Justin Hammer
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Justin Hammer is a fictional character from the Marvel Comics universe. He is frequently an adversary of the superhero Iron Man. He first appeared in Iron Man (1st series) #120 (1978).
[edit] Character History
Justin Hammer was born in Surrey, England. A rival of industrialist Tony Stark (Iron Man), Hammer invented a device called the hypersonic scan transmitter, which allowed him to take control of Iron Man's armor. Angered that he had lost a lucrative bid to Stark International, Hammer took control of Iron Man's amor and forced him to kill an ambassador. Stark cleared his name and destroyed the control device, but had found a new enemy in Hammer. For a time, Hammer frequently hired the villain group known as the Death Squad in an attempt to kill both Stark and Iron Man, but fired the group after they constantly failed. Hammer later stole Stark's Iron Man technology and sold it to a number of superhumans who wore powered armor. Although most of these individuals were supervillains, they also included the Guardsmen of the Vault, a prison for superhuman criminals. Iron Man disabled the Stark-based technology in the suits in question, leading him into conflict with The Captain and the his fellow Avengers.
Much later, Hammer infected Stark's bloodstream with mood-altering nanites that made Stark irrational and temperamental. In the confrontation between Iron Man and Hammer on Hammer's own space station, Hammer was accidentally frozen in a block of ice and lost in space. Hammer industries kept running, long enough for employees to forget exactly what happened to Justin.
He is the father of Justine Hammer aka (Crimson Cowl), who led the incarnation of the Masters of Evil that fought the Thunderbolts.
[edit] Ultimate Universe
In the Ultimate Universe, Justin Hammer first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man #16 (2002). There, he is a wealthy industrialist and CEO of Hammer Industries. He was rivals with Norman Osborn and was Osborn Industries' main competitor. In an effort to surpass Osborn Industries Hammer hired Osborn's top scientist Otto Octavius and paid him for inside information.
Justin Hammer has also been secretly funding superhuman testing directly violating the Superhuman Test Ban Treaty. Two of his more significant subjects were Electro and Sandman, both petty criminals who were given horrible powers.
When Otto Octavius was caught in a lab accident, he was grafted with four metal arms. He blamed Hammer for this, and sought him out for revenge. He attacked Hammer in his limo, and Hammer subsequently died from a heart attack.
[edit] Other media
Justin Hammer also appeared as a villain on the 1990s Iron Man animated series, where he was voiced by Tony Seedman and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.. He was one of the few first season villains who appeared in Season 2 episodes besides the season premiere and the season finale