Armstrong Houston

Armstrong Houston is a Bounty Hunter who appears in the Super Metroid Nintendo Power comics series.
==Description==
Armstong was once saved by Samus Aran in an asteroid field and has since desired to be her partner. He uses a type of Power Suit which is blue with a black visor, and appears more bulky, although it is said in the comics that it possesses lower shielding and the inability to recharge energy.
Houston barely does any fighting and is only around to collect bounties such as Space Pirate claws, but he does warn Samus of danger and cheers her on. He seems sort of desperate to be her partner, although that was remarked after a barb from Samus that all he cares about are bounties, and not eliminating the threat of the Space Pirates.
When Samus was injured, he questioned why she wanted him to take her to unknown coordinates, but followed through on her request as he was presumably confident she knew what she was doing. He landed on a desolate planetoid inhabited by Old Bird. An unconscious Samus was looked after by Old Bird, who was trying to surmise what went wrong. Since Houston delivered a wounded Samus, Old Bird assumed he could be trusted, and told the story of the fall of the Chozo, the death of Samus' parents and how she was trained to be a fighter. After Samus was healed, Houston seemed to be a more seasoned bounty hunter, having better understood Samus' backstory and the plight of the Chozo. He would not relent in his attempt to become Samus's partner, however.
==Gunship==
Houston's gunship is a blue vessel similar to Samus's iconic Gunship, but with a round top and a tan underbelly. Houston uses it first to follow Samus to Ceres, and then escape with her before its destruction. When Samus's Power Suit is damaged, he uses her gunship to reach the Nest rather than his own. As he is escaping Zebes, the rescued Chairman Keaton and Chief Hardy board his ship.
==Trivia==
*Coincidentally, Armstrong Houston shares the same initials with Anthony Higgs, another blue-suited acquaintance of Samus Aran.
*His name may have originated from the last name of the astronaut Neil Armstrong and the Houston NASA base of mission control.
**It may also be a reference to Captain Dallas from Alien, as both characters were named after a location in the state of Texas. It is also to be noted that the Metroid franchise as a whole has frequently referenced the Alien franchise both prior to and after the comic.
*A suit similar to his (blue with an orange visor) was one of the colors for Samus in the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Multiplayer, though it is unconfirmed if he is the inspiration.
*Armstrong Houston is the only named character in this story not to reappear in the Metroid manga.
==Gallery==
Armstrong.jpg|Armstrong speaking to Old Bird.
File:Houston Ship.png|Armstrong's spacecraft.
File:AH's ship.png|The ship's cockpit.
NP052.jpg|Houston in a Blood of the Chozo excerpt written by Jippykid, featured in Nintendo Power
MP2 Multiplayer Costume 4.png|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes multiplayer alternate colors
es:Armstrong Houston
ru:Армстронг Хьюстон
Category:Alive
Category:Bounty Hunters
Category:Characters
Category:Comics
Category:Zebes
Category:Ceres Space Colony
Category:Tourian
Category:Crateria