Mister Atom
Encyclopedia
Mister Atom is a fictional comic book
supervillain
, a radioactive robot
who is regularly seen as an enemy of Captain Marvel
. He first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #78 in November 1947.
and armed with a deadly mind, Mister Atom went on a wave of destruction believing he should rule the world and killed several people in Washington, before being challenged to a fight to the finish by Captain Marvel. He was stopped (barely) by Captain Marvel. Mr. Atom was imprisoned in an underground, lead-lined cell, as no other prison could contain his power, but he threatens to break out one day. Later he was freed by aliens called the Comet Men who hoped to employ his power in the conquest of Earth and told him to destroy Fawcett City to show his power, but they fell to fighting among themselves when Mr Atom realised they planned to destroy him and were all apparently destroyed in a giant explosion. However, the blast had actually thrown Mr. Atom forward in time, to 2053, a world where almost everything was run by atomic power, which Mr Atom found out from an inhabitant and decided it would be the perfect conquest for him. Captain Marvel travelled to this future after being told by Shazam of the danger which threatened it and battled Atom again, who forced Marvel off by threatening to cause the destruction of the world using the machinery. By now the world officials had decided to give in to Mr Atom and sent a delegation. But once again he was apparently destroyed, this time in an atomic furnace when Marvel disguised himself as a worker.
However, Mister Atom was re-introduced in 1976, by which time DC Comics
had purchased the rights to use the Captain Marvel characters; Captain Marvel's enemy King Kull
used his advanced scientific acumen to bring Atom back to having been told by Shazam the 20th century and employed his help battling Shazam's Squadron of Justice
. Atom's first appearance in a DC comic was in Justice League of America #137, a crossover issue depicting Captain Marvel's first meeting of Superman
. With Brainiac projecting a force field around him a much larger Mr Atom attempts to wreck a futuristic city on Earth-One called Tomorrow. Destroying the city meant the three super-speedsters had to repair it, which was causing increased rotation of the Earth. Atom easily withstood the efforts of the Golden and Silver Age Green Lantern
s and Flashes
, the god Mercury and Ibis the Invincible
to subdue him, even when Brainiac's forcefield around him was turned off and Brainiac had been defeated, but when he tried to use Ibis's Ibistick to send Ibis to a faraway star, having stunned Ibis from an energy blast, he found the stick had a failsafe that caused any commands that would harm Ibis to backfire on the user, and Atom was the one propelled far into space.
Again Atom was brought back to Earth, this time by Mr. Mind, who employed him to attach his head to an atomic racecar and challenge Captain Marvel to an auto race in Indianapolis
with the threat that he'd level the city with an atomic blast. When Captain Marvel won the race using a Shazam lightning-powered car, and destroyed Atom's car, Atom re-attached his head to his body and attacked Marvel, who hit him hard enough to achieve escape velocity
and send Mr. Atom into orbit around the sun. Mr Mind was meanwhile captured by Uncle Marvel using a geiger counter. Captain Marvel then threw the racer into the Sun. Again Mr. Mind retrieved Atom with help from the Evil God of magic Oggar and enlisted him as a member of his Monster Society of Evil. During the Society's assault on the Rock of Eternity
, Mr. Atom was shoved off the rock into another universe where life never developed, and he could do no harm.
and re-introduced in The Power of Shazam!
#23, Mister Atom's modern origin was roughly the same as his Golden Age origin. His appearance was modified, however: the humanoid cyborg design of the original gave way to a more mechanical giant robot look. In his new origin story, Atom, at first not a villain, was told by Dr. Langley before he died to find a suitable woman to take care of him. Mister Atom interpreted Mary Marvel
as a suitable woman and kidnapped her, until Captain Marvel found Dr. Langley's assistant to watch over the robot.
In Power of Shazam! #27, Mister Atom was controlled by Mister Mind into creating a nuclear explosion that destroyed the city of Fairview, home to the Marvels, killing thousands.
, Mister Atom became a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains
, but was seemingly destroyed by the Golden Age Superman, Kal-L
. He didn't stay down for long, however: In 52
, Captain Marvel mentioned that Mister Atom attacked the Rock of Eternity, only to fail. It is later revealed that Mister Atom is one of the villains who helped Prometheus
plant explosive devices in various cities across the U.S., which leads to Mister Atom and several other villains making an attempt to flee the country. Before they can cross the border, the group is attacked by the Justice League
, and Mister Atom is defeated and captured by Starman and Congorilla
.
comic book, where Doctor Sivana
was trying to rebuild him with the help of a local gang. Atom and Sivana were eventually defeated by the Justice League
, particularly Vibe
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
, a radioactive robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
who is regularly seen as an enemy of Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
. He first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #78 in November 1947.
Golden Age and pre-Crisis version
Mister Atom was created by Dr. Charles Langley in a story in Captain Marvel Adventures #78. His body was constructed first, and then Langley charged the robot with radioactive energy. The spark that gave the robot life also ended the life of his creator. Super-charged with a nuclear reactorNuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
and armed with a deadly mind, Mister Atom went on a wave of destruction believing he should rule the world and killed several people in Washington, before being challenged to a fight to the finish by Captain Marvel. He was stopped (barely) by Captain Marvel. Mr. Atom was imprisoned in an underground, lead-lined cell, as no other prison could contain his power, but he threatens to break out one day. Later he was freed by aliens called the Comet Men who hoped to employ his power in the conquest of Earth and told him to destroy Fawcett City to show his power, but they fell to fighting among themselves when Mr Atom realised they planned to destroy him and were all apparently destroyed in a giant explosion. However, the blast had actually thrown Mr. Atom forward in time, to 2053, a world where almost everything was run by atomic power, which Mr Atom found out from an inhabitant and decided it would be the perfect conquest for him. Captain Marvel travelled to this future after being told by Shazam of the danger which threatened it and battled Atom again, who forced Marvel off by threatening to cause the destruction of the world using the machinery. By now the world officials had decided to give in to Mr Atom and sent a delegation. But once again he was apparently destroyed, this time in an atomic furnace when Marvel disguised himself as a worker.
However, Mister Atom was re-introduced in 1976, by which time DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
had purchased the rights to use the Captain Marvel characters; Captain Marvel's enemy King Kull
King Kull (DC Comics)
King Kull is a comic book supervillain originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics and appearing as a foe of Captain Marvel. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist C. C. Beck, Kull's first appearance was in Captain Marvel Adventures #125...
used his advanced scientific acumen to bring Atom back to having been told by Shazam the 20th century and employed his help battling Shazam's Squadron of Justice
Shazam's Squadron of Justice
The Squadron of Justice was a name used by two superhero teams of characters who originated from Fawcett Comics. Each team only made one appearance in a single story.-First Version:...
. Atom's first appearance in a DC comic was in Justice League of America #137, a crossover issue depicting Captain Marvel's first meeting of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. With Brainiac projecting a force field around him a much larger Mr Atom attempts to wreck a futuristic city on Earth-One called Tomorrow. Destroying the city meant the three super-speedsters had to repair it, which was causing increased rotation of the Earth. Atom easily withstood the efforts of the Golden and Silver Age Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
s and Flashes
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, the god Mercury and Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular comic strip character Mandrake...
to subdue him, even when Brainiac's forcefield around him was turned off and Brainiac had been defeated, but when he tried to use Ibis's Ibistick to send Ibis to a faraway star, having stunned Ibis from an energy blast, he found the stick had a failsafe that caused any commands that would harm Ibis to backfire on the user, and Atom was the one propelled far into space.
Again Atom was brought back to Earth, this time by Mr. Mind, who employed him to attach his head to an atomic racecar and challenge Captain Marvel to an auto race in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
with the threat that he'd level the city with an atomic blast. When Captain Marvel won the race using a Shazam lightning-powered car, and destroyed Atom's car, Atom re-attached his head to his body and attacked Marvel, who hit him hard enough to achieve escape velocity
Escape velocity
In physics, escape velocity is the speed at which the kinetic energy plus the gravitational potential energy of an object is zero gravitational potential energy is negative since gravity is an attractive force and the potential is defined to be zero at infinity...
and send Mr. Atom into orbit around the sun. Mr Mind was meanwhile captured by Uncle Marvel using a geiger counter. Captain Marvel then threw the racer into the Sun. Again Mr. Mind retrieved Atom with help from the Evil God of magic Oggar and enlisted him as a member of his Monster Society of Evil. During the Society's assault on the Rock of Eternity
Rock of Eternity
A feature of Captain Marvel stories, the Rock of Eternity is apparently situated at the exact centre of space and time, meaning that from there different locations in space-time can be accessed, along with other dimensions. It was from fragments of Heaven and Hell. It is home to the Wizard Shazam...
, Mr. Atom was shoved off the rock into another universe where life never developed, and he could do no harm.
Post-Crisis version
Two decades later, Atom was revamped by Jerry OrdwayJerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
and re-introduced in The Power of Shazam!
The Power of Shazam!
The Power of Shazam! is a 1994 hardcover graphic novel, written and painted by Jerry Ordway for DC Comics. The 96-page story, depicting the revamped origins of former Fawcett Comics superhero Captain Marvel, was followed by an ongoing series, also titled The Power of Shazam!, which ran from 1995 to...
#23, Mister Atom's modern origin was roughly the same as his Golden Age origin. His appearance was modified, however: the humanoid cyborg design of the original gave way to a more mechanical giant robot look. In his new origin story, Atom, at first not a villain, was told by Dr. Langley before he died to find a suitable woman to take care of him. Mister Atom interpreted Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
as a suitable woman and kidnapped her, until Captain Marvel found Dr. Langley's assistant to watch over the robot.
In Power of Shazam! #27, Mister Atom was controlled by Mister Mind into creating a nuclear explosion that destroyed the city of Fairview, home to the Marvels, killing thousands.
Infinite Crisis and 52
In Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, Mister Atom became a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
, but was seemingly destroyed by the Golden Age Superman, Kal-L
Kal-L
The Superman of Earth-Two is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Justice League of America #73 . He is a version of the Kryptonian superhero Superman from an alternate reality called Earth-Two...
. He didn't stay down for long, however: In 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, Captain Marvel mentioned that Mister Atom attacked the Rock of Eternity, only to fail. It is later revealed that Mister Atom is one of the villains who helped Prometheus
Prometheus (comics)
Prometheus is the name of three fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.The first Prometheus debuted in New Teen Titans vol. 2, #24 and was created by Marv Wolfman and Eduardo Barreto . The second version debuted in New Year's Evil: Prometheus Prometheus is the name...
plant explosive devices in various cities across the U.S., which leads to Mister Atom and several other villains making an attempt to flee the country. Before they can cross the border, the group is attacked by the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, and Mister Atom is defeated and captured by Starman and Congorilla
Congorilla
Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed into Congorilla by Robert...
.
Powers and abilities
Mister Atom has upper level superhuman strength and endurance. His robot body is virtually impervious to harm. Mister Atom can fly and fire nuclear blasts from his hands (In the Golden Age, at least, lead is impervious to these blasts).Other versions
Mister Atom appeared in an issue of the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
comic book, where Doctor Sivana
Doctor Sivana
Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a fictional comic book supervillain. Created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck, he first appeared opposite superhero Captain Marvel in Whiz Comics #2 by Fawcett Comics...
was trying to rebuild him with the help of a local gang. Atom and Sivana were eventually defeated by the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, particularly Vibe
Vibe (comics)
Vibe is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Justice League of America Annual #2 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton.-Paco Ramone:...
.
Other Media
- Mister Atom appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "The Malicious Mr. Mind" voiced by Dee Bradley BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
. He is seen as a member of the Monster Society of EvilMister Mind and the Monster Society of EvilMister Mind is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain created for Fawcett Comics, and now owned and published by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and C. C...
battling the Marvel FamilyMarvel FamilyThe Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
and BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
.
External links
- Mister Atom's "Who's Who" profile at The Marvel Family Web.