ATOMIC SKULL

Real Name: Joseph Martin

Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Supervillain, film student

Group Affiliation: formerly the Society.

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Metropolis

First Appearance: Action Comics I #670 (October, 1991)

Powers: The Atomic Skull possessed superhuman strength and durability, and could fire blasts of radiation.

History: The Dominators dropped a Gene Bomb on Earth, activating the dormant metagene possessed by many humans. Film student Joseph Martin possessed the metagene, and gained superhuman powers. His head was changed into a flaming skull, driving him mad. He became convinced he was the old movie serial hero Atomic Skull, and after adopting that identity as his own he went on a rampage in Metropolis.

(Superman: The Man of Steel #5) -The Atomic Skull started reenacting the old Atomic Skull serials he was obsessed with, having totally lost touch with reality. He battled Superman, imagining he was Rocketman, the flunk of the serial hero's nemesis Dr. Electron. He fled from the fight and kidnapped Lois Lane, who he imagined to be the hero's girlfriend Zelda. After a lengthy and destructive chase, the Skull and Superman ended up in the ruins of S.T.A.R. Labs, and Superman used a boron control rod to sap away the Skull's radioactive powers.

(Green Lantern III #52) - Atomic Skull was among the meta-human prisoners freed from Slabside Island Penitentiary by Mongul.

(JLA #18) - Julian September unhinged the universe s laws of probability with his engine of chance, briefly warping history so that everything worked in his favor. He became President and Skull was one of seven villains that independently came up with the plan to kidnap him. Skull fought with the other villains, and they were all foiled by the JLA.

Comments: Created by Roger Stern & Bob Mcleod.

This Atomic Skull was originally intended tho be the post-Crisis version of the pre-Crisis Atomic Skull Albert Michaels , but  Roger Stern was unaware that Michaels had already been introduced into post-Crisis continuity.