Mr. Atom’s first encounter with the World’s Mightest Mortal resulted in the megalomanical android’s confinement in an underground vault, but his stay in captivity would turn out to be short one. The universe is an infinitely vast space, which meant that it was a simple matter of probability that a race of malevolent aliens would eventually arrive to recruit Mr. Atom as a member of their invasion’s street team.

And so we come to “Captain Marvel Battles Mr. Atom and the Comet Men,” from Captain Marvel Adventures #81 (February 1948).

The extra-terrestrials in question are the titular Comet Men, a nomadic tribe of quasi-racist caricatures propelled by fiery flatulence. As their wandering homeworld (technically an asteroid, but we are dealing with Binder-science, so some allowances must be made) is on the brink of destruction, they have set their sights on Earth as a ripe target for conquest and colonization.

Rather than rely on the usual crowd of doomsday cultists and other assorted New Age-y kooks prone to cometary influence, the Comet Men instead decide to make up for their lack of numbers by excavating Mr. Atom and enlisting his services. Their negotations with the robot — playing toward his unbridled megalomania with the intent of betraying him once the worldbeating heavy lifiting has been done — go poorly at first…

…though the partnership gels after the aliens manage to distract Captain Marvel long enough for Atom to coldcock the interfering Big Red Cheese.

As both Mr. Atom and the Comet Men are products of generation prior to the advent of memetic viruses and hypno-ray satellites, they take a decidedly old school approach to world conquest — namely “smashing shit up until the leaders of the world cry ‘uncle.’” They might have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for that meddling Captain Marvel.

While Mr. Atom is more than up to taking another shot at the Big Red Cheese, his alien allies turn out to be less than stalwart fighters. Unable to harm Marvel with their vaunted disintegrator beams, the aliens blast gas back to the safety of their spaceship…just in time to watch their beloved homeworld explode.

From the depth of despair spring uncomfortable truths. The admission by the Comet Men’s leader that Mr. Atom was merely a disposable pawn pushes the nuclear-powered death machine into a killing frenzy that results in the destruction of the spacecraft and all passengers aboard…

….or did it? Find out in tomorrow’s nukariffic installment of Mr. Atom Week!

Related posts:

  1. Mr. Atom Week: Day 4 – Stop the Future
  2. Mr. Atom Week: Day 2 – Born in Flames
  3. Mr. Atom Week: Day 1 – Atomic Beat Boy