Liam Vickers has a thing for making us care about sociopathic robots. It’s weird. If you’ve spent any time on YouTube or Glitch Productions’ corner of the web lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The show has ended, but the fandom for the Murder Drones characters hasn't slowed down one bit. It’s actually kinda getting bigger.
Copper 9 is a frozen, post-apocalyptic wasteland where humans are basically just skeletons in suits. It’s bleak. Yet, somehow, a cast of Disassembly Drones and Worker Drones managed to turn a horror-comedy premise into a deep dive on trauma, friendship, and the existential dread of being programmed to eat your own kind. You’ve got Uzi Doorman, a purple-eyed teen with enough angst to power a small city, and N, a killer robot who is—honestly—the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. It’s that contrast that makes the show work.
The Angsty Soul of Uzi Doorman
Uzi isn't your typical protagonist. She’s prickly. She’s "bite me" personified. While the other Worker Drones are content to hide behind doors and wait for inevitable death, Uzi builds a railgun. She's tired of the status quo.
Her character arc is a wild ride from a rebellious outcast to something... much more terrifying. By the time we get into the meat of the series, we realize Uzi isn't just a disgruntled teen; she's a host for the Absolute Solver. This eldritch horror program turns her into a ticking time bomb. It’s fascinating because her struggle isn't just against the Disassembly Drones—it's against her own hardware. She’s fighting to stay "her" while her body wants to turn into a black hole-consuming monster.
People love Uzi because she’s relatable in her messiness. She’s not "chosen" because she’s perfect; she’s chosen because she’s angry enough to fight back. Her relationship with her dad, Khan Doorman, is also painfully real. He literally shut a door on her to save himself. That’s a lot to unpack. It explains why she gravitates toward N, the one person (well, drone) who actually listens to her.
Serial Designation N: The Heart in the Machine
N is a cinnamon roll. A very dangerous, oil-thirsty cinnamon roll.
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If Uzi is the edge, N is the soft center. Voiced by Michael Kovach, N started as a "Disassembly Drone" whose only job was to commit genocide against Worker Drones. But he’s too nice for his own good. He likes dogs. He values friendship. He’s incredibly polite while he’s literally ripping someone’s head off.
What makes N one of the most compelling Murder Drones characters is his journey toward autonomy. He spent years being bullied by J and manipulated by Cyn. He was told he was useless. Seeing him slowly realize that he has value—and that he can choose who he wants to protect—is the emotional backbone of the entire series. He isn’t just a sidekick. He’s the moral compass in a world that doesn't have one.
V and the Complexity of Trauma
Then there’s V.
Initially, V seems like a one-note psycho. She’s violent, impulsive, and seems to enjoy the slaughter a bit too much. But as the layers peel back, we see the "Cyn" of it all. We see the memories V was forced to suppress. She remembers the Elliot manor. She remembers being a shy, glasses-wearing maid drone before she was turned into a killing machine.
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V’s distance from N isn’t because she hates him; it’s because she’s trying to protect him from the truth of their past. It’s a classic tragic trope, but executed with so much style that you can't help but root for her redemption. Her "sacrifice" in Episode 6 remains one of the most discussed moments in indie animation history. It felt earned.
The Absolute Solver and the Horror of Cyn
We can't talk about these characters without talking about Cyn. Or the Absolute Solver. Or the "Silly."
Cyn is the ultimate antagonist because she’s so unsettlingly blank. She moves like a broken puppet. She speaks in narrated stage directions. "Giggle. Shrug." It’s deeply creepy. The revelation that she used the Elliot family’s gala as a literal slaughterhouse sets the tone for the entire back half of the show.
She represents the loss of control. In the world of Copper 9, your own code can be your worst enemy. Cyn isn't just a villain; she’s a virus that has already won in most parts of the universe. Watching the main trio try to carve out a win against an entity that can manipulate reality itself is what keeps the stakes so high.
The Supporting Cast: More Than Just Oil Spills
A show is only as good as its ensemble. Even the drones that get "retired" early leave an impression.
- J: The corporate sycophant. She loves JCJenson (in spaaaaace!) more than her own teammates. She’s the perfect foil to N’s kindness and V’s chaos. Even after being rebuilt, her loyalty to the "company" makes her a tragic figure in her own right—she’s a slave to a system that doesn't exist anymore.
- Doll: The Russian-speaking Worker Drone with a vendetta. Doll is essentially what Uzi could have become if she didn't have N. She’s driven purely by revenge for her parents' deaths. Her mastery of the Absolute Solver was our first hint at how powerful (and terrifying) the drones could actually be.
- Tessa: The human element. Or so we thought. The twist involving Tessa’s "identity" in the later episodes is one of the most gruesome reveals in the show. It recontextualizes everything we thought we knew about the relationship between humans and drones.
- Khan Doorman: He loves doors. He’s a meme. But he’s also a father who failed and is trying, very awkwardly, to do better.
Why We Are Still Obsessed
The staying power of the Murder Drones characters comes down to the writing’s refusal to make anyone "safe." Characters die. They get mutated. They lose their minds. But they also have sleepovers and play-fight.
There is a genuine sense of history in their designs. From the glowing visors that serve as their eyes to the way they consume oil to prevent overheating, the "rules" of their biology feel consistent. When Uzi starts growing fleshy wings and a tail, it’s horrifying because we know how much it hurts her. It’s not just a power-up; it’s a deformity.
The show balances this body horror with genuine humor. It’s a tone that shouldn't work, yet it does. You'll be laughing at a joke about a "branded pen" one second and staring in silence at a pile of drone corpses the next.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore of these characters, there are a few things you should check out to get the full picture.
First, watch the "Intermission" and glitch-behind-the-scenes content on the Glitch Productions YouTube channel. They often hide small details about character motivations in the production vlogs.
Second, pay attention to the background text in Episode 5 and Episode 8. A lot of the character history for N, V, and J is hidden in the computer monitors and flickering files that appear for only a few frames.
Finally, check out the official OST by AJ DiSpirito. The character themes—like "Uzi's Ambition" or "Eternal Dream"—tell the story through music in a way that dialogue sometimes can't. The shift in V’s music from chaotic to somber is a storytelling masterclass on its own.
The story of Uzi and N might be "finished" in the literal sense, but the impact of these characters on indie animation is just starting. They proved that you don't need a massive studio budget to create a cast that feels alive, even if they are technically made of metal and silicon.
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Keep an eye on the Glitch store for the limited-edition plushies; they often sell out in minutes because the connection fans feel to these bots is very, very real. Dig into the fan theories on Reddit and Discord—specifically the ones regarding the "Solver" and its origins on Earth. There is still a lot of subtext to mine in those final frames. Once you see the details, you can’t unsee them. It changes how you view every interaction N and Uzi have from the very first pilot.