History
The Telepod System was the creation of Geoffrey Crawford,[4] doctor of physics[1][2] and professor at Desert State University. It is a teleporter that transports an organism from one capsule to another; he said that he had developed it in part based on the television series Star Trek, of which he was a fan.[4] He worked on this development for years;[3] beginning before the young Bruce Banner studied with him, and finished after Banner, now an adult, had become the monstrous Hulk. By then, Crawford was suffering from[4] a debilitating neuromuscular disease[1][2] that left him in a wheelchair.[4] Crawford managed to get the telepod system to work with living rats, but had not tested it with humans yet.[4]
Banner returned to Desert State University to ask Crawford for help in seeking a cure for his condition. Crawford offered to use the telepods to filter out Banner's Gamma mutations:[4][1][2] They would scan Banner's body, map his gamma-irradiated body chemistry, compare it to a normal human, and then Crawford could filter out the gamma mutations in Banner's DNA while Banner was in energy form, before rebuilding his body into the receiver pod. After scanning Banner's body, Crawford offered him to sleep in his house.[4] However, at night, Crawford returned to his laboratory to take advantage of the mapping of gamma mutations on his own genetic structure, because he coveted the Hulk's healing ability to cure his own disabilities.[4][1][2] Foresightedly, Crawford programmed a fail-safe in the computer that controlled the process, so that it could not be stopped once it had started. Banner followed Crawford to his laboratory and saw what was happening; he attempted to convince Crawford to change his mind or operate the machines, but to no avail:[4] Crawford emerged from the second pod transformed into a savage, power-hungry monster named Ravage, who confronted the Hulk shortly after.[4][1][2] That attracted the authorities at Gamma Base, who found the pods in Crawford's lab but didn't know what they were.[3]
However, as had happened to Banner at the beginning, Ravage reverted to his human form at dawn.[3][1][2] Banner attempted to convince Crawford to reverse the process; but Crawford wanted to be Ravage full time. Crawford had Banner arrested and claimed to have undergone a process to become Ravage even during the day (although the next time Ravage appeared was at dusk).[3] With Ravage's new appearance, General Ross of Gamma Base allied himself with Banner to try to reverse Crawford's mutation.[3][1][2] Banner took Ross to Crawford's lab, and suggested waiting for Ravage to revert to Crawford's form, then they could easily put him in a pod; and Banner could program the computers to reverse the process. But Ravage saw the intruders in his laboratory,[3] and went there to destroy the pods to prevent them from using them against him.[3][1][2] Ravage claimed to have two hidden prototype pods in case he needed them; then wrecked his own lab. Ravage was captured shortly after and held in suspended animation on Gamma Base.[3]
Properties[]
The main use of the Telepod System is the teletransportation of an organism from the first pod to the second pod. To that end, the first pod scans and maps the organism's body, including DNA, chemistry and alterations. The body is then transformed into energy, the energy is transmitted to the second pod, and there the body's original form is restored. Geoffrey Crawford, its creator, tested it with living lab rats, and also with an apple that he had bitten - and the restored apple had the exact same missing part that Crawford had eaten.[4]
The Telepod System was also a matter reconfigurator,[1][2] as the scanned form could be modified and filtered. Theoretically, Crawford claimed that by comparing Bruce Banner (the Hulk)'s body chemistry with a normal human, he could identify which parts were gamma mutations and filter them away before restoring Banner's body. This was not confirmed, but Crawford did use the pods on himself to incorporate the gamma mutations identified in Banner's body, and he succeeded in becoming a Hulk-like creature.[3]
The process was controlled from a computer that a scientist was able to program.[4] It used floppy disks for data storage,[3] and Crawford was able to program even a fail-safe to ensure that the process could not be interrupted.[4]
The pods were big enough to hold a being the Hulk's size[4] (approximately 7' of height and 1,040 pounds of weight, as Ravage was comparable in size with the Hulk).[5] They were not adapted for disabled people, thou, as Crawford had a bit of trouble entering it.[4] The pods were not resistant enough to withstand the wreckage caused by the fight between Ravage and the Hulk, which caused the ceiling to fall on the lab.[3]Trivia
- General Ross and his men found the device in Crawford's laboratory, but were unable to identify its purpose.[3]
- Ravage said that he had two hidden prototype pods and that he had already used them to maintain his super-strong form indefinitely;[3] but he could be lying. If these other pods exist, they have not been found.
See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 World War Hulk: Gamma Files #1 ; Gamma Mutates's profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4 ; Gamma Mutates's profile
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Rampaging Hulk (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 Rampaging Hulk (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #5 ; Hulk's profile