Radioactive Man (Marvel Comics)
Dr. Chen Lu, Ph.D, (Chinese:陈露) aka Radioactive Man (Chinese:放射性人) was a Chinese Nuclear Physicist working for the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China.He was exposed to high levels of radiation and mutated into a superhuman with the ability to control and emit deadly forms of radiation. Now a Chinese superhero his nationality lead into conflict with many American heroes. He was a founding member of the Masters of Evil who were created to destroy the Avengers. He later joined the People’s Defense Force, charged with protecting his homeland.
Powers Ablities
A living nuclear reactor, Chen’s body can generate then manipulate a wide spectrum of radiation.
The changes made to his body have made him immune to radiation, and increased his durability and strength, so he can lift up to two tons of weight with ease. He has also been shown able to operate without need for oxygen.
He can harmlessly absorb radiations into himself, drawing them in from his surroundings, or absorbing it from those infected with radiation sickness, healing them. Absorbing excess amounts (say from a nuclear bomb) may require him to vent them or risk blowing up himself.
He naturally emits low level radiation constantly, resulting in his green glow. However he can consciously dampen it, to the point where he no longer glows, appearing to be a normal person.
He also wears a null-radiation harness within his costume, designed by him and modified by Heinrich Zemo, which absorbs his regular level of radiation, allowing him to be around others for long periods without endangering them.
Energies he emits may be used for a variety of effects, with the most blatant being projected blasts of radiation energy, or heat, the latter of which he also uses as a touch attack. Other effects include:
- Emitting an electromagnetic pulse, damaging nearby electronics.
- Emitting energies which can daze and nauseate targets.
- Create hypnotic patterns which allow him to control others into obeying his commands (Hypnosis).
- Giving a target radiation poisoning (Cell Rot), which can be contagious, targeted at a particular genetic type of target, and time delayed for up to a few weeks.
- Produce low-level radiations which interfere with surveillance equipment (without as permanent an effect as an EMP would have).
- And he can produce waves of radiation which protect him from damage.
These protective waves (Force Field) allow him to repel physical attacks, both hand-to-hand and ranged, and have enabled him to survive direct hits from Thor’s hammer undamaged. These waves also protect him from falls of at least a hundred feet unscathed.
He can analyze the radiation in an area or on a person, allowing him to track someone by their radiations, or know whether they’ve been to a place before.
Studying a target, he can detect which radiations they’re most vulnerable to, allowing him to trigger their vulnerabilities, or just to make his own attacks on them more effective. In this way (along with his ability to deflect attacks) he’s been able to go toe-to-toe with far stronger individuals, such as Namor or Hyperion.
He can also try to neutralize a targets powers, which is easier if they’re radiation-based (such as She-Hulk and Spider-Man). This is also possible for non-radiation-based powers (such as him disrupting Moonstone’s Dispersal, or Arnim Zola’s Personality Transfer).
