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Power Man
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Power Man

385 appearances Β· Bronze Age Β· 1972–2026 Β· 15 key issues
Who is Power Man?

A mercenary who gained superhuman strength through ionic energy treatment while serving Baron Heinrich Zemo and the Enchantress, Erik Josten operated as a super-powered villain before eventually joining the Thunderbolts, where he took the identity Atlas and gained size-changing abilities alongside his ionic powers.

Few Bronze Age debuts have proven as enduringly magnetic as Power Man, who first burst onto the Marvel scene in Iron Man #46 in 1972, brought to life by Gary Friedrich and George Tuska. Over more than five decades of publication, this street-level titan has carved out a remarkable niche, headlining Power Man, the beloved Power Man and Iron Fist, and Daredevil while sharing pages with some of Marvel's finest β€” Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Captain America, and more. With 15 key-issue appearances flagging him as a serious collector's quarry and nearly 200 catalog appearances spanning 1972 all the way to 2026, Power Man is no footnote β€” he's a fixture of Marvel's toughest, most grounded corner of the universe, and absolutely worth your attention.

Identity

Real name. Erik Josten

Powers. Ionic energy empowerment: superhuman strength/durability/stamina; as Atlas, can grow to giant size (Pym Particles + ionic body) and increase strength with size.

Teams & affiliations
Avengers
β˜… First appearance
The Avengers #15
Apr 1965

Trivia

  • Power Man was never conceived as a standalone identity from the start β€” the title grew out of the original 'Hero for Hire' concept, with the book itself rebranding the character as Power Man before the series ultimately evolved into the team-up title Power Man and Iron Fist.youtube.com
  • Marvel treated the Power Man name as little more than a temporary marketing identity, and Luke Cage eventually reclaimed his original name in the early 1990s when the solo series was relaunched under the stripped-down title Cage.youtube.com
  • The Power Man and Iron Fist partnership has one of the roughest origin stories in Marvel team-up history β€” Cage and Danny Rand's first encounter was violent enough to send Cage crashing through walls and a collapsing building, making it one of the least friendly introductions in the entire bromance canon.youtube.com

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1972–2023

Iron Man #46 β˜… 1972
Iron Man #46
Spider-Woman #13 β˜… 1979
Spider-Woman #13
Power Man #66 β˜… 1980
Power Man #66
G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #37 β˜… 1985
G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #37
Daredevil: Marked for Death #[nn] 1990
Daredevil: Marked for Death #[nn]
The Punisher #60 1992
The Punisher #60
Code of Honor #2 1997
Code of Honor #2
Deadpool #34 1999
Deadpool #34
Essential Luke Cage, Power Man #1 2005
Essential Luke Cage, Power Man #1
Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern #1 2007
Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern #1
Iron Age #1 2011
Iron Age #1
Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection #1 2015
Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection #1
Marvel Masterworks: Howard the Duck #1 2020
Marvel Masterworks: Howard the Duck #1
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #25 2023
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #25

Appearances (151–300 of 385, oldest first)

Cloak and Dagger (1985)
#9
Marvel Age Annual (1985)
#3
Marvel Graphic Novel: Emperor Doom - Starring the Mighty Avengers (1987)
Web of Spider-Man (1985)
Daredevil: Marked for Death (1990)
Avengers: Death Trap, The Vault (1991)
Marvel Comics Presents (1988)
Marvel Age (1983)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner (1990)
#23
The Punisher (1987)
#60
Venom: Deathtrap: The Vault (1993)
The Incredible Hulk (1968)
Tales of the Marvel Universe (1997)
#1
Code of Honor (1997)
#2
Deadpool (1997)
Marvel Vision (1996)
Thunderbolts '97 (1997)
Uncanny Origins (1996)
#14
Star Trek / X-Men: 2nd Contact (1998)
#1
Avengers (1998)
Spider-Man (1997)
#31
Iron Man 1999 (1999)
Iron Man (1999)
#9
Marvel Special (1997)
#11
X-Men (1997)
#32
Contest of Champions II (1999)
Black Panther (1998)
Avengers 2000 (2000)
Hellcat (2000)
#1
Earth X (2000)
Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller (2000)
#2
Mutant X 2001 (2001)
Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning (2001)
Giant Size Mini-Marvels: Starring Spidey (2002)
#1
Marvel Universe: Millennial Visions (2002)
#1
Flash (1987)
Daredevil (1998)
Avengers / Thunderbolts (2004)
Essential Avengers (1999)
#4
Avengers Finale (2005)
#1
New Thunderbolts (2005)
Essential Luke Cage, Power Man (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Marvel Knights 2005 (2005)
Best of Marvel : Fantastic Four - Retour aux sources (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 (2005)
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers (2003)
Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe: The Ultimates & X-Men 2005 (2005)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
#1
The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
Civil War (2006)
Essential Defenders (2005)
Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern (2007)
#1
Thunderbolts: Guardian Protocols (2007)
Civil War Chronicles (2007)
Secret Invasion: The Infiltration (2008)
Marvel Adventures The Avengers (2006)
#20
Custom: Triple A Baseball Heroes (2007)
#2
Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (2008)
#1
Essential Power Man and Iron Fist (2007)
#2
Essential Dazzler (2007)
#2
Immortal Iron Fist by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker & David Aja Omnibus (2009)
Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection (2009)
Avengers Assemble (2010)
Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (2010)
Avengers: West Coast Avengers Assemble (2010)
Essential Hulk (1999)
#6
Avengers: Under Siege (2010)
Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection (2009)
#5
Super Hero Squad: Squaddies Forever (2010)
Marvel Firsts: The 1970s (2011)
#1
Thunderbolts Classic (2011)
Avengers: West Coast Avengers - Family Ties (2011)
Iron Age (2011)
#1
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2011)
#1
The Iron Age (2011)
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus (2011)
#1
Thunderbolts: Like Lightning (2012)
Avengers: The Contest (2012)
Marvel Universe Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2012)
The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns (2011)
#2
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (2008)
#3
Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)