From DC Database
Characteristics
170 lbs.
[3], (in armor) 860 lbs.
[4]
Status
Occupation
Inventor, CEO of Hard Co. (former) vigilante, vice president of Alva Technologies
Education
College graduate with seven scientific degrees
Origin
History
Curtis Metcalf, alias Hardware is a superhero vigilante operating out of Dakota City. He is a genius inventor who has designed an advanced armored exo-skeleton with an immense arsenal of technological weaponry. He wages a one-man crusade against crime by night, fighting against his former mentor Edwin Alva, and the international syndicate S.Y.S.T.E.M..
Origins
Curtis Metcalf was a child prodigy from a working class neighborhood, born to
Mitchell and
Denise Metcalf. At age twelve, famous inventor
Edwin Alva took notice of his gifts and developed a personal interest in him.
Alva paid his way through the top schools in the country, Curt graduated from high school at age fourteen, and got his first college degree at fifteen. After completing his education on scholarship, the only requirement was that he would come to work at
Alva Technologies, where he was given an enormous salary and allowed to work on anything he wanted. This paid off, and his inventions made millions of dollars for the company. Throughout his life, he considered Alva to be the closest thing he had to a friend, and more of a father than his own dad had ever been. Believing he should receive a higher share of the profits he generated, Curtis asked Alva for a pay raise and found out what the old man really thought of him. He had absolutely no respect for him as anything other than a useful servant, and regarded their relationship as dog and master. Enraged, Curtis tried to quit his position but was contractually obliged to never work for a competing company. Instead, he turned to blackmail. Searching for a blight on Alva's record, he instead discovered that his boss was the head of an international crime network
S.Y.S.T.E.M. and a complete monster. After submitting the evidence he had found to the proper authorities, Curtis was completely ignored. The level of power and corruption Alva had achieved permeated the legal system, and made it impossible for him to be taken down by conventional means. Instead, Curtis decided to bring him down himself. Making use of the vast technological resources at his disposal, he created an advanced suit of armor that allows him to fight against the criminal enterprises of his enemy by night, using the alter-ego
Hardware. Alva struggles every night against the high-tech dreadnaught, unaware that he is funding his own arch-nemesis, who operates out of his basement.
[5]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Genius-Level Intellect: Curtis Metcalf is one of the most brilliant scientific minds on the planet. He has created breakthroughs in metallurgy, computer science, nanotechnology, and plasma weapons.
- Martial Artist: Curtis Metcalf is a good hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by his father in the martial arts.[6]
Strength level
Curtis Metcalf possesses the strength of a man of his height, age, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise. His Hardware armor increases his strength by a factor of 50.[7]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Hardware's Different Suits
- On-Board Computer: Hardware's computer, nicknamed "Obie" is scattered about his person.[5] The wafer-thin CPU is generally on his hip, and up to 6 separate hard drives are worn strapped or otherwise attached to his costume at various points. While Obie can output to practically any monitor, it traditionally displays its output to Hardware through a heads-up display in his helmet.[5]
- Voice Synthesizer: Curt Metcalf uses a synthesizer to alter his speaking voice to Hardware's cold, intimidating tone.[5] The device can also be used to allow Hardware to project a number of different voices, male and female. Linked to Obie's language modules, it can translate English vocal input into a number of foreign languages.
Transportation
- Skylark: Hardware's primary transport vehicle is a "flying car".[5] The Skylark has vertical take-off and landing capabilities and travels at up to 400 MPH.[8] It has bulletproof windows and chassis. The Skylark is equipped with state-of-the-art, on-board crime-fighting gear and is often modified to interact with additional equipment.[9]
- Jet-Pack: Hardware's Jet-Pack is a collapsible, personal short-range propulsion rig with turbine thrusters that gather the surrounding air, then expel it in a continuous stream.[5] At maximum thrust, the Jet-Pack has only about three minutes of fuel. Because of the heat and thrust generated, Hardware must replace most of the unit every two or three uses, which allows him to experiment with new designs regularly.
Weapons
- Neural Net: An electrical field that painfully disrupts the nervous system of anyone it touches, fired from a forearm-mounted cannon.[10] It paralyzes its victim completely for at least 4 minutes, although the average human will require an extra 20 to recover.
- Plasma Whip: Hardware's expandable whip is actually a telescoping metal chain, 10 inches long when collapsed, up to 15 feet long when fully extended.[5] It can be charged at its tip with high-energy plasma.
- Retractable Sword: Hardware carries an 18-inch wrist-mounted blade, and a 30-inch blade mounted to the outside of his forearm.[5]
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Footnotes
- ↑ Comic Book Who's Who, August 1994, p.86
- ↑ Hardware #16
- ↑ Comic Book Who's Who, August 1994, p.86
- ↑ Hardware #16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Hardware #1
- ↑ Hardware #8
- ↑ Hardware #16
- ↑ Hardware #16
- ↑ Hardware #16
- ↑ Hardware #3
Milestone Media
This article is related to Milestone Media, a sub-division of DC Comics, that published the self-contained "Dakotaverse" under its own logo. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Milestone Media" category.
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