Nitro

Robert Hunter was a disgruntled former government operative transformed by the alien Kree into a living human bomb capable of explosive self-detonation and reassembly. Codenamed Nitro, he became a recurring criminal menace, first clashing with Captain Marvel in 1974.

Few villains can claim a debut as explosive — in every sense — as Nitro, who first detonated onto the Bronze Age Marvel scene in Captain Marvel #34 in 1974, conjured by the legendary team of Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart. Over five decades of Marvel history, this volatile figure has kept remarkable company, sharing pages with icons like Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel themselves, and leaving a mark across titles from Sub-Mariner to Captain America: Sam Wilson to Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest. With a key issue to their name and a publishing history stretching all the way to 2026, Nitro is far more than a footnote — this is a character whose presence in the Marvel Universe has proven stubbornly, fascinatingly enduring. If you're tracing the threads of Bronze Age villainy into the modern era, Nitro is absolutely worth your attention.