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Hardware (Comic Book)

 Hardware (Comic Book)
type
TVTItem
 Hardware (Comic Book)
label
Hardware (Comic Book)
 Hardware (Comic Book)
page
Hardware
 Hardware (Comic Book)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Hardware is a Milestone Comics character who debuted in 1993 as one of their flagship heroes, and the first comic ever released by the company. He first appeared in "Hardware" #1 (April, 1993), created by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan. The character is an Angry Black Man in Powered Armor, also a Gadgeteer Genius. Curtis Metcalf, an inner-city Child Prodigy, is discovered by famous inventor Edwin Alva who sees potential in him and pays his way through the top schools in the country, on condition that he works for him when his education is completed. His creations make millions of dollars for the company, leading him to ask his boss for a simple raise. After many years of viewing his mentor as a surrogate father, he is shocked to find that Alva has absolutely no respect for him, and views their relationship as little more than master and dog.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })In an attempt to blackmail his boss to get out of the lifetime contract, Curtis digs up some dirt on Alva and discovers he is actually a criminal mastermind at the center of a vast evil organization, with illegal operations spanning across the country. Realizing the man he's been working for is evil and that he must be stopped, Curtis gathers enough evidence to put him away for multiple lifetimes and sends them to every possible authority. To no avail. Edwin Alva is too big, his levels of corruption and influence make him completely above the law. But not necessarily out of reach. Taking advantage of the vast resources completely at his disposal, Curtis designs an advanced powered suit and develops the identity of Hardware, launching a one-man vendetta against his former mentor.His original series lasted for 50 issues, from April, 1993 to April, 1997. The series was cancelled when Milestone shut down its comic book division. In 2008, the character was brought into the DC Universe after the events of Final Crisis. After guest-starring in a storyline in Justice League and an issue of The Brave and the Bold (where he teamed up with Blue Beetle), Hardware was made into a supporting character in the 2011 Static Shock comic book series, where he acted as a mentor to the title character.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })
 Hardware (Comic Book)
fetched
2022-01-31T13:27:09Z
 Hardware (Comic Book)
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2022-01-31T13:27:09Z
 Hardware (Comic Book)
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Dropped link to BlueBeetle: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Hardware (Comic Book)
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Dropped link to GrandFinale: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Hardware (Comic Book)
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Dropped link to Static: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Hardware (Comic Book)
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DBTropes
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_17942015
type
Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_17942015
comment
Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: Played for laughs in an issue where an organization spying on Hardware is trying to see if he's a hero or a mere thug of Alva. Transit brings up Worlds Collide (1994), leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he saved the day with the help of Icon and Superman, who in the Dakotaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_17942015
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_21f3aa44
type
Good Is Not Nice
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_21f3aa44
comment
Good Is Not Nice: Curtis has a chip on his shoulder and he knows it. Pretty much everyone else knows it, too.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_21f3aa44
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_21f3aa44
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_2fc21a19
type
Distaff Counterpart
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_2fc21a19
comment
Distaff Counterpart: When Alva starts pursuing Hardware more actively, he uses his company's resources to build a suit that can take on Hardware. The head of the project, Tiffany Evans, decides to pilot it herself, so she can capitalize on her smaller frame and greater speed compared to Hardware's bulk. She dubs herself Technique. Because Curtis was also part of the team that built the suit (despite his best attempts to subtly sabotage it), this also counts as a partial Create Your Own Villain.
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3126c34a
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Insufferable Genius
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3126c34a
comment
Insufferable Genius: Curtis definitely fits the bill: he's almost always the smartest person in the room, and he knows it, but he's also been taken advantage of his whole life and is finally fighting back.
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3126c34a
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_32da548d
type
Arch-Enemy
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_32da548d
comment
Arch-Enemy: Edwin Alva.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_32da548d
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_32da548d
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_372bc105
type
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_372bc105
comment
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Compared to Steel, he's a cynic. Started out as an idealist, but when Alva cheated him, he went on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge and slid all the way to the other side.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_372bc105
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_38958f33
type
Black and Nerdy
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_38958f33
comment
Black and Nerdy: Deacon "Phreaky Deak" Stuart.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_38958f33
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_38958f33
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3cfdffd7
type
Angry Black Man
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3cfdffd7
comment
Angry Black Man: Aside from being a very defining characteristic, this is actually the title of the first Hardware story. He becomes less angry as his mission expands from "get revenge on Alva" to "achieve justice".
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3cfdffd7
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3cfdffd7
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3d59c9a0
type
Powered Armor
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3d59c9a0
comment
Powered Armor: Hardware's whole gimmick. The suit specifically has two layers: the undersuit is a "polarized shell alloy," which is a liquid that's poured over his whole body and hardened, then the actual gadgets and hard armor pieces are attached on top of that.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3d59c9a0
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_3d59c9a0
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_42632336
type
Mecha-Mooks
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_42632336
comment
Mecha-Mooks: S.Y.S.T.E.M.'s "S.Y.S.T.E.M.atics".
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_42632336
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_42632336
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_4781adbb
type
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_4781adbb
comment
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Blue Beetle acknowledges that while Curtis is an asshole, he still fights for a noble cause and wants to do the right thing. When he met Steel, Hardware thought about how the latter's morality and ethos was in sharp contrast to his nature, but that at the same time he found it admirable that Steel was closer to being The Paragon. Not that he would ever admit it.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_4781adbb
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_4781adbb
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_5571b706
type
I Work Alone
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_5571b706
comment
I Work Alone: Blue Beetle practically has to beg him for a team-up.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_5571b706
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6411dac8
type
BadassNormal
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6411dac8
comment
Badass Normal: Deathwish. He has no superpowers or fancy gadgets, but beat up Hardware pretty badly in their first fight with nothing but his hands and feet despite ultimately being defeated.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6411dac8
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6552b710
type
The Syndicate
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6552b710
comment
The Syndicate: S.Y.S.T.E.M. which would probably even count as a Nebulous Evil Organisation.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6552b710
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Edwin Alva is clearly an allusion to Thomas Alva Edison. Thomas Edison was seen as progressive in his time for hiring foreign-born and black engineers to work for him — and reviled today for ripping them off and taking all the profits for their ideas. Of course, Edison did that to everyone — just ask Auguste and Louis Lumière. (Nikola Tesla was The Rival.)
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6dec2f19
type
Swiss-Army Weapon
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6dec2f19
comment
Swiss Army Weapon: The amount of gadgets in Hardware's arsenal practically make Batman look unprepared. His "Omnicannon" can fire many different kinds of shells, from non-lethal to overkill, and the "polarized shell alloy" that he wears as an undersuit can also be used for a variety of other purposes: picking locks, magnetizing a person's feet to the floor, etc.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6dec2f19
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_6dec2f19
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_71a3a3c0
type
Fully Absorbed Finale
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_71a3a3c0
comment
Fully Absorbed Finale: Over 15 years after the original Hardware series was cancelled, the story was finished in Milestone Forever.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_71a3a3c0
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_76cde6e
type
Better the Devil You Know
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_76cde6e
comment
Better the Devil You Know: Alva is definitely evil, but he's probably less evil than the people who might take his place if he were killed. His son, Alva Jr., becomes part of Hardware's Scoobies.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_76cde6e
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_76cde6e
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_87bb6874
type
Villain with Good Publicity
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_87bb6874
comment
Villain with Good Publicity: Alva is a beloved public figure and his act fooled Curtis for years, before he revealed his true self. His publicity is so good that even when Hardware tried to leak all of Alva's wrongdoings to the press, it was simply ignored.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_87bb6874
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_87bb6874
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_89623e9a
type
The Paragon
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_89623e9a
comment
When he met Steel, Hardware thought about how the latter's morality and ethos was in sharp contrast to his nature, but that at the same time he found it admirable that Steel was closer to being The Paragon. Not that he would ever admit it.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_89623e9a
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_89623e9a
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_8e20ae0d
type
Child Prodigy
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_8e20ae0d
comment
Child Prodigy: Curtis got his first degree at age 15, then went on to get six more.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_8e20ae0d
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_8e20ae0d
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_a0db7803
type
It's Personal
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_a0db7803
comment
It's Personal: Hardware's vendetta against Edwin Alva. Getting over it, and the repercussions of doing so, is a key part of his character development.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_a0db7803
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_a0db7803
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_beb9a361
type
Anti-Hero
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_beb9a361
comment
Anti-Hero: At the start, Curtis wants to stop Alva's evil influence on his life and the world at large, but he has no care for how much collateral damage he causes or lives he takes in the process and even outright states he's no hero, just out for revenge. He becomes a more Pragmatic Hero later with influence from his moral teammates. His whole character was mockingly summed up by a friend out of disgust.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_beb9a361
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c26e2b1
type
New Powers as the Plot Demands
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c26e2b1
comment
New Powers as the Plot Demands: Hardware's suit pretty much seems to run on phlebotinum.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c26e2b1
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c26e2b1
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c32ff031
type
Xanatos Gambit
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c32ff031
comment
Xanatos Gambit: S.Y.S.T.E.M. has sold some of its robotic exo-skeletons to Intergang, making Hardware fight against them. If he loses against them, they've defeated their greatest enemy, and if he wins, they've gained valuable intelligence on his equipment at no cost to their own forces, while eliminating some of their competition.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c32ff031
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c32ff031
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c420a553
type
We Can Rule Together
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c420a553
comment
We Can Rule Together: When Alva first meets Hardware in the flesh, he thinks Hardware is a government agent and offers to triple his pay if he'll work for Alva. When he discovers that Curtis is Hardware, he offers Curtis a vice-presidency and unlimited access to company resources if Curtis agrees to be Alva's own super-enforcer. Alva also promises to curb his extra-legal activities since he won't need them with Curtis/Hardware at his side. Notably, this is one of the few times the hero actually accepts the offer.
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c72af5a8
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Mini-Mecha
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c72af5a8
comment
Mini-Mecha: Hardware 3.0, a battle suit Alva reverse-engineered from a captured S.Y.S.T.E.M.atic.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c72af5a8
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_c72af5a8
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_cbe687ab
type
Corrupt Corporate Executive
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_cbe687ab
comment
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Alva to a T.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_cbe687ab
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Hardware (Comic Book) / int_cbe687ab
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_d001c42c
type
Anti-Villain
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_d001c42c
comment
Anti-Villain: Alva genuinely believes the world would be better off with him in control and contributes to a wide variety of philanthropic ventures, but is essentially crooked to the core, responsible for all types of illegal activity such as political corruption, drug money, and weapons dealing and essentially created Hardware by taking a young Child Prodigy and turning him into his own personal lapdog with a no-leaving contract.
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_d39e327f
type
What the Hell, Hero?
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_d39e327f
comment
What the Hell, Hero?: Barraki Young pulls one on Curtis very early on, when discovering how many people Curtis has killed in the name of his vendetta. Surprisingly, it sticks, at least a little; as the series continues, Curtis goes for more non-lethal options.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_d39e327f
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_da4f8f0
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The Blacksmith
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_da4f8f0
comment
The Blacksmith: Curtis Metcalf of course.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_da4f8f0
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_da9d2f16
type
'90s Anti-Hero
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_da9d2f16
comment
'90s Anti-Hero: Subverted as the book goes on. Initially, Hardware is absolutely willing to kill or maim anyone standing in the way of his pursuit of justice. However, after some harrowing experiences and a Dream Sequence where he's confronted by all the people he's killed, Curtis realizes that his single-minded pursuit of Alva isn't actually helping anyone or making the world a better place. Though he never goes completely non-lethal, he kills fewer of his enemies, and expands his targets beyond people connected to Alva. He sees himself as a pragmatist, as exemplified during one of the issues in the Worlds Collide (1994) crossover, when he and Steel are debating whether to kill the being responsible for their universes merging:
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_e5421161
type
Expy
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_e5421161
comment
Expy: An admitted one of Steel. The Worlds Collide (1994) event plays with it as the two interact and show their different world views (most notably, whether or not they should kill the villain of the crossover, Rift).
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_e5421161
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_eb5cbe42
type
Me's a Crowd
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_eb5cbe42
comment
Me's a Crowd: Reprise, an assassin that can make duplicates of himself.
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_eb5cbe42
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_eb8ec7c8
type
Jerkass
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_eb8ec7c8
comment
Jerkass: Hardware is quite aware that he is one. In Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool, he actually commends Static for being a natural asshole after coldly brushing off Blitzen when she begged for his help. In fairness to Static, he was in a bad headspace at the time, and didn't mean to be so rude to her.
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 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_fdc1e848
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Will They or Won't They?
 Hardware (Comic Book) / int_fdc1e848
comment
Will They or Won't They?: Barraki Young references this trope by name.
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Hardware (Comic Book)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Steel
seeAlso
Hardware (Comic Book)