Calculator (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Calculator | |
 Cover to Birds of Prey #87. Art by Adriana Melo. |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #463 (September 1976) |
| Created by | Bob Rozakis (writer) Mike Grell (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Full name | Noah Kuttler |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains |
| Abilities | Genius intelligence, Skilled manipulator and strategist |
The Calculator is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Detective Comics #463 (September 1976), and he was created by Bob Rozakis and Mike Grell.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
As is commonplace in comics, the character was based on a topical event or trend; in this case, Noah Kuttler took his powers and costume design from the recently-popular pocket calculator. His costume had a large numerical keypad on the front and a flashlight-like device on the headpiece. When he typed upon the keypad, he could make "hard light" constructs appear from the headpiece, fashioning tools and weapons in the style of Green Lantern's power ring.
[edit] Fictional character biography
He was featured in a series of one-shot adventures in Detective Comics, fighting many of the Justice League members. As he was defeated by hero after hero, he would press a special button on his keypad that would (as it was revealed to the reader in a thought balloon) "turn defeat into victory". After months of appearances, the Calculator's scheme was revealed. The button somehow analyzed the powers or tactics of the hero defeating him, and effectively inoculated him from ever being defeated by that hero ever again. This immunity would manifest itself as a force field, rendering a hero unable to touch or otherwise affect The Calculator. This of course meant he could only be defeated by a new hero; luckily, there are an almost endless supply of new heroes in the DC Universe, so he was always able to be defeated. He could also be defeated when his own weaponry was turned against him.
The Calculator made intermittent appearances in DC titles over the years, such as Blue Beetle. In the 2004 miniseries Identity Crisis, he was revamped as a non-costumed villainous analogue to Oracle; a source of information for supervillains planning heists, offering suggestions of weaponry, assisting with logistics, etc. — but charging $1,000 per question, unlike Oracle, who works pro bono. He became a major player in the Infinite Crisis cross-over Villains United as a core member of Lex Luthor's The Society.
Noah suffers from severe Obsessive-compulsive disorder, unbeknownst to his peers (even though this was hinted at when he was in charge of monitoring Supergirl), and initially controlled this with medication. However, in Birds of Prey, he became obsessed with finding out the identity of Oracle, and this led him toward a mental breakdown. He stopped taking his medication and suffered from nightmares about the green mask that Oracle uses as a symbol. In Birds of Prey issue #111, Noah finally meets the woman behind Oracle face-to-face at a computer-industry conference, but is depicted looking far younger than his previous illustrations in DC titles and his history would indicate. Both are using aliases, and Noah is prevented from learning Oracle's true identity only at the last possible moment through an ingenious stratagem devised by the Birds.
A year after the Crisis, Noah leads The Society, taking over from the deceased Alexander Luthor, Jr. The Society has become a union for super-villains, with all major heists being done through the Society itself.
[edit] Powers and abilities
The Calculator has a genius level intelligence is a skilled manipulator and superb strategist. The Calculator also has a vast array of criminal contacts. In his early career he used a batllesuit.
Calculator has used a battlesuit with a large calculator in the chest area. The computers in the suit can accurately predict the actions of any hero or even the Earth itself. A projector in the helmet is linked to the suit and can create items by solidifying the dust in the air. Calculator no longer uses this battlesuit and its whereabouts are unknown.
[edit] Appearances in other media
Calculator is reportedly featured in David S. Goyer's script for an upcoming Green Arrow film project entitled "Super Max".[1]
