I'm curious about Zartan's camo ability in RoC.



I've just started reading the Marvel comics and haven't gotten to Zartan's appearance yet, but from what I undersatnd, (please correct me if I'm wrong here) like in the cartoon, he just has the ability to blend into his surroundings by changing his skin colour, like a chamileon.



Later in the comics, he has a suit made of tiny hologram projectors that form the image around him. Makes more sence than the ability to change his skin colour. The military is actually working on technology that would be similar to what Scarlett wears when she fights Baroness in the Pit. This suit would work for the blending into the background part, but not as a disguise.



Now in RoC, Zartan is injected with nano-technology. Now here's what I'd like to know; what exactly did the nano-mites do for him? While he's being injected and his face is contorting, Doctor Rex is narrating what is going on. Did the nano-mites turn him into the President, or do they give him the ability to manipulate his physiology to look like whom ever he wants? For example, at the end, he looks like the President, but could he just think that he wants to change his eye colour, hair colour and length, and facial features and now he looks like the vice-president. Or is his face stuck looking like the President until his sits in Doc Rex's magic chair again to look like someone else?

I'd think if he could manipulate his looks on a whim, it would come in handy. He explains to Destro that he spent months following the President and studied him to learn his manerisms and habits, thus making his disguise complete.

Here's an idea where changing appearance on a whim would come in handy; all he'd have to do is change his look to someone who is close to his target, and change to another person, and another person, so the target doesn't know he's being followed.



My belief is that the nano-mites gave him the ability to change his appearance on a whim, it would be pointless for him to be stuck looking like the President until he got back to Doc Rex.

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I'd love it if he could change on a whim, but I think he's stuck that way. Well, until it's revealed that

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Which is perfect for the sequel when Arnold Vosloo wants more money and they decide to go with another less expensive actor ...


...cough....cough...Christopher Lambert to James Remar in Mortal Kombat...cough...cough...

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I believe that he has the power to change his looks at will to all the variations that you saw in the little montage of facial changes - However to do so causes him unimaginable pain.

Before the nanomites he was just a character actor - now he's become a shape changer.

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The way I see it the nano-mites he got injected with were just like the ones that the "Vipers" got only instead of blocking out their fear and pain receptors in the brain Zartan's manipulated his physical features. But just like the "Vipers", his are controlled by that control pad Rex was carrying. This is why Zartan removed the "mind control chip" from the nano-mite injector before being injected and made the comment that his mind is his own. He still retains his free will but the nano-mites are probably still able to be controlled by the pad at least until he masters the ability himself, something we'll probably get explained to us in the sequel through a couple lines of dialogue after he morphs for the first time on screen.

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Mysterious Stranger got it right. Zartan destroyed the chip that would "control" his mind so he has free will. But the nanomites can change his eye color, hair color and to an extent his facial and physical apperance. According to the novel, Zartan had downloaded the "code" to controll the nanomites to his palm device. But after passing out The Doctor swiped it.

As for the comic Zartan, Larry switched around his abilities a few times. There are refrences to him using hologram technology on his clothes and vehicles to help enhance his "mutant" ability to blend in. And after Zartan switches places with Ripcord, Doc takes some blood and notices it is like a mutated chemeleon. Zartan then runs around the pit in a hospital gown changing apperances to look like other Joes and blend with the walls.

Michael
Bulletman Big B

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