Hardware (character)

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 genius inventor who, in his Hardware identity, uses a variety of high-tech gadgets to fight organised crime. A central irony of the series (of which Metcalf is fully aware) is that Metcalf's employer, respected businessman Edwin Alva—who provides the resources Metcalf uses to create his technology—is secretly the crime boss whom Hardware is trying to bring down. After several years of working for Alva, Metcalf attempts to request royalties for his inventions, but Alva rejects him, stating that he is no longer of use to him. Metcalf intends to quit working for Alva, but his contract forbids him from working for any competitors. After learning that Alva is deeply corrupt and has ties to organized crime, Metcalf intends to publicly expose him. However, he realizes that the government will not act on this information and decides to become the superhero Hardware to bring down Alva himself. In the revised continuity, Hardware and the other Milestone characters have always existed in the DC Universe. The first non-Dakota heroes he encounters are the Justice League of America, whom he meets while aiding the Shadow Cabinet in kidnapping Kimiyo Hoshi and stealing the remains of Arthur Light. After attempting to flee the Justice League Satellite with Light's corpse, Hardware is surprised and beaten into unconsciousness by Hawkman. It is later revealed that, during Hoshi's brief period of captivity, Hardware gave her a new costume which can collect and assimilate light energy. Soon after, Hardware teams up with Blue Beetle to stop SYSTEM smugglers from selling stolen Alva Industries technology to Intergang. The pair of heroes are ambushed by a smuggler wearing advanced armor designed by Gizmo, an ally of SYSTEM. Despite his initial dislike of Blue Beetle, Hardware parts with him on friendly terms after rounding up the smugglers. Hardware later appears in the aftermath of the JLA's dissolution following "Final Crisis". After raiding the hideout of Holocaust, he is forced into helping the remaining Justice League members track down Doctor Light, who went missing while chasing Shadow Thief and Starbreaker. Using a tracer installed in Light's costume, Hardware tracks her to the Shadow Cabinet's headquarters, where he and the League and defeat Starbreaker. The New 52 Following the events of Flashpoint and the start of a reboot called "The New 52", Hardware becomes a mentor to Static, who has moved to New York City. He provides the youth with a modified flying disk and a new costume which possesses a holographic interface that allows them to communicate over vast distances. He also gets Static a job as an intern at the New York branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. ==Supporting characters==

• Barraki Young is Curtis' girlfriend. • Don "Jolly Jock" Cornelius is a mob leader. After faking Hardware's death, Harm is left in control of Cornelius' mob sector in Dakota. • Deacon "Phreaky Deak" Stuart is a hardcore computer hacker and friend of Hardware. • 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 is the owner of Alva Industries and the leader of the Indigo Cell in the S.Y.S.T.E.M. organization. • Edwin Alva Jr. is the son of Edwin Alva. • Sabrina Alva is the daughter of Edwin Alva and the brother of Edwin Alva Jr. who disagreed with the outcome of her father's will. • 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. 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. radar, a chemical analyzer, a digital video player/recorder, a translator, and a voice modulator. • The Sonic Drill is a shoulder-mounted device that creates stunning sonic pulses. • The Inertia Winder is a device that can absorb and store kinetic energy. tracking devices, a handheld scanning device, a laser cutting tool, a flare gun, and a portable electromagnet. • Holographic Projection System: This device projects holographic copies of Hardware that he can use to distract or confuse opponents. a flamethrower, a machine gun that fires explosive bullets, a power shield that blocks energy-draining weaponry, • 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". 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. ==See also==