| Happy Hogan | |
|---|---|
.png) Happy Hogan as depicted inAll-New Iron Manual (July 2008). Art byRon Lim. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tales of Suspense #45 (Sept. 1963) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Harold Joseph Hogan |
| Species | Human (currently) Human mutate (formerly) |
| Team affiliations | Stark Industries Iron Legion |
| Supporting character of | Iron Man |
| Notable aliases | The Freak |
| Abilities | As Happy:
As The Freak:
|
Harold Joseph "Happy"Hogan is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is usually depicted as asupporting character in stories featuringIron Man / Tony Stark, for whom he works as achauffeur,bodyguard, andpersonal assistant. Happy is close friends with his employer, and is among the first people in theMarvel Universe to discover his identity as the armored superhero. He is also the father of theTeen Abomination, was married toPepper Potts, and has occasionally been mutated into the giant, savage, nearly mindless, superhumanly stronghumanoid known as theFreak. Hogan earned the ironic nickname "Happy" during his boxing days from his reluctance to smile.
DirectorJon Favreau portraysHappy Hogan in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmsIron Man (2008),Iron Man 2 (2010),Iron Man 3 (2013),Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017),Avengers: Endgame,Spider-Man: Far From Home (both 2019),Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) andDeadpool & Wolverine (2024). Favreau also voices alternate reality versions of the character in theDisney+ animated seriesWhat If...? (2021 and 2023).
Created by writersStan Lee andRobert Bernstein and artistDon Heck, Happy Hogan first appeared inTales of Suspense #45 (Sept. 1963).[1]
A former boxer with a history of losing fights, Hogan is hired byTony Stark as hischauffeur andpersonal assistant after saving his life. Hogan later learns Stark's secret identity as Iron Man.[2]
While ill, Happy is mutated into the Freak, a giant, savage humanoid creature, when doctors try to cure him using acobalt ray machine powered by Stark's experimental "Enervator" device. The Freak breaks loose and goes on a rampage, escaping before Iron Man can arrive to stop him.[3]
Iron Man leads the Freak back to his laboratory, but runs out of power and collapses. The Freak encountersPepper Potts, who faints at the sight of him, and he carries her away. The police fire on him, causing him to drop Pepper. Iron Man saves Pepper, and leads the Freak to his lab again. He is restored to his normal self when Iron Man exposes him to the Enervator once again, though he is afflicted with temporaryamnesia.[4][5]
After Happy is injured while wearing the Iron Man armor,[6] Stark uses the Enervator to save him, thinking that he has corrected the problems with the device. But again it transforms Happy into the Freak, who goes on another rampage. He exposes himself to cobalt radiation, causing him to glow with cobalt energy that will eventually reach critical mass and cause him to explode. The two battle, until Stark is able to use the Enervator to again revert Happy to normal, apparently for the last time.[7]
Hemarries Pepper Potts inTales of Suspense #91 (July 1967), but they laterdivorce. The two later remarry.[volume & issue needed]
With the events of the 2006 "Civil War" storyline causing Tony Stark considerable moral, political and emotional problems, Happy Hogan continues to give him much needed advice. In an important moment of crisis, he says to Tony: "You, my friend, are the only cape in the bunch [of superheroes] that's both one of us [that is, human] and one of them. Who else can see both sides the way you do?" On the night of his anniversary with Pepper, Hogan is attacked bySpymaster, who is seeking to use Hogan as bait to draw out Iron Man. The Spymaster threatens to kill Hogan first, then Pepper. Angered, Hogan grabs him by the neck and they fall several stories.[8] Hogan is left in avegetative coma and eventually dies from his injuries.[9]
After experiencing amoral inversion, Tony is confronted by a new,teenage version ofAbomination when he relocates to San Francisco. While talking with Teen Abomination, Tony learns that he is Jamie Carlson, the son of former Stark Industries employee Katrina Carlson who was exposed to gamma radiation during an accident at the company. Initially planning to analyze and use Teen Abomination's powers for himself, Tony changes his mind when the analysis of the boy's DNA reveals that Happy Hogan was his father, leaving Tony resolving to heal the boy as Happy was one of the few people he ever respected.[10]
During the "Iron Man 2020" event, Pepper is introduced to an off the grid navigation incorporated into the Rescue armor that Tony previously developed before Y2K called H.A.P.P.Y. (short for Host Analogue Program Pre-Y2K). H.A.P.P.Y.'s personality is modeled after Happy Hogan.[11]
Happy Hogan has skills in unarmed combat, especiallyboxing.
As the Freak, Happy possesses immense strength and durability.[12] Freak has the ability to absorb cobalt energy and increase his power. In this form, he could discharge it from his hands into blasts. He can also release lethal radioactive levels to createnuclear explosions.[13]
Happy Kalmaku, a composite character based on Happy Hogan andDC Comics characterThomas Kalmaku, appears in theAmalgam Comics one-shotIron Lantern.[14]
An alternate universe version of Happy Hogan from a pocket universe created byFranklin Richards appears inHeroes Reborn. This version is Tony Stark'spublic relations chief.[15]
An alternate universe version of Happy Hogan appears inMarvel Zombies Return. This version is an employee of Stark International. After investigating a disturbance in the building's basement, Hogan is attacked by the zombifiedGiant-Man, who bites him and converts him into a zombie. Hogan leads a zombie outbreak among Stark International's staff before being killed byJames Rhodes.[16]
An alternate universe version of Happy Hogan appears in theUltimate Marvel imprint. This version has a supervisory position at the Triskelion, theUltimates' headquarters.
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Happy Hogan appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed byJon Favreau. This version isTony Stark's bodyguard, chauffeur, and later head of security, as well as a close friend of his and occasional ally ofPeter Parker. Hogan appears in the live-action filmsIron Man,Iron Man 2,Iron Man 3,Spider-Man: Homecoming,[20]Avengers: Infinity War via a deleted scene,Avengers: Endgame,Spider-Man: Far From Home,[21]Spider-Man: No Way Home,[22] andDeadpool & Wolverine.[23] Additionally, Favreau voices several alternate timeline variants of Hogan in theDisney+ animated seriesWhat If...?, such as one who was accidentally injected with a sample ofBruce Banner's blood, which causes him to mutate into the Freak while retaining his intelligence, andSir Harold "The Happy" Hogan of aRenaissance-themed universe who can also transform into the Freak.[18]
Happy Hogan, based on the MCU incarnation, appears as an unlockable playable character inLego Marvel's Avengers, voiced byChris Cox.[18]
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