Cardiac’s first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #342 (December 1990), where he was introduced as Elias Wirtham, a wealthy physician and surgeon who owned and ran a biological research firm. Wirtham had a tragic backstory: his younger brother Joshua died of a rare genetic disorder when he was a child because a pharmaceutical company delayed the release of a life-saving drug for profit reasons. This event shaped Wirtham’s worldview and motivated him to dedicate his life to medical research and humanitarian causes.

However, Wirtham also harbored a dark side: he secretly underwent a radical procedure that replaced his heart with a beta-particle reactor, which supplied energy to a vibranium weave mesh under his skin. This enhanced his physical abilities and allowed him to channel energy blasts through his fists or a power staff. He adopted the Cardiac alias for his artificial heart and became a vigilante who targeted corporations and individuals he deemed guilty of exploiting or harming people for greed.

Cardiac’s first target was Sapridyne Chemicals, a company owned by Justin Hammer that produced chemicals used for cocaine manufacturing. He raided their facility and destroyed their stockpiles but was confronted by Spider-Man, who tried to stop him. The two fought, but Cardiac escaped with the help of his beta-propelled stingray hang-glider, which he used for transportation. Spider-Man was intrigued by Cardiac’s motives and methods and decided to investigate him further.

Cardiac’s next appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 (February 1991), where he attacked another Hammer-owned company, Stane International, which was developing weapons for foreign dictators. He again faced Spider-Man, who learned his identity as Elias Wirtham and his backstory from J. Jonah Jameson, who had done an exposé on him. Spider-Man sympathized with Cardiac’s goals but disagreed with his violent means. He tried to reason with him, but Cardiac refused to listen and fled.

Cardiac appeared sporadically in various Spider-Man titles throughout the early 1990s, often crossing paths with the web-slinger and other heroes or villains. Some of his notable adventures include:

– Fighting Styx and Stone, two assassins hired by Hammer to kill him, with the help of Spider-Man and Nova (The Amazing Spider-Man #345-347).
– Battling Venom, who mistook him for a villain and tried to kill him, until Spider-Man intervened (The Amazing Spider-Man #373-375).
– Joining forces with Spider-Man and Deathlok to stop an illegal organ harvesting ring run by the Life Foundation (The Amazing Spider-Man #387-388).
– Teaming up with Spider-Man and Night Thrasher to stop a group of terrorists who hijacked a plane carrying a nuclear device (Web of Spider-Man #112-113).
– Assisting Spider-Man and Iron Fist in rescuing Mary Jane Watson from kidnappers (Web of Spider-Man #125).
– Participating in the Infinity Crusade crossover event, where he was among the heroes the Goddess brainwashed into joining her cosmic crusade (Infinity Crusade #1-6).
– Fighting alongside Spider-Man against Carnage and his allies during the Maximum Carnage crossover event (Spider-Man Unlimited #2).

Cardiac also had solo adventures, facing foes such as Boomerang, Hydro-Man, Killer Shrike, and Whiplash. He also ran a clinic called H.E.A.R.T. (Healthcare Education And Relief Trust), providing free medical care to the poor and needy. He often used his vigilante activities to fund his clinic or acquire medical supplies.

Cardiac’s comic book appearances became less frequent after the mid-1990s, but he occasionally resurfaced in later years. Some of his more recent appearances include:

– Fighting against Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers during the Dark Reign storyline (Dark Reign: The List – Amazing Spider-Man).
– Helping Spider-Man deal with an outbreak of spider-powered people during the Spider-Island storyline (Amazing Spider-Man #667-673).
– Working for Parker Industries as head of medical research during the Superior Spider-Man storyline (Superior Spider-Man #6-7).
– Joining forces with Silk to stop Black Cat from stealing an experimental device from Parker Industries (Silk #3-4).
– Assisting Spider-Man and Mockingbird in stopping terrorists using his beta-particle reactor as a bomb (Amazing Spider-Man #794).

Cardiac has also appeared in other media, such as video games and animated shows. He was a playable character in the 2013 video game Marvel Heroes, voiced by Phil LaMarr. He also appeared in the 2017 animated series Marvel’s Spider-Man, voiced by Ogie Banks. In this version, he was a former colleague of Miles Morales’ father, who became a vigilante after his wife died of a rare disease.

Cardiac is a complex and compelling character representing the moral ambiguity and social commentary that often characterize Marvel comics. A noble cause drives him, but he uses questionable methods to achieve it. He is a hero to some and a villain to others. He is a man of science, medicine, violence, and vengeance. He is Cardiac, the cyborg vigilante.