Creation
Atmos is a character created in the series titled The Legion of Super-Heroes. He first appeared in the issue Legion of Super-Heroes Vol3 #32, March 1987.
Origin
Atmos was the time representative superhero of the planet Xanthu, hand picked and created by the Tribune leadership of the planet.
Major Story Arcs
Original Continuity: New Earth
Marak Russen is from the plant Xanthu . When the ruling Tribune of Xanthu determined that Star Boy’s departure from that planet left them at a loss, the planet’s top geneticists were ordered to develop a new resident super-hero. They chose a former child actor and amateur athlete, Mark Russen, as the most likely candidate, one already known and popular who would be likely to survive the procedure. The Xanthian scientists hoped to recreate Star Boy’s temporary super-powers by replicating the comet radiation that had once accidently given him abilities on the level of Superboy or Mon-El. The experiment proved unstable and gave Marak super-powers but not the super-powers he expected.
Marak Russen renamed himself Atmos and was housed in high style and given the best promotion the Xanthian media could provide. His public appearance program and holovised battles so endeared him to the Xanthian people that the entire planet was shocked and saddened when Atmos was kidnapped, hypnotized and incarcerated by Universo as part of his “Universo Project,” a plan to place all super-powered beings under his thrall. Whilst a mind-controlled prisoner, Atmos had a brief romance with Dream Girl, which is believed to be the motivation for his attempts to join the Legion. Once Saturn Girl awakened the prisoners, Atmos wakes first and bounds into action to defeat their captors.
Reboot; Earth-247
Atmos then went on to join the Uncanny Amazers, a superhero group that protected the planet Xanthu, in the 30th century.
Powers & Abilities
Aside from the physical advantages he has from his inherent alien physiology he is a peak athlete. After the experimentation he was basically a human nuclear reactor. Atmos has a number of nuclear powers including super-human strength, flight and a special inhibitor field which gives him partial invulnerability to both physical and energy attacks and the ability to survive exposure to interplanetary space without a transsuit. Atmos’ suit also provides him with the ability to project nuclear bolts from his hands. These bolts can melt metals as well as metallic-compounds and generate an electro-magnetic field capable of disrupting electrical machines and what not.
Atmos does not have any real training in hand-to-hand combat but does have a vast array of athletic training as well as an athletic physique.
Characteristics
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 225lbs
Eyes: White
Hair: Red