A thought popped into my head recently. I don't think the two nuclear powerhouses of DC have ever fought.

Who do you think would win, Firestorm (let's assume Ronnie towards the end of his tenure, i.e. as a veteran who knows his powers. I don't know the new guy too well yet), or Captain Nathanial Atom? Both throw around powerful nuclear blasts, both have impressive offenses and defenses, but they do at the same time have noticably different power sets.


Which atomic hero wins?

at first i was going to vote captain atom as he seems to bring more power and more brute strength but then i realised the biggest ace firestorm has. He can transmute the matter of atoms containment suit to a less stable form causing atoms energies to blowout.
I'll vote firestorm in any terrain without tons of civilians for sure. Also in terrains with civilians i'm sure firestorm could try and absorb large amounts of atoms radiation. It's very situational.

Although he does tend to fail to transmute living things (even if they aren't technically organic), so I don't think he can actually trasmute Atom.

The aces I see in his hole are phasing, and some of the more exotic stuff he can make (like some of the really strong uber-metals that sometimes show up).

Hmmmm, I think power for power Id go with Captain Atom, but I seem to remember that certain elements can disrupt or absorb radiation, and Firestorm being as experienced at this stage as he is, could probably turn CAs non organic skin into such a substance, or surround him in a box of this material, effectively KOing or Incapping Captain Atom. Ill go for Firestorm, mostly due to the variety of his powers, the Matter Transformation, over simply being more powerful.

I said he transmute atoms containment suit. not atom. The containment suit is just a costume.

Oh yea, good point. I was thinking it was one of those 'living part of him' things, then I remembered he -can- take it off...

Btw, opinions on the new kid in Ronnie's place?

Captain Atom and Firestorm have thrown down plenty of times. Back during the Janus Directive era (when DC's superspy orginizations went through a power struggle), Cap and Firestorm were pretty much direct rivals. Cap has the edge over Firestorm in raw power, but Firestorm has a better variety of powers. When it comes down to a brawl, Cap wins. If Firestorm gets the drop on Cap, Firestorm wins.

Incidently, Captain Atom doesn't have a containment suit, nor is he nuclear powered. Those are inventions for JLU. His shell is composed of an alien organic metal that can only be pierced or cut by specially treated matter. The metal shell is a conduit to an extradimenshional source of energy (where the metal aliens came from). He can use this energy to fly, fire "quantum blasts", channel Superman-level strength, teleport through time and space (with practically non-exisitant control), absorb all forms of energy (solar, gravity, fire, lasers, etc.), as well as a measure of invulnerability. He has a limited level of matter manipulation, which he uses to form his metallic shell around his body, as well as manipulate simple materials like cloth fabric, metal and paper (to "dissolve" his clothes when he becomes Captain Atom).