Atom Eve

Atom Eve (real name: Samantha Eve Wilkins) is a fictional character, a superhero in the Image Comics Universe who appears primarily in the comic book Invincible. Her first appearance was in Invincible #2 (January 2003) and was created by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker.

Fictional character biography

Atom Eve was created by the government to be a weapon. At birth, she was switched with a stillborn, and sent home with her birth-parents so as to avoid the government's seizing of her. She was a prodigy in science and received a scholarship to a prestigious school. Her scientific ability turned out to be an early manifestation of her powers. A man approached her one day, warning Eve that her powers may be her downfall and encouraged her to never to use them again.^[1]

Prior to the first issue of Invincible, Atom Eve joins the Teen Team as an after-school superhero. She soon starts a friendship with Invincible after the two meet saving a shipment of video game consoles from a Mauler twin.^[2] Eve and Mark are thought by many to be in a romantic relationship, despite their protests that they are "just friends".^[3] After discovering that Rex Splode, her boyfriend, is cheating on her with Dupli-Kate, she resigns from the Teen Team.^[4]

Although she does not join the new Guardians of the Globe along with her former Teen Team teammates, she continues as an active superhero for some time. She eventually decides that her talents are being wasted on superheroics and that she could do more good elsewhere. Subsequently she quits superhero work and moves to Africa to engage in aid work.^[5] She has come out of "retirement" in response to large threats, like the cosmic villain Omnipotus and a Martian invasion.^[6]

In Invincible #34, Invincible meets a version of Atom Eve from 15 years in the future who confesses her undying love for him. She instructs him to either tell her that he loves her or that he hates or doesn't want anything to do with her romantically, so that she could get on with her life.^[7] While Invincible is recovering from the incident with the Reanimen, he flies to meet Eve, whom he had not talked to since the fight with Angstrom Levy. After sharing a friendly hug and an awkward pause afterwards, they share a passionate kiss. Immediately afterward, however, Mark apologizes and voices his guilt at going behind his girlfriend's back, and is relieved to be called to fight off an alien invasion.^[8]

After hearing that Invincible broke up with his girlfriend, Eve shows up at his dorm asking, "So -- are we dating or what?",^[9] but leaves without a word when he tells Eve about his encounter with her future self.

In issue 50, the situation is resolved after Invincible returns from his encounter with Cecil Stedman. He and Eve reconcile and kiss, suggesting that they are now a couple.

By issue 58, Eve and Invincible are in a serious relationship, having consummated their love for each other after a date that literally spanned the globe. Eve has since moved back in with her parents so she would be closer to Invincible but their strictness as well as Mark's wanting to spend more time away from his home has caused them to want to live together in their own home. Their goal, however, is somewhat strained by their lack of money.

Eve takes it upon herself to find a solution to both their money problems. Fashioning a business suit for herself, Eve visits and leaves Stronghold Penitentiary secretly. When Invincible approaches her after hearing about her visit, Eve tells him her plan, which she was saving as a surprise: Eve had been visiting Stronghold and other such scenes where other super-villain battles have taken place (not shown but rather alluded to in her dialogue) in the hopes of creating a super-protection service wherein Invincible would be paid to be on-call to protect certain locations from threats, ultimately being paid to do what he would normally be doing for free. With Eve in charge of the business end of the venture, she calculates that they would earn enough money in four months to afford their own place. Although the business has yet to be established officially, Invincible is quite surprised by her resourcefulness and agrees.

Following the events of the disastrous Invincible War, Eve is in a coma and remains that way for most of the aftermath. Once she awakens, she learns of Mark's battle with the Viltrumite named Conquest and insists on joining the fight. Cecil agrees, mostly because he is short on allies. Eve dons her costume and flies to the scene where she tries to contain Conquest with her force fields. This proves ineffective when Conquest gravely injures her by punching a hole in her stomach.

Eve appears to die, but suddenly recovers as Invincible continues to battle with Conquest. Releasing a bolt of energy, she significantly injures Conquest, and Invincible is able to finish the battle and put a stop to the Viltrumite's takeover of Earth.

Her recovery is explained as a result of massive trauma temporarily disabling the blocks that prevent her from altering organic matter, as seen in Invincible Presents: Atom Eve #2. Atom Eve made unconscious "slight improvements" during her recovery, resulting in a larger bust.^[10] That same evening, Eve and Mark make love.

As Mark continues to assist in the cleanup, Eve suggests that they expand their ranks for their job program, believing Oliver would be suitable candidate to join their group. Later that night, Eve takes a pregnancy test that reads positive upon completion. Since that time, several months have passed while Mark was in space during the Viltrumite War story arc.

Mark returns to Eve ten months later. During that time she gains weight, due to refraining from using her powers, which actually burn a lot of calories. Mark embraces her. Eve is asked by William if she told him yet and she says no. The next issue reveals that the truth is that she had an abortion.^[11]

Powers and abilities

Atom Eve is able to manipulate matter at the sub-atomic level by sheer will power. Organic (not animal life, however) and inorganic matter can be changed into anything she desires. She can augment normally unhealthy food such as cakes and other sweets into nutritious foods as well as re-arrange the environment. Her costume is created by altering her clothes to fashion her Atom Eve suit. She can also fly by lowering the density of the air around her as well as creating force fields.^[12]

Atom Eve has the ability to pass through solid matter by passing her atomic particles through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which she is moving. In this way she and the object through which she is passing can temporarily merge without interacting, and each is unharmed. This process is called "phasing" or quantum tunneling and it renders her almost completely intangible to physical touch. Atom Eve can pass through objects at the same speed at which she is moving before she enters them. Since she is unable to breathe while inside an object, she can only continuously phase through solid objects (as when she travels underground) as long as she can hold her breath. However, contrary depictions of the duration of her phasing ability have been presented, such as when she has phased miles within an object. The use of her abilities also interferes with any electrical systems as she passes through by disrupting the flow of electrons from atom to atom, including the bio-electric systems of living bodies if she concentrates in the right way. This typically causes machines to malfunction or be destroyed as she phases through them, and can induce shock and unconsciousness in living beings.

A downside to Atom Eve's transmutation powers is that she absorbs any unused atoms into her body, which must later be eliminated from her system as waste. She claims that on days when she uses her powers a lot she can "go to the bathroom" six or seven times.^[13]

Notes

1. ↑ Origin story from the back of Invincible #25
2. ↑ Invincible #1
3. ↑ Invincible #4
4. ↑ Invincible #6 & 8
5. ↑ Invincible #19-20
6. ↑ Invincible #39-41
7. ↑ Invincible #37
8. ↑ Invincible #38
9. ↑ Invincible #43
10. ↑ Invincible #65
11. ↑ Invincible #79
12. ↑ Invincible #25 (August 2005)
13. ↑ Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe #1 (Dec 2006)