- "It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis."
- ―Obadiah Stane to Tony Stark[src]
The Sonic Taser is a hand-held, non-lethal, anti-personnel weapon developed by Stark Industries. It is designed to incapacitate an enemy by paralyzing them through exposure to a specific sonic frequency. It is one of Obadiah Stane's favorite items and one he carries on his person in most situations.
History[]
Used by Obadiah Stane[]
The Sonic Taser technology was developed by Stark Industries sometime in the years before Tony Stark's capture in Afghanistan. The technology itself was disapproved by the government and never endorsed for production, but Obadiah Stane decided to hold on to a functioning model for his own uses.
During a trip to Afghanistan to meet with Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar, after the Ten Rings failed to assassinate Stark according to their deal. Al-Wazar began to negotiate with Stane to give him Stark's prototype armor in exchange for giving al-Wazar an army of similarly armored soldiers once the suit had been reversed engineered. However, Stane used his sonic taser to paralyze al-Wazar and taunted him before ordering his men to take the prototype armor and kill al-Wazar and the rest of the Ten Rings cell.
Stane once again used the Sonic Taser to paralyze Stark and steal the Arc Reactor from his chest, in order to power Stane's new Iron Monger Armor. After taunting Stark, Stane left him to die slowly as the shrapnel was free to move through his paralyzed body. However, Stark was just barely able to move enough to reach a replacement Arc Reactor in time.[1]
Alternate Universe Versions[]
Obadiah Stane's Theft[]
- "Technology. It's always been your Achilles heel."
- ―Obadiah Stane to Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar[src]
In an alternate universe, Obadiah Stane met with Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar and brought a sonic taser to the meeting. Al-Wazar offered a partnership in exchange for the original Iron Man armor, but Stane refused and instead used the sonic taser against al-Wazar, paralyzing him and having the rest of the Ten Rings operatives killed.
Stane then brought the sonic taser to Tony Stark's Mansion and used it against Tony Stark. This allowed Stane to remove Stark's miniaturized ARK Reactor from Stark's chest and leave with it.[2]
Upgraded[]
- "Stark R&D is no joke. The sonic taser thing is legit."
- ―Erik Killmonger[src]
In an alternate universe, a new version of the Sonic Taser was developed by Stark Industries, designed to be used as a firearm. Erik Killmonger used this Taser at the Salvage Yard against his cousin T'Challa and killed him with an isolated sonic blast. Killmonger then killed James Rhodes and placed the Taser in his arms to start a war between the United States of America and Wakanda.[3]
Design and Capabilities[]
The Sonic Taser is designed to be a small hand-held device capable of fitting in one's pocket and appearing inconspicuous. It also comes with a special pair of ear pieces designed to filter out the sonic frequency so that the user is not affected when using the device.
The device delivers a high pitched sonic frequency that attacks the enemy's auditory system, overloading their nervous system and causes their entire body to lock up and become paralyzed. The effects last for fifteen minutes, after which it will slowly begin to wear off. During this time people who become affected become pale, have visible strain in their blood vessles and circulatory system, and may even have trouble breathing. In this state they are completely unable to move and completely at the mercy of the device's user.
Despite being designed to be non-lethal weapons, symptoms on victims suggest that prolonged exposure could actually end up killing incapacitated victims.
Alternate Versions[]
Origin | Status | Creators | Owners | Users |
---|---|---|---|---|
Killmonger's War | Active | Stark Industries | Stark Industries | Erik Killmonger |
Iron Man: Teen Novelization | Active | - | Obadiah Stane † | Obadiah Stane † |
Iron Man 2: 2-in-1 Novel | Active | - | Obadiah Stane † | Obadiah Stane † |
Iron Man | Active | - | Obadiah Stane † | Obadiah Stane † |
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Book Boxed Set | Active | - | Obadiah Stane † | Obadiah Stane † |
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
- Iron Man
- What If...? | Episode 1.06: What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark? (alternate universe)
- Iron Man: I Am Iron Man!, Issue 2
- Iron Man: Teen Novelization (alternate universe)
- Iron Man: The Junior Novel (alternate universe)
- Iron Man (alternate universe)
- Phase One: Iron Man (alternate universe)
Trivia[]
- In the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode The Magical Place, an item very similar to the Sonic Taser was used by the Clairvoyant to kill Edison Po by sending deadly sound waves through his phone. In a deleted scene of Pilot, Debbie was killed by a similar method after she failed to eliminate Mike Peterson.