Atomic Skull
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Atomic Skull is the name of two different DC Comics supervillains.
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[edit] History
[edit] Albert Michaels
Albert Michaels was a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs with a rare nervous system disorder that short-circuited the electrical impulses in his brain, creating a sort of seizure. When he couldn't find a cure, he left S.T.A.R. labs and contacted the criminal organization SKULL and they gave him a way to harness his neural disorder into atomic blasts. However, his blasts were difficult to control and only made his condition worse. He eventually became the organization's leader.
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 instead of being diagnosed with a nervous disorder, it was said that his powers came because he sought immortality and presumably mutated himself. It is not known if he fought Superman as his first appearance was in Captain Atom (Post-Crisis), yet his history with S.T.A.R. Labs and SKULL remained as established in The DC Comics Encyclopedia.
[edit] Joseph Martin
Student Joseph Martin was struck by an intense blast of energy from the Dominators' gene-bomb 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 - Zelda Wentworth.
He was later given enhanced powers by the demon Neron. 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.
[edit] "Joe Martin"
The secret identity of Joseph Martin's hero Atomic Skull from a twelve-episode movie serial made by National Films Studios in 1936.
Government agent Joe Martin investigates the evil Doctor Electron who transformed him into the Atomic Skull by one of his inventions. Joe fell in love with Electron's daughter Zelda Wentworth. Battling Electron and his minions (including Rocketman) with his heat ray eyeblasts, the Atomic Skull destroyed the doctor's plans and returned to normal.
The fictional hero resembles the pre-Crisis Atomic Skull.
[edit] 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).
[edit] In other media
In Justice League Unlimited, the Joseph Martin version of 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.
