Radioactive Man (The Simpsons character)

Radioactive Man, within the world of the animated series The Simpsons, is a comic book superhero who acquired his powers after surviving an atomic bomb explosion. He looks and sounds suspiciously like a muscular Homer Simpson. His sidekick is Fallout Boy, and his catchphrase is "Up and Atom!"

Within the Simpsons universe, Radioactive Man has been portrayed in many media since his debut in "Radioactive Man" #1 in 1952. In addition to comic books, he was featured in at least one 1940s or 1950s era black-and-white serial, sponsored by Laramie Cigarettes. Dirk Richter, reportedly born 1922 (he was said to be 73 years old (and dead) in 1995), played Radioactive Man and Buddy Hodges played Fallout Boy. Dirk Richter was apparently shot to death in a bordello sometime in the 1960s (a reference to the mysterious death of George Reeves, the first actor to portray Superman on television).

There was also a campy early 1970s TV series suspiciously resembling the Batman TV series, and boasted the appearance of a supervillain called "The Scoutmaster", who sounded like Paul Lynde.

In 1995, a Hollywood studio attempted to film a Radioactive Man movie in Springfield. The movie starred Rainier Wolfcastle (Springfield's answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger), as Radioactive Man. The role of Fallout Boy was cast from local children. Bart Simpson, a huge Radioactive Man fan, tried out for the part, but it went to his pal, Milhouse Van Houten due to Bart being an inch too short. Krusty the Clown was cast as villains Dr. Clownius and Silly Sailor. Wolfcastle is incapable of saying the "Up and Atom!" catchphrase correctly; it always comes out as "Up and at them!". The movie was never completed due to budget overruns caused by constant price-gouging by Springfield vendors, and Milhouse snapping from the pressure of the role, and refusing to continue to portray Fallout Boy. The unfinished project was presumably shelved.

The Bongo Comic
Radioactive Man has escaped from the fictional world of Bart Simpson to appear in a real comic book intermittently published by Bongo Comics, which has also published, since 1994, a number of comics featuring Bart Simpson, the Simpson family, and other characters from the television show.

In issue #1 of the Bongo comic, it somewhat differs from the version seen in the TV episode Three Men and a Comic Book. It had the same type of scenario and accident (Claude getting his trousers caught on barbed wire just before a mega-bomb explodes) but Claude, in the Bongo series, was not wearing tattered clothes. Also it seemed that he survived the blast when a shard of radioactive metal (shaped like a lightning bolt) got embedded in his head in the Bongo version, while in the episode version he just survived it somehow. Throughout the series the shard of metal was always attempted to be removed, but each attempt has nasty consequences which results in it back in his scalp again.

Maintaining the satirical standards of the television show, these comics often parody genre comic books, and the reader can follow the evolution of Radioactive Man from a 1950s irradiated hero through the politically reactionary or radical years of the 1960s and 1970s, and the dark, troubled years of the 1980s and 1990s comic book hero. The comics are published as if they were the actual Simpsons universe's Radioactive Man comics; a "1970s"-published comic features a letter written by a ten-year-old Marge Bouvier, for instance.

Within the Bongo Comics, Radioactive Man is secretly Claude Kane III, a millionaire layabout whose personality was well-intentioned, but bumbling and not overly bright. In addition (which became a recurring storyline element), Claude's personality was permanently stuck in a conservative 1950s outlook on everything, no matter what the time era in question was. His father was a noted scientist and explorer, while his mother was (until a 1995 comic) missing for many years, ultimately to be revealed as having been turned into Radioactive Man's enemy, the robot Pneumatica. The same issue also revealed that Radioactive Man's "1940s" counterpart/predecessor was known as "Radio Man" (who had power over radio waves). Radioactive Man's worst enemy is the mad scientist Dr. Crab (a human who was mutated into a humanoid crab).

Radioactive Man's secret hideout was called the "Containment Dome" (a parody of Superman's Fortress of Solitude), a geodesic dome-like facility that lacked a door (which Radioactive Man constantly kept forgetting to put in).

Radioactive Man lived in the fictional city of Zenith; among his associates included:


 * Gloria Grand: a parody of Lois Lane and Gloria Glad, girlfriend of Richie Rich. Gloria was a reporter for television station WZEN (in the "1950s" and "early 1960s" comics, WZEN was a radio station). Despite Claude's feelings for her, Gloria regarded him as an annoying dunce, and preferred Radioactive Man (parodying the Lois Lane-Superman-Clark Kent "triangle").


 * Rod Runtledge, also known as Fallout Boy: Radioactive Man's sidekick, Rod was an orphan who lived with his Aunt June until Claude took him in as his ward. Early on (as revealed in a flashback in a "1962" comic), Rod gained powers similar to Radioactive Man's, and adopted a crimefighting identity. Fallout Boy was a parody of Batman's sidekick, Robin.


 * The Superior Squad: A superhero team that Radioactive Man was a member of. The team's 1940s predecessor was known as the "Superior Squadron." The Superior Squad operated out of the Mando Building. It was an amalgamation of the Justice League and The Avengers, and took its name from Marvel Comics Squadron Supreme. Members of the Superior Squad included:


 * Captain Squid: a parody of Aquaman or Namor the Sub-Mariner. Capt. Squid possessed squidlike tentacles beneath his gloves, and had an unrequited crush on Lure Lass.
 * Lure Lass: real name Laura Lasser, a parody of Scarlet Witch who possessed an "alluring power". Had an unrequited crush on Captain Squid.
 * Bug Boy: a buglike mutant but reaveled to be the sole survivor of an alien race (which he accidentally wiped out) among whom he was considered stupid because of an I.Q. of 315 (which was considered quite low on his homeworld). Bug Boy was a child genius and the team's scientist. He could also control other insects. As of a "1984" comic, he now goes by his real name, Dr. Bix Bentley, in an attempt to restore some dignity.
 * Weasel Woman: a parody of Wolverine, Weasel Woman possessed razor-sharp nails.
 * Plasmo the Mystic: a mystical sorcerer, similar to Doctor Strange, whose face was hidden under a hooded cloak. Later comics heavily implied that he was a pothead.
 * Bleeding Heart: a parody of Green Arrow. His real name was Miles Mando, who (unknown to the others) was the millionaire financier of the team. In the "1960s" comics, his original name was "Purple Heart", which he later changed to "Bleeding Heart" in "1972" after briefly losing his fortune and adapting a socially conscientious attitude. In "1986," Miles Mando once again changed his name, this time to "Heart of Darkness." In the 1990s, a lawsuit necessitated that he start calling himself "Purple Badge of Courage." He has also called himself "Braveheart" at some point in time. Bleeding Heart was the only team member without any superpowers.

As shown in Simpsons Comics and Stories #1, Radioactive Man (within the Simpsons universe) was created by Morty Mann, a fellow resident at Grandpa Simpson's retirement home. Mann had sold the rights to Radioactive Man for a minuscule sum, but thanks to Bart, regained a role in producing a new Radioactive Man comic.

Comic bibliography
Bongo publishes new issues of Radioactive Man twice a year. A list of the issues published so far, plus all other known appearances of Radioactive Man (organized by order released):

Pre-Bongo
 * Simpsons Comics & Stories #1: Features a page from Radioactive Man #418.

Volume 1 (written by Steve Vance; publishing started 1994)
 * Radioactive Man #1 ("1952"): The first appearance and origin of Radioactive Man; a parody of Golden Age comics.
 * Radioactive Man #88 ("1962"): features a "retelling" of the origin of Fallout Boy; a parody of Silver Age Marvel comics.
 * Radioactive Man #216 ("1972"): a parody of the "relevant" age of 1970s comics, Radioactive Man discovered that Fallout Boy was a hippie spoofing an issue of Green Lantern/Green Arrow in which Green Arrow discovered his sidekick Speedy was a heroin addict
 * Radioactive Man #412 ("1980"): a parody of the "Dark Phoenix" storyline in the X-Men comics.
 * Radioactive Man #679 ("1986"): a parody of several 1980s comic storylines, particularly Crisis on Infinite Earths, Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
 * Radioactive Man #1000 ("1995"): a parody of 1990s comics, including Image Comics' Spawn.
 * Radioactive Man 80-Page Colossal: a "reprint" of various "previous" Radioactive Man stories; a parody of various Silver Age DC Comics stories, as well as DC's 80 Page Giants, a series of 80-page-long reprints of previous material that DC published in the 1960s.

Between Volumes
 * Simpsons Comics #36-39 / Radioactive Man #160 ("1968"): the flip-sides from all four issues form a parody of Jim Steranko's Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comics. Features Purple Haze, a character who parodies Luke Cage's affinity for ebonics.
 * Simpsons Comics #50 / Radioactive Man #99 ("1963"): features a one-page ad parodying the old comic advertisements for Hostess confections; also a backup story, "Planet of the Strange-O's," spoofing Bizarro from Superman's comics.

Volume 2 (written by Batton Lash; publishing started 2001)
 * Radioactive Man #100 ("1963")
 * Radioactive Man #222 ("1973"): a parody of the early 1970s Marvel Comics.
 * Radioactive Man #136 ("1966"): a parody of Archie Comics's Mighty Comics line.
 * Radioactive Man #4 ("1953"): a parody of Marvel Comics science-fiction comics.
 * Radioactive Man #575 ("1984"): a parody of various independent 1980s comics, particularly Howard Chaykin's American Flagg (Chaykin drew the cover for this issue).
 * Radioactive Man #106 ("1963"): a parody of Gold Key Comics
 * Bongo Super-Heroes #7
 * Radioactive Man Movie Special: the "official" comic book adaptation of the Radioactive Man movie (as seen in the Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man")
 * Radioactive Man #197 ("1971"): a parody of the New Gods comics created by Jack Kirby.

post-Volume 2
 * Simpsons Super Spectacular #1: flip side of comic has Radioactive Man in a parody of Charlton Comics's Captain Atom. Three stories are all based on early 1960s Captain Atom stories, as is the cover.
 * Simpsons Super Spectacular #2: "Bongos" a parody of Kurt Busiek/Alex Ross's Marvels.
 * Simpsons Super Spectacular #3: Lure Lass and Weasel Woman team-up adventure, battling the Crazy Cat Lady. Radioactive Man makes a short appearance at the end.