Atomicus is a brief, yet powerful hero, of Astro City. There are many tales which purport to be of his true origins, however no one really knows where he came from.

History

What is known is that Atomicus was "born" from Fort Kanigher's Atomic Research Lab when an experiment went wrong while on of the site's leading doctors was being accosted. Atomicus had arrived with a strong sense of justice and the need to be human. He eventually met a young reporter, Irene Merryweather, and the two began an on-and-off relationship in which Irene would chase Atomicus throughout Astro City in order to prove he was her coworker Adam Peterson. She was under the impression that he saw it as "a game", and wanted her to uncover his secret identity so that she could prove she was worthy of his love--however, she was gravely mistaken, as he instead saw her attempts as a further source of stress and a betrayal of their trust. When she finally managed to unmask him, he snapped, denouncing her and humanity as a whole before leaving the planet forever.

Powers and Abilities

• Transformation: Atomicus is naturally a large amount of powerful nuclear energy which is housed in a human male's body. Atomicus can switch from his true atomic form to that of a normal adult man within only a few seconds.
  • Flight: Atomicus naturally hovers through his own power and when pressed can soar through the sky with full control, leaving only a trail of atomic particles in his wake.
  • Superhuman Strength: Atomicus can pick up and lift a few people at a time with no problem and has punched through machines and armored personal with atomic force.
  • Atomic Duplicates: Atomicus can split himself into many versions of himself which all function independently, but within the same mind. As such, Atomicus and Adam Peterson can be at two places in one time.
  • Energy Projection: Atomicus can fire, ignite and manipulate nuclear energy. Though his power is rarely seen it is the fuel within the furnace of his body and is only used for raw output of damage.

Weaknesses

• Vulnerability to Energy Absorption: Atomicus seems impervious, however, he can be disrupted when his nuclear energy is sapped. Irene Merryweather found this out when she used a Nucli-Glove to try and expose Adam Peterson as Atomicus.
• Undeveloped Mind: Despite his adult appearance and above-average intellect, Atomicus is actually fairly immature mentally. He is impressionable, tends to react childishly, and does not handle his own feelings or outside affections well.

Notes

• The true origin of Atomicus is never stated and most likely will never be exposed to ensure the mysteriousness of the character.

Trivia

• Atomicus dated Irene Merryweather while on Earth. Irene is the mother of another hero named the Flying Fox.

Appearances

Astro City: Local Heroes #2 - Shining Armor Astro City: A Visitor's Guide #1 - A Visitor's Guide

Gallery

References

 

External links

• Atomicus at Comic Book Database

Kurt Busiek's Astro City
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Comics
Homage Studios Astro City (Volume 1) • Astro City (Volume 2) • Astro City 3D Special #1
Wildstorm Astro City: Local Heroes • Astro City/Arrowsmith #1 • Astro City Special: Supersonic #1 • Astro City: A Vistor's Guide #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 1) • Astro City Special: Samaritan #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 2) • Astro City: Beautie #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 3) • Astro City Special: Astra #1 • Astro City: The Dark Age (Volume 4) • Astro City: Silver Agent • Astro City: Shining Stars
Vertigo Astro City (Volume 3)
Creators
Kurt Busiek • Brent Anderson • Alex Ross