Nuclear Flame
| Nuclear Flame | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Publication | |||
| Publisher | QUACK! Comics QUACK! Studios | ||
| First Appearance | Crimes Against Fun #17 | ||
| Created By | Gretchen Baelows Joseph Leeson | ||
| Formats | Cinema Comics Television | ||
| Character Information | |||
| Alter-Ego | Danny McCarthy | ||
| Species | Human | ||
| Place of Origin | BizTown, MLS | ||
| Team Affiliations | ICEC Knights of Life Crook Casters | ||
| Associates | Liam Nielsen Raven's Assassin Marge Kimiko | ||
| Abilities | Nuclear abilities Ability to explode and divide Regeneration | ||
| Enemies | Rozelyn D'Amilio Cole Common Lord Bastion Haythamator | ||
Nuclear Flame's secret identity is one of the more closely kept and secret of all the QUACK! Comics characters, being that of Danny McCarthy. His identity is kept secret mainly because McCarthy is still in high school, and his elderly adoptive mother, Margaret Kimiko, (referred to as Marge) takes care of him. This means that if his secret identity was compromised, Kimiko could be in danger to kidnapping or other forms of violence. McCarthy's birth parents were lost in a nuclear meltdown at a power plant when he was very young, and McCarthy soon began to show signs of nuclear powers from the accident, which he was involved in too. Living at an orphanage for the first seven years of his life, Marge Kimiko adopted him at age seven, being the only one who did not care about his mysterious abilities. McCarthy soon discovered he could control these abilities, and after accidentally activating them at a bar, learns to control them and use them for good, taking on the superhero name Nuclear Flame. He then began to fight crime in BizTown and later around the world.
Nuclear Flame's abilities include his power to explode, which has the ability to destroy everything in a city-sized explosion, however usually Nuclear Flame contains these explosions, targeting them towards his enemies. After exploding multiple times in a row, Flame must regenerate, though while he does this he can also fight as three people, his body being divided into three parts. His allies include Liam Nielsen, a fellow student who assists Flame in his crime fighting, and Raven's Assassin who often joins Nuclear Flame on large missions. Only Nielsen knows of Nuclear Flame's secret identity, as not even Marge Kimiko knows that McCarthy is Nuclear Flame. Unlike many other superheroes, Nuclear Flame does not have a main love interest, and has only had short relationships with a variety of women. In three of four comic editions, however, McCarthy and Liam begin a romantic relationship, though this is not currently canon. Nuclear Flame also works with the ICEC, Knights of Life, and Crook Casters. Among his main villains are Cole Common, a coal based villain who uses strength and coal powers to battle Nuclear Flame, and Lord Bastion, who uses his intellect and projection powers to wreak havoc. Additionally, Nuclear Flame battles the Haythamator, also known as Haytham Kenway, who is the archenemy of Raven's Assassin.
One of the more youthful and independent of the QUACK! superheroes, Nuclear Flame quickly garnered popularity amongst teens and young children, being seen as a symbol of independence. Though parents railed against the superhero in the 1960's, criticizing the character's frequent alcohol and, to a lesser extent, drug use, along with his carefree attitude towards romantic relationships, over time criticism of the character has waned. Nuclear Flame has appeared in numerous comics, including Crimes Against Fun, Toxic Titans, and Dark Justice, and has also appeared in the Knights of Life television series. QUACK! Studios has also previously announced that Nuclear Flame will be a part of the company's new cinematic superhero universe. Though Nuclear Flame is not scheduled to have a movie of his own so far, interviews with QUACK! executives have revealed that Nuclear Flame will be a part of the Phase II films, after the release of Knights of Life.
