Captain Atom
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Real Identity: Captain Nathaniel C. "Nate" Adams
Affiliation(s): United States Air Force and Justice League
Appearances: Independence Day Part Two, Schooled, Homefront, Alpha Male, Revelation, Failsafe, Agendas, Usual Suspects, Auld Acquaintance, Happy New Year, Alienated, Salvage, Before The Dawn, Cornered, War, Complications, Summit, Endgame, Terminus, Into the Breach, Og Htrof Dna Reuqnoc!, and Death and Rebirth
Appearances (Comics): Cold Case, Hot Case, Players Chapter Two, Players Chapter Three, Players Chapter Four, Players Chapter Five, Players Chapter Six, and Yesterday's Children: Memory Six
Powers/Skills: Energy Projection, Energy Absorption, Flight, Enhanced Strength, Near Invulnerability, and Survival in Space
Voiced By: Michael T. Weiss and Greg Weisman (Agendas)
Nathaniel Adams was born on May 30, 1940. He grew to become a United States Air Force fighter pilot and military intelligence officer at the rank of Captain. After suspecting the presence of a weapons smuggling ring, Adams confided his findings to General Lemar. Lemar agreed and assigned Adams to take a squad with him to Hill 409. Adams and Lieutenant Yarrow were the only survivors of Hill 409. Adams blamed General Lemar for the ambush. During a heated discussion, Adams blacked out from being drugged. After Lemar's murder, Adams was found holding the murder weapon, his service knife, by Sergeant Polk. In 1968, he was court-martialed on the charge of murder and high treason. The medical examiner, Major Mason, testified there no drugs in Adams' system. Adams was convicted of murdering Air Force General Lemar. Colonel Wade Eiling sentenced him to life in prison. Adams was the unwitting pawn of General Lemar and Lieutenant Yarrow, who aimed to get rid of each other and hold onto their place in the smuggling ring.
Framed for crimes he hadn't committed, Adam volunteered for a top secret government experiment called the Captain Atom Project in exchange for a pardon. The Project staff was ordered to utilize an alien alloy as a military application. The staff theorized that the alloy would shield its possessor from even an atomic blast. On May 1968, the test explosion melded the alloy to Adam but he absorbed too much energy too quickly, and it became fuel to thrust him forward into the future. Adams was presumed dead and a cover story was fabricated that he committed suicide in prison before finishing his first year in prison. Colonel Eiling married Adams' widow, Angela, and raised their two children as his own. As Captain Atom, he joined the Justice League in August 2008, settled down in Washington D.C., and used "Cameron Scott" as his secret identity. He was assigned the designation 12. Captain Atom is connected to the quantum field via his silver skin, which allows him to access clean energy and project energy. That same energy powers his flight and super strength. Captain's silver skin also makes him largely invulnerable and able to survive in deep space granted he has access to oxygen.
Late one July 4th evening, Captain Atom joined an escort, made up of himself, the Green Lanterns, Hawkman, and Hawkman, who transported Blockbuster from Project Cadmus to the proper authorities. He later responded to a distress call from Green Arrow and Black Canary on August 3rd. A total of eight Justice League members fought and defeated Amazo. On August 13th, Captain Atom visited Mount Justice and gave the Team a lesson on espionage. Sensing their boredom, Captain decided to have them learn in the field and assigned them a cold case from the Vietnam Era. He ordered them to prove Captain Adams' innocence or reconfirm his guilt then report back. Captain Atom was impressed by the intelligence gathered by the Team and implored them to share it with Adams' two children. Adams' name was cleared and he made amends with Wade Eiling, now a general. Eiling, in turn, introduced Adams to his children. However, Eiling was the leader of the smuggling ring all along and was pleased with his new relationship with Captain Atom.
On September 22nd, Captain Atom arrived with other members of the Justice League to find the Cave invaded, the Team neutralized, and Red Tornado missing. Captain Atom used his energy projection to free Superboy. He then helped Martian Manhunter synchronize key security protocols with the Watchtower mainframe. On October 2, 07:56 National Standard Time (NST), the Flash and Blue Devil were battling Plant Creatures in Taipei. However, Blue Devil's attacks damaged a power plant. Captain Atom flew over the plant and absorbed the nuclear radiation, preventing a fatal meltdown. On November 11th, Captain Atom, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Wonder Woman destroyed the last of five Flying Ice Fortresses.
Captain Atom resisted all attempts made to have Major Force, a supposed hero and friend of the Captain, admitted into the Justice League. The League respected Captain Atom's wishes and never inducted Major Force. In Team Year Five, Captain Atom became the newly elected leader of the Justice League. On December 1st, Captain Atom was teleported to the Moon by Kylstar and imprisoned. After Captain Marvel discovered the inhibiting orbs were only programmed to neutralize their super hero forms, Captain Atom shifted to his human form and broke free. He punched out the orb before it could recalibrate. He switched back to Captain Atom and destroyed the orbs near Superboy, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Captain ruled they shouldn't free anyone else until they got some answers. He soon realized their captor kidnapped some of the most powerful beings on the planet. He was less than pleased when Major Force volunteered to stay behind with Kylstar. After being returned to Earth, Captain Atom helped convince The Collector the Justice League would oppose the taking of Metropolis under any circumstances.
On January 3rd, Team Year Six, Captain Atom presided over a meeting at the Watchtower. Once John Stewart and Adam Strange presented intelligence, Captain Atom proposed a two pronged attack - one team on Rann and a simultaneous coordinated strike at 14 locations on Earth by the Team and Justice League. On January 6th, 09:58 Mountain Standard Time (MST), Captain Atom was present at S.T.A.R. Labs when the Zeta Squad returned from Rann. After the briefing, Captain conferred with Green Lantern why he hadn't learned of the intergalactic incident caused by the Justice League. He then dispatched Miss Martian and Superboy to the Hall of Justice and continued with the hunt for Kroloteans. On January 26th, Captain Atom was present when several of the League left for Rimbor to stand trial. On February 13th, 21:51 EST, Captain gave Adam Strange and Eduardo Dorado Sr. the go ahead to activate the Zeta Shield. On March 31st, Captain Atom went over intelligence on the Reach with Nightwing when Aquaman turned on a news feed about the Reach going public.
On April 1st, 19:20 EDT, Captain Atom accepted an invitation from the Reach Ambassador to meet at the United Nations Headquarters. When the Ambassador made an offhand comment about the League using their Metagene powers to enforce peaceful diplomacy, Captain motioned for the meeting to move to private quarters. The Ambassador soundly defeated him in a "war of words" in the presence of Secretary-General Tseng. Captain Atom broke off from the meeting after receiving word of the alien incursion of the Hall of Justice. He failed to breach the shield with energy blasts and physical force. He begrudgingly thanked the Ambassador for helping take the shield down. Captain then went to the Taos branch of S.T.A.R. Labs and met with Nightwing, Black Canary, and S.T.A.R. scientists to discuss the Reach and the Metagene. On May 23rd, Captain Atom led a briefing on the Watchtower to go over long range scans of the Warworld. He then met with Green Beetle and Adam Strange with Nightwing at S.T.A.R. Labs Taos to go over intelligence on Mongul and Warworld.
On May 26th, 06:59 EDT, Captain Atom attempted to negotiate with Mongul in vain. He, Captain Marvel, and Green Beetle emerged from Dr. Fate's portal and attacked the exterior of Warworld. On June 19th, Captain Atom was given evidence compiled by the Team that outright revealed the Reach's true agenda. He took it to the United Nations and prompted an emergency session. The decision was made to rescind their invitation to the Reach to stay on Earth and order their departure. On June 20th, Captain Atom was assigned to Alpha Squad with Eduardo Dorado Junior. He attended Wally West's funeral. On July 4th, Captain Atom turned over chairmanship of the Justice League to Black Canary. On January 25th, 22:25 UTC, Team Year Nine, Captain Atom took part in the Justice League's second assault of the Orphanage. However, Granny Goodness's machine was activated and the League was enthralled by the Anti-Life Equation.
On January 26th, after 1:17 UTC, the Team's attempt to liberate the League and Halo failed and they were enthralled, too. At 02:48 UTC, Victor Stone freed Halo who freed everyone from the Anti-Life Equation. Captain Atom joined in on destroying the machine. On February 24th, 19:00 EST, Captain Atom remotely attended the meeting of the League, Team, Outsiders, and Batman and Nightwing's covert teams on the Watchtower while on the Javelin. He voted for Black Lightning to be the next leader of the League. On September 16th Team Year Ten, Captain Atom attended Conner Kent and M'gann M'orzz's wedding in Happy Harbor.