Radioactive Man

A brilliant Chinese nuclear physicist, Dr. Chen Lu deliberately exposed himself to carefully controlled doses of radiation over time, slowly conditioning his body to absorb and weaponize it. The process transformed him into the Radioactive Man, granting him mastery over nuclear energy.

Few villains can claim a Silver Age pedigree as electrifying as Radioactive Man's — bursting onto the scene in Journey into Mystery #93 back in 1963, conjured by the legendary trio of Stan Lee, R. Berns, and Jack Kirby at the height of Marvel's creative golden era. Over more than six decades of publishing history, this character has proven remarkably durable, racking up 117 catalog appearances and eight key issues that serious collectors keep a sharp eye on. Most at home in the pages of Thunderbolts and New Thunderbolts, Radioactive Man moves in rarefied Marvel company — sharing adventures with the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and their alter egos — which tells you everything about the high-stakes corner of the Marvel Universe this character inhabits. If you're tracing the full arc of Marvel history from Silver Age menace through modern event comics like Civil War Chronicles, Radioactive Man is a fascinating throughline worth every issue.