"Oh, he's got this killer rep, but it's a smokescreen, the guy's lost his teeth, he's a pussy."―- Bob Morton crossing the line.
Character Overview
Robert "Bob" Morton was a young, ambitious OCP executive in the first film. He uses a boardroom incident as an opportunity to convince the CEO to approve his RoboCop program, which resulted in him angering the Senior President, ultimately leading to his untimely death.
Life in the big city
"Don't mess with Jones, man. He'll make sushi out of you."
Morton is first seen with Johnson and Mr. Kinney, discussing the notorious reputation of OCP Senior President Dick Jones while riding a glamorous, yet tasteful, stylish, but functional glass elevator to the upper floors of the OCP tower, summoned there by Dick Jones for the unveiling of Jones's pet project: the Enforcement Droid, series 209.
Jones's presentation reveals two things: the first is that Bob doesn't like Dick, and the second is that Dick doesn't like Bob. This is not due to some personality difference, but rather because of their similarities: both are intelligent and ambitious, both head up advanced projects within OCP, both are competing for the Old Man's approval and, most vitally, both are competing against each other in a volatile power struggle.
The second thing we learn is that ED-209 doesn't work quite according to specifications, riddling Mr. Kinney with large caliber shells even after the Junior Executive complied with its orders. As Dick Jones is trying to mitigate his failure to the Old Man, which doesn't work too well, Bob Morton steps up and steals the contract from under his nose. Jones is disgusted, but Morton confidently brushes him off, and thinks no more about it.
I thought we agreed on total body prosthesis?
It is revealed in a passing conversation in the same stylish, functional etc. glass elevator that it was Security Concepts, Bob Morton's division, who has "restructured the police force to place prime candidates according to risk factor". In plain English, it is at least partially Bob Morton's fault that Officers Murphy, Frederickson, Alcott, Connors, Duffy and probably many others have been injured and killed, due to lack of manpower, resources, training and proper management. They have done this so death rates amongst officers will be high, and provide "raw materials" for the RoboCop Program.
After Murphy's death, Bob personally oversees RoboCop's development, expressing annoyance that the surgical team were able to save his arm, reminding them that they agreed on total body prosthesis, and that human qualities are, at best, a secondary concern. Johnson fills him in with the legal particulars of their position before Bob orders them to proceed with the surgery.
Bob also tests out RoboCop's titanium laminated cyberarm, the 400lb/ft of which almost breaks every bone in his hand. Which would have been a tragedy to behold.
You're gonna be a bad motherfucker
You're gonna be a bad Motherfucker
Some weeks later, Bob Morton has RoboCop covered in clear polyethylene and then dramatically unveils him.... to an unusually tiny contingent of people, who seem to be mostly the same science team that built him, in a sycophantic and self-affirming ceremony. It's a stark contrast to ED-209's presentation: less OCP executives, the Old Man and Dick Jones are not even present, and RoboCop doesn't shoot even one innocent person. He's quickly loaded into a truck and his various equipment is stowed in a convoy of vans, bound for Metro West Precinct.
Bob Morton gets immediately collared by Sergeant Reed, to whom he informs the proceedings are OCP business and to "please, get lost". Reed is angry for about 2.2 seconds, until RoboCop himself strides in, silencing everyone present.
Bob personally oversees, with glee, the testing of RoboCop's marksmanship, tracking and record/playback functions, then, when testing in complete, orders him to recite his Prime Directives. Bob is most pleased, and RoboCop is pronounced ready for the streets soon thereafter.
You just fucked with the wrong guy!
- "Here at Security Concepts, we're predicting the end of crime in Old Detroit within 40 days. There's a new guy in town. His name's RoboCop."
- - Bob Morton on Mediabreak.
It was perhaps the success of his project which made Morton finding himself in the seat of the Vice President of OCP. After RoboCop's initial success, Bob gives a quick interview to Mediabreak about the foundations of Delta City, where he predicts that crime will be a thing of the past in a few months. It becomes clear in a conversation with a colleague, Mr. Walker that he has access to the exclusive and illustrious "Executive Lounge" in the OCP tower. The "lounge" is a toilet, a toilet designed around the busy executive, with stocks and shares scrolling across LED boards above the urinals, and a lovely marble finish.
Bob did not notice a particular pair of feet residing upon said marble, the rest of the body out of sight in one of the booths. Bob and his fellow colleague unzip in front of the urinals, whilst Mr. Walker continues to congratulate Bob on his promotion, and how Dick Jones is "plenty pissed."
As Bob brashly and comprehensively insults Dick Jones, they notice that every other employee in the lounge is mysteriously making for the door as fast as possible, whilst also directing a lot of attention back in their direction. Bob and Walker look on with confusion... until the sound of a stall flushing makes them turn. It is Dick Jones, who has overheard every word. Walker tries hard to shut off the flow of urine, mumbling something about a meeting, and quickly walks off, a dark stain on his light grey pants. Bob holds his ground, moving to the wash basin, as Jones sidles up behind him.
First Jones appears calm and unruffled, congratulating Bob for his work in Security Concepts, and regaling him with stories of his own days as a young executive. Things quickly escalate, and turn nasty when Dick grabs Bob by the hair, telling him he's made a big mistake in insulting him personally, and insulting the company with his "bastard creation". When Bob is visibly shaken, Dick backs off, leaving him to stew in the lounge.
"You just fucked with the wrong guy!"
As if Dick Jones's angry threats were not enough to ruffle his feathers, Bob Morton then receives a call from the OCP science team at Metro West Precinct. RoboCop has experienced detailed somatic response and, without prompt or warning, simply got up and walked out of the building. After learning that this simply means he had a dream, Bob berates Lewis for daring to ask RoboCop's name (good job she didn't tell them she told RoboCop he was Murphy) and proceeds to threaten Reed's job security, before tiring of the situation and heading home.
That must be the champagne...
- "I'm cashing you out, Bob."
- - Dick Jones's final words to Bob Morton.
Morton entertaining two intelligent women.
A few days later, in order to de-stress from his particularly challenging and nerve-wracking first days as Vice President, Bob Morton invites Chandra and Tawny, a couple of classy, sexy models, over for a naughty mid-week date. He also orders a mound of cocaine... but not enough champagne, causing him to order some to be delivered. Nonetheless, the date is going well, the girls are interested in Bob, or Bobby boy, as they begin to call him, and Bobby boy is interested in the girls. The drugs go well into the mix, with Bob snorting it off Tawny's chest and basically getting all three worked up into a horny fluster.
Then things turn awry.
The doorbell rings, and Bob makes the fatal mistake of bothering to answer it, realizing it must be the champagne he presumably ordered earlier. Not wishing the girls to cool off, he rushes to the door, yanking it open, barely able to greet the man standing there before a familiar pistol is thrust into his face. He backpedals into the room at Clarence's insistence, who rudely orders the girls to leave, before pushing Bob away into the middle of the room.
No no, Clarence. Champagne, not champain.
Bob manages to regain a little of his composure, demanding to know what the hell is going on. Clarence answers him by slotting a silencer onto the barrel of his pistol, and without hesitation, shoots Morton several times in the legs, dropping him to the floor, then giving him a couple of other shots just to be sure. As he writhes on the floor, Bob begs Clarence to spare his life, looking helplessly on as Clarence slots a CD into Bob's entertainment suite. As Clarence helps himself to some coke, Bob sees, to his absolute horror, that the message playing to him is from none other than Dick Jones, who he quickly determines has contracted Clarence to kill him.
Bob tries to barter his life by offering Clarence double whatever Dick is paying, but this does not work - Bob can't pay Clarence double the opportunities that Dick Jones and Delta City offers - and Clarence produces a futuristic looking grenade with a digital timer. Bob pleads and begs, but it does no good, and Clarence gently pulls the pin with his teeth, gently placing it on the glass coffee table amongst the cocaine, then mooching on out of the condo.
Bob is left, struggling to reach the grenade, in terrible pain, with Dick Jones's mocking message playing out on his media suite. In a tense and terrible scene, Bob's fingers brush the shell of the grenade, fumbling it, and knocking it a further centimeter from his fingertips. With a final frustrated, pained, fearful wail, the powerful explosive detonates mere feet away from him, blasting the frontage of the condo to pieces.
Behind the Scenes
Bob's character was supposed to be more unpleasant and evil, but after Miguel Ferrer was cast, Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier realized he was going to be well liked by the audience, and adjusted his role accordingly. However, he's a patronizing, condescending, arrogant, power hungry, insulting, uncaring, womanizing and inhuman CorpDog who deliberately puts honest police officers in harm's way just so he can harvest their brains and organs for his personal project, so it's not clear exactly how he could have been much more evil and unpleasant.