| abstract | - In the 50s, the government tried to assemble a superteam that would work exclusively for the interests of the USA. Met with fierce criticism from the superhuman community & the press (mainly involving fears that such a group would become like the Soviet supergroups or could be used as a private army that would overthrow the US government), the program’s list of potential candidates narrowed to a few sidekicks & no-name heroes. However three competent heroes did join the ADL (American Defense League); One of them was Captain Atomic. In 1952, Private James Marshal Lewis was a nondescript soldier assigned to guard “Doktor Morgen”, an unknown but incredibly brilliant Nazi scientist who was working on civilian technologies that would have been used by the victorious Third Reich. Private Lewis had signed up to honor his brother Peter, who died on the coast of Normandy. Expecting to actively fight against communism & enemies of freedom, James was quickly disappointed when he was assigned guard duty. One day, which started just like any other day, an accident occurred in Doktor Morgen’s lab. James witnessed a blinding white light…then everything went dark for a long time. The authorities had idea what had happened or how Private Lewis & Doktor Morgen had both been atomized. Two weeks after the explosion, science crews were still scanning the room & hallway, trying to discern what happened & if the explosion could be replicated for military use. They were surprised by a sudden flash of light. It seemed to coalesce into a man-shaped form, then liquid metal seemed to seep out of the air & settle upon the shape. After a few moments of silence, the figure spoke; “I’m…Private James Marshal Lewis…what…year is it?” In his debriefing, Private Lewis recounted that after the explosion he came to on a deserted island, wearing a similar , yet different “costume” than what he reappeared in. He explained that when he was trying to go over the events he suddenly experienced a rush of analytical & mathematical data. Shortly thereafter, James traveled to the mainland US using his new speed powers, encountering & fighting a group calling themselves the Tomorrow Army. After defeating several battlesuit-wearing opponents, he was attacked by a flying superhuman who tore his metallic “skin”. Everything went black for a little while, then he reappeared right where he had disappeared. Eager to boost the ADL’s prestige with a powerful hero, he was promoted to Captain & assigned to the ADL as team leader. “Captain Atomic” was disappointed yet again when he realized the ADL turned out to essentially be a PR campaign that occasionally busted bankrobbers. Despite his desire to take an active stance on fighting supervilliany, the ADL did provide James with opportunities to interact with people similar to himself, form friendships, & live a somewhat normal life. But his world was soon ripped apart. One day, two ADL members, Tiger-Man & Amazona, attempted to stop a group of bankrobbers. Both were shot multiple times. Tiger-Man’s experienced a loss in mobility due to his spine being nicked by a bullet. Amazona lost her right eye. Worried about their less experienced volunteers & public backlash, the government dropped the “low-power” members of the ADL. Overnight, the group’s membership dropped from 28 to 3. The ADL became less of a team & more of a government branch, with the remaining members often assigned solo “missions”. In 1955, the ADL was dissolved. Continuing his superheroic career, Captain Atomic began patrolling the smaller cities where some villains had fled to carry out their schemes quietly. One day, James was contacted by the German embassy. Someone had taken two-dozen German citizens hostage & demanded that Captain Atomic go to a deserted island or they would all die. Arriving on the island, James soon came face-to-face with Doktor Morgen again; His metallic skin couldn’t mask his distinctive features. Screaming that Captain Atomic had “stolen his power” he began brutally pummeling James. Fully aware that the Doktor might be the most powerful super on the planet, Captain Atomic tapped into his full power. The Doktor did so also. They struck each other at the same time, tearing through metallic skin & unleashing quantum energy. After a brilliant flash of light, the island was gone, along with any traces of the combatants. The world at large never found out about the battle. In ‘56 news about a hostage hoax & Captain Atomic’s rescue attempt were leaked by minor German official. The public assumed that Captain James Marshal Lewis was dead. Due to the fact that it only lasted 2 years, the ADL was soon forgotten, becoming a footnote in superhero history.
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