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The Helicarrier, a fictional aircraft carrier that can fly, is the signature capital ship of the fictional intelligence/defense agency S.H.I.E.L.D., usually shown in Marvel Comics-published comic book magazines.

Originally designed by Jack Kirby for the Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. serial in Strange Tales #135 (August 1965), the Helicarrier concept 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[link]

In the Marvel Universe context of the various Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D. series, the original design is attributed to a co-operative effort by Tony Stark, the mutant inventor Forge, and Reed Richards. According to an account in Amazing Fantasy vol. 2, #10, the first Helicarrier was proposed by Stark Industries as a political compromise among the signatories of the treaty in response to fears that any nation hosting the Directorate's main headquarters would be subject to attack by organizations such as HYDRA, with domestic political fallout sure to follow immediately thereafter.

At least eight Helicarriers have been built over the decades, and at least two have been in simultaneous service in the last decade on several occasions. At least ten Helicarriers have been identified by name thus far.

• 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-Hand alliance of forces in Wolverine: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Further details on these events are depicted in 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.
• 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.
• 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.^[1]

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 Rulk), 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.^[2]

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

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s replacement agency, H.A.M.M.E.R., has decommissioned the surviving Helicarriers,^[3] with three of them — including the Iliad and the Argonaut — being stolen by Nick Fury.^[4] 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,^[5] though this data is out of date as several more have been lost since.

Other versions[link]

Ultimate Marvel[link]

The Ultimate Universe deals with Helicarriers differently. Whereas on Marvel's Earth-616, it is implied that S.H.I.E.L.D. (a United Nations Task Force) only has a handful of Helicarriers in operation, in the Ultimate Universe, S.H.I.E.L.D. is depicted as a United States-operated military organization and is shown to have dozens of carriers, some even replacing retired conventional aircraft carriers like the USS Constellation. The engines that keep the carrier aloft were designed by Tony Stark and were modular enough to be used in a space shuttle by the Ultimate Fantastic Four. These "Ultimate Universe" Helicarriers generally seem to be smaller than the Earth-616 versions, and have a more conventional aircraft carrier shape, but are far more plentiful. In Ultimate Avengers Vs New Ultimates #4, Nick Fury reveals that Hank Pym was the one who conceived and designed the Helicarriers. ^[6]

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• 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.
• Another version of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears in the final episode of X-Men Evolution.
• 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. Since then, it has been nearly destroyed on two occasions.
• The Helicarrier was featured in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "Technovore", but instead of propellers keeping it aloft, it has jet engines (designed by Howard Stark).

Film[link]

• The first live-action incarnation of the Helicarrier appeared in the 1998 TV-movie Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• The Helicarrier shown in the 2012 film The Avengers has two stacked carrier decks, has a hull number of 64, and has optical camouflage capabilities. ^[7] The ship is introduced in one scene as a standard aircraft carrier, but eventually uncovers and activates its engines for flight.
• 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.

Video games[link]

• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier is one of the main locations in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The Helicarrier featured is referenced in the opening cinematic by Nick Fury as "S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN Alpha". After the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN 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 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears in the game Ultimate Spider-Man. It appears after Venom is unlocked, and when the player causes enough havoc in free roam to merit flying S.H.I.E.L.D. troopers.
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier works as a headquarters of sorts in the game Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.
• A S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears multiple times in the game Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. It is destroyed at the end of the game following the Venom monster's defeat. In the PSP and PS2 version, Spider-Man ends up on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier after his fight with the Tinkerer and discovers that the Helicarrier is infested with Symbiotes. After Spider-Man defeats Jackal, the Helicarrier crashes to the ground.
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier makes a brief appearance in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.
• The S.H.I.E.L.D. 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 S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appears in the background of one of the stages in the game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

Novels[link]

• The 1988 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.

Imitations[link]

• The "mobile airstrip" that appears in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is an homage to the Marvel Helicarrier.^{[citation needed]}
• A "COBRA helicarrier" made several recurring appearances in the 1980s G.I. Joe television series. A " COBRA helicarrier" appears in the first G.I. Joe miniseries, as well as a different carrier in the opening credits of later Season 1 episodes, as well as the opening credits of G.I. Joe: The Movie.
• A fleet of helicarriers are utilized by the "Luftwaffe of the Prussian Empire" depicted in the British graphic-novel, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright.
• Cloudbase, from the television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (renamed "Skybase" for Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet), is very similar in design and operation to the Helicarrier.
• The flying UNIT aircraft carrier Valiant seen in the Doctor Who episodes "The Sound of Drums", "Last of the Time Lords", and "The Poison Sky", is also similar in design and operation to the Helicarrier.
• Fortress, an airship similar to the Helicarrier, appeared and was destroyed in one episode of the Disney animated series Gargoyles. A new version of the Fortress appeared later in the series.^{[citation needed]}
• The airships that play prominent roles in the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky, could arguably be considered as helicarriers.^{[citation needed]}

Parodies[link]

• The comic book "Next Wave Agents of H.A.T.E." parodies SHIELD's helicarrier with a smoke belching HATE helicarrier
• In the cartoon series Frisky Dingo, the character Awesome X's headquarters is a helicarrier.^{[citation needed]}
• A humorous depiction of a Helicarrier-like airship is featured in the Disney animated series TaleSpin.^[8]
• In the cartoon Codename: Kids Next Door, the Kids Next Door organization are shown in the episode Operation: T.R.E.A.T.Y. to have a base called the G.I.H.O.O.J.A.C.A.R.R.I.E.R., which is similar to the Helicarrier. It's used to host the signing of the Kid/Teen treaty (which turns out to be a trap) before being destroyed by a hot fudge explosion.
• In the animated TV series The Venture Bros., the OSI is portrayed a parody mash-up of S.H.I.E.L.D., G.I. Joe, and others. This includes having their own "hover carrier".

See also[link]

• Airborne aircraft carrier
• Fictional airborne aircraft carriers

References[link]

External links[link]

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

Veronica Belmont
Born	(1982-07-21) July 21, 1982 (age 29) Hartford, CT
Known for	Technology
Notable work(s)	Buzz Out Loud, Mahalo Daily, Qore, Tekzilla
Internet information
Web hosting service(s)	Revision3 TWiT.tv
Website
veronicabelmont.com

Veronica Ann Belmont (born July 21, 1982) is the co-host of the Revision3 show Tekzilla alongside Patrick Norton, the co-host of the TWiT.tv gaming show Game On! along with Brian Brushwood, and the former host of the monthly PlayStation 3-based video on demand program Qore. Formerly she was the host for the Mahalo Daily podcast and a producer and associate editor for CNET Networks, Inc. where she produced, engineered, and co-hosted the podcast Buzz Out Loud.^{[citation needed]}

Background[link]

At the time of Belmont's birth, her mother was a vice president at Coleco.^[1] Belmont attended Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts, to study audio production and new media studies. She worked briefly in Boston afterwards, and eventually secured an internship at CNET. Belmont currently resides in San Francisco, California with her fiancée, former Engadget editor Ryan Block.^[2]

Career[link]

CNET[link]

Belmont started as an intern producing audio content for CNET Networks. She was hired full-time six months later to produce their "First Look from the Labs" series, and also began producing Buzz Out Loud. Originally she was the sound engineer and producer of the show, but her role on the podcast grew substantially. She began to inject her own commentary, and was acknowledged as an official co-host in August 2006. She also was the producer and co-host of two more CNET podcasts called MP3 Insider and CRAVE Gadget Blog, which were both co-hosted by the late James Kim.

Belmont made her video debut on CNET on April 6, 2006, on an Insider Secrets segment titled "Give your PC a Mac-over". Since then, she has hosted videos from Maker Faire, CES, and South by Southwest. She was also the host of the Prizefight series. She appeared for the final time in CNET TV on July 25, 2007, in the iPhone vs Nokia N95 edition of Prizefight".^[3]

Mahalo[link]

Belmont left CNET on July 20, 2007 to join Mahalo.^[4] She hosted and produced her own podcast called Mahalo Daily covering subjects of her choosing. Her first video was an interview with Leeroy Jenkins at BlizzCon 2007.^[5] On April 2, 2008, Belmont announced that she would be leaving Mahalo Daily within two weeks.^[6] This was reported by TV Week on April 3, 2008.^[7]

Revision3[link]

On April 9, 2008, Revision3 announced that Belmont would be joining the Revision3 staff as co-host of Tekzilla.^[8]

Qore[link]

In June 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment announced a new subscription-based "monthly lifestyle gaming program" called Qore that would be hosted by Belmont.^[9] On October 19, 2011 she announced via her blog that she would be stepping down as host.^[10]

[edit] Sword and Laser

On October 16, 2007, Belmont started co-hosting a podcast with Tom Merritt of CNET and TWIT's Tech News Today fame. As the name implies, it is strictly about science-fiction and fantasy books and debuted with Neuromancer by William Gibson. Prior to the creation of the podcast, it was a book club in forum form. This format lasted through the first 3 books, which were, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and American Gods by Neil Gaiman, with the subsequent creation of the podcast.

[edit] TWiT.TV

On October 30, 2011, Leo Laporte announced on This Week in Tech (TWiT) that Veronica Belmont would cohost TWiT's upcoming gaming show with Brian Brushwood called Game On!. The show's first official episode aired January 15, 2012 at 6:00pm Pacific time on a live webcast in the TWiT network. The last episode of the show, Game On! #13, was uploaded on the 9th of April 2012.

References and notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Veronica Belmont

• Official website
• Veronica Belmont's Personal Blog
• Veronica Belmont at the Internet Movie Database
• Veronica Belmont interview on Shovio's "Talk Back TV"
• Tekzilla on Revision3
• Sword and Laser Podcast