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The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be itself capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers. It 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 whilst rarely straying from its originally depicted role as a mobile headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. until recent years.
[edit] History of the HelicarriersIn 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 v.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. Additionally, 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. Also, at least eight Helicarriers have been identified by name thus far:
After Iron Man became the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he designs a new class of Helicarrier which looks more like the Iron Man Armor; it carries a red and gold design, which Maria Hill called Helicarrier Gold but Stark considered it The Helicarrier. This helicarrier was destroyed by the Red Hulk. 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 and scuttled by Maria Hill. 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[1] , with three of them being stolen by Nick Fury[2]. H.A.M.M.E.R. has since commissioned at least one new one to Norman Osborn's specifications. [edit] Other versions[edit] Ultimate MarvelThe 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. [edit] NextwaveA parody of the Helicarrier, the H.A.T.E. Aeromarine, appears in Marvel's Nextwave. The Aeromarine is merely four submarines welded together, with rocket engines mounted on the back of each sub. [edit] Other media[edit] Television
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