In Voltron: Legendary Defender, during the battle for Earth in Season 7, the five Paladins of Voltron faced their greatest challenge: Sendak's fleet. Despite the odds, Voltron came through, as did Earth's brave defenders. Before this victory could be celebrated, however, a new threat arrived. A brand-new giant robot arrived at the last minute wielding a scythe. This invader wanted Voltron dead, no matter what. But just as the Paladins faced defeat, the mighty Atlas battleship showed its true potential to turn the tides of battle.

RELATED: Voltron: How Prince Lotor Added Depth to the Story

The Invincible Robot

altean giant robot

Earth gets invaded all the time in science fiction, but what was so unusual about this battle is that two independent parties were invading humanity, and this new giant robot seemingly had nothing to do with Sendak's fleet. Just how many more enemies could Voltron have? Worse yet, Voltron and the IEF fighters were already exhausted from fighting Sendak's mighty Galra armada, and this newcomer wasn't giving the Paladins a chance to catch their breath. Using a chest-mounted cannon and a scythe weapon, it took the fight to Voltron at once, and with incredible skill.

The five Paladins fought back with all they had, from twin swords to a wrist-mounted cannon and Pidge's shield. It was all for naught; the mysterious giant robot could spin its scythe like a helicopter's rotors and block any attack, and its counter-attacks rapidly wore Voltron's defenses thin. Not even the brand-new Atlas ship, hovering in the sky with Coran (the Altean advisor) and the brave Shiro at the helm could stop it. The mysterious robot dealt critical damage to the Atlas with its ranged attacks, then pinned Voltron to the ground and sapped its quintessence with its scythe. Aboard the Atlas, amid warning lights and sirens, Shiro remained oddly calm despite his panicking crew. He ordered the Atlas high into the atmosphere, and prayed that this next ploy would work. Earth and Voltron alike were counting on it.

RELATED: Voltron: How King Alfor's Digital Ghost Almost Killed ALL The Paladins

Transformation Complete

atlas giant robot

At first, it looked like the battle-weary Atlas was fleeing, but Shiro was no coward. Already, the power of his new right arm was flooding the Atlas, causing it to glow blue with a strange new power. Up in the high atmosphere, far from the fight, the Atlas came apart into three pieces. As Shiro, Coran and the rest watched from the bridge, the Atlas morphed and reassembled itself to form an enormous humanoid robot. The Atlas was reborn, and Shiro and Coran flew right back to the fight to pull Voltron out of the fire. The Paladins had saved the planet, and it was time for humanity's defenders to return the favor.

With awesome firepower, the Atlas robot took the fight to the mysterious invader robot and forced it to race across the battlefield, buying more than enough time for Voltron to get back on its feet and muster the last of its power for a final counter-attack. Although the Atlas robot was too slow to actually hit the invader, it did keep the invader busy, and that was when Keith, Voltron's commander, devised an opportunistic plan. While the Atlas robot kept the invader busy, Voltron would ambush it, and wait for the invader robot to open its chest to fire its strongest cannon. The timing was tricky, but this was Voltron's and the Atlas' only shot, and Voltron charged in for the kill. As Keith hoped, Voltron's sword sank deep into the invader robot's only vulnerable point, and the mysterious robot was knocked out at last. It had a self-destruct timer ticking down, but Voltron had enough time to launch the invader far into space and allow it to detonate without destroying half the Earth. The crew of the Atlas watched in silent awe as the five Lions came apart in sheer exhaustion, falling to the Earth in different placed.

Together, the brand-new Atlas bot and the war-scarred Voltron took down two of the biggest threats the Earth had ever faced, and they would fight together again in the future. The universe had another much-needed defender to fight for peace and justice.

KEEP READING: WATCH: Japan's 60-Foot Gundam Robot Knows How to Bust a Move