Neutron (Nathaniel Tryon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Superman.[1]
Publication history
Neutron first appeared in Action Comics #525 (November 1981), and was created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.[2] Wolfman commented about the character's creation, stating: "...With Neutron it was a matter of coming up with someone potentially more powerful and deadly than Superman had ever faced."[3]
Fictional character biography
Nathaniel Tryon is a petty thug who gains nuclear powers during a meltdown at a nuclear plant he is attacking. He battles Superman before being presumed dead in an attempt to kill his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent.[4] However, Neutron later appears alive and joins the Secret Society of Super Villains in Infinite Crisis.
"One Year Later"
Following the Infinite Crisis event, Neutron becomes a villain for hire and a member of the Nuclear Legion.
In The New 52 reboot, Neutron is a mercenary sent to kill Lex Luthor. However, he accidentally releases Luthor's Amazo virus on Metropolis and is infected, disabling his abilities and afflicting him with cancer.[5]
Powers and abilities
Neutron's body is composed of nuclear energy that grants him superhuman physical abilities and the ability to manipulate nuclear energy. However, he is forced to wear a special suit to maintain a physical form and prevent his radiation from harming others.
In other media
Television
- Neutron makes non-speaking appearances in Justice League Unlimited as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society before being killed by Darkseid.
- Neutron appears in the Smallville episode "Injustice", portrayed by Jae Lee. He joins Parasite, Livewire, and Plastique in forming a group to search for Davis Bloome before being killed by him.[6]
- Neutron appears in Young Justice, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.[7] This version gained his abilities through experimentation from the Reach, who activated his latent metahuman gene. By 2056, he becomes an acquaintance of Bart Allen and helps him travel back in time to save the Flash, de-power the present-day Neutron, and change the timeline. While Bart succeeds in doing so, the future Neutron is horrified to discover that this did not change the future. In the third season, the present-day Neutron becomes a counselor at the Metahuman Youth Center after receiving therapy from Black Canary.
Video games
Neutron appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[8]
Miscellaneous
Neutron appears in the audio drama Superman & The Neutron Nightmare.
References
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 276–277. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ Eury, Michael (2006). The Krypton companion : a historical exploration of Superman comic books of 1958-1986. Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 185. ISBN 978-1893905610.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Fearsome Five". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
- ^ Justice League (vol. 2) #41 (August 2015). DC Comics.
- ^ Al Septien, Turi Meyer (writers) & Tom Welling (director) (2009-05-07). "Injustice". Smallville. Season 8. Episode 21. The CW.
- ^ "Neutron / Nathaniel "Neut" Tryon Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
