History
Curtis Metcalf's first battle with the would-be conqueror Tyrant left him badly beaten and his Hardware Mark II armor destroyed.[1] So, Metcalf decided to retire from crimefighting and let Dakota City's other superheroes deal with his new foe. However, this proved to not be an option when the inventor barely defeated Tyrant's minions, Autopsy and Post-Mortem, who ambushed him at his apartment.[2] Metcalf realized that he had to take the fight to Tyrant and thus designed Hardware Mark III, a enormous, fly-by-wire controlled battlesuit. To protect his friends and colleagues at Hard Company, Curt built the new armor in the garage of his father, Mitchell, which was less public. The final step to bring Mark III online was installing Curt's counseling artificial intelligence, EDWIN, that would serve as the armor's operating system.
Just then, Curt received a radio distress call from Seven Pallaton, leader of the anti-terrorist unit, COVERT, which had also been severely defeated by Tyrant.[1] Pallaton warned Metcalf that Tyrant and his army were using a amphibious assault ship to invade Dakota City. Donning the Mark III armor, Hardware intercepted the ship on the James River and then plunged into it like a projectile, punching a hole in its hull. While Tyrant and his soldiers tried to save the sinking ship, Hardware added to the damage by using microwave beams to detonate the ship's stored ammo packs. Hardware then had his rematch with Tyrant, who still proved a formidable opponent despite the Mark III armor's tremendous strength. Changing tactics, Hardware distracted Tyrant by dousing him with the contents of a severed fuel line, which he ignited. Hardware then flew off to a safe distance, where he unleashed his entire arsenal at the assault ship, destroying it and apparently all on board.
The Mark III armor performed admirably during its first mission, but it has not been seen in action since. Instead, Curt has worn a rebuilt Mark II armor in his latest missions. Perhaps the Mark III being so specialized to defeat Tyrant limited its usefulness in other circumstances; for example, the armor's size would be a liability during stealth missions.
Presumably, Hardware keeps the Mark III in reserve to be used for only the most dire emergencies.
Capabilities
The Hardware Mark III armor was designed by Curtis Metcalf to defeat immensely powerful foes like Tyrant. To that end, he significantly augmented the standard attributes of previous armors: firepower, durability, and especially strength enhancement. This last attribute accounts for why the Mark III is so large compared to previous armors. Other notable differences include a fly-by-wire control system and weapons built-into the suit rather than being mounted.
The Mark III suit consists of two layers, the basic armor and the power armor, which are described below.
Hardware Mark III basic armor (foreground) and power armor
BASIC ARMOR
The basic armor is a plasticized metal alloy of Curtis' own design.[3] Using a device called the Shell Forge, Hardware coats his body from head to toe with this material.[3] Once polarized, the shell serves as a skintight, impact-resistant foundation upon which his external armor rests. [3] The shell is highly bullet resistant and has ablative capabilities that protect Curt against low-level energy attacks: electricity, lasers, etc.[4]
Perhaps the shell’s most formidable feature is the programmable polymers integrated into its structure. [4] These polymers enable the shell to stretch and contract like human muscle, but with considerably greater force. Hence, the shell increases Curtis' natural strength to superhuman levels.
The polymers in the shell can also "remember" movements that Curtis programs into them that he can trigger at a later time. [4] For instance, Curtis has programmed complex martial art katas into the polymers that when activated enable him to unleash a high-speed combination of blows.[4] The drawback to the shell is that while wearing it Hardware cannot eat or drink.[4]
POWER ARMOR
The external systems of Hardware’s armor are stored within the nano-robot housing pods in his helmet and shoulder pads.[4] These systems are constructed by nano-robots, microscopic machines that are released via main control systems in the helmet.[2] When released from their pods, the robots begin rapidly constructing Hardware’s power armor from the shoulder pads down, enabling him to don it in seconds. The armor is composed of a hyper-dense alloy that is golden in color and is nearly unbreakable. The alloy's molecular structure conforms to no Earthly substance, leading to speculation that it is extraterrestrial in origin.[2]
Despite its defensive capabilities, the power armor primarily functions as a powered exoskeleton that follows and magnifies Curt's movements. This capability combined with the strength enhancement qualities of Curt's basic armor grants his enormous physical strength.
The armor's helmet is equipped with a high resolution multi-phasic scanner. This unit grants Curt to ability to see wavelengths of light beyond the visual spectrum, ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. The scanner is fully integrated into the tracking and target sub-system that beams a sighting crosshair onto Hardware’s right eye. The target sub-system determines target acquisition by following Hardware’s eye movements and then fires on verbal command.
The helmet also has a highly experimental cybernetic interface that converts the bio-electric signals of Curt's brain into commands that are sent to his CPU. This interface was necessary because the Mark III's control system is fly-by-wire. The CPU accepts verbal commands as well.
Other systems in the helmet include a satellite radio communications array, a chronometer, and a speech synthesizer that alters his voice to conceal his secret identity.[2] The armor itself boasts a multi-channel sensor array and an internal air supply, enabling Curt to survive in low-oxygen, underwater, or other harsh environments.[2]
- CPU - Many of the on-board functions of the Mark III armor are controlled by a CPU via the fly-by-wire system. The CPU can accept both mental and verbal input.
- The CPU's Operating System is EDWIN, a semi-sentient artificial intelligence that originally served as Curt's virtual adviser. EDWIN can swiftly process huge amounts of data such as the mental commands Curt sends to the CPU. The AI can also access data files from the armor's hard drive or external sources. EDWIN's processing power has offensive applications as well; for example, it can run a tactical analysis of an opponent's fighting style and make micro-adjustments so Curtis can evade incoming attacks. Thanks to EDWIN, the CPU can learn as it goes and automatically upgrade itself.
- Inertia Winder: Following his first battle with Tyrant, Curtis salvaged the inertia winder from the now destroyed Mark II armor and installed it into the Mark III. The device offsets the armor's weight as well as much of his own weight. This grants Curt unusual dexterity and agility despite the Mark III armor weighing far more than the Mark II suit.[4]
Weapons
The Mark III has a wide arsenal of weapons that have yet to be fully cataloged. Among these are:
- Pulsar Cannons: The Mark III's primary weapons are pulsar cannons, forearm-mounted energy weapons which replace the standard Omnicannons.
- Energy Cannon: A third energy cannon is installed on the left side of the armor's chest plate.
- Lasers: On each shoulder pad are three high-powered lasers that are concealed by hidden panels when not in use. Hardware can deploy any number of lasers from an individual beam to all six at once.
- Microwave Beam Transmitters: The Mark III suit can generate microwave beams for various purposes. At low power, Hardware can use these beams like an a non-lethal "heat ray" to repel attackers without causing permanent damage. At maximum power, these microwaves are potent energy weapons that can rapidly heat up and destroy targets.
- Retractable Sword: For melee combat, the Mark III's right gauntlet is equipped with a retractable sword, which is standard weaponry on Hardware's various armors. This sword has a triangular blade and is scaled up in proportion to the Mark III's great size. Electromagnetic repulsion pushes the sword from its housing while altering its polarity causes the blade to retract. The double-edged sword is kept razor sharp by an automatic sharpening mechanism that edges the blade every time it retracts.
- The sword is reinforced with a special sleeve composed of a variation of Hardware's shell alloy. As a result, the blade has an extremely hard edge while being flexible enough to withstand the strain placed on it by Hardware's superhuman strength.
Transportation
- Jet-Pack: The Mark III armor is capable of flight due to its jet-pack, whose turbine thrusters generate thrust by gathering the surrounding air and then expelling it in a continuous stream. The rig has a pair of small wings to give the armor greater flight stability. These wings retract when Hardware is on the ground in order not to impede his movements. The jet-pack also has an impeller system that quickly propels Hardware through the water when he is submerged.
Notes
Shortly before his death, Curt Metcalf's mentor and former nemesis, Edwin Alva, constructed his own battlesuit that he dubbed Hardware Version 3.0. [2] This suit has no connection to Curt's Mark III armor.
See Also
- Appearances of Hardware Armor MK III
- Item Gallery: Hardware Armor MK III
- Images featuring Hardware Armor MK III