JUPITER LANDING VEHICLE

Classification: Terrestrial technology

Creator: Stark International (SI)

User/Possessors: Earl, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Madame Masque (Whitney Frost), Mike Trudeau

Aliases: JLV; "this outdated moon buggy" (as called by Earl)

First Appearance: (Original version) Captain Marvel I#50 (May, 1977); (second version) Iron Man I#116 (November, 1978)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: This mechanical juggernaut was an exploration vehicle built to take on the hostile surface and immense gravity of the planet Jupiter; its treads allowed it to negotiate any type of terrain (see comments). Controlled by a single operator in the transparent domed cockpit, the JLV was equipped with two magna-grip claw arms, a laser borer, and a sonic disruptor unit that fired a beam designed to blast through mountains.

Its cockpit could be ejected as an escape pod and altered into a miniature hovercraft.

History:
(Iron Man: The Legend#1 (fb)) - For the NASA space program, Stark International designed and built the massively powerful Jupiter Landing Vehicle (see comments), which could withstand the immense gravity of the planet Jupiter.

(Iron Man I#116 (fb) - BTS) - The JLV was developed by Stark International on a multi-million dollar contract for NASA. At some point, Tony Stark told his then-lover Whitney Frost about the project.

(Captain Marvel I#50) - While clad in his Iron Man armor, Stark was taking the JLV for a test-drive, when the Super-Adaptoid entered the testing grounds. Not recognizing him at first, Iron Man was afraid that an innocent had wandered into the test range, but the Super-Adaptoid lifted the vehicle up with both hands and ripped it in half; he subsequently hurled half of the vehicle at Stark's scientists, but Iron Man caught the wreckage in time to save them.

(Iron Man I#116 (fb) - BTS) - The plans for the original JLV underwent extensive redesign, and a smaller version was built (see comments).

(Iron Man I#116) - When Madame Masque betrayed Stark's trust, she activated the rebuilt JLV and sent it against Iron Man. Climbing into the cockpit, she took control of the vehicle, seized the hero with one of the magna-grips, and fired the laser borer at him. But Iron Man broke free and hurled a piece of wreckage at the JLV, causing it to crash into a wall. Iron Man pulled Madame Masque from the cockpit, but with no operator at its controls, the JLV began to run amok. As it headed towards a group of SI security guards, Iron Man was forced to overturn the vehicle.

(Iron Man I#142 (fb) - BTS) - Following its destruction, the JLV was rebuilt again by a team of SI technicians that included Scott Lang.

(Iron Man I#142) - While touring his plant, Stark stopped by the hanger-like annex where the JLV's reconstruction was being completed. Lang assured Stark that the JLV would be ready for its final tests scheduled the next day. After climbing into the cockpit to check on the work, Stark congratulated Lang and his team for a job well done. Lang jokingly requested for Stark to keep Iron Man away from the JLV ("I'd hate to have to put this sucker back together again!" ), but Stark told him that it would be shipped straight to NASA right after the test run.

   After Stark left, Mike Trudeau entered the hanger -- Trudeau (secretly working as a sleeper agent for Jonas Hale of Roxxon) knocked out Lang and commandeered the JLV to destroy SI's analytical lab complex.

   Responding to an emergency alarm, Stark returned in his armor to face Trudeau in the JLV. Trudeau trapped Iron Man in the magna-grips and used the sonic disruptor on him, but it proved ineffective against the refractory coating of Iron Man's armor. Punching the JLV from its treads and into a wall, Iron Man was once again forced to destroy the vehicle to end its rampage.

(Iron Man I#145) - A projected image of the JLV was seen as part of the SI exhibit at the 24th Annual Conclave of Electronics Engineers and Innovators held at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Dallas, Texas -- this exhibit was later destroyed by the Raiders.

(Iron Man: Bad Blood#3 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the JLV was apparently rebuilt and placed into storage.

(Iron Man: Bad Blood#3) - Some years later, Stark donated the JLV to the Seattle Aerospace Center to serve as a museum piece. However, a Stark employee named Earl, who was preparing the JLV for display, had been secretly hired by Justin Hammer to steal the Negative Energy Condenser which was also on display. Earl activated the JLV in order to steal the device, then blasted a hole through the building's ceiling and launched himself away in the JLV's escape pod. However, Stark switched to his Iron Man identity and smashed the escape pod from the sky with a single punch. The escape pod crashed into the body of the JLV, wrecking it--consequently, Earl was rendered comatose in the crash.

Comments: Original version created by Scott Edelman, Al Milgrom and Terry Austin;
    later versions created by David Michelinie, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton

Thanks to AvatarWarlord72 for adding the Iron Man: The Legend appearance.

The JLV was referred to as an LSM (Life Support Module). in its first appearance.

Prior to its destruction by the Super-Adaptoid, the JLV appeared to be larger, and it was propelled by spiked treads. In its subsequent revisions/modifications, it seemed to move via two rotating helical drive-units, which--much like a screw being turned into a piece of wood--would give it traction across any surfaces.
--Ron Fredricks

Profile by John Kaminski with Prime Eternal. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.











CLARIFICATIONS:
The Jupiter Landing Vehicle / JLV has no known connections to:

Mike Trudeau

   He was the head of Stark International's communications division, but he was secretly working as a sleeper agent for Jonas Hale of Roxxon; he had some aircraft pilot training, which he found to be helpful for operating the JLV.

(Iron Man I#137) - Trudeau attended the third annual Stark International employee appreciation party, where he told a humorous story about communications to Dr. John Ehrmann and his date. Trudeau then spoke with Bethany Cabe about Tony Stark's prototype sonic borer, which would make oil and gas drilling a lot safer; afterward, he made an awkward pass at Bethany, but she turned him down with a snarky response ("...but I'm allergic to fresh air.").

(Iron Man I#142) - A few weeks later, Trudeau entered the JLV hanger and introduced himself to technician Scott Lang. He made a joke about taking the JLV "for a little spin," then struck Lang with a wrench while his back was turned and knocked him out. Trudeau climbed into the JLV's cockpit--although it was crammed with more instruments than a 747 jet, his pilot training enabled him to figure out how to operate the vehicle. He set about on his mission to destroy Stark International's analytical lab complex--he warned all the lab personnel to clear the area, because he didn't want to hurt anyone unless he had to.

   Responding to the emergency alarm, Iron Man came flying in, but Trudeau struck him with one of the JLV's claw arms. Iron Man blasted the lab's floor with his repulsor rays, creating a large crater; but Trudeau drove the JLV out of the pit and grabbed the armored Avenger with both claw arms and tried to use the sonic disruptor on him. But Iron Man broke free of the claws and punched the JLV with full force, causing it to tear from its drive treads and smash into a wall.

   The angry Iron Man pulled Trudeau from the wrecked JLV's cockpit and asked him about the purpose of his destructive rampage, but the frightened Trudeau refused to answer any questions without a lawyer, and he begged Iron Man not to hit him.

   Iron Man then turned Trudeau over to Security Chief Martinelli so he could be taken into custody by the county police--Mike Trudeau's subsequent fate remains unrevealed.

--Iron Man I#137 (Iron Man I#137, 142

Earl

   Earl (last name unrevealed) was a mechanic employed by Tony Stark.

   After Stark had donated the outdated JLV to the Seattle Aerospace Center as a tax write-off, Earl was preparing the vehicle for display there; but Earl had been secretly hired by Justin Hammer to steal the Negative Energy Condenser, which was also on display.

   While sitting in the JLV's cockpit, Earl activated the vehicle, then used one of its claw arms to seize the Condenser; after taking possession of the Condensor in the cockpit, he activated the JLV's sonic disruptor and blasted a hole in the ceiling, then pushed a button to activate the escape pod and launched out of the hole.

   But before he could make his getaway, Earl was confronted by Iron Man, who punched the escape pod from the sky--the escape pod went straight down, and it crashed back into the JLV, wrecking the vehicle; as a result of his injuries from the impact, Earl was left in a coma, and his subsequent fate remains unrevealed.

--Iron Man: Bad Blood#3

images:
Iron Man I#116, p13, pan5 (JLV [front view])
Iron Man I#142, p10, pan4 (JLV [side view])
Iron Man I#142, p15, pan3 (JLV [top view], piloted by Mike Trudeau, falls into crater on lab floor)
Iron Man: Bad Blood#3, p14, pan5 (JLV, piloted by Earl)
Captain Marvel I#50, p2, pan1-2 (original JLV, piloted by Iron Man)
Iron Man I#137, p2, pan4 (Mike Trudeau unsuccessfully makes a pass at Bethany Cabe)
Iron Man I#142, p11, pan6 (Mike Trudeau introduces himself to Scott Lang)
Iron Man I#142, p12, pan2 (Mike Trudeau tells Scott Lang that he plans to take JLV)
Iron Man: Bad Blood#3, p14, pan2 (Earl, sitting in JLV's cockpit)
Iron Man: Bad Blood#3, p14, pan4-5 (holding Negative Energy Condenser, Earl pushes button and launches JLV's escape pod)

Appearances:
Captain Marvel I#50 (May, 1977) - Scott Edelman (writer), Al Milgrom (penciler), Terry Austin (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Iron Man I#116 (November, 1978) - Bob Layton & David Michelinie (writers), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Iron Man I#142 (January, 1981) - Bob Layton & David Michelinie (writers), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Iron Man I#145 (April, 1981) - Bob Layton & David Michelinie (writers), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Iron Man: The Legend#1 (September, 1996) - Peter Sanderson (writer), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Iron Man: Bad Blood#3 (November, 2000) - David Michelinie (writer), Bob Layton (writer/artist) Bobbie Chase (editor)

First Posted: 4/16/08
Last updated: 11/10/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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