-hand wheels fell off as it was pushing Darkness around, instantly immobilizing it. Darkness progressed as Basenji was counted out and attacked by Dead Metal.
In the Heat Final, Darkness faced veteran Rosie the Riveter 2.
Darkness and Rosie the Riveter 2 push each other
As before, it charged straight towards Rosie the Riveter 2, before driving over its wedge and slamming into it. Rosie the Riveter 2 slammed Darkness into the walls several times in response, before Darkness drove away, bumped into an angle grinder and turned itself around over a flame jet. Darkness backed into and over Rosie the Riveter 2, before again slamming into it with its blades and being pushed back. Rosie The Riveter 2 got underneath Darkness and steered it towards an angle grinder, eventually driving completely under Darkness and causing one of its blades to fly off again. Another front-on collision with Rosie the Riveter 2 sent Darkness rebounding on its rear wheels, causing it to land on its cutting blade. Darkness recovered by pushing Rosie the Riveter 2 into an empty CPZ, but was attacked by Dead Metal as it lingered inside another, pressing the pit release button in the process.
- "What a great battle this is! These guys are equally matched! Similar in design, similar in power…"
- — Stefan Frank remarks on the Heat Final so far
Darkness is carried in Sir Killalot's jaws during the closing seconds
The two robots locked together, with Rosie The Riveter 2 slowly pushing Darkness towards the Flame Pit. Darkness was eventually shoved over a flame jet, with both of its flags being set alight as Rosie the Riveter 2 eventually pushed it into a CPZ. Sir Killalot and Dead Metal smashed into both competitors, the former picking Darkness up with his jaws of life and overbalancing as he drove it close to the pit. Darkness escaped with seconds to spare, although now noticeably slower than before as it crept towards an angle grinder and was slammed into once again by Rosie the Riveter 2. The battle went to a judges' decision, which went in favor of Rosie the Riveter 2, eliminating Darkness from the US Championship.
Results[]
| DARKNESS - RESULTS | ||
| Season 2 | ||
| US Championship Heat Final | ||
| Heat E, Round 1 | vs. Mechadroid, Techno Trousers | Qualified |
| Heat E, Round 2 | vs. Basenji | Won |
| Heat E, Final | vs. Rosie the Riveter 2 | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| US Series | Darkness Series Record |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Did not enter |
| Season 2 | Heat Final |
| Nickelodeon | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars[]
License to Kill
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Robotics also participated in BattleBots Seasons 3.0 and 4.0 with License to Kill, a modified version of Revenge with a scorpion-like appearance and armed with front and tail spikes as its weapons. License to Kill did not enjoy any major success in the heavyweight division, losing its only battles to Bacchus in Season 3.0 and Stealth Terminator in Season 4.0.
Trivia[]
- The weaknesses section of Darkness' statistics board, as well as Stefan Frank, erroneously stated that Darkness used a two-wheel drive system.
- In an official Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors souvenir programme, Darkness was referred to as Spectre's Revenge.
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