The Atomic Skull is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, commonly as an enemy of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

. The character first appeared in 1978.

Publication history

The Albert Michaels version of the Atomic Skull first appeared in ''

'' #323 (May 1978), and was created by

Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...

and

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

. The Joseph Martin version of the Atomic Skull first appeared in '' The Adventures of Superman'' #483, and was created by

Roger Stern Roger Stern (born September 17, 1950) is an American comic book author and novelist. Biography Early career In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''), one of the first platfo ...

and Bob McLeod.

Fictional character biography

Albert Michaels

Albert Michaels is a brilliant, but unfriendly scientist-administrator at S.T.A.R. Labs with a rare nervous system disorder that short-circuits the electrical impulses in his brain, creating painful and uncontrollable

seizures A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

. After failing to find a cure, Michaels secretly contacts the criminal organization

SKULL The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...

, who give him a

radium Radium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in alkaline earth metal, group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, ...

-powered device designed to harness his neural disorder into deadly atomic "brain-blasts" in exchange for him becoming their agent. However, these mental blasts are difficult to control and only worsen Michaels' condition, a situation that he blames on

after he captures the scientists who could have cured him. Swearing revenge, Michaels becomes the Atomic Skull and eventually assumes leadership of SKULL. Michaels also appears in the miniseries ''

Villains United ''Villains United'' is a six-issue 2005 comic book limited series, published by DC Comics, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, and later by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins. Publication history ''V ...

'', where he joins

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

Joseph Martin

Student Joseph Martin is at S.T.A.R. Labs for a routine check-up when it was struck by an intense blast of energy from the Dominators' gene-bomb that gave him superhuman strength and the ability to generate radiation. Martin is later attacked by thugs and sustains brain damage that causes him to assume the persona of the Atomic Skull, the protagonist of a

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

that he loved. Martin battles Superman and Lois Lane, who he respectively believes to be the villain Doctor Electron and the Atomic Skull's love interest, Zelda Wentworth. During the ''

Underworld Unleashed ''Underworld Unleashed'' was a multi-title American comic book crossover event released by DC Comics in 1995. The main theme of ''Underworld Unleashed'' involved the new ruler of Hell, a demon-lord named Neron, offering first many of the DC Un ...

'' event, Martin is given enhanced powers by the demon Neron in exchange for his soul. Cured of his delusions, he intends to become a genuine superhero, but has since returned to being a villain.

''The New 52''

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Joseph Martin is re-introduced in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' Annual #1, written by

Max Landis Max Landis (born August 3, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He is the son of director John Landis. He wrote scripts for the films ''Chronicle'' (2012), '' American Ultra'' (2015), ''Victor Frankenstein'' (2015), and '' Bright'' (2017). He wrote ...

. This version is a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who gained superpowers after being exposed to experimental radiation during a submarine crash. Martin is stranded on a remote island, which he eventually destroys after remembering that he murdered his wife after seeing her flirt with someone at a dance club. In ''Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps'' #45, Martin appears as the warden of Stryker's Island Penitentiary.

Powers and abilities

Albert Michaels can deliver powerful energy bolts through the visor of his mask. These blasts have been described as unique brainwaves, heat vision, and radioactive energy throughout the years. Beside from his energy attacks, Michaels is an experienced leader of the SKULL organization and a brilliant scientist. Joseph Martin has immense strength, stamina, and durability, comparable to that of

Superboy (Kon-El) Conner Kent is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared as a modern variation of Superboy in '' The Adventures of Superman'' #500 (June 1993), and was created by writer Karl Kesel and ar ...

, Superman, and

Lar Gand Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El (and alternatively as Valor and M'Onel), is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman. The character has ...

. He can also project blasts of purple atomic energy from his hands or mouth.

Other versions

''Flashpoint''

An alternate universe variant of Joseph Martin / Atomic Skull appears in '' Flashpoint'' as an inmate of the Doom prison.

''Superman: Red Son''

An unidentified alternate universe variant of Red Skull appears in '' Superman: Red Son'' #3. This version was created by

in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Superman.

In other media

Television

* Albert Michaels makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''

'' episode "Fugitive from Space" as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist. * The Joseph Martin incarnation of the Atomic Skull appears in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'', voiced by

Lex Lang Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise, Suguru ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's

Secret Society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

. * The Albert Michaels incarnation of the Atomic Skull makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'' episode "Revelation" as a member of the

Injustice League The following is a list of fictional criminal and terrorist organizations that have been published by DC Comics and their imprints. 0-9 100 Originally based in Metropolis (comics), Metropolis, the 100 kept a firm grip on the city's criminal un ...

. * The Albert Michaels incarnation of the Atomic Skull appears in the opening credits of '' Powerless''. * A hologram of an unidentified Atomic Skull appears in ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and ...

''. * The Joseph Martin incarnation of Atomic Skull appears in ''

My Adventures with Superman ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South ...

'', voiced by

Max Mittelman Maxwell Braden Mittelman (born September 5, 1990) is an American voice actor who provides voices for English versions of anime, animation and video games. Early life Maxwell Braden Mittelman was born on September 5, 1990, in Los Angeles. He is ...

. This version is an agent of

Task Force X The following is a list of fictional government agency, government agencies, comic book organizations that have been published by DC Comics and their imprints. A Agency The Agency is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books pu ...

whose abilities are derived from

Kryptonian Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to ref ...

armor.

Film

* The Joseph Martin incarnation of the Atomic Skull appears in '' Superman vs. The Elite'', voiced by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

. Following a fight with Superman, he is incarcerated at and forced to power

Stryker's Island This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

until he escapes by overloading the generator. Eventually, he is confronted and defeated by Superman and the

Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

before the group's leader Manchester Black kills him at the behest of a boy whose father the Atomic Skull killed. * An unidentified Atomic Skull makes a cameo appearance in '' Justice League vs. Teen Titans'', voiced by an uncredited Rick D. Wasserman.

Video games

The Joseph Martin incarnation of the Atomic Skull appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

The Albert Michaels incarnation of the Atomic Skull appears in a special one-shot for the ''Young Justice'' tie-in comic book published for

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and has historically been cross ...

References

{{Superman characters Characters created by Curt Swan Characters created by Gerry Conway Characters created by Roger Stern Comics characters introduced in 1976 Comics characters introduced in 1991 DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics metahumans DC Comics scientists Fictional biologists Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with epilepsy and seizures Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional inventors in comics Fictional mad scientists Fictional prison administrators Fictional skeletons Fictional uxoricides Groups of fictional characters Superman characters de:Schurken im Superman-Universum#Atomic Skull