Atomic Skull

The Atomic Skull identity has been held by multiple individuals in DC Comics continuity. The first, Albert Michaels, is introduced as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist/administrator who used a radium-powered device intended to harness a neural disorder and later adopted the Atomic Skull persona, becoming leader of the criminal organization SKULL. A later incarnation, Joseph Martin, was a student at S.T.A.R. Labs who gained powers when the Dominators detonated a gene-bomb; the blast granted him superhuman abilities and altered his flesh, after which he assumed the Atomic Skull identity. Continuity reboots (e.g., New 52) retell these origins with variations (for example, a New 52 Albert Michaels exposure that melts his face and 'reveals his radioactive skull').

Appearances vary by incarnation and continuity. Albert Michaels is commonly depicted in a distinctive yellow-and-green costume with a skull-themed visor/mask through which he projects energy, and he has used a sleek skull-shaped hovercraft; in New 52 material his face was shown as melted away to reveal a radioactive skull. Joseph Martin's body was described as having its flesh become invisible after gene-bomb exposure; later portrayals show a radiating, often purple-energized form capable of emitting energy blasts from hands or mouth.

Powers differ between incarnations and across reboots. Albert Michaels uses technology and a visor to project powerful energy bolts variously described in sources as 'unique brainwaves,' 'heat vision,' or 'radioactive energy'; he is also a brilliant scientist and criminal leader who employs technological devices. Joseph Martin gained superhuman strength, stamina, and durability after the Dominators' gene-bomb, emits dangerous levels of radiation, and later learned to project blasts of purple atomic energy from his hands or mouth. In one storyline (Underworld Unleashed) Joseph Martin accepted enhanced powers from the demon Neron in exchange for his soul, an event that temporarily altered his mental state and abilities. Behavioral notes include recurring antagonism toward Superman (motivated by resentment, delusion, or criminal intent) and episodic narrative variations in which the character is incapacitated, briefly reformed, or manipulated by other powers.