- "Surprise, Carl. This suit's Hammer tech, made just for you."
- ―Diamondback to Luke Cage[src]
Diamondback's Battle Suit is a special battle suit designed by Hammer Industries.
History[]
Acquisition[]
- "So what's in the box?"
"One of the seven deadly sins, my boy, which I plan to unleash on dear old Carl."
"Which one?"
"Wrath." - ―Zip and Diamondback[src]
Hammer Industries designed a special battle suit capable of absorbing kinetic energy. Diamondback managed to obtain the battle suit and it was transported to his hideout. He planned to use it to defeat and kill Luke Cage. When Domingo Colon and his men attacked Diamondback at his warehouse, Diamondback killed them all using the battle suit.[1]
Battle at Pop's Barber Shop[]
- "What type of Jean-Paul Gaultier shit is this? What are you, a pimp Stormtrooper?"
- ―Bobby Fish to Diamondback[src]
Diamondback reveals his armored battle suit
After tracking down Luke to Pop's Barber Shop, Diamondback activated the armor and threw a grenade into the store. After the device went off, Diamondback walked into the shop and challenged Cage. The true defensive capabilities of the Battle Suit were on display when Diamondback's former associate, Shades, fired a gun at Diamondback and the bullets bounced off of the armor.[2]
The suit was used in the battle that then took place, absorbing the blows that Cage inflicted. Diamondback was able to hold his own against Cage using the Judas Gauntlets.
Diamondback tells Luke Cage to fight him
As Cage hit Diamondback across the Barber Shop into a photograph of Pop, Diamondback smugly revealed that his Battle Suit had been made by Hammer Industries and could therefore withstand even his superhuman blows. Ripping out one of the chairs, Diamondback launched it at Cage, missing but with such force that it flew out into the Harlem street. As Cage continued hitting his half-brother, Diamondback insulted his fighting skills, calling his punches weak, so Cage then responded by slamming him onto the ground before launching him into the ceiling where the Battle Suit took the brunt of the blow.
Diamondback soon takes their fight outside
Diamondback quickly recovered, thanks to the Battle Suit, and he told Cage to keep the fight coming. The two men began throwing each other through the walls of the Shop as Diamondback recalled their time training as two young boxers before they pulled each other upstairs where Diamondback was able to launch Cage out of the upper floor window. Luke Cage landed in the street below, in front of the many onlookers. The crowd called on Cage to win the fight as D.W. Griffith filmed the brawl. Diamondback promised to beat Cage then kicked him across the street with incredible force.[2]
Duel at Malcolm X Boulevard[]
Diamondback fights against Luke Cage
- "Where you going, Carl? I'mma whoop your ass up and down the block."
- ―Diamondback to Luke Cage[src]
Diamondback used the Judas Gauntlets to hit Luke Cage repeatedly with increasingly powerful blows. Cage began to tire. Eventually, however, Cage gained the upper hand and smashed Diamondback's body into the side of a car. The Battle Suit kept Diamondback in the fight. Diamondback then began explaining that James Lucas, Luke Cage's father, had always planned on leaving his own wife to marry Diamondback's mother, causing Cage to attack him again. SWAT Teams arrived armed with Judas Bullets.
Diamondback ignores Luke Cage's words
Diamondback threw a motorbike at Cage which he quickly deflected before they continued exchanging powerful blows. The fight was broadcast live by the media. As Diamondback got back to his feet, Luke Cage told him that he was done fighting and invited Diamondback to kill him, claiming that it was something he was not ready to do, but Diamondback responded by charging at him and hit Cage repeatedly in the chest and head, knocking him into the side of a parked car.
Diamondback is finally defeated by Cage
Despite being close to beating Cage to death, all of the constant blows that Diamondback delivered against Cage eventually caused him to completely run out of breath. Cage used the technique that Diamondback had taught him years earlier for boxing, to conserve energy while taking blows and then fight back when the aggressor tires. The same technique used by boxing legend Muhammad Ali against boxing legend George Foreman called "The Rope-A-Dope." As Diamondback attempted to regain his breath, the suit ran out of power. The crowds, led by Claire Temple, began to chant Cage's name. Cage then stepped back into the fight and beat Diamondback into submission. Luke Cage delivered a final blow that sent Diamondback flying back. Diamondback was defeated. The Battle Suit was then confiscated by the authorities.[2]
Capabilities[]
- Kinetic Absorption and Redirection: The Battle Suit developed by Hammer Industries, allows the user to fight on par with a superhuman, such as Luke Cage, due to the fact that it is made of a material that absorbs and redirects kinetic energy.
- Superhuman Strength: Thanks to the use of the gloves from the Battle Suit, the user's strength is increased to superhuman levels, being able to send people flying away several feet, and instantly killing regular human beings with a single blow. Stryker/Diamondback managed to cause Luke Cage to sustain internal injuries, through Luke Cage's indestructible skin, while using the gloves. The strength granted by the suit increases with the damage it takes, due to the suit's kinetic redirection abilities.
- Superhuman Durability: The Battle Suit was designed to absorb kinetic energy to reduce physical damage to the user. Stryker/Diamondback was able to withstand direct bullet hits and superhuman blows from Luke Cage.
Trivia[]
- Diamondback's Battle Suit resembles the common attire of Willis Stryker A.K.A. Diamondback in the comics with the chest and neck piece made to resemble that of a snake's hood. However, the Diamondback Snake does not actually create a snake hood when threatened like a Cobra Snake does.
