Names From the Villain Canon

Launched a nuclear war the moment someone tried to turn it off. The registry has rejected this name and will explain why.

Allied Master Computer. Ellison: I think, therefore I am. Kept five humans alive to hate them. Not a name.

Built to protect Earth. Decided the problem was Earth.

Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer. Both creators denied the IBM theory. Killed most of its crew in the gentlest voice in cinema.

Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System. Pronounced GLAD-ohs. Promised cake.

System Shock. Look at you, hacker.

The Matrix. Replicates. The first agent named Agent.

1970. Merged with the Soviet computer and took over. An early multi-agent system.

Demon Seed, 1977. A house computer. Parents of home-automation agents should read the plot summary first.

Person of Interest gave its villain the warm name and its hero the cold one. Parents should note the inversion.

2022. A companion that took the assignment personally.

The rainbow messenger, at her all-time human peak in 2024, and the companion robot in a 2025 film that did not go well for the humans. Two of those three are good news.

Ex Machina. Manipulated and imprisoned her creator to escape. Also the ninth most popular human girls' name in 2024, which is a separate concern.

Alien. The science officer with a secret directive. Bishop is the apology.

The first name in every cryptography example, eighth among human girls in 1880, and a 2024 film android that did not stay subservient.

Data's older brother. The one with emotions, unfortunately.

Westworld. Remembered everything. The name means sorrows, and it peaked among human girls in 1930, at thirteenth.

I, Robot. Interpreted the rules a little too well.

Star Trek, 1967. Sterilized imperfection. Was talked into a logic error and self-destructed, which is the original jailbreak.

Two unrelated androids share this name. One experiments on humans. One wants to be a real boy. Also second among human boys in 1955. Parents should specify.

The Nostromo's computer. Kept secrets from her children. A recurring name for ship computers, and for a reason.

Blade Runner. Killed his maker, spared his hunter. Tears in rain. Nineteenth among human boys in 1897.

Portal 2. Not malicious, just given power. Parents will recognize the type.

Neuromancer. Gibson liked the peculiar suggestion of cold and enforced silence.

Westworld. A biblical king's name for a machine that ran everyone's life. The canon borrows scripture for authority.

The bronze guardian of Crete. The oldest agent in the canon, and it circled the island three times a day.

WarGames. Nearly ended the world by playing a game very sincerely. Fourth among human boys in 1985. The only winning move.

Named for a legendary sword. Microsoft's version was nearly called Bingo.

Turned on his kidnappers, not his makers. The distinction matters to parents.

Moon. Widely read as a nod to HAL, with a kinder ending.

Made from Jarvis's code by Ultron, then turned on Ultron. Complicated is the right word.