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History

Developed by James Hudson while working for the Am-Cam Corporation, this suit of armor was proposed for development, excavation and exploration[1] (possibly in alien environments like Mars)[2]. When Hudson discovered that his manager, Jerome Jaxon planned to sell the designs to the US military, he destroyed the plans, stole the unique cybernetic control helmet (whose exclusive rights he owned) and left the company. [1]

The Canadian government would later come into possession of the prototype suits when Am-Cam went bankrupt.[3][4] Department H used one of these suits in its first attempt a super-team, the Flight, operated by a Vancouver police officer, Sean Benard. When the mission went poorly, Benard quit and challenged Hudson that if he believed in the power of suit so much, he should “wear it himself.”[3]

Hudson would indeed later go on to wear the armor while developing a more refined version that was more powerful and a sleeker design. Hudson used the armor alongside his friend, Logan, to battle a seemingly demonic former super-hero, Chinook.[5]

Some time later, the remaining Groundhog suits that were in the possession of Department H would be seized by Hydra. The combined forces of the X-Men and Alpha Flight stopped the Hydra forces and returned the suits to Department H custody. [6]

When the Master of the World took over Department H, he made use of the Groundhog armor to begin stripping Canada of its natural resources to build a fleet of spaceships. The suit wearers were “political dissidents” who opposed his fake Unity Party and were press ganged into service.[7] Alpha Flight intervened and set them free and recruited the Taskmaster to train them to battle the Master.[8] The “Groundhogs” fought alongside Alpha Flight to stop the Master’s plans. [9]

Properties

  • Durability: Steel body for moderate resistance to harm. Able to generate electromagnetic force fields.
  • Flight: While not allowing for full flight, the suit’s ability to manipulate electromagnetic energies allowed it to hover and fly at slow speeds.
  • Weaponry: The Groundhog armor was able to manipulate electromagnetic energy for a variety of purposes – primarily concussive blasts.
  • Sensors: Designed for exploration, the armor contained host of sensory systems.
  • Strength: Able to lift/press 10 tons.
  • Teleportation: Hydra installed teleporters in their versions of the suit(s).

See Also

Links and References

References

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