Atom Family

The Atom Family is a fictional group from the Role-playing game "Mutants and Masterminds" Freedom City setting. Like most of the premade characters in the game, they are a pastiche of pre-existing comic book characters, in this case mainly the Fantastic Four from Marvel Comics, with aspects of the Challengers of the Unknown, and the original Doom Patrol from DC Comics. The name is likely a pun on the Addams Family.

The Atom Family consists of a group of scientists, adventurers, and superheroes located in Freedom City. Their headquarters is "The Nucleus", a fortified lab complex atop the Goodman building, which is owned by the Atom Family trust (similar to the Baxter Building, and named after Marvel's founder Martin Goodman) The recorded mind of Dr. Alexander Atom is within the building's main computer, still watching over and advising his grandchildren.

Family Members

* "Dr. Atom." - Brilliant scientist/explorer since the 1940's, now a hologram in his own virtual world. Based on Golden Age and pulp adventurers like Doc Savage (in life), and on Wise old man archetypes (with a touch of Arnold Rimmer from the British comedy "Red Dwarf") (as hologram). He can also be seen as a loose analogue of Reed Richards.

* "Maximus Atom" - Oldest grandchild, able to shrink, grow, or turn insubstantial. Often protective of his siblings.

* "Tesla Atom" - Second oldest. Brilliant scientist, able to control "nucleonic forces" to fly, create force fields and energy blasts.

* "Victoria Atom" - Able to stretch and shapeshift. Very curious but bookish, infiltration/sabotage expert.

* "Chase Atom" - Youngest child. Powerful telepath and mind-controller, very serious-minded and responsible for his age. Has a link to the "Moonstone", a powerful Farsider artifact from Luna.

* "Jack Wolf" - Legal guardian of the Atom children, Dr. Atom's adopted son. A rough-around-the-edges pilot, adventurer and former soldier of fortune, but "Uncle Jack" is always ready to look out for the kids.

* "Cosmo the Moon Monkey" - Family pet. Teleporting monkey from Farside City, has a mental link with Chase.

* "ALEX (Artificial Lifeform Experiment)" - The robotic butler/nanny to the Atoms. An adaptive artificial intelligence with its own snobby, acerbic personality.

Family History

Dr. Atom's daughter Andrea, also a brilliant scientist in her own right, married a powerful mentalist called Mentac, who turned out to be an exiled prince from Farside City, a Lunar colony of humans with psionic powers. When Andrea and Mentac sacrificed their lives to save Freedom City from the other-dimensional threat of Omega, Lord of the Terminus, the Atom children (then all still minors) were placed in the legal care of their step-Uncle Jack (since a recorded mind could not hold legal guardianship).

All the children of Andrea and Mentac are mutants with various superhuman powers. Because of Mentac's relationship with the Royal Family of Farside City, the family is often involved in Farsider affairs.

Comparisons

Like most Freedom City characters, the individual Atoms also have analogues from the comics, either in powers, personality, or both. For instance, Maximus' abilities are similar to those of Elasti-Girl of the Doom Patrol or Henry Pym (Ant-Man/Giant-Man) of the Avengers. Chase Atom is similar in situation, though not directly in powers, to Franklin Richards, the child of the Fantastic Four. Both have potentially dangerous abilities that they must learn to control, and which may increase as they get older. ALEX is based on C-3PO and H.E.R.B.I.E. of the Fantastic Four. Jack Wolf is similar in personality to Ben Grimm, or to "Rocky" of the Challengers of the Unknown- a gruff but likeable cuss, who hides his insecurity with crude humor and sarcasm, and is always ready to fight the good fight.