History Comicbook / Hardware

[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hardware.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:All that hardware and it still can't play VideoGame/{{Crysis}}.]]

->''When I was a kid, I used to have this parakeet. And sometimes, when I'd open up his cage to clean it... he'd '''escape'''. The little bird would see the backyard and make his move. Invariably, he'd head straight for the window, fast as he could. And inevitably, crack his head on the windowpane... a barrier of '''glass''', unseen and incomprehensible to him. So he'd try '''again''', over and over... until, spent and defeated, he '''couldn't''' try any longer. My bird made a common error. He mistook being out of his cage... for being '''free'''. The parakeet died a long time ago, without ever enjoying the freedom of the yard. The boy grew into a man, who spent many years bumping his head against a similar barrier: a ceiling of glass, unseen and incomprehensible to him. The lesson is clear: escape is impossible until one perceives '''all''' of the barriers. My name is '''Curtis Metcalf'''. But you can call me '''Hardware'''.''
-->-- '''Curtis Metcalf'''

Hardware is a Creator/MilestoneComics 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 Creator/DwayneMcDuffie and Denys Cowan. The character is an AngryBlackMan in PoweredArmor, also a GadgeteerGenius. Curtis Metcalf, an inner-city ChildProdigy, is discovered by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive famous inventor]] [[EvilMentor 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.

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 Franchise/DCUniverse after the events of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''. After guest-starring in a storyline in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'' and an issue of ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' (where he teamed up with ComicBook/BlueBeetle), [[CommutingOnABus Hardware was made into a supporting character]] in the 2011 ''[[Comicbook/{{Static}} Static Shock]]'' comic book series, where he acted as a mentor to the title character.

----
!!''Hardware'' provides examples of:

* AngryBlackMan: 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".
* AntiHero: 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 PragmaticHero later with influence from his moral teammates. His whole character was mockingly summed up by a friend out of disgust.
-->'''Barraki:''' Let me see if I got this right. You built a secret underground lab and outfitted yourself for a high-tech war. You've destroyed millions of dollars in property. You've killed people. Ended their lives without any visible remorse. And you did all this because your boss wouldn't give you a raise? How many people's lives are you willing to destroy for this? What's it worth, you arrogant, selfish, '''bastard?'''
* AntiVillain: 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 ChildProdigy and turning him into his own personal lapdog with a no-leaving contract.
* ArchEnemy: Edwin Alva.
* BadassNormal: 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.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: 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.
* BlackAndNerdy: Deacon "Phreaky Deak" Stuart.
* TheBlacksmith: Curtis Metcalf of course.
* ChildProdigy: Curtis got his ''first'' degree at age 15, then went on to get six more.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Alva to a T.
%%* DeadpanSnarker
* DistaffCounterpart: 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 CreateYourOwnVillain.
* {{Expy}}: An admitted one of {{ComicBook/Steel}}. The ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1994'' event plays with it as the two interact and show their different world views (most notably, whether or not [[ThouShallNotKill they should kill the villain of the crossover, Rift]]).
* FullyAbsorbedFinale: Over 15 years after the original ''Hardware'' series was cancelled, the story was finished in ''Milestone Forever''.
%%* GadgeteerGenius
* GoodIsNotNice: Curtis has a chip on his shoulder and he knows it. Pretty much everyone else knows it, too.
* GrandFinale: Hardware's story was eventually finished in ''Milestone Forever'', where Curtis [[LegacyCharacter passed on the Hardware Identity to his protoge, Tiffany]], and finally got married.
* InsufferableGenius: 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.
* ItsPersonal: Hardware's vendetta against Edwin Alva. Getting over it, and the repercussions of doing so, is a key part of his character development.
* IWorkAlone: ComicBook/BlueBeetle practically has to beg him for a team-up.
* {{Jerkass}}: Hardware is quite aware that he is one.
** In ''[[ComicBook/{{Static}} 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, [[HeroicBSOD he was in a bad headspace at the time]], and didn't mean to be so rude to her.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** ComicBook/BlueBeetle 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 TheParagon. Not that he would ever admit it.
* MeaningfulName: Edwin Alva is clearly an allusion to [[UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison 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. (UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla was TheRival.)
* MechaMooks: S.Y.S.T.E.M.'s "S.Y.S.T.E.M.atics".
* MesACrowd: Reprise, an assassin that can make duplicates of himself.
* MiniMecha: Hardware 3.0, a battle suit Alva reverse-engineered from a captured S.Y.S.T.E.M.atic.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Hardware's suit pretty much seems to run on {{phlebotinum}}.
* NinetiesAntiHero: 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 DreamSequence 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1994'' crossover, when he and ComicBook/{{Steel}} are debating whether to kill the being responsible for their universes merging:
-->'''Steel:''' I'm not a killer.\\
'''Hardware:''' Don't sweat it. ''I'' am.
* PoweredArmor: 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.
* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1994'', leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he saved the day with the help of Icon and ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'', who in the Dakotaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Compared to Steel, he's a cynic. Started out as an idealist, but when Alva cheated him, he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and slid all the way to the other side.
* SwissArmyWeapon: The amount of gadgets in Hardware's arsenal practically make ''Franchise/{{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.
* TheSyndicate: S.Y.S.T.E.M. which would probably even count as a NebulousEvilOrganisation.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: 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.
* WeCanRuleTogether: 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. [[spoiler:Notably, this is one of the few times the hero actually ''accepts'' the offer.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: 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.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: Barraki Young references this trope by name.
* XanatosGambit: 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.
----

* {{Expy}}: An admitted one of {{ComicBook/Steel}}. The ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1996'' event plays with it as the two interact and show their different world views (most notably, whether or not [[ThouShallNotKill they should kill the villain of the crossover, Rift]]).

* NinetiesAntiHero: 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 DreamSequence 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1996'' crossover, when he and ComicBook/{{Steel}} are debating whether to kill the being responsible for their universes merging:

* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide1996'', leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he saved the day with the help of Icon and ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'', who in the Dakotaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.

* {{Expy}}: An admitted one of {{ComicBook/Steel}}. The ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'' event plays with it as the two interact and show their different world views (most notably, whether or not [[ThouShallNotKill they should kill the villain of the crossover, Rift]]).

* NinetiesAntiHero: 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 DreamSequence 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'' crossover, when he and ComicBook/{{Steel}} are debating whether to kill the being responsible for their universes merging:

* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'', leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he saved the day with the help of Icon and ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'', who in the Dakotaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.

Hardware is a Creator/MilestoneComics 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 Creator/DwayneMcDuffie and Denys Cowan. The character is an AngryBlackMan in PoweredArmor, also a GadgeteerGenius. Curtis Metcalf, an inner-city ChildProdigy, is discovered by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive famous inventor]] [[EvilMentor Edwin Alva]] who sees potential in him and pays his way through the top schools in the country, on condition that he work 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.

* AntiHero: At the start, Curtis is a hard Type V on the Unscrupulous end. Yes he 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 PragmaticHero later with influence from his moral teammates. His whole character was mockingly summed up by a friend out of disgust.

* AntiVillain: Alva is arguably one of these as an exceptionally cruel Type III. He 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 ChildProdigy and turning him into his own personal lapdog with a no-leaving contract.

-->'''Steel:''' I'm not a killer.
-->'''Hardware:''' Don't sweat it. ''I'' am.

* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'', leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he saved the day with the help of Icon and ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'', who in the Daktoaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.

** In''[[ComicBook/{{Static}} 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, [[HeroicBSOD he was in a bad headspace at the time]], and didn't mean to be so rude to her.

* MiniMecha: Hardware 3.0.

* AntiVillain: Alva is arguably one of these.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Alva is a beloved public figure and his act fooled Curtis for years, before he revealed his true self.

** When he met Steel, Hardware thought about how the latter 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 TheParagon.

* ItsPersonal: Hardware's vendetta against Edwin Alva.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: ComicBook/BlueBeetle acknowledges that while Curtis is an asshole, he still fights for a noble cause and wants to do the right thing.

* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: 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 ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'', leaving the interviewer befuddled when she mentioned he waved the day with the help of Icon and ''{{ComicBook/Superman}}'', who in the Daktoaverse is a fictional character. The interviewer's response suggests only disbelief.

* {{Expy}}: An admitted one of {{ComicBook/Steel}}. The ''ComicBook/WorldsCollide'' event plays with it as the two interact and show their different world views (most notably, whether or not [[ThouShallNotKill they should kill the villain of the crossover, Rift]].

* NinetiesAntiHero: 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 DreamSequence 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.

* DistaffCounterpart: Technique.

* WhatTheHellHero: Barraki Young pulls one on Curtis very early on, when discovering how many people Curtis has killed in the name of his vendetta.

* AngryBlackMan: Aside from being a very defining characteristic, this is actually the title of the first Hardware story. He becomes less angry when he finds out Alva was right all along.

* NinetiesAntiHero: Hardware is absolutely willing to kill or maim anyone standing in the way of his pursuit of justice.

* WeCanRuleTogether: 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. [[spoiler:Notably, this is one of the few times the hero actually ''accepts'' the offer.]]

* PoweredArmor: Hardware's whole gimmick. The suit specifically has two layers: the undersuit is a "polarized armor shell," more like a liquid that's hardened over his whole body, then the actual gadgets and hard armor pieces are attached on top of that.

* SwissArmyWeapon: The amount of gadgets in Hardware's arsenal practically make ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' look unprepared. His "Omnicannon" can fire many different kinds of shells, from non-lethal to overkill, and the "polarized armor shell" 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.

* ChildProdigy: Curtis was one of these. He has six degrees and finished college as a teenager.

* GadgeteerGenius
* GoodIsNotNice: Curtis has a chip on his shoulder and he knows he. Pretty much everyone else knows it, too.

* InsufferableGenius

* NinetiesAntiHero
* PoweredArmor

* SwissArmyWeapon: The amount of gadgets in Hardware's arsenal practically make ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' look unprepared.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Alva is a beloved public figure and his act fooled Curtis as well for years before he revealed his true self.
* WeCanRuleTogether: When Alva 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. [[spoiler:Notably, this is one of the few times the hero actually ''accepts'' the offer.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Barraki Young pulls one on Curtis very early on, when discovering how many people he's killed in the name of his vendetta.

* XanatosGambit: Recently 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.

&&* DeadpanSnarker

* DeadpanSnarker

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 Franchise/DCUniverse after the events of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''. After guest-starring in a storyline in ''JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' and an issue of ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' (where he teamed up with ComicBook/BlueBeetle), [[CommutingOnABus Hardware was made into a supporting character]] in the 2011 ''[[Comicbook/{{Static}} Static Shock]]'' comic book series, where he acted as a mentor to the title character.

Hardware is a Creator/MilestoneComics character who debuted in 1993 as one of their flagship heroes. He first appeared in ''"Hardware''" #1 (April, 1993), created by Creator/DwayneMcDuffie and Denys Cowan. The character is an AngryBlackMan in PoweredArmor, also a GadgeteerGenius. Curtis Metcalf, an inner-city ChildProdigy, is discovered by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive famous inventor]] [[EvilMentor Edwin Alva]] who sees potential in him and pays his way through the top schools in the country, on condition that he work 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.

* WeCanRuleTogether: When Alva disovers 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. [[spoiler:Notably, this is one of the few times the hero actually ''accepts'' the offer.]]