The Helicarrier, a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be itself capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers, is the signature capital ship of the fictional intelligence/defence 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.
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History of the Helicarriers
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 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:
- Luxor (not yet seen - a class prototype)
- Hermes (allegedly scuttled after being hi-jacked 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 Godzilla King of the Monsters - first appearance was in issue #6 - Jan 1977)
- 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)
- Alpha (first mentioned by name in New Avengers # 4; also shown in the game Marvel Ultimate Alliance)
- Pericles III (Punisher War Journal v.2 # 1)
- Pericles V (infiltrated by the vampiric Order of Tyrana and scuttled by Blade in Blade v.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)
Recently, Iron Man has become the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and designed a new class of Helicarrier to look more like the Iron Man Armor with the familiar red and gold design. It is not yet known what criteria S.H.I.E.L.D. has used to name the Helicarriers.
Other depictions of the Helicarrier
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, suggesting ease in its manufacturing, or retrofitting of existing sea vessels. A 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.
Appearances in other Media
The first live-action incarnation of the Helicarrier appeared in the TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D featuring David Hasselhoff as the title character. This version appeared to be a sea-going battleship or aircraft carrier retrofitted with four giant helicopter rotors. The Helicarrier appears in "Spider Man, The Animated Series" 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 antigravity mechanism. The Helicarrier is one of the main locations in the game Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Several "mobile airstrips" can be seen in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The design is very similar to the Helicarrier. The skybase from Captain Scarlet is also very similar in design and operation to the Helicarier, as is the flying UNIT aircraft carrier Valiant seen in "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", the last two episodes of the 2007 series of Doctor Who. Marvel Comics is the former publisher of Doctor Who Magazine and thus, the Doctor Who comic book adventures. UNIT was previously referenced in mainstream issues of Uncanny X-Men.
