Carapax
| Carapax | |
|---|---|
|
Carapax, artist Paris Cullins | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Blue Beetle (vol. 1) #1 (June 1986) |
| Created by |
Len Wein (writer) Paris Cullins (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Conrad Carapax |
| Notable aliases | Carapax the Indestructible Man |
| Abilities | 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) cybernetic body |
Carapax is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. Carapax first appeared in Blue Beetle (vol. 1) #1 (June 1986), and was created by Len Wein and Paris Cullins. Carapax is featured as the archenemy of Blue Beetle.
Fictional character biography
Conrad Carapax was an archaeologist who had once been the rival of Dr. Daniel Garrett, the man who became the original Blue Beetle. He went to Pago Island alone in search of whatever it was that Garrett was searching for when he died.[1] Instead he found the top-secret laboratory of Dr. Jarvis Kord, uncle of Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. In the lab he found a gleaming robot standing silently in the corner of the huge chamber, having come back online when it had sensed his approach. Donning a strange helmet he found in the wreckage, Carapax attempted to activate the robot, but the machinery malfunctioned, zapping Carapax where he stood. Although his body had died, Carapax's mind was transferred to the robot at the instant of his death. He was now an Indestructible Man trapped on Pago Island.
He murdered the crew of the ship that had brought Lieutenant Max Fisher to Pago Island to investigate the death of Dan Garrett, hoping to use the vessel to escape. However, the Blue Beetle had followed Fisher to Pago to protect the island's secret. He saved Fisher's life and therefore came into direct conflict with Carapax. He used his ship, the Bug, to sink the ship, and when Carapax tried to commandeer the Bug itself, he was sent hurtling into the Atlantic Ocean, where he sank without a trace. Unfortunately for the Beetle, Carapax simply walked along the ocean bottom until he surfaced in Metropolis. He and the Beetle battled again, but this time, the Beetle fired a missile through a crack in Carapax's outer shell, igniting his power source and blowing up his body from the inside.
During the Underworld Unleashed storyline, Carapax was approached by the demon Neron, but he refused Neron's offer of power in exchange for his soul.
After the Blue Beetle's death, Carapax confronted Superman and the new Firestorm. His body had been rebuilt by extraterrestrials and provided with a new power source. Firestorm had to be persuaded not to vaporize Carapax's supposed armor by Superman for a very good reason - he was the robot, not a living being trapped inside it.
Carapax later returned, steam-powered and capable of withstanding any and all technological attacks, as part of a group formed to take out the new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. Carapax is defeated when Jaime makes a crack in his shoulder, and throws one of his own missiles into it.[2]
Powers and abilities
Carapax has a high degree of protection from physical and energy attacks, super human strength, agility and endurance. He is able to fire miniature missiles.
In other media
Miscellaneous
- Carapax appears in issue #1 of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (which is based on Batman: The Brave and the Bold). He is seen fighting Batman and Aquaman until he is defeated by them.
References
External links
- Who's Who in the DC Universe Update '87 vol. 1, page 29.
- DCU Guide: Carapax