Cross Technological Enterprises
Cross Technological Enterprises is a company that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
Cross Technological Enterprises was created by self-made billionaire Darren Agonistes Cross who headed the company and made it into a success to rival the top competitors. However, Darren was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. He used his own technology to create an experimental nucleorganic pacemaker to save his life. Although a success, the nucleorganic pacemaker mutated Darren's body to and gave him superhuman abilities. A side-effect of the mutation was that Darren would quickly overuse and burn out his heart. Multiple heart transplants were performed, but each heart was removed when overused. Desperate, he kidnapped heart surgeon Doctor Erica Sondheim to replace his damaged heart. He also kidnapped 'donors' from slums. Ant-Man, also looking for Doctor Sondheim to save the life of his daughter Cassie Lang, attempted to rescue her. A battle between Darren and Ant-Man resulted in Darren burning out his heart and dying, Sondheim revealing when Ant-Man interrupted the operation she replaced his old heart rather than a new one. (Marvel Premiere v1 #48)
The company featured at the 24th annual Conclave of Electronics Engineers and Innovators in Dallas, Texas. Other organizations at the event which included Stark Industries, Cordco, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Roxxon Energy Corporation. When a trio of armored men called the Raiders attacked the convention, Scott Lang tackles them despite having left his Ant-Man's Suit in New York, with the help of Iron Man, but they manage to escape. At one point Augustine Cross was thought to be a suspect in an incident where the Raiders were hired to attack Iron Man, but turned out to be innocent. (Iron Man v1 #145)
A number of burglaries had occurred at C.T.E., despite the company's belief that their security systems was impregnable. Hawkeye, searching for a job after recently parting ways with the Avengers, sensed an opportunity. He broke into the office of K.H. Keeshan, a high-level employee in the company, and asked for a job. Despite being met with anger over his actions, Keeshan hired Hawkeye to uncover the mystery behind the burglaries. Hawkeye soon discovered that the burglaries were being committed by Deathbird, a member of an alien race named the Shi'ar. Hawkeye battled and defeated his powerful foe and gained full employment at C.T.E. as the Head of Security. (Avengers v1 #189)
Crossfire began work on the construction of a new, advanced model of his ultrasonic brainwashing device. He arranged to have certain components constructed at Cross Technologies, a firm founded by his cousin, Darren Cross. Learning that the Avenger Hawkeye was employed as a security guard at CTE, Crossfire devised a plan to use Hawkeye, whom he believed to be the weakest of the costumed crime-fighters, as bait to lure other super-phumans into his clutches where he could subject them to his brain-washing machine. To capture Hawkeye, Crossfire hired a trio of costumed criminals: the Silencer, Oddball, and Bombshell. Cross' minions managed to take Hawkeye and his companion Mockingbird captive, and Crossfire used his ultrasonic weapon to make them fight each other. During this fight, Hawkeye suffered permanent hearing damage. However, Hawkeye eventually escaped and defeated Crossfire and his henchmen. The second machine was destroyed, and Crossfire was arrested and sentenced to prison. His subordinates were rescued by Oddball's brother Tenpin. (Hawkeye v1 #4)
Dr. Douglas Cartland, Head of Systems Designs was among the scientists brought together to sort through the acquired equipment of Dr. Bruce Banner. Dr. Cartland accompanied by Hank McCoy, met with Mr. Fantastic and the Avengers. Later, while secretly attempting to learn about technology, Dr. Cartland was attacked by Arnim Zola. But was soon rescued by the Avengers. (Avengers Annual v1 #13)
Years later, Augustine resurfaces in Miami, Florida where he began a campaign of vengeance against Ant-Man Scott Lang, the man he blamed for his father's death. (Ant-Man v1 #3) Power Broker of Power Broker Inc. later visited Darren Cross to help invest in the Hench App by demonstrating it's abilities by having Whirlwind attack Ant-Man. Darren Cross did not want to pay a lot of money for it causing Power Broker to cancel the demonstration and call off Whirlwind's attack. (Astonishing Ant-Man v1 #1) After Darren Cross refused to invest in Hench, Augustine Cross hired Machinesmith to hack into Power Broker Inc.'s databases so that Cross Technological Enterprises could steal his algorithm, and used it to create a Hench App knock-off called Lackey. (Astonishing Ant-Man v1 #2) Cross Technological Enterprises' Lackey App debuted where it was used by Paul Scheer to have Voice disrupt a basketball game as a way to promote the Lackey App. (Astonishing Ant-Man v1 #4)
Overview
Products created by the company included:
- Sky-Cycle :
- Nucleorganic Pacemaker :
- Sound Nullifying Uniform :
- Undertaker Machine :
- Nucleonic Radiator :
Employees
- Darren Cross :
- Jorge Latham :
- William Cross :
- Sheila Danning : Head of Public Relations
- Douglas Cartland : Head of Systems Design
- Ronald English :
- Egghead :
- Ambrose Connors
- Clint Barton :
Notes
- Cross Technological Enterprises was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton where it made its first appearance in Marvel Premiere #47 (April, 1979).
In other media
Films
- In Ant-Man, Cross Technologies Enterprises made its first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe live-action film. Originally, it was Pym Technologies until employee Darren Cross took over the company from Hank Pym where he renamed it Cross Technological Enterprises.
Video games
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Cross Industries was referenced in the setting of the Facebook video game. They were mentioned in "Special Operations - Enter Ant-Man" with Tony Stark dismissing their innovations.
Appearances
- Marvel Premiere v1: (1979)
- Iron Man v1:
- Hawkeye v1:
- Avengers Annual v1:
- Ant-Man:
External Links
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