Atomic Skull is the name of two different DC Comics supervillains.
| Atomic Skull | |
|---|---|
| File:Atomicskull01.png Atomic Skull versus Superman, artist Rich Buckler | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman #303 September (1976) |
| Created by | Gerry Conway Curt Swan |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Albert Michaels (1) Joe Martin (2) |
| Team affiliations | (1)SKULL (2)Secret Society of Super Villains |
| Abilities | (1) Seizure generated atomic blasts. (2) Super-strength, invulnerability, energy blasts, radioactive. |
History
Albert Michaels
Albert Michaels was a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs with a nervous disorder. When he couldn't find a cure, he contacted the criminal organization SKULL and they gave him a way to harness his neural disorder into atomic blasts. He became the organization's leader. SKULL is the DC Universe's version of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) an organization of criminal super scientists.
Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Michaels made one appearance, battling Thunder and Lightning in Teen Titans Spotlight. It is assumed his background has not changed, although it is not known if he fought Superman.
Joe Martin
Joe Martin was struck by an intense blast of energy that gave him superhuman strength and premature baldness. Later attacked by some thugs, the resulting head damage caused insanity and he took on the guise of "The Atomic Skull" who was a hero from an old movie serial. He also emitted dangerous amounts of radiation, then later gained the ability to project it as energy blasts. He has plagued Superman, whom he believed to be the serial's villain, and Lois Lane, whom he saw as the Skull's love interest.
Cured of his delusions, he at first intended to follow the character's example for real as a superhero, but has since appeared as a more conventional villain.
Alternate version
In a story featuring the reality-altering villain Dominus recreating various pre-Crisis Superman continuities, the Golden Age Atomic Skull was introduced. He was Albert Michaels, an actor and Nazi sympathiser who used his reputation as the hero of the Curse of the Atomic Skull serial as a platform to promote Nazism (in the unaltered DC Universe the star of the serial was named Lawrence Dennis, according to Superman Villans Secret Files).
In other media
In Justice League Unlimited, the Atomic Skull was Wildcat's main opponent at Roulette's Meta-Brawl until Green Arrow and Black Canary interrupted the match. Atomic Skull later returns as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Legion of Doom, and sides with Luthor during the mutiny during the two-part series finale; he survives Darkseid's attack, fights alongside Hawkgirl and Steel II during the defense of Earth against the forces of Apokolips, and is last seen taking advantage of the 'five-minute head start' the Justice League grants the surviving villains at the end of the final episode. He is voiced by Lex Lang.