Hard Man/Archie Comics


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Hard Man is a Robot Master from the Mega Man (Archie Comics) comic book series by Archie Comics.

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Dr. Wily used Ra Moon to create Hard Man during the story arc Spiritus Ex Machina; Hard Man was designed by Wily and Dr. Light but not built until that point in time. He and his fellow Robot Masters were later employed by both Wily and Dr. Eggman to battle Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and their allies in the Worlds Collide crossover event. After a massive battle involving numerous Robot Masters, Hard Man was knocked over by Sonic, causing him to fall on top of Top Man, preventing both from continuing to fight. Shadow the Hedgehog, however, who had been fighting the two, expressed irritation at Sonic's interference, saying that he didn't need help, with Sonic admitting he mostly did it to get Shadow angered. Eventually, Hard Man and his brothers were returned to their proper places in reality by Super Mega Man.

Due to being created first by Ra Moon, Hard Man was susceptible to the computer's controlling influence and was forced to fight Dr. Wily's first line of Robot Masters and a team led by Mega Man. He and his brothers were later freed by Ra Moon's destruction, and soon recruited Shadow Man as well, with Hard Man's great strength proving highly effective in subduing the ninja robot. After building a new Wily Castle in tandem with Wily's first line of Masters, Hard Man and his brothers appeared to steal the Energy Elements designed to power Gamma, a powerful crisis-managing robot created by Dr. Light. He aided in the theft by holding open Gamma's mouth to allow Snake Man to steal the elements; his partner remarked that it was "Like taking candy from a baby" to which Hard Man responded "Which you would totally do."

With four of his brothers, Hard Man scattered to various locations on Earth, and Mega Man defeated the four who had fled into space and two of Hard Man's fellow Earth-based Robot Masters before challenging Hard Man himself. After being alerted to his approach by a Returning Monking, Hard Man surprised Mega Man by offering him an E-Tank with which to recharge before their battle. Mega Man then attempted to convince the honorable Robot Master to give up peacefully, as he suspected a guiding hand that he felt Hard Man shouldn't have to obey. However, Hard Man was quick to attack, his desire to be fair in no way diminishing his dedication to fighting Mega Man on Dr. Wily's orders. Hard Man initially gained the upper hand, demonstrating superior strength and absorbing Mega Man's blows with ease. However, Mega Man switches to the Magnet Missile and sends a barrage of them at Hard Man, who due to his large exterior is unable to dodge them and is defeated. Before shutting down Hard Man is told by the Blue Bomber that his I.C. Chip will be salvaged and he'll be re-built, which causes the durable titan to smile and say that Mega Man has lived up to what the legends say.

Short Circuits
Hard Man appears in some of the humor strips for the series, beginning in Issue 47 where he retrieves some E-Tanks from a refrigerator and then shuts it behind him, leaving Magnet Man stuck to the door. He then appeared in Issue 48's strip watching TV, and attempted to use his Hard Knuckle to retrieve the remote from atop the TV without getting up, only to ruin the television and put a hole in the wall.