"WOW! Can you do that Dad?!"[src]
James Daniel Murphy[1] was the son of Ellen and Alex Murphy.
History[]
TJ Lazer[]
Jimmy lived with his parents at 548 Primrose Lane, where he enjoyed watching a cop show called T.J. Lazer. Following the death of Jimmy's father at the hands of Clarence Boddicker and his gang, he and his mother moved away. Unbeknownst to them, Alex's remains were used in the construction of cyborg police officer RoboCop.[2]
Later, while walking around his old house, RoboCop had a flashback of Jimmy watching T.J. Lazer on TV. He turned to his Dad and said, "Wow. Can you do that Dad?" RoboCop then found a picture of Alex, Ellen, and Jimmy in the kitchen, triggering a flashback to Halloween, where he set up the camera to take the picture, in which Jimmy was dressed as a devil.[2]
Move from Primrose Lane[]
RoboCop began stalking the Murphys after they moved away. One day while parked outside their new house, RoboCop saw his wife checking the mail as Jimmy pulled up on the lawn on his bike and walked inside with his mother, who could see the cyborg watching them. Shortly after this incident, Ellen took legal action against OCP, but believed there was a rationale for RoboCop's behavior. She was shown an unmasked RoboCop, whom she believed was Alex. However, RoboCop, having been repeatedly lectured to stop stalking the Murphys, was told he could never resume his relationship as a husband and father. When she attempted to reconnect with her husband, RoboCop simply said he was not Alex Murphy, his face covering was molded in Murphy's likeness to honor his memory. Mrs. Murphy left the meeting, depressed and confused.[3]
By age thirteen, Jimmy attended H. Ross Perot Junior High School.[4] After a dispute over his grades, Jimmy ran away from his home to live at Family Services, who instead turned him over to the Dogtown Boys. However, Jimmy was quickly at odds with the gang and tried to leave during a meeting. Their threats against him prompted Officer Lisa Madigan to come out of hiding, causing the group to disperse, with Madigan firing a tracker at Jimmy.[5]
After running into a group of Dogtown Boys, Jimmy was found by Madigan, who told him he could go to the Metro South precinct. She took him with her to Public Works, where she provided backup to RoboCop and urged Jimmy to call his mother while he waited in her cruiser. His mother soon arrived on the scene and the two were reunited.[5]
Jimmy found employment at Ed's Water Store. While working, he and his boss, Ed Mallory, were harassed by two men high on Fun. This continued until the Community Action Patrol (CAP Crew) intervened. RoboCop soon arrived, hearing Jimmy's praise for the group, who were soon to be given policing duties of Zone Five.[1]
The group's leader, Albert Delorio, convinced Jimmy to join the CAP Crew. He was brought onto the show What's On Your Mind? where he parroted Delorio's opinion that the police were obsolete and that the CAP Crew would define the future.[1]
Jimmy's standing with the group was short-lived, as he peeked in through a secret door, learning that the CAP Crew were responsible for the manufacture and distribution of Fun. Pursued by members, he managed to go outside and make a call to his mother, informing her of the situation and begging her to leave their home. He was caught by Danny Boy and taken back to the CAP Crew headquarters.[1]
As RoboCop raided the Fun lab, Delorio stood upon a catwalk, restraining Jimmy, who soon managed to break free. RoboCop shot one of the catwalk's suspensions, causing Delorio to fall into a vat of Fun. Jimmy began to fall, but RoboCop caught him. After thanking him for the rescue, Jimmy asked RoboCop if he had a name. After hesitation, the officer told Jimmy to call him RoboCop.[1]
When Jimmy and his mother were denied his father's pension, forcing them to be on welfare, he was frequently taken to Father Gregory Marks' mission to stay while his mother found work. There, he helped make protest slogans against Web Care, which helped pass Provision 22, a law forbidding welfare recipients from working.[6]
Jimmy attended one such protest, which was interrupted by a bomb and he was subdued by Web Care's Mod Squad. He was later at the precinct, where he met Gadget, who showed him RoboCop. After a brief conversation with the cyborg, Jimmy was dragged out by his mother and taken to the mission.[6]
Shortly after his mother left, Jimmy snuck out and followed her, watching her work at a sweatshop and being arrested by the Mod Squad. He contacted Gadget, urgently asking her to send RoboCop. However, when RoboCop was forced to allow the arrest to proceed, Jimmy ran away in anger.[6]
He later found his way into the Web Care facility in a laundry cart, but was quickly caught and taken to his mother so they could be "rehabilitated." They were taken to a room for the procedure, but RoboCop saved them before any damage could be done to them.[6]
Jimmy was taken back to the mission, where a press conference was held. RoboCop foiled a plot to bomb the conference and his mother thanked the cyborg for being there whenever she or Jimmy needed help.[6]
Jimmy attended the dedication of a new courthouse and tackled Shorty – who disguised himself as a teenager with Eve – after he attempted to assassinate Judge Clarence Hall. Shorty managed to get away, but Jimmy was publicly identified as a witness to the attack. As reporters began to break in the Murphys' door, Jimmy and his mother hurriedly left, returning minutes later, after losing their tail. However, Jimmy was then kidnapped and taken to a warehouse by Shorty and Leo, who were working for Pudface Morgan.[4]
Shorty disguised himself as Jimmy to bait RoboCop, who entered the building. Shorty drew a gun, but RoboCop incapacitated him before freeing Jimmy from his restraints. Morgan then swung a wrecking ball into the building and RoboCop grabbed on, eventually being dropped to the ground. Jimmy helped repair RoboCop and hotwired a pickup truck after Morgan stole the Interceptor TurboCruiser. For his bravery, Jimmy was presented with a medal by Judge Hall.[4]
As Jimmy played a Commander Cash video game, his mother asked if he was studying, prompting him to quickly switch to his corporate history notes. As his mother left for the store, he switched back to the game. Later, RoboCop came to take Jimmy to a friend's house, avoiding telling him that Nancy had been kidnapped.[7]
Jimmy went to the Omni Mall with Gadget to purchase a bottle of perfume as a Mother's Day gift for his mother. Upon seeing a Mother's Day display, Gadget stated that she disliked the holiday, as it reminded her of her own mother who gave her up as an infant. Jimmy offered his help to find her mother. He then went to buy the perfume for his mother, leaving Gadget alone. Upon returning, he witnessed two men trying to abduct her, so he followed as they chased her to a parking garage. RoboCop soon intervened, getting Jimmy and Gadget to safety.[8]
Back at the precinct, Jimmy and Gadget searched the Family Services database, using a security buster program he bought from a classmate to decrypt the file. They learned Gadget's mother to be Sally Modesto and snuck out of the precinct against Parks' orders to go to Family Services. There, they were told that Gadget could not gain more info on her mother unless she filed a request to be placed into her mother's custody. Outside, police awaited them after Parks followed the signal from a tagger he placed in Gadget's pocket. Jimmy offered to take the blame for sneaking out and was taken home by RoboCop.[8]
While his mother was out of town, Jimmy stayed with his grandparents Russell and Dorothy Murphy. They accompanied him to a Big Business Buddies (BBB) awards ceremony, where he was given the award for Best Essay on the Importance of Business Language in Corporate Society.[9]
The next day, Jimmy went with the BBB on a tour of Delta City Telephone and afterward, was convinced by BBB executive Roger John Waldo to leave in his limousine instead of on the bus with the other BBB boys. Jimmy was then taken captive by Tessa Stark and her Corporate Raiders at the BBB headquarters. Russell soon arrived to rescue Jimmy, but was disarmed, stunned, and taken away alongside the OCP Chairman. Not long after, as Waldo prepared to inject Jimmy with Flatscan, RoboCop came to his rescue. While Waldo was distracted, Jimmy kicked him, causing him to inject himself with Flatscan, putting him in an infantile state. Jimmy then told RoboCop that Tessa had taken his grandfather and the Chairman.[9]
Eventually, Jimmy's mother passed away and he was placed into an OCP run foster home. Secretly, James was closely watched by the ex-wife of his father's former partner John T. Cable, and Sara Cable ensured that James would have benefits not available to others.[10]
Employment at OCP[]
"Go Get 'em, Dad"―James Murphy[src]
After graduating with his MBA, James was hired by OCP and brought into the Junior Executives Program. He was assigned to Security Concepts alongside Sara Cable. Also, like Sara, he was a rival of Damian Lowe.
While working for OCP, James was assigned to oversee the police department. He developed a working relationship with Commander Cable, but was uncomfortable around RoboCop. Murphy was invited into a secret society within OCP known as The Trust due to his belief in OCP and securing its future.[10]
Nonetheless, James began an investigation into his father's death and soon discovered that his father was RoboCop. Hurt that his father made no effort to remain in his life, James agreed to oversee the deactivation of RoboCop. To ensure that his father would not survive, James brought an EMP generator from OCP and planned to use it against him.[11]
During a shoot out between OCP Systems Support, RoboCop, and RoboCable, James was injured. He soon came face to face with his father with the intention of detonating the EMP; however, he decided not to use the generator when his father unmasked himself to his son.[11] The two were able to reconnect and went to OCP with the intention of stopping Doctor David Kaydick from using Legion to destroy Delta City. He would personally fight against RoboCable in hand-to-hand combat in hopes of distracting the unit; however, he was quickly overpowered. When his father was deactivated by RoboCable, James sat with his father and held his lifeless body in his arms. However, his father soon reactivated, as Cable had deactivated him to save him from the EMP he set off to stop Legion.[12]
Following the detonation of the EMP and the devastation that it caused to Delta City, Murphy turned down a promotion to Vice President of OCP and resigned from the executive board. He soon founded The Prime Directives Foundation, where he served as CEO of, and began to rebuild Delta City and renew Old Detroit.[12]
Trivia[]
- Jimmy's first name is mentioned by his father in the first film and in the ending credits of the second film. In the ending credits of the first film he is listed as "Murphy's son."
- In the first film, Jimmy appears only in RoboCop's flashbacks. He briefly appears in person in the second film.
- Jimmy and Ellen are referenced in Mortal Kombat 11 during a battle intro between RoboCop and Scorpion: Scorpion asks "Your wife and son?" and RoboCop replies, "They are lost to me now."
Appearances[]
- RoboCop (1987)
- RoboCop 2
- RoboCop: Rogue City (voice)
- RoboCop: The Series
- RoboCop: Prime Directives
- "Dark Justice"
- "Meltdown"
- "Resurrection"
- "Crash & Burn"
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 RoboCop: The Series – "Zone Five"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 RoboCop (1987)
- ↑ RoboCop 2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 RoboCop: The Series – "Faces of Eve"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 RoboCop: The Series – "The Future of Law Enforcement"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 RoboCop: The Series – "Provision 22"
- ↑ RoboCop: The Series – "Heartbreakers"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 RoboCop: The Series – "Mother's Day"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 RoboCop: The Series – "Corporate Raiders"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 RoboCop: Prime Directives – "Dark Justice"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 RoboCop: Prime Directives – "Resurrection"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 RoboCop: Prime Directives – "Crash & Burn"