| Captain Atom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.png) The Nathaniel Adam incarnation of Captain Atom as depicted inSecret Origins #34 (December 1988), art byTy Templeton andJerry Ordway. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Original: Charlton Comics Current: DC Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Allen Space Adventures #33 (March 1960) Nathaniel Captain Atom vol. 3 #1 (March 1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Allen Joe Gill (writer) Steve Ditko (artist) Nathaniel Cary Bates (writer) Pat Broderick (artist) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-story information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Nathaniel Christopher "Nate" Adam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team affiliations | (Both) United States Air Force (Nathaniel) Justice League International L.A.W. Justice League Extreme Justice Justice League Europe Justice League Task Force United States Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partnerships | (Nathaniel) Nightshade Plastique Forerunner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable aliases | (Nathaniel) Cameron Scott,Monarch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilities | (Allen)
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Captain Atom is the name of severalsuperheroes appearing inAmerican comic books, initially owned byCharlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s byDC Comics.[1] All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating tonuclear fission andatomic power.
Originally created byJoe Gill andSteve Ditko during theSilver Age of Comic Books to occupy aSuperman-like role in Charlton Comics' line-up, the character became part of theDC Universe in 1985 after DC's purchase of Charlton in 1983. The character's similarities to Superman led to DC making numerous attempts to find a distinctive niche for the character within its own stories. As a result, he has played varied roles in theDC Universe, many short-lived, including a period as the supervillainMonarch and the attempted reboot seriesBreach. Notably, DC's decision not to giveAlan Moore permission to use the character in his critically and commercially successfulWatchmen (1986) series led to the creation of the popular characterDoctor Manhattan. Modern depictions of Captain Atom have instead emphasised, rather than de-emphasise, his similarities to Manhattan.
Captain Atom has appeared in several animated television and film adaptations of Justice League and other DC storylines since the mid-2000s.Chris Cox,Michael T. Weiss, andBrian Bloom, among others, have voiced the character in animation.
Captain Atom was created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, and first appeared inSpace Adventures #33 (March 1960).[2] Captain Atom was initially created forCharlton Comics, but was later acquired byDC Comics and revised for DC's post-Crisiscontinuity.[3] In 2011, DC Comics relaunched its superhero comics and rewrote the histories of some characters from scratch, including Captain Atom, giving him a new origin, appearance and slightly altered powers. Captain Atom was the inspiration forDoctor Manhattan, who was featured in the miniseriesWatchmen, which would be connected to the DC Universe in the miniseriesDoomsday Clock.[4][5][6]
Throughout the years, the character has been featured in several moderate-to-short-lived eponymous series, and has been a member of several different versions of DC's flagship superhero team, theJustice League. In all incarnations, the character initially served for themilitary. In the Charlton Comics continuity, he was a scientist namedAllen Adam and gained his abilities by accident when he was seemingly "atomized" and then reformed himself as an atomic-powered being. In both DC Comics incarnations, he is anAir Force pilot namedNathaniel Adam, who was a test subject in a scientific experiment who seemingly disintegrated in the process, only to reappear later as the super-powered Captain Atom.[7] Over the years, DC has attempted to reinvent the character several times. For a period, the character assumed the mantle of the supervillainMonarch, and in 2005 DC attempted to retell the Captain Atom story with an entirely new character,Breach, who was subsequently discarded. In the new continuity following DC's2011 relaunch, Captain Atom has never been a member of the Justice League and the team views him with distrust; his character origin and abilities were also revised.
The Charlton Comics version of Captain Atom wasAllen Adam. The character's origin had Adam working as a technician in a special experimental rocket when it accidentally launched with him trapped inside. Adam was atomized when the rocket exploded while entering the upper atmosphere.[8] However, he gained superpowers that allowed him to reform his body safely on the ground. Adam was outfitted in a red and yellow costume that was designed to shield people from his radiation. When he powered up, his hair became silvery-white.
Captain Atom was first published in a series of short stories in theanthology seriesSpace Adventures #33–40 (March 1960 – June 1961) and #42 (October 1961). Charlton began reprinting his short adventures in the anthologyStrange Suspense Stories beginning with issue #75 (June 1965), renaming the titleCaptain Atom with issue #78 (December 1965) and giving the hero full-length stories andsupervillain antagonists such as Dr. Spectro (previous stories involvedCold War anti-Communist missions or dealing with aliens). Captain Atom later teamed with the superheroNightshade, with whom he shared a mutual attraction. The superheroBlue Beetle starred in the initial back-up feature, later replaced by a Nightshade back-up series.
While primarily referred to as Allen Adam in stories, thefanzine titleCharlton Bullseye, published in cooperation with Charlton Comics, gives the character's name asN. Christopher Adam.[9] A later issue of a showcase comic book series published by Charlton also by the name ofCharlton Bullseye gave the character's name asJohn Adam.[10]
DC Comics acquired Captain Atom, among other characters, following the bankruptcy of Charlton Comics. InCrisis on Infinite Earths, the Charlton characters are revealed to originate from Earth-Four and are integrated into DC's continuity. A profile for the Charlton version of the character inWho's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe identifies him asNathaniel Christopher Adam,[11] building off the name listed inCharlton Bullseye, which would go on to become the name of the post-Crisis version of the character.
A new Post-Crisis version of the character was introduced in March 1987 with the launch of a monthly comic, written byCary Bates andGreg Weisman and drawn byPat Broderick.[12]
This modern captain's name is established as Nathaniel Christopher Adam, aUnited States Air Force officer andVietnam War veteran. Adam had been framed for a crime and was, under military justice, condemned to death; this taking place under the purview of ColonelWade Eiling in the year 1968. As an alternative to execution, Adam was "asked" to participate in 'Project: Captain Atom', a military experiment with a slim chance of survival. He agreed to this in exchange for a pardon. The experiment involved testing the hull of a crashed alien ship's durability by placing Adam within the metal craft and then exploding an atomic weapon under it. The weapon went off and Adam was seemingly disintegrated. Eighteen years later, Adam suddenly reappeared. The alien metal, now bonded around his body, afforded him incredible abilities far beyond that of a mere mortal. Bonded with the metal, Nathaniel Adam now had powers that resulted from the metal's ability to tap into the "Quantum Field".[7][13]
Flung into the year 1986, Adam becomes literally a "man out of time". Wade Eiling is now a military general and the second husband of Adam's now-deceased wife Angela. Everyone had assumed that Nathaniel Adam died the day of the experiment, so his presidential pardon was never issued and the current government refused to acknowledge the previous pardon. Seizing the opportunity at hand, Eiling uses the outstanding murder/treason charges against Adam to blackmail him into acting as a military-controlled, government-sanctioned superhero codenamed Captain Atom. Early conflicts involve him coming to terms with the lost time he missed with his now grown children, the death of his wife, her marriage to Eiling, and the overall ramifications of his newly acquired powers. Later, he learns that Project Atom, a secret government funded group that used new experimental machines to harness powerful energies had repeated the same process and created the supervillainMajor Force.
Captain Atom joins theJustice League at the request of the U.S. government, eventually serving as leader ofJustice League Europe. During his career, he has a brief romance with Catherine Cobert, develops a friendly rivalry withFirestorm, and becomes involved with and eventually marriesPlastique.
Later in 2003, writerJeph Loeb returns Captain Atom to his roots as he went back to work for the government, this time for PresidentLex Luthor in the first story arc of theSuperman/Batman series. Atom seemingly sacrifices his life to saveSuperman and Earth by piloting a starship to destroy akryptonite meteor. It is later revealed that Atom had been transported to theWildStorm universe.
InInfinite Crisis, Captain Atom returns whenSuperboy-Prime puncturesBreach, who wields similar energy-manipulating abilities. The end ofArmageddon has him reappear in the devastatedBlüdhaven, where he is used to administer radiation treatments. Atom later escapes from Blüdhaven and kills Major Force. After being fitted with an updated version of theMonarch armor to contain his radiation, the Captain awakens. Seeming to be mentally unstable, he breaks free, apparently kills the rampaging Major Force, and then releases a vast amount of energy, obliterating what is left of Blüdhaven. He remains missing untilKyle Rayner, then known asIon, discovers him in the Bleed, a place between dimensions.[14]
InCountdown to Final Crisis, Captain Atom assumes the Monarch name and battles heroes throughout the multiverse.[7][15][16] In the seriesCountdown: Arena, Monarch lures his 51 alternate universe counterparts to murder them and absorb their power.
During a fight againstSuperman-Prime, Atom's suit is damaged, releasing a chain reaction that destroys Earth-51.[17] It is later revealed that the Monitor Solomon attacked Atom in Blüdhaven, rupturing his skin and facilitating his transformation into Monarch.[18]
DuringJimmy Olsen's investigation aboutProject 7734, the secret black-op commanded bySam Lane to fight extraterrestrial menaces on Earth (includingKryptonians), it is discovered that an amnesiac and brainwashed Captain Atom is in his possession.[19]
Captain Atom appears as one of the central characters inJustice League: Generation Lost, a maxi-series that takes place during the widerBrightest Day event. At the start of the series, Captain Atom is recruited as part of a massive group of superheroes tasked with hunting downMaxwell Lord, who had murderedTed Kord. During an encounter with Lord at the Justice League's former New York headquarters, Captain Atom is rendered unconscious alongsideFire,Ice, andBooster Gold. The former Justice League members awake to discover that Lord has used his mental abilities to erase his existence from the minds of every single human on the planet, save for those present at the embassy.[20]
During a battle against the newOMAC known as OMAC Prime, Captain Atom allows OMAC Prime to absorb his energy, before reabsorbing the energy and overloading his powers, resulting in him being thrown into the time stream once again. Before being transported through time, Captain Atom threatens to pull Maxwell Lord into the time stream as well unless he undoes the global mindwipe of his existence. Lord complies and restores everyone's memories of him before Captain Atom is pulled away to a time and space unknown.[21]
InThe New 52 reboot of DC's continuity, Captain Atom is reintroduced with altered powers, appearance and origin. He is still USAF pilot Nathaniel Adam. In the new reality, Adam volunteers to participate in an experiment conducted by a research facility called the Continuum. At this facility, Dr. Megala's research is focused on the quantum field and on "dimensional transfer throughM Theory". Adam is asked to pilot the dimensional-transfer vessel by Dr. Megala, who is now presented as a particle physicist working out of Colorado, but is seemingly atomized during the experiment. Soon afterwards, he reappears, now an energy-based life form. According to Dr. Megala, Captain Atom's abilities are largely nuclear in nature and involve tapping into the strong nuclear force, the energy that binds protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Adam's physical atoms are constantly splitting apart, giving him incredible power. His body maintains integrity by instantly re-merging these atoms, but extreme use of his powers can interfere with this process and cause Captain Atom's form to become unstable. This leads to a fear that at some point Captain Atom's brain might lose its molecular stability and he will not be able to fix it before it impairs his consciousness or causes him to suffer some form of brain death.[22]
During a fight with Dr. Megala, who has taken control ofFirestorm's body, Atom absorbs a massive amount of energy, which disperses his molecules across the timestream. One of these pieces becomes a separate entity named Nathaniel Adym and joins theScience Police in the 31st century.[23][24]
Captain Atom (Nathaniel Adam) lost control of his powers and caused a devastating accident in this six-issue series set in 2012. Needing to contain his unstable abilities, he went into Dr. Megala's Subterranean Suppression Dome but seemingly exploded.[25] The world believed Nathaniel Adam was killed in a blast; However, Adam took a subatomic trip through time and ended up without powers, 20 years in the past.[26] It is revealed that the quantum blowback sent him back in time to 1994 as a normal man. Adam's wound distorted after being shot during an attempted car robbery, and his body was encased in liquid metal.[27] As a result of the time stream correcting itself, he was thrown back to 2017.[27]
InAbsolute Power, Captain Atom loses his powers toAmanda Waller'sAmazo army.Atom (Ray Palmer) andAtom (Ryan Choi) use him to test a device that can retrieve powers and restore them to the correct superhero. This leads to Adam's powers returning at full strength, along with those of other "Atom Project" subjects. In the seriesJenny Sparks (2024), the titular character works with the Justice League in an attempt to stop Captain Atom after he starts to think of himself as a god, using his powers to heal diseases for some while coldly killing others at his whim. The revised depiction is heavily influenced byDoctor Manhattan.[28]
InJenny Sparks #5, Atom's original DC Comics backstory is confirmed as canon. A willing army recruit famed for making "unheard of" numbers of kills, Adam was arrested for "brutal" behaviours in the jungle in 1968 (potentially having been framed). To avoid hanging, he participated in an experiment to test whether a recovered alien ship could withstand a nuclear attack. The molten ship appeared to kill Adam, but he reappeared decades later as Captain Atom – true to form, he promptly enlisted again in the U.S. army and later the Justice League, where "no one gave him much thought" and he was viewed as "generic". More recently, he checked himself into a mental hospital, before leaving with agod complex.[29] After being captured byGorilla Grodd'sLegion of Doom and having his powers partially drained in the "We are Yesterday" crossover story, Captain Atom is saved by Ryan Choi and has an epiphany that he should use his powers once again to do good.[30]
Captain Atom's body is coated in the alien metal Dilustel, which enables him to generate vast amounts of nuclear energy and makes him virtually immortal. This energy gives Atom immense strength, durability, speed, and the ability to survive in space. He commonly manipulates his energy into force field bubbles, or explosive "bombs", but the most common form is a simple energy blast. Atom has been shown to be capable of manipulating even exotic energies such as magic, and has a high degree of resistance to such attacks. Atom's skin is highly durable and can only be damaged by the X-Ionizer, a device designed to cut through it. Cracking or rupturing his skin causes Atom to leak radiation at an uncontrollable rate, which causes him to run the risk of atomic detonation.
If Atom absorbs too much energy at once, the energy transports him uncontrollably through time. Depending on the type of energy absorbed, he either goes forward or backward in time, though he also possesses the ability to voluntarily move forward in the time-stream. Captain Atom states that through concentration, he can briefly travel ahead in time ("about a week or so"). The process is exhausting and the period he can interact in the future appears to be limited to a few minutes before he returns to the present. In the case of involuntary quantum jumping, he is typically shown as being stuck in the time-stream for as long as it takes his body to process any absorbed energy.
In addition to his superhuman abilities, Nathaniel Adam is also an experiencedUnited States Air Force pilot. He is especially skilled in combat piloting, is trained in military weaponry, strategy, and hand-to-hand combat, and speaks multiple languages, includingRussian.[31][32] Adam also has strong survival instincts derived from his experiences during the Vietnam War.
At other times and storylines, Captain Atom has had different or greatly increased powers. During his Monarch era, his powers significantly increased, making him amultiversal level threat. The short-livedNew 52 version of the character was an "energy-based life form" whose control over physics meant he could transform lava into snow and manipulate time.[33]
Captain Atom has his own enemies:
The Allen Adam and Nathaniel Adam incarnations of Captain Atom appear as character summons inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[48]
Captain Atom appears in theInjustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic. He joins Batman's Insurgency to combat Superman's growing Regime before being mortally wounded by Wonder Woman while retrieving an enhancement pill from theFortress of Solitude. Captain Atom then drags Superman to the atmosphere in an attempt to kill him, with the resulting explosion leaving the former dead and Wonder Woman comatose.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Heroes Archive Volume 1 | Space Adventures (vol. 2) #33-42,Captain Atom (vol. 1) #78-82 | November 2004 | 978-1401203023 |
| Action Heroes Archive Volume 2 | Captain Atom (vol. 1) #83–89,Charlton Bullseye #1–2, 5,Mysterious Suspense #1,Blue Beetle (vol. 5) #1-5 | May 2007 | 978-1401213466 |
| Captain Atom: Armageddon | Captain Atom: Armageddon #1-9 | November 2006 | 978-1401211066 |
| Captain Atom Vol. 1: Evolution | Captain Atom (vol. 4) #1–6 | December 2012 | 978-1401237158 |
| Captain Atom Vol. 2: Genesis | Captain Atom (vol. 4) #0, 7-12 | August 2013 | 978-1401240998 |
| Captain Atom: The Rise and Fall of Captain Atom | Captain Atom: The Rise and Fall of Captain Atom #1-6 | January 2018 | 978-1401274177 |
Captain Atom was born in a tale by artist Steve Ditko and writer Joe Gill.
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