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HOVER-CYCLE

Classification: Terrestrial technology

Creator: Unknown (Stark Industries? - see comments)

User/Possessors: Fantastic Four; U.S. Army

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#31 (October, 1964)

Powers/Abilities/Functions:The Hover-Cycle was a small air vehicle which could accommodate a pilot and up to three passengers. It had been modified with increased jet power by Reed Richards. It had VTOL capabilities as well as standard flight. Its speed and range are unknown.

History:

(Fantastic Four I#31 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Reed Richards acquired an experimental Hover-Cycle from the U.S. Army and modified the vehicle to have increased jet power.

(Fantastic Four I#31) - Following the Mole Man's sinking of two New York City blocks--and his consequential abduction of the Invisible Girl--to his subterranean realm, Reed Richards began to organize a rescue effort. After determining Sue Storm's exact location with a Transistorized Detector, Reed had the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) use his near-nova intensity flames to blast a hole in the street and dig a tunnel down to where Sue was imprisoned, while he and the Thing followed on the Hover-Cycle. The Hover-Cycle descended into the underground kingdom. After Sue was freed, the team fought off the Mole Man's minions. The heroes returned the missing city blocks to the surface, then the Torch fired a heat blast which set off a chain reaction of explosions. As the blasts continued, the FF returned to the Hover-Cycle and began to rise up the tunnel, but just before they reached the surface, Sue was struck in the head by a small piece of flying shrapnel; as Reed attended to her, the Thing took over the controls and flew the Hover-Cycle to a nearby hospital.

 

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Jack Kirby (art).

Reed probably decided to use the small Hover-Cycle because the Torch would have expended too much energy digging a hole wide enough to accommodate the larger Fantasti-Car (not to mention the greater resultant property damage). 

I speculate that the Hover-Cycle was built by Stark Industries because:
 1. Reed said it was from the Army, and Stark Industries was working on a lot of military contracts at the time;
 2. The Avengers once used a similar Stark-built device to descend to Subterranea @ Avengers I#12.

The critically-injured Sue was later treated with an operation performed by her father, Dr. Franklin Storm.

And a BIG Thank You to Grendel Prime for the scans!

Profile by John Kaminski.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Hover-Cycle has no known connections to:


images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four I#31, p16, pan4 (main image)

p16, pan5 (bottom view, Hover-Cycle descending)
p18, pan1 (side view, Hover-Cycle descending)


Other Appearances: None


Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Last Updated: 11/19/09

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