| For alternate versions of Justin Hammer, see Justin Hammer's Character Hub |
- "The only difference between a hero and a villain is good PR. You see, redemption in this country, it isn't about penance. No, it's about rebranding, and that Hulk blood was gonna be my chance. And then you stole it from me, Happy Hogan. But don't worry. I will reverse-engineer it after I dissect your twitching corpse."
- ―Justin Hammer to Happy Hogan[src]
Justin Hammer is a former CEO of Hammer Industries and a rival of Tony Stark. Desperate to bring Stark down, Hammer seized the Avengers Tower during the Christmas party, with only Happy Hogan, Maria Hill and Darcy Lewis to oppose him. Hammer initially wanted to gain power by acquiring a sample of Hulk's blood, but Hogan received it instead, so he instead used the Hulkbuster Armor. Hammer was defeated by Hogan before the Avengers arrived, and was saved by him from falling.
Biography[]
Battle at Stark Expo[]
- "After the corrupt defense contractor nearly blew up the Stark Expo, he found himself on the naughty list. With time to think, time to reflect, time to... ponder his future."
- ―The Watcher[src]
Justin Hammer presented at the Stark Expo, but due to his corrupt intentions, almost destroyed the venue, which resulted in him being imprisoned. While locked up, Hammer had a lot of time to plan his revenge against Tony Stark, who he viewed himself as the greatest adversary of.[1]
Attack on Avengers Tower[]
Seizing Avengers Tower[]
Once Hammer was out of prison, he had formulated a plan to seize Avengers Tower and steal a sample of Hulk's blood, so that he could turn himself into a superhero. Hammer hired Rusty Vyacheslav and Sergei to assist him, and on Christmas Eve, they executed his plan. Pretending to deliver presents, they snuck inside the tower and entered the elevator.
Hammer, Vyacheslav and Sergei found the party guests and took them hostage. Acquiring one of the employee's tablets, Hammer uploaded a program that hacked into the tower's system, allowing him to gain access of the Iron Legion. As the upload proceeded, Hammer gave a speech, pretending that his childhood was the plot of A Christmas Story, and concluding that if you wanted something you had to take it. When the power cut out, the Iron Legion swarmed Hammer to apprehend him, but instead, he reprogrammed them to target the tower's staff.[1]
Stealing Hulk's Blood[]
- "Your little jokes won't do much good against the master of taekwondo, jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. That's right. I learned prison-fighting techniques. All on the prison yard. But do you wanna know what the most important thing I learned in lockup is?"
"Enlighten me."
"Cheating is for winners." - ―Justin Hammer and Maria Hill[src]
With the Iron Legion watching over the hostages, Hammer took Rusty Vyacheslav and Sergei to Tony Stark's lab, where the sample of Hulk's blood was stored.
Hammer told them to open up the lab, however, Vyacheslav had only brought a sledgehammer to use to break in, causing Hammer to remark on how he should have hired the Sokovian team. As his goons worked on getting inside the lab, which would take a while, Hammer decided to the penthouse, where he intended to use Stark's toilet and not flush. Stepping out of the elevator, which brought him to the bar, Hammer began to dance, impressed with Stark's set up as he went to pour himself a drink.
However, the bottle he was holding was shot by Maria Hill, who told Hammer to surrender. But, Hammer was not fazed, instead taunting Hill by claiming that facing off against him was a day she had been dreading, due to his inflated perception of himself as Stark's enemy. Hill was not impressed by Hammer, who then began to threaten her by claiming that he knew several forms of martial arts that he learnt in prison. This was all just a distraction so an Iron Legion drone could sneak up behind Hill and subdue her, as Hammer claimed that cheating was for winners.
Hammer was informed that Happy Hogan had been spotted in the lab, so he headed back with the Iron Legion. Hammer ordered the drones to blast the door down and pursue Hogan. Hammer discovered that the Hulk's blood had been used by Hogan, so he ordered Vyacheslav and Sergei to find Hogan. Hammer returned to Hill, who was communicating with Hogan, so he asked to speak with Hogan, but Hill destroyed her radio, which made Hammer unhappy.[1]
Challenging Happy Hogan[]
- "That's right. Ho-Ho-Hogan, I got your girl Friday, but all I want for Christmas is you."
"Oh-ho! Gotta admit that's some solid holiday word play." - ―Justin Hammer and Darcy Lewis[src]
Hammer decided to order Rusty Vyacheslav and Sergei back to the penthouse, planning to make Happy Hogan come to him instead. Darcy Lewis was also captured and brought to the penthouse, where she was cuffed alongside Maria Hill.
Using Lewis' radio, Hammer told Hogan that the different between a hero and villain was good PR, explaining that the Hulk's blood was going to be his chance to rebrand himself, but now Hogan had stolen that from him. Informing Hogan that he had Lewis as a hostage, Hammer told him to come to the penthouse and surrender himself over. As they waited, Hammer opened up Tony Stark's present for Captain America, which was just socks.[1]
Fighting the Freak[]
- "You lost, Hammer. And there's not gonna be a Christmas miracle."
"Oh, famous last words, Hulk Hogan. I'm Santa Claus, baby." - ―Freak and Justin Hammer[src]
The elevator to the penthouse opened up, so Hammer told the Iron Legion to open fire. However, Happy Hogan was not inside, and a dummy dropped out with an arrow attached that exploded confetti. Hogan burst through the floor as a giant purple monster, which Hammer referred to as Freak. Rusty Vyacheslav and Sergei abandoned Hammer, who ran off for the armory.
Freak found Hammer and told him that it was over. But, Hammer smugly disagreed, as he called upon Veronica to him, which provided him with the Hulkbuster. Hammer and Freak then fought, ending up back at the penthouse, where Hammer blasted Freak away. Being faster and more agile, Freak landed several blows to Hammer, only to be knocked out of Avengers Tower when Hammer punched him using the hydraulic ram. Hammer spotted Darcy Lewis and Maria Hill hacking into the system so he went to stop them.
At that moment, Freak returned, and the two continued to brawl. As Hammer repeatedly punched Freak in the face, he claimed that he was using all the martial arts styles that he knew. After knocking Freak aside, Hammer told him to know when he was beat. However, this only angered Freak, who lunged at Hammer and viciously began attacking the Hulkbuster armor, ripping pieces off of it, leaving Hammer only able to panic inside the suit. The attack was stopped when the Avengers arrived and fought Freak.[1]
Saved by Freak[]
Once the Avengers learned that Freak was Happy Hogan, Darcy Lewis directed their attention to Hammer. Iron Man deactivated the Hulkbuster, exposing Hammer.
Freak then roared at him, causing Hammer to fall out of Avengers Tower. As Hammer fell to his death, he was quickly caught by Freak. Hammer asked Freak he saved him, which he responded that it was Christmas, a time to show goodwill towards people, even the bad ones. Freak then carried Hammer back up to the penthouse, and kept him in his grip. As everyone applauded Freak for his efforts, Hammer, in defeat, simply exclaimed "bah, humbug" before being taken inside.[1]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Hulkbuster Armor Capabilities: To be added
- Superhuman Strength: To be added
- Superhuman Durability: To be added
- Superhuman Speed: To be added
- Superhuman Agility: To be added
- Superhuman Stamina: To be added
- Superhuman Reflexes: To be added
- Flight: To be added
- Power Suit: To be added
Abilities[]
- Expert Businessman: To be added
- Expert Tactician: To be added
- Expert Hacker: To be added
Equipment[]
To be added
Facilities[]
To be added
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[]
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Behind the Scenes[]
- The idea to include Justin Hammer as the antagonist of the episode came after the decision to tell a story inspired by Die Hard. Looking for someone to fill the roll of Hans Gruber, Matthew Chauncey was the one to suggest Hammer.[2]
