| C.O.P.S. | |
| Bulletproof | |
|---|---|
| |
| Real name: | Baldwin P. Vess |
| Background: | FBI Federal Agent |
| C.O.P.S position: | Founder and Commander in Chief of C.O.P.S. |
| Badge number: | ? |
| Trademark features: | Dark sunglasses; bullet-resistant cybernetic torso hidden underneath his trench coat; yellow shirt; narrow black tie. |
| Extra specialty: | Detective skills; objectivity in the face of crisis. |
| Significant episode appearances: | All episodes. |
| Voiced by: | Ken Ryan |
Federal Agent Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess is a federal agent and criminologist who founded and leads C.O.P.S..
Story[]
In both the comics and animated series, Vess initially visited Empire City on behalf of the Federal Department of Investigation on a mission to investigate the activities of Big Boss. When Vess got too close, Big Boss's henchmen nearly killed him. Doctors saved Vess's life by using cybernetics and nanosurgery to encase his torso in a stainless-steel casing. [1]
Appearance[]
Bulletproof is distinguished by his trenchcoat, yellow shirt, and narrow tie covering his stainless steel cybernetic armor suit. He occasionally wears a fedora as well. He almost always wears dark sunglasses, the lenses of which contain small computer monitors that provide data on any criminals he encounters.[2]
His armor contains a special computer jack, allowing him to control machines just by plugging himself into them.[3] Also, he has special compartments located in the abdomen area of the torso that stores up special disks that can short-circuit any machine. He always carries a gun holster with a gun inside of his trenchcoat on his left shoulder.
Action Figure[]
Bulletproof's action figure differs from his animated series portrayal, with a different trenchcoat which hides his torso that's partly covered with a yellow shirt and narrow tie on top and metal torso, hips and top part of his legs exposed on the bottom. He has brown pants and brown and white shoes. He carries a cap firing gun and a suitcase with a handcuff attached to it.
Cops I.D. Card[]
COPS codename: "BULLET-PROOF" Dept. of Origin: Federal Dept. of Investigation Badge number: ?
Inspector Vess came so close to putting the Big Boss away with a federal indictment that he got gunned down in an alley by some of the Boss' henchmen for his efforts. Thanks to 21st century micro-surgery and cybernetics, BULLET-PROOF was back on his feet with a stainless steel torso and a grudge the size of the national debt. He doesn't let his determination to put away the Big Boss cloud his legendary detective powers or compromise his position as founder of the COPS organization and chief of investigations for the team.
"He's 'bullet-proof' all right! He's also shock-resistant and watertight up to 200 meters! His mind's like a Swiss watch, a premier criminologist, able to quickly and systematically determine the who, what, where, and hows of cases. Maybe that's why he's such a good detective! He lines up all those facts and clues like columns of figures in an accountant's ledger and makes them all balance out!"[1]
Comics[]
In the comics, Bulletproof almost died when Turbo Tu-Tone fired a bazooka at the precinct. The resulting explosion destroyed about 75% of Vess's body. This was the incident that caused him to undergo surgery and receive a cybernetic torso.[4]
Comics Bio[]
A federal agent and criminologist, Bulletproof is the founder and leader of the C.O.P.S. unit. The unit's premier detective, Bulletproof has a mind like a steel trap. When Vess was caught investigating mob activity in Empire City, a bomb blast engineered by a henchman of The Big Boss destroyed three-fourths of his body. Advanced cybernetic techniques and microsurgery maintained Vess's life as his torso was patched back together in a stainless steel casing that controls his life functions, a casing that gave him his new codename—Bulletproof.
Vess, at first glance, seems aloof and distant, seldom joining others in social situations. However, his friends realize that Vess is not "stand-offish"; rather, his fine criminological mind is always preoccupied with whatever puzzle is at hand. Vess's eyes are always hidden behind what appears to be dark glasses but are actually miniature computer screens that instantly provide data on all criminal activity of any suspect he may encounter.[2]
Major Highlights[]
The Case of C.O.P.S. File #1[]
COPS File #00001. Mayor Davis summoned Vess to Empire City to take down one of its most notorious criminals: Big Boss. Unfortunately, Vess got injured badly by being sandwiched in between a getaway van posing as a moving van and a brick wall that collapsed on him and left for dead. Police Sergeant P.J. O'Malley and rookie Officer Donny Brooks discovers him and rush him to the hospital. While staying at the hospital, Vess tells Mayor Davis to send out some of his men from the ECPD on a special mission to round up the best law enforcers from all over the country to form a team that will help him fight back against Big Boss and his criminal thugs. Mayor Davis did just that. He sends out O’Malley (codename: LongArm) and Brooks (codename: Hardtop) to gather together Stan Hyde (codename: Barricade) from Detroit; David Harlson (codename: Highway) of the California Highway Patrol; Walker Calhoun (Texas Rangers, codename: Sundown); Susie Young (codename: Mirage) from San Francisco; Hugh S. Forward (codename: Bullseye) from Miami; Rex Pointer (codename: Bowser) and his robot dog, Blitz from Chicago and Colt Howards (codename: Mace) from Philadelphia for this special purpose. While recovering at the hospital, Baldwin encounters Berserko, Big Boss’ dim-witted nephew, and Rock Krusher, one of Big Boss' closest henchmen, who are sent by Big Boss to take him down.
Berserko fires away with his miniature machine gun, but thanks to Baldwin's new bulletproof torso, he resists the bullets, thus allowing Bulletproof (as he was called later on) to get the best of him. Rock Krusher, on the other hand, escapes to tell Big Boss that Berserko is arrested and Bulletproof is still alive and kicking, enraging him. His attention was soon turned to Dr. Badvibes' new invention, The Ultimate Crime Machine, a UFO-like vessel capable of carrying large buildings off of their foundation and carry them into the sky to be looted before being dropped off somewhere else, no matter where. But with these men and women, along with LongArm, Hardtop and Officer Tina Cassidy (codename: Mainframe from Colorado Springs) who along with Hardtop was later recruited to the team as a reward for helping them bring down the Ultimate Crime Machine, Special Agent Baldwin Vess (codename: Bulletproof) became the proud founder and commander in chief of C.O.P.S. and leads the C.O.P.S. team to their first great victory over the Big Boss and thwart the first of many of his crooked schemes.
The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo[]
COPS File #91011. In this episode, Bulletproof came face-to-face with a clone version of himself that Dr. Badvibes had created: a robotic clone that was controlled and operated by a small robot named Waldo who tried to use him to replace the real Bulletproof and assume the role as Commander in Chief of C.O.P.S. Turbo Tu-Tone sneaked into Bulletproof's green car and seized control over it, leaving Bulletproof trapped inside it all the way to his garage, where Turbo used a large power magnet to pin Bulletproof way up in the air.
Then, Waldo went to the precinct and assume the role of Bulletproof with Big Boss and Badvibes keeping a close watch on him through the monitor. When the coffee is brought out for the C.O.P.S. to drink, Waldo, out of curiosity, splashes hot coffee in his ear for an unpleasant experience to see what coffee is like. He didn't like it at all. He smashes the cup on the table. The C.O.P.S. look up and Waldo gestures them that everything is fine.
He then tries to pet Blitz, Bowser’s robot dog companion, who came in wanting attention. Blitz, knowing the real Bulletproof, became the only C.O.P.S. member who can easily identify Waldo as a faker. He growls and barks at him when Waldo tries to reach out to pet him (or more likely short circuit him). Bowser goes to calm him down and brings him over to check on Blitz’s circuitry only to see nothing wrong with him. That’s when he hears a distress signal coming from Blitz being given out by the real Bulletproof, who sends out a distress signal from his cybernetic torso.
Mainframe complains to Bowser about Bulletproof bossing the team around. This gives Bowser the suspicion that there is an impostor roaming around the precinct and the signal coming from Blitz is a distress signal coming from the real Bulletproof. He's is in trouble. At once, Bowser and Blitz race off to rescue the real Bulletproof who is still being held inside Turbo’s garage.
As Bowser and Blitz track down where the signal is coming from, Turbo, at Big Boss’ orders, tries to dispose of the real Bulletproof by sending a small robotic insect to dismantle his robotic body chip by chip while he goes out to rob a bank.
Fortunately, Bowser and Blitz arrived right in the nick of time. Blitz catches the bug and destroys it while Bowser frees Bulletproof from a huge magnet and together, the three C.O.P.S. race back to the precinct to oust the faker, who hears an incoming report from Mainframe about a bank robbery in progress. Waldo declares the report a fake and orders the team not to respond. When the C.O.P.S. protest, Waldo starts yelling at them, threatening to suspend if they don’t do as he says. Taken aback by the harshness of Waldo, the C.O.P.S. team suspect that this is not the Bulletproof they know and love. The real Bulletproof would never yell at them, restrain them from doing their jobs, nor give out harsh, cruel orders to them. Just then, the real Bulletproof, Bowser, and Blitz arrive.
“There the impostor! Arrest him!” Waldo demands. “No way!” Mainframe calls out defiantly. Blitz barks aggressively at Waldo. “I’ll show you who the impostor is!” the real Bulletproof yells back, and a fight between the two Bulletproofs ensues that ends shortly afterwards with Bulletproof tricking Waldo into flying through the window and falling five stories down to the concrete pavement, screaming like Big Boss all the way. With that, Bulletproof sends the faker to the scrap heap.
“Bulletproof?” Hardtop asks. Blitz runs up to greet Bulletproof and receive a warm stroke from him.
Bulletproof: “There is a robbery in progress at the Empire National Bank. Proceed there at once. IT’S CRIME FIGHTING TIME!”
The C.O.P.S. cheered! Bulletproof is back! And the team gleefully head off and arrive at the bank just in time to bag Turbo and send him all the way to the slammer.
Mainframe: “Welcome back, sir.”
Trivia[]
- Bulletproof is the only member of C.O.P.S. who appears in every episode.
- "'Bulletproof' Vess" is likely a pun on the phrase "bullet-proof vest."
- In Brazil, his character's codename is Armored.