Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris delivered one of DC’s best comics in Ex Machina, a political drama about a former superhero who becomes mayor of New York City. The series lasted 50 issues and chronicled the adventures of Mitchell Hundred, a civil engineer who discovered he could speak to machines and became the costumed hero known as the Great Machine. It was published under DC’s WildStorm imprint from 2004 to 2010. In the book, Hundred jumped into the September 11th attacks and saved one of the World Trade Center towers. He then leveraged his popularity into the biggest job at City Hall.
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It’s a terrific premise for a television series, but not one that needs to be incorporated into James Gunn’s DC Universe. Ex Machina has more in common with The West Wing than Superman, and HBO would be a much better home for a faithful adaptation of Vaughan and Harris’s political tragedy. With Americans heading to the polls on Election Day, it’s also a particularly good time to revisit a comic about what happens when voters put their faith in a superhero.
Ex Machina Explored America’s Need for Heroes After 9/11
Image Courtesy of Wildstorm Comics
When Brian K. Vaughan began writing Ex Machina in 2004, America was still reeling from the aftereffects of 9/11 and the political changes that followed. The country was talking about terrorism, national security, and how much freedom Americans would give up for security. These are problems that run through the comic. Mitchell Hundred is dealing with them, as well as the everyday problems of running New York City. An HBO version set in the early 2000s could examine those political battles without having to rewrite the story for a contemporary audience.
Post-9/11, Americans were hungry for superheroes. Tony Stark was the world’s answer when Iron Man hit the screens in 2008. Superhero movies brought us characters who could do things the government couldn’t. Ex Machina goes a step further with this idea. Mitchell Hundred succeeds in stopping the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center and is rewarded by the people of New York City by being elected mayor. Thwarting a terrorist attack doesn’t necessarily qualify you to run a city.
Hundred can talk to machines, but that’s not much use when he’s arguing with political opponents or trying to balance a budget. Vaughan was not afraid to tackle issues like same-sex marriage, marijuana laws, and civil liberties. These were problems a jet pack couldn’t solve for Hundred, as it could in his superhero adventures. The comic bounces back and forth, telling the story of his time as the Great Machine, slowly revealing the source of his powers and the reason why he gave up being a superhero. Saving New Yorkers and serving New Yorkers seem to be two very different jobs.
Setting Ex Machina during the George W. Bush administration would also give audiences a chance to revisit a period of American history with more than two decades of hindsight. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Patriot Act, and the debate over same-sex marriage were all part of the political landscape when Vaughan was writing the comic. There’s no reason to drag the story into 2026 or invent new political controversies for Hundred to deal with when we’re still working through the same issues.
HBO Already Has Experience Adapting DC’s Political Comics
HBO has already adapted a DC comic about the future of NYC politics. Its 2022 four-part miniseries DMZ, starring Rosario Dawson, imagined Manhattan as a demilitarized zone in the second American Civil War. Based on the Vertigo comic by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, DMZhad the advantage of telling a strong story in four episodes without overstaying its welcome. Ex Machina would need more space to investigate Hundred’s administration, but it doesn’t need to run forever. Vaughan and Harris gave Ex Machina a definitive ending, and it’s not exactly what you’d expect from a traditional superhero story.
Damon Lindelof’s Watchmentook the world of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark comic and used it to examine American politics, racism, and institutional power. The sequel series to the books proved superhero properties can handle complex themes without turning into yet another run-of-the-mill superhero movie. Ex Machina can do something similar and still remain closer to the original story by Vaughan and Harris. Vaughan’s work has been adapted for the small screen, but not always with happy results. FX’s 2021 version of Y: The Last Man made some big changes from the original comic and was canceled after one season. The series never got to tell the full story Vaughan and Pia Guerra were telling. Ex Machina is such a good comic that when you’re adapting it, you can’t assume that you can improve it by reinventing the whole thing.
In 2020 an Ex Machina movie was announced starring Oscar Isaacunder the title The Great Machine. Most likely they wanted to avoid confusion with the other Oscar Isaac movie, Ex Machina. The project is apparently on hold, with Isaac saying in 2022 that the story wasn’t coming together. That’s probably a good thing, at least as far as format goes. To try and fit 50 issues of political intrigue, superhero flashbacks, and character growth into two hours would mean losing a lot of what makes the comic special.
Mitchell Hundred discovered that saving New York City was a lot easier than running it. That’s what makes Ex Machina such a terrific political drama and why HBO could turn it into the superhero answer to The West Wing. Legendary and DC Studios just need to adjust their perspective on the project and aim for premium TV over a movie. And speaking of choosing who’s going to run things, it’s Election Day. Go vote. Just remember, a cape isn’t a qualification.
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