Captain Atom

Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuclear fission and atomic power. Originally created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko during the Silver Age of Comic Books to occupy a Superman-like role in Charlton Comics' line-up, the character became part of the DC Universe in 1985 after DC's purchase of Charlton in 1983. The character's similarities to Superman led to DC making numerous attempts to find a distinctive niche for the character within its own stories. As a result, he has played varied roles in the DC Universe, many short-lived, including a period as the supervillain Monarch and the attempted reboot series Breach. Notably, DC's decision not to give Alan Moore permission to use the character in his critically and commercially successful Watchmen (1986) series led to the creation of the popular character Doctor Manhattan. Modern depictions of Captain Atom have instead emphasised, rather than de-emphasise, his similarities to Manhattan. Captain Atom has appeared in several animated television and film adaptations of Justice League and other DC storylines since the mid-2000s. Chris Cox, Michael T. Weiss, and Brian Bloom, among others, have voiced the character in animation.