Nitro, AKA the Nuclear Man, makes his return in the Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest miniseries. This time one of Marvel’s most volatile villains has Carol Danvers in his crosshairs. However, Nitro’s new obsession with Danvers stems from his partnership with a mysterious being. Knowing Nitro’s history with Captain Marvel, it is safe to assume this mysterious someone wants the current cosmic superhero eliminated. And he’s chosen the one villain just lethal and crazy enough to do the job.
Nitro VS. Captain Marvel
The Nuclear Man made his first appearance in 1968’s Captain Marvel #34. The issue saw Nitro crossing paths with Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) as he attempted to steal nerve gas. While Captain Marvel stopped Nitro from his nefarious plot, he did end up ingesting the gas. Later, in The Death of Captain Marvel, it is revealed that Mar-Vell’s ingestion of that gas caused terminal cancer. This eventually led to Mar-Vell’s death.
Nitro would later pop up as a significant player in the 2006 Civil War event. The villain ends up killing a ton of superheroes, inevitably leading to the Superhuman Registration Act. Of course, that Act would cause one of the biggest shake-ups in Marvel history. It also led Wolverine and Namor to track down Nitro and subdue him.
Now, Nitro is back and ready to put another Captain Marvel in the ground.
Round Two
Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest comes from Ann Nocenti and Paolo Villanelli. The first issue finds Nitro slowly spiraling, physically and mentally. Of course, in his deteriorating state, he blames his problems on both modern technology and Captain Marvel. This is the perfect time for a mysterious stranger known as Nada. She propositions the villain to help her destroy a planet in exchange for the chance to kill another Captain Marvel.
Now, Nitro is on a crash course for Carol Danvers, who has no idea he is coming. While Danvers is one of the more powerful members of the Marvel Universe, Nitro has proven his ability to take heroes out. Who will come out on top of this deadly encounter?
