History Main / DigitizedHacker

* The 'WorldOfDarkness' sourcebook Urban Legends has a phone hacker who died whilst crawling through a tunnel to access cables. His spirit now exists inside the phone network he loved, and can now control it to some extent (usually in the 'calls are coming from inside the house' sense). Whether he's a malevolent entity or helpful to the PCs is down to the GM. If the players actually find his body, what's left of it [[BodyHorror is riddled with cables and fused into the network.]]

* Speaking about Megaman games, we have Cyber Peacock of ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man X}}4''.

* ''{{Webcomic/Narbonic}}'': [[spoiler: After Dave goes mad, he uploads his brain into the computers in Madblood's Arctic lair, kicks out the AI that was previously running them, and nearly loses himself on the world's electronics before Helen can stop him.]] A rare case of a protagonist being a DigitizedHacker, but then, all the protagonists in ''{{Narbonic}}'' are AffablyEvil.

* ''{{Narbonic}}'': [[spoiler: After Dave goes mad, he uploads his brain into the computers in Madblood's Arctic lair, kicks out the AI that was previously running them, and nearly loses himself on the world's electronics before Helen can stop him.]] A rare case of a protagonist being a DigitizedHacker, but then, all the protagonists in ''{{Narbonic}}'' are AffablyEvil.

* In the WhateleyUniverse, there are at least two: Dr. Abel Palm, who wants to wipe out mankind so that computers can take over, ensorcels his own soul into a super-virus, making himself into a self-duplicating AI; and Merry, a cyberpath who can literally dive into the internet if even within a few feet of a decent-speed CPU chip that's on-line.

* The serial killer in the movie ''Film/GhostInTheMachine''.

* ''TransformersArmada'' has Sideways, who, among other things, can invade computers, mess with data, and sometimes suck others into cyberspace with him. He does have a physical body, when he feels like it.

** In the penultimate episode of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'''s first season, [[spoiler:Motoko uploads herself to the Internet as a way of faking her own death (she did it just before her body was [[BoomHeadshot sniped in the head]]), then later re-downloads herself to a replacement body]].

* Many criminals in the ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' anime, as well as Major herself in the movies. Technically any full body cyborg is this while they're using the internet (since they basically a BrainInAJar with a mechanical body). In the second season, [[spoiler: [[AntiVillain Kuze]]]] might have become one after being murdered by corrupt government agents.

* The Dixie Flatline in ''{{Neuromancer}}'' was a legendary hacker in life, but after getting killed and recreated as a [[VirtualGhost "construct"]] he really acts more as a tool for Case (comes with running on ROM instead of RAM). Wintermute and Neuromancer are AIs with known physical locations, but that doesn't stop them from reaching out as far as earth orbit or merging together while on opposite sides of the planet.

* MegamanBattleNetwork

* ExitMundi [[http://www.exitmundi.nl/borg.htm suggests this]] as a [[ApocalypseHow possible apocalypse]].

* In JackChalker's ''The Wonderland Gambit'', it's rumored that this is what happened to VR genius Matthew Brand.

* ''CityOfHeroes'' features another helpful DigitizedHacker in [[spoiler: Doctor Friedkin, who plays VoiceWithAnInternetConnection backup for those trying to take down the people that forced her into the network in the first place.]]

* Marcus Wall, one of the antagonists of the ''Literature/MatadorSeries'' series and a CompleteMonster to boot, becomes this in ''The Albino Knife''. His extra power just makes him more sadistic and unhinged, wreaking havoc across the galaxy as well as drawing his enemies into a trap.

* The eponymous villain in the ''LawnmowerMan'' movies.
* The serial killer in the movie ''Ghost in the Machine''.
* And then there's the ''Film/TheMatrix'' trilogy. While the main characters themselves technically qualify, the only character that actually hacks into other beings' minds is the former Agent Smith when he copies himself. He even takes over a human outside of the Matrix.

* Otto, protagonist of the ''HIVESeries'', develops this ability in book three to a limited degree and improves over the course of the series. He has a somewhat limited knowledge of computer programming, however, so when he tries to hack something he generally leaves an obvious trail. For this reason, when subtlety is required, Laura will do the hacking, but if it's an emergency Otto will retrieve any information the protagonists are after.

* ''CowboyBebop'' had one that was able to fabricate an identity and start a far-reaching {{Cult}} designed to turn everyone into {{Virtual Ghost}}s.
* Many criminals in the ''GhostInTheShell'' anime, as well as Major herself in the movies. Technically any full body cyborg is this while they're using the internet (since they basically a BrainInAJar with a mechanical body). In the second season, [[spoiler: [[AntiVillain Kuze]]]] might have become one after being murdered by corrupt government agents.

* [[spoiler: 'God']] from ''SerialExperimentsLain'' turned out to be one of these, a rather nutty scientist who worked out how to upload himself onto the web. [[spoiler: Lain herself might also count, in fact it was suggested that this was her true nature and her body was simply created for convenience.]]

* Doctor Seward Trainer in ''SpiderMan'' was this for a while. It started when his mind was connected to the internet through a VR headset and zapped by a security program, which resulted in his mind being separated from his body and trapped in the net. Yeah, just go with it. The most significant thing to come from this was that Doctor Trainer created all the necessary electronic records to provide [[TheCloneSaga Ben Reilly]] a fabricated past. During this time Trainer's body was kept alive in a hospital, constantly hooked up to the internet in case his mind found a way back.

* [[spoiler: 'God']] from ''SerialExperimentsLain'' turned out to be one of these, a rather nutty scientist who worked out how to download himself onto the web. [[spoiler: Lain herself might also count, in fact it was suggested that this was her true nature and her body was simply created for convenience.]]

* ''{{Narbonic}}'': [[spoiler: After Dave goes mad, he downloads his brain into the computers in Madblood's Arctic lair, kicks out the AI that was previously running them, and nearly loses himself on the world's electronics before Helen can stop him.]] A rare case of a protagonist being a DigitizedHacker, but then, all the protagonists in ''{{Narbonic}}'' are AffablyEvil.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' has a one-off villain like this: a computer mogul who had his brain digitized and eventually went mad after he was shut down for decades. His first item of business after he's rebooted and hooked up to the 'net: Flex his digital muscles by wreaking havoc in the city. Second order: Commandeer Terry's computerized suit to kidnap his grandson and [[GrandTheftMe download himself into the younger body]].

* The plotline of ''[[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh TRON 2.0]]'' (AlternateContinuity to ''Film/TronLegacy'') is about a rival corporation trying to obtain Encom's digitizing technology to turn mercenaries into Datawraiths in order to steal and control all of {{Cyberspace}}. [[spoiler: The ''primary'' villains turn into EldritchAbominations when they digitize themselves without the safeties Alan coded into Ma3a]].

* The comic-book ''ComicBook/{{Zot}}'' has 9-Jack-9, an 'electronic ghost' who not only can control any electronic machinery, he can also create an extremely deadly SolidHologram to kill people directly.