NUKLO

 

NUKLO

Real Name: Robert Frank, Jr.

First Appearance: Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #1, August 1974

Powers: Nuklo is the mutant son of the Whizzer and Miss America. His mutation made him a living nuclear reactor, producing high-intensity radiation from within his cells. This causes him to constantly glow with potentially deadly radioactivity. As the radiation builds up in his cells, he develops superhuman strength, endurance, reflexes, resistance to physical injury, as well as increasing in physical size and stature. He would continue to grow in size and power unless he released some of his radiation, such as explosive concussion blasts from his hands detonating like a nuclear bomb. His mutation was evident at birth, so his parents were persuaded by the United States government to place their infant son in a special capsule which would retard his aging process while draining him of excess radioactivity.

Before he learned to control his mutant ability, Nuklo split into three independent versions of himself. Eventually, his unstable energies were brought under control, and he was no longer radioactive. He maintained a stable Superhuman Class 12 strength level, increased endurance and durability. He no longer increased in size or could project energy blasts. Upon receiving certain enhancements, Nuklo's powers were restored to a more effective combat level. He can now enter a glowing radioactive state at will, increasing his size, strength, and durability to a certain degree, and can release radioactivity as heat or concussive blasts.

SPEED DEMON

 

SPEED DEMON

Real Name: James Sanders

First Appearance: Avengers (Vol. 1) #69, October 1969 (as Whizzer); The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #222, November 1981 (as Speed Demon)

Powers: James Sanders was a mediocre pharmaceutical chemist who was attempting to develop a speed-enhancing formula with repeated failures. He gained superhuman powers when the cosmic-powered gamesman known as the Grandmaster tapped into the Universal Wellspring, a fundamental alchemical power source, using it to generate an alchemical spark that made Sanders' speed formula functional. By drinking the serum, he gained superhuman speed, able to run faster than 150 mph as the Whizzer. He improved upon the serum before becoming Speed Demon, able to exceed 300 mph. His speed increased dramatically during his time as a Thunderbolt due to happenings with the Wellspring, making him supersonic for the first time. His powers were stolen and later restored, so the speed he finally stabilized at is unclear.

A traditional speedster, Speed Demon possesses superhuman endurance, reflexes, perceptual acuity, and durability in addition to speed. He can accurately perceive his surroundings at speeds where other people would only see a blur, and can react to high speed phenomena. His dexterity is not inhibited by his velocity, allowing him to perform tasks like changing clothes or disassembling complex machinery faster than the human eye can follow. He has superhuman strength in his leg muscles and lower body, and is highly impact resistant for rapidly striking the ground while running. Speed Demon has increasing healing powers and metabolism as well, letting him recover at an accelerated pace from injuries. For a time, he used throwing blades as offensive weapons.

James Sanders holds a masters degree in chemistry and has both extensive knowledge and training in pharmaceutical chemistry. An experienced street fighter skilled in high-speed combat, he sometimes carries throwing blades, which he can hurl at rapid velocities. He also sometimes constructs chemical weapons such as smoke bombs, which he can construct in seconds using his speed and his chemical expertise.

WHIZZER & MISS AMERICA

 

WHIZZER & MISS AMERICA

Real Names: Robert L. Frank, Sr. & Madeline Joyce-Frank

First Appearances: U.S.A. Comics (Vol. 1) #1, August 1941 (Whizzer, Timely Comics); Marvel Mystery Comics (Vol. 1) #49, November 1943 (Ms. America, Timely Comics); Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #1, August 1974 (first modern appearance for both)

Powers: Robert Frank was bitten by a poisonous snake and received a transfusion of mongoose blood that saved his life. His wife, Madeline, was struck by an electrical discharge. These separate incidences affected their physiologies to activate their apparently latent mutant powers.

The Whizzer possessed the ability to move at superhuman rates of speed. He possessed superhuman strength primarily in his lower body as part of his body's adaptations for running. With his upper body he could lift slightly more than a normal human being of his age, height, and build who engaged in intensive regular exercise could. In his prime, the Whizzer could leg press approximately 1500 pounds under optimal conditions and could run at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour for up to an hour before fatigue impaired his performance. With middle age, however, the Whizzer's ability to move at superhuman speed was diminished considerably.

The Whizzer's entire body was adapted for the rigors of high speed running. His cardiovascular and respiratory systems were many times more efficient than those of a normal human being's. He metabolized an estimated 75% of the caloric energy content of foodstuffs (normal human use is about 25%). The chemical processes of the Whizzer's metabolism were so highly enhanced that his body generated unusually low amounts of fatigue poisons, the normal by-products of locomotion which force the body to rest. His joints were smoother and were lubricated more efficiently than those of an ordinary human being's. His tendons had the tensile strength of spring steel. His bones contained unknown materials significantly more durable than calcium to withstand the dynamic shocks of his feet touching the ground at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

The Whizzer's practical reaction time was about four times faster than an ordinary human being's when the Whizzer was in his prime, and the speed at which his brain processed information was heightened to a level commensurate with his bodily speed, enabling him to perceive his surroundings while traveling at high velocities. The Whizzer's lachrymose was more viscous than a normal human being's, thus preventing rapid evaporation and replenishment of surface fluids on his eyeballs under the influence of high wind velocity to occlude his vision.

Miss America had the ability to psionically negate the effect of gravity around herself, allowing her to levitate into the air. In coordination with planned jumps, she could simulate the power of flight. She could attain any height at which she could still breathe (approximately 20,000 feet). She could use her power for up to two hours before mental fatigue would force her to rest. Also, fatigue poisons accumulated in her body much slower than that of a normal human, giving her a heightened vitality. Prior to her modern* appearance, she demonstrated superhuman strength, endurance, invulnerability, x-ray vision, and flight.