Monarch

[Pink Bat Max]

Can anyone break down what a reader of Countdown needs to know about Monarch? He's the one player where I don't really know his heritage, what he's about, and what's going on with him. I know he was originally GONNA be Captain Atom, then was made Hawk, and now Captain Atom is turning into him as was originally intended, but I really have no other relevant information on him. I know Wikipedia has an article on him, but usually asking fans, you can learn more. So how about it?

(On a side note.... if they're turning Captain Atom into Monarch, wouldn't it be surprising if they unmasked the Sensor Girl we've been seeing, and they found Kara instead of Jeckie....)

[Paul Newell]

Theis thread should answer your questions:

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=180255

[MWGallaher]

From what I can tell, anything you need to know about Monarch will come from Countdown. Although previous stories (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters) showed Captain Atom entering the Monarch suit, the character of Monarch as portrayed in Countdown exhibits no particular characteristics of Captain Atom. He may "be" Nathaniel Adam (a.k.a. Captain Atom) but knowing anything about Captain Atom as published previously by DC won't help you know anything about Monarch, so far as I can tell. Actually, it would probably just frustrate you, since it's really hard to reconcile the melodramatic Monarch's dialogue with that of Cary Bates's Captain Atom. Just accept that he's changed, he's now Monarch, and the past doesn't really matter.