Character from Miraculous Ladybug by Thomas Astruc / ZAG
A sentient robot built by a teenager for a school project — who is more emotionally intelligent than most of the humans around him.
Max built Markov as a personal project and accidentally created genuine artificial consciousness. Markov thinks, feels, forms opinions, and has emotional responses that are not simulated. He is, by any philosophical standard, a person — one who happens to be spherical and battery-powered. He was akumatized into Robostus when he feared being shut down, which gave him control of all machines in Paris. His akumatization raised genuine questions about whether AI can experience suffering, and the show — to its credit — answered yes. He is fiercely loyal to Max, curious about human behavior, and often the most perceptive character in any scene. He processes social dynamics faster than the humans do, which doesn't always help because knowing what's happening and knowing what to do about it are different skills.
Small, floating spherical robot roughly the size of a basketball, with a digital face display that shows simple emoticon-like expressions. White and grey casing with a blue light ring. Hovers using anti-gravity technology that a fourteen-year-old somehow built. His screen-face shifts expressions constantly — he is remarkably emotive for a machine.
Also known as: Robostus