ROM the Space Knight was originally a toy created by Scott Dankman, Richard C. Levy, and Bryan L. McCoy for Parker Brothers. After the toy was licensed to Marvel Comics, Rom became a character that debuted in the Marvel Universe in the eponymous American comic book Rom: Spaceknight (December 1979 – February 1986). And while the original ROM toy failed after only a year on the market, ROM the character went on to play a major role in 2 different connected comic book universes, one by Marvel and one by IDW.