Helicarrier

The Helicarrier is a fictional airborne aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the aircraft first appeared in Strange Tales #135 (August 1965).^[1][2]

The Helicarrier is depicted as the crucial mobile command center, forward operations platform, and signature capital ship of the fictional intelligence/defense agency S.H.I.E.L.D. It has survived multiple redesigns while rarely straying from its originally depicted role as a mobile headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. until recent years.

Fictional history

In the

Over twenty Helicarriers have been built over the decades, and at least two have been in simultaneous service in the last decade on several occasions. The following have been identified by name thus far in various Marvel Universe publications:

• Luxor – Not yet seen. A class prototype.
• Hermes – Allegedly scuttled after being hijacked by the Red Skull.
• Argus – A Luxor-class Helicarrier.
• Behemoth – Specially designed Helicarrier commanded by Dum Dum Dugan for use against Godzilla in the 24-issue comic series Godzilla, King of the Monsters. First appearance was in issue #6 (January 1978). Destroyed by S.H.I.E.L.D. in an attempt to neutralize an attack by Amadeus Cho in Incredible Hercules #115.
• Black Hawk – Destroyed in action against a HYDRA-
  The Irredeemable Ant-Man #1-2. Dark Reign: Elektra #1-5 gives more details, such as it having landed on a small Arkansas
  town.
• Alpha – First mentioned by name in New Avengers #4. Also shown in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN Alpha.
• Pericles III –
  Punisher War Journal
  vol. 2, #1.
• Pericles V – Infiltrated by the vampiric Order of Tyrana and scuttled by Blade in Blade vol. 3, #1.
• Samuel Sawyer – First appearance in Iron Man: Hypervelocity #3. Named for Nick Fury's World War II-era commanding officer in the United States Army.
• Iliad – First shown in Secret Warriors #4. Named in Secret Warriors #17. Another Helicarrier of a different design is operating under that name as of Secret Avengers v.2 # 1.
• Argonaut – First shown in Secret Warriors #4. Named in Secret Warriors #17.
• Prometheus – Originally intended as Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. flagship, the Prometheus was stolen from a secret U.S. facility in the Sonoran Desert by a rogue faction of S.T.R.I.K.E. during the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline.^[3]
• Tempest – Named and destroyed shortly after launch with two thousand crew aboard by the Electric Ghost in Winter Soldier v.1 # 17.
• Hercules – Capable of operating in submarine mode. Described as Constellation-class. First shown and named in Wolverine v.5 # 5–6.
• Constellation – Class namesake. Existence implied by dialogue in Wolverine v.5 # 6.
• Odyssey – First shown and named in Captain America: Living Legend # 1.
• Pericles – First shown and named in X-Force v.4 # 7. Already decommissioned and abandoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. under unrevealed circumstances in its first appearance, and taken over as a base by X-Force. The name has since been transferred to a "Battlecarrier", which first appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. # 1.
• Bellerophon – First named in New Avengers v.4 # 14. Design mimics those appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and television series.
• Douglass – First named in U.S.Avengers # 2. May be named for Frederick Douglass.

After Iron Man replaced Maria Hill as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he designed a new class of Helicarrier whose red and gold design resembles the Iron Man Armor. Hill called it Helicarrier Gold, but Stark considered it The Helicarrier. This helicarrier was severely damaged and crashed by the Red Hulk, and subsequently commandeered by the Intelligencia (the covert operation of evil super-geniuses that employed the Red Hulk), who renamed it the "Hellcarrier".

The main S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier is subsequently disabled by a computer virus unleashed by a Skrull agent posing as Edwin Jarvis, as part of the Secret Invasion. It lands in the Bermuda Triangle. Most of the staff are revealed to be Skrulls. The craft is destroyed by Maria Hill.^[4]

It is not yet known what criteria S.H.I.E.L.D. uses to name its Helicarriers.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s replacement agency, H.A.M.M.E.R., has decommissioned the surviving Helicarriers,^[5] with three of them — including the Iliad and the Argonaut — being stolen by Nick Fury.^[6] H.A.M.M.E.R. subsequently commissioned at least one new carrier to Norman Osborn's specifications, which was destroyed over Broxton, Oklahoma, during the Siege of Asgard.

According to intel gathered by Livewires, 5 Helicarriers are known to have been wrecked,^[7] though this data is out of date as several more have been lost since.

In the pages of Avengers Undercover, it is shown that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier Circe has employed some necromancers as part of its personnel as seen when they jam Nico Minoru's spells.^[8]

Reception

Critical response

Jamie Lovett of

Comic Book Resources ranked the Helicarrier 3rd in their "10 Coolest Vehicles In Marvel Comics" list,^[13] 6th in their "10 Best Vehicles In The Marvel Universe" list,^[14] 7th in their "10 Most Important Vehicles In The Marvel Universe" list,^[15] and 10th in their "10 Most Iconic Superhero Hideouts In Marvel Comics" list.^[16] Casey Haney of Screen Rant ranked the Helicarrier 7th in their "16 Best Superhero Vehicles" list.^[17]

Other versions

Marvel NOW

An alternate version of the Helicarrier appears in the epilogue of issue #25 of New Avengers, circa the year 1968. Howard Stark (father of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man), is seen giving Colonel Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. the hard sell of his newly designed Helicarrier.^[18]

Ultimate Marvel

Alternate versions of the Helicarrier appear in the

• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "Mission: Save the Guardstar."
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier also appears in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Besides being the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, it also served as a prison for high-risk individuals, such as the Chameleon. It was eventually destroyed by Electro.
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears in the X-Men: Evolution episode "Ascension".
• A version of the Helicarrier appears in The Super Hero Squad Show, and serves as the base of operations for the Super Hero Squad. It is usually piloted by S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Ms. Marvel, who reluctantly allowed the Squad to move in.
• The Helicarrier appears in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "Technovore". This version is propelled by jet engines designed by Howard Stark.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarriers appear in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
• The Helicarrier appears in Ultimate Spider-Man.^[20] In the first season, it serves as a headquarters and home for Spider-Man's team, as well as a prison, before being destroyed by the Green Goblin in the season finale "Rise of the Goblin". In the second season episode "The Man-Wolf", the Helicarrier is rebuilt as the more versatile Tri-Carrier which can divide into three different ships: the central Strato-Carrier, the space-based Astro-Carrier, and the water-based Aqua-Carrier. In the second season finale, "Ultimate," Green Goblin salvages and repairs the Helicarrier as the "Hell-Carrier" as part of his plot to use Goblin Gas to turn everyone into Goblins, ultimately self-destructing it to escape the Tricarrier's tractor beam. In the fourth season, Swarm converts the Tri-Carrier into Hydra Island, which is eventually destroyed by the Scarlet Spider.
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Tri-Carrier appears in Avengers Assemble, serving as a prison for the Red Skull and the Squadron Supreme.
• The Helicarrier from
  What We're Fighting For
  ."
• A Helicarrier makes a brief cameo in Loki's "Journey into Mystery" in the Void at the end of time. This Helicarrier bears a HYDRA logo.

Film

This version appears to be a standard seagoing aircraft carrier retrofitted with four huge rotors.

• The first live-action incarnation of the Helicarrier appeared in the 1998 television film Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Several of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarriers appear in the animated film
  Ultimate Avengers. They are destroyed by a trio of Chitauri
  vessels.
• The Helicarrier appears in films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe specifically based on the Ultimate Marvel version in terms of appearance.^[21]
  • The Helicarrier shown in
    Weta Digital collaborated on the Helicarrier attack sequence.^[24] The Helicarrier's hull number, 64, may reference the former USS Constellation.^[25]
  • In
    Triskelion before exploding and sinking into the Potomac River.^[26]
  • In
    Sokovia. Fury states that he "pulled her out of mothballs," which is later elaborated on in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series where Phil Coulson
    and his new iteration of S.H.I.E.L.D. repaired the Helicarrier under the project name "Theta Protocol."
• In
  20th Century Fox, a decommissioned Helicarrier, found in a scrapyard, is used as a setting for the final battle. It is not identified onscreen by that name however due to rights issues with Disney/Marvel Studios which at the time had not bought out most of Fox's film and TV assets, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool.^[27][28]

Video games

• The Helicarrier is one of the main locations in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.^[29] The Helicarrier featured is referenced in the opening cinematic by Nick Fury as "S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN Alpha." After the Alpha is damaged from the Masters of Evil's attack, Fury uses Stark Tower as a base for his superhero allies that were recruited to stop Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil. This version also has jet engines replacing propellers.
• The Helicarrier appears in the game
  Venom
  is unlocked, and when the player causes enough havoc in free roam to merit flying S.H.I.E.L.D. troopers.
• The Helicarrier works as a headquarters of sorts in the game Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.
• A Helicarrier appears in the game
  Jackal
  , the Helicarrier crashes to the ground.
• The Helicarrier makes a brief appearance in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.
• The Helicarrier appears in
  Carnage
  successfully infects the Hellicarrier with his spawn and causes it to crash land towards Spider-Man's location, who must get to safety before he gets crushed.
• The Helicarrier appears in the game Iron Man 2. The preview video for the game reveals that Tony Stark was the one who built it. It is shown as the S.H.I.E.L.D. base throughout the game, but also as a weapon. At one point, it is attacked by A.I.M. forces. However, they are defeated by the combined forces of Iron Man and War Machine. At the end of the game, it is destroyed on purpose when it crashes into the giant Ultimo.
• The Helicarrier appears as one of the stages in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and its Ultimate rerelease.^[30]
• The Helicarrier's flight deck serves as a hub in
  Marvel: Avengers Alliance
  .
• The Helicarrier serves as the main headquarters in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
• The Helicarrier serves as a hub in Lego Marvel's Avengers.
• The Helicarrier makes a brief appearance in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, wherein it is vaporized by Kang the Conqueror upon his arrival in New York.
• Helicarriers appear in Marvel Strike Force as battlegrounds for alliance-versus-alliance battles. Each alliance, comprising numerous players, reserves defense squads to protect its own Helicarrier while sending others to attack the rival Helicarrier.^[31]
• The Helicarrier appears in the beginning of the action-adventure game Marvel's Avengers. This version is known as the Chimaera.^[32][33]
• The Helicarrier appears in Iron Man VR. This version was created by Stark Industries and was the last project Tony Stark sold to S.H.I.E.L.D. before his company stopped manufacturing weapons. During the game's story, the Helicarrier comes under attack two times: once by Ghost and her drones, and a second time by the Living Laser, both of whom are thwarted by Iron Man.
• The Helicarrier appears in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 2, Season 4, titled "Nexus War".^[34]
• The Helicarrier appears Marvel Snap.^[35][36]

Novels

• The 1998 Iron Man graphic novel Crash, which takes place in the future, introduces a S.H.I.E.L.D. "Levicarrier," which is held aloft by some form of anti-gravity mechanism.

See also

• Airborne aircraft carrier
• Cloudbase
• Fictional airborne aircraft carriers
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

References

1. ^ Wasserman, Ben (2022-03-11). "Marvel Studios Concept Artist Shares a Sleek Early Helicarrier Design". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
2. ^ Bruce, Amanda (2017-03-13). "Marvel: 15 Things You Didn't Know About S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
3. ^ Seth Peck (w), Roland Boschi (a). "Fear Itself: Wolverine Part 1" Fear Itself: Wolverine, vol. 1, no. 1 (September 2011). Marvel Comics.
4. ^ Secret Invasion #3 (August 2008)
5. ^ Invincible Iron Man #17 (November 2009)
6. ^ Secret Warriors #4-5 (July–August 2009)
7. ^ Livewires #4 (July 2005)
8. ^ Avengers Undercover #4
9. ComicBook.com. Archived
   from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
10. ^ Marston, George (2023-01-14). "The best superhero headquarters and hideouts of all time". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
11. Looper. Archived
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14. ^ Harth, David (August 3, 2022). "10 Best Vehicles In The Marvel Universe". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
15. ^ Jackson, Carl (2021-01-10). "10 Most Important Vehicles In The Marvel Universe, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
16. ^ Avina, Anthony (2019-09-06). "10 Most Iconic Superhero Hideouts In Marvel Comics, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
17. ^ Haney, Casey (December 20, 2015). "The 16 Best Superhero Vehicles". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
18. ^ New Avengers, Issue #25, Johnathan Hickman and Kev Walker
19. ^ Ultimate Avengers Vs New Ultimates#4
20. ^ Truitt, Brian (January 18, 2013). "The kids are all right in animated 'Ultimate Spider-Man'". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
21. ^ Estelhomme, Barry (2023-02-15). "10 Devices That Changed the MCU". Collider. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
22. ^ "Marvel's The Avengers Trailers & Clips - Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
23. ^ http://nathanschroeder.net/Gallery/Avengers Archived 2018-11-04 at the Wayback Machine , Nathan Schroeder's design gallery for The Avengers
24. ^ "Previs, Techvis, and Postvis on the Avengers". 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
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26. ^ Vogele, Emily De (2022-09-28). "MCU: 10 Times Steve Rogers Should Have Died & Only Survived Because Of Plot Armor". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
27. ^ "Exclusive: Deadpool "couldn't get the rights" to Avengers joke". FlickeringMyth.com. February 9, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
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29. ^ Olivares, Vladimir (2022-01-17). "Marvel Ultimate Alliance Is Still the Best Avengers Game". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
30. ^ Szadkowski, Joseph (February 17, 2011). "Zadzooks: Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Special Edition". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
31. ^ "Alliance War Rules - Marvel Strike Force". Scopely Support. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
32. ^ Hornshaw, Phil (August 5, 2020). "Marvel's Avengers Beta Impressions: Some Assembly Required". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
33. ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (2020-08-05). "Marvel's Avengers: The Helicarrier Is Your Superhero HQ - IGN First". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
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35. ^ Provencher, Bo (2022-11-25). "Marvel Snap Adds 16 New Cards, Including She-Hulk, Shuri and the Helicarrier". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
36. ^ Kaptan, Doruk (2022-12-08). "Marvel Snap: Every Pool 4 Card, Ranked". TheGamer.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-25.

External links

• Marvel Comics' official profile on the Helicarriers
• Helicarriers' profile and story