Edwin Alva

Hardware (Curtis Metcalf) is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. An original character from DC's Milestone Comics imprint, he first appeared in ''Hardware'' #1 (April 1993), and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan.

Publication history

''Hardware'' was the first of Milestone's titles to be published, and (along with '' Blood Syndicate'', ''Icon'', and '' Static'') was one of the company's main titles.

Fictional character biography

Milestone universe

Curtis Metcalf is a working class child prodigy who was discovered aged 12–13 by a big-time businessman, Edwin Alva Sr., who enrolled him in A Better Chance, "a program intended to get minority students into elite prep schools". Metcalf proved to be much smarter than all the other prep school students, graduating at age 14 and earning his first college degree at age 15. Alva paid for Metcalf's college tuition in exchange for him working as an inventor for Alva Industries. Metcalf later realizes that Alva is a corrupt businessman with connections to organized crime and sends evidence to the government. However, he realizes that they will not act on the information and becomes the superhero Hardware to deal with Alva himself.''Hardware'' #1 (April 1993)

DC Universe

In ''Final Crisis'', Orion kills his father Darkseid, destabilizing the multiverse. Dharma transfers the Milestone characters to the DC universe, altering history so that they always existed there. Following this, Hardware becomes a mentor to Static, provides him with a modified flying disk, and gets him a job as a S.T.A.R. Labs intern.''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #34 (June 2009)''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #27 (November 2008)''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #28 (December 2008)'' The Brave and the Bold'' (vol. 3) #25 (September 2009)''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #33 (May 2009)

Supporting characters

* Barraki Young is Curtis' girlfriend.
* Don "Jolly Jock" Cornelius is a mob leader. After faking Hardware's death, Harm was left in control of Cornelius' mob sector in Dakota.
* Deacon "Phreaky Deak" Stuart is a hardcore computer hacker and friend of Hareware.
* Deathwish (Wilton Johnson) is a psychotic vigilante obsessed with sex related crimes. He was the victim of a brutal family raping of which only he survived. Deathwish was first introduced in issue #5 going up against Hardware; Deathwish appeared in ''Hardware'' six times and received a solo miniseries in December 1994.
* Edwin Alva Sr. is the owner of Alva Industries and the leader of the Indigo Cell in the S.Y.S.T.E.M. organization.
* Harm (Nick Pugliese) is a superhuman mob enforcer and undercover cop.
* Reprise is a super-human hitman with the power to make duplicates of himself.
* Technique (Tiffany Evans) is a phenom, introduced in issue #9, who under Alva's orders became Technique to stop Hardware; in the resulting battle Technique beats up on Hardware badly, teaching him a lesson in humility.
* Transit is a teleporting superhuman villain.

Skills and abilities

Curtis Metcalf possesses no superhuman abilities, but possesses genius level intelligence, and is considered one of the most brilliant scientific minds on the planet. He has created breakthroughs in metallurgy, computer science, nanotechnology, and plasma weapons. Metcalf is also a good hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by his father in the martial arts.

Equipment

Hardware version 2.0 armor

All of Curtis Metcalf's superhuman abilities derive from his armor.''Hardware'' #16 (June 1994) It consists of a self-designed metal alloy, is resistant to bullets and energy, increases Hardware's strength via flexible polymers, and can fly via jet boots. Furthermore, the armor's helmet includes a spectral scanning unit, a radio receiver,''Static'' #14 (August 1994) radar,''Hardware'' #45 (November 1996)''Static Shock'' #6 (April 2012) a chemical analyzer,''Hardware'' #46 (December 1996) a digital video player/recorder,''Hardware'' #47 (January 1997) a translator, and a voice modulator.

Additional equipment

Curtis has designed various pieces of equipment to enhance the capabilities of his Hardware armor. Many of them are hand-held and can be easily carried on his belt. Larger pieces of equipment are mounted on Hardware's helmet, gauntlets and shoulder pads.

* The Quick Pick is a lock-picking tool that can create keys of any shape to pick locks.''Hardware'' #3 (May 1993)
* The Sonic Drill is a shoulder-mounted device that creates stunning sonic pulses.''Hardware'' #42 (August 1996)
* The Inertia Winder is a device that can absorb and store kinetic energy.

Other equipment Hardware has used include a forearm-mounted welding tool,''Hardware'' #10 (December 1993) tracking devices,''Hardware'' #6 (August 1993) a handheld scanning device,''Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool'' #3 (May 2001) a laser cutting tool,''Hardware'' #44 (October 1996) a flare gun, wrist-mounted flashlights,''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #30 (April 2009) and a portable electromagnet.

Weapons

* Omnicannon: A forearm-mounted cannon that fires blasts of compressed air and has various effects depending on the shell equipped.
* Plasma Whip: A magnetic whip that can extend up to 15 feet long and generate plasma.
* Retractable Sword: A sword that can retract and extend up to 30 inches by manipulating its magnetic charge.
* PLASER: A device that generates vaporizing plasma blasts.
* Energy Field: A forearm-mounted device that generates energy barriers.
* Fluid Gun: A gun that generates immobilizing fluids.
* Flow Gun: A handgun made of nanomachines that resemble mercury and can assemble at will.''Hardware'' #29 (July 1995)
* Holographic Projection System: This device projects holographic copies of Hardware that he can use to distract or confuse opponents.

Other weapons Hardware uses less frequently include tasers, timed explosives, tranquilizer dart launchers,''Hardware'' #17 (July 1994) a flamethrower, a remote-controlled jet thruster, a rocket pistol, a kusarigama,'' Shadow Cabinet'' #0 (January 1994) a machine gun that fires explosive bullets, a remotely-controlled Hardware robot,''Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool'' #2 (February 2001)''Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool'' #4 (September 2001) a power shield that blocks energy-draining weaponry, and a field of paralyzing supercool atoms.

Transportation

* Skylark: A modified Moller M400 Skycar that can fly at speeds above 400 mph, receive television and radio signals, and become invisible.''Hardware'' #2 (May 1993)''Hardware'' #43 (September 1996)
* Jet-Pack: A personal short-range propulsion rig with turbine thrusters that gather surrounding air, then expel it in a continuous stream.

Afrofuturism

Hardware can be included in the discourse of Afrofuturism based on its adherence to Mark Dery's definition of "speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th century technoculture—and, more generally, African-American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future".Dery, Mark: ''Black to the Future'', 1995

Curtis Metcalf re-purposes technology as a force of liberation, fighting against the evil Edwin Alva. As Hardware, he uses his superhuman understanding and fluency with technology as a form of agency. Hardware's status as a superhero, through the manipulation of technology, is a means of transcending the digital divide.

In other media

* Hardware makes a cameo appearance in ''Superman & Batman Magazine'' #7.
* Hardware makes non-speaking appearances in '' Young Justice''. This version is a member of the Justice League.

References

{{Justice League characters
African-American superheroes
Black people in comics
Characters created by Dwayne McDuffie
Comics characters introduced in 1993
DC Comics American superheroes
DC Comics male superheroes
DC Comics scientists
Fictional inventors in comics
Milestone Comics titles