Agents of Atlas

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Context

The Agents of Atlas are a super-hero team, which assembled in 2006.

They work for a shadowy but sort-of-benign conspiracy, the Atlas Foundation.

All these characters actually debuted during the 1950s, as published by the predecessor of Marvel Comics – Atlas Publishing.

Since we like these guys, they all have at least two profiles – one for the 1950s version and one for the 2000s version. Except for M-11 and fan-favourite Gorilla-Man, who have too little 1950s material.

Organization

Full Name:
Agents of Atlas.

Purpose:
Running the Atlas Empire.

The Agents of Atlas also ensure that Atlas remains evenly matched against other factions also controlled by immortal dragons, to prevent major conflicts between those.

Modus Operandi:
Covert operations by the Agents, cleaning up illegal Atlas operations and changing the world for the better.

Extent of operations:
Global.

Bases of Operations:
Numerous, but based out of the one under San Francisco.

During the late 1950s, the G-Men also operated out of San Francisco. Marvel Boy’s Silver Bullet rocket usually landed at the Chabot Observatory in Oakland  , about 20km away from the team’s favourite beatnik  tiki bar on the SF piers.

Major Funding:
Atlas Empire.

Known Enemies:
Norman Osborn, Michael N’Guyen.

Known Allies:
Namor, X-Men.

Membership

Number of active members:
Between 6 and 8 depending on the era.

Number of reserve members:
0.

Organizational structure:
Jimmy Woo is Grand Khan of the Atlas Empire, and leader of the Agents.

The immortal dragon Mr. Lao is his advisor, and has been the advisor of all previous Grand Khans. Who is the real master of Atlas is unclear even to Woo, as Mister Lao’s mind is formidably complex and has millenia of experience.

Core team:

New Agents of Atlas:
This additional roster was assembled in 2019, during the War of the Realms.

Known former members:

Membership requirements:
Invitation only.

Technology

As the inner circle of the Atlas Empire, the Agents have access to the organisation’s vast resources. These include bases all around the world, advanced technology, and experts in every field.

In DC Heroes terms their High Level Connection to Atlas brings with it:

Key Atlas technologists, such as the head roboticist Dr. Zu, have about Gadgetry: 08 and Scientist: 08. Dr. Zu’s father and Dr. Zu have been the Menacer (“M”) series of death robots. From the dieselpunk M-1 robot of 1927 to the M-15 generation (decade unrevealed).

They also have access to the Dragon’s Corridor, an other-dimensional space which has portals in numerous locations on Earth. It requires scales of a dragon to locate the portals, and to protect travellers from the radiations of the place.

Following Venus’ abduction, Bob placed transceivers in each of them. To allow him to locate them if necessary.

Watch this, Dick Tracy

Bob also built some 1950s-style videophone watches for the team soon after it assembled. These allow for radio communications with a video feed.

These are primarily used by Hale and Woo. Grayson and M-11 do not normally need them. The ladies use them occasionally.

Some watches are further tricked-out :

ATLAS VIDEO WATCH [BODY 01, Radio comms (Encrypted): 15, Bonus: RComs includes visuals (+10 BC)].

History (part 1)

Department Zero

In 1958 the Yellow Claw kidnapped President Eisenhower  .

The FBI granted Jimmy Woo special powers to assemble a covert team of super-powered beings in order to rescue him. Jimmy recruited Marvel Boy (Bob Grayson), Venus, and Gorilla Man.

He also tried to recruit Namora. She was busy with other pursuits, but helped him recover M-11 The Human Robot from where it lay underwater.

Grayson worked on the robot, and soon had it working and part of the team.

G-Men in action

Nicknaming themselves the G-Men, the team tracked down and rescued the President. But the Claw escaped yet again.

They operated for another six months, given the official designation of Department Zero.

While technically a part of the FBI, their external creation led to friction with some parts of the Bureau, especially Hoover  himself.

They carried out a number of operations, mainly against the Yellow Claw.

The G-Men in 1958.

Corridors and dead ends

Their final mission was investigating a military plane. It had been appearing and disappearing at irregular intervals and positions outside a military base, with a skeletal pilot inside.

Joined by pilot Cary “Kit” Dekum they discovered the Dragon’s Corridor. This is an otherdimensionalLocated in another reality. space the Yellow Claw used to travel quickly around the world.

The Claw would let Soviet agents use it for their operations. The group disrupted this operation, but as Kit flew a captured plane away, they recognise it as the one stuck in the loop.

Hoover used Kit’s death as an excuse to shut down Department Zero, and the members returned to their lives.

Woo’s on first base

Nearing retirement, Jimmy was mortally wounded while covertly investigating the Yellow Claw.

S.H.I.E.L.D. — who Jimmy worked for at this point — investigated. They brought Gorilla Man in from another section for questioning about their history. But Gorilla Man had already been contacted by M-11 and Bob Grayson, and they broke Jimmy out.

Uranian technology restored Jimmy to the state he’d been in when Bob had last scanned him, in 1958.

Agents of Atlas

Young again, with no memory of the intervening decades, Jimmy led them in investigating the lead he’d almost died following: the Atlas Foundation.

During the acquisition of his notes they encountered S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Derek Khanata. Khanata’d been assigned to the case and willingly accompanied them.

Locating Venus, they convinced her to rejoin, despite being accosted by agents of the Yellow Claw.

The team then followed M-11 as he determinedly located the resting place of the supposedly dead Namora. As it turned out she was still alive, but had been placed in suspended animation to prevent death after having been poisoned. Uranian technology cured her, and she happily joined the team.

Back on the job

They investigated a number of Atlas companies:

The Agents learned that M-11 had been programmed as a double agent for the Yellow Claw. They used him to track their enemy back to the scene of the earlier massacre, where Jimmy had been found.

Discovering a secret passage they battled through Claw’s minions to face the villain himself, along with his advisor the dragon Mr. Lao.

The New Khan

The Yellow Claw — more properly the Golden Claw, or Master Plan — revealed that like him Jimmy was a descendant of Genghis Khan  .

He’d been testing Jimmy as his enemy to ensure his worthiness of succeeding him as Khan, and restore his Eternal Empire to its former glory.

Jimmy accepted the Spirit Banner of Temujin. He declared himself the leader of the Eternal Empire and the Atlas Foundation. But he also professed his determination to use their resources for the betterment of the world.

His time done, the Yellow Claw willingly stepped into the mouth of Mr. Lao to be devoured.

With Agent Khanata’s help the team faked their death, leaving them temporarily free of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s interest. Jimmy and his Agents of Atlas — the inner circle of the Empire — made plans to become a clandestine force for good in the world.

Secret Invasion

Cut off from the Atlas Foundation when the Skrulls’ invasion became overt, the Agents carried out strikes against the aliens for information.

When Venus was unwilling to use her powers to cause the Skrull soldiers to drown themselves, Jimmy accepted her decision – understanding her concerns. He ordered M-11 to execute the soldiers.

The Agents moved on. They carried out covert actions against the invaders all over the world, and contacted others to help their resistance activities.

Dark Reign

When Osborn came to power the Agents stole gold from Fort Knox that he’d earmarked for illegal weapon system research.

Using this by way of an introduction, Jimmy played up the role of head of a criminal empire. He set up an arms deal with Osborn for Uranian technology.

They tried to manipulate the New Avengers into destroying the fake weaponry, but ran into a problem when Spider-Man (Peter Parker) realised the truth.

Fortunately M-11 recognised Wolverine as Logan, who’d left an explosive on him when they’d last met in 1958, and attacked. This reignited the fight, and the weaponry was destroyed as planned.

Dark Reign (cont.)

When Osborn realised they’d been playing him he set his black ops team, the Thunderbolts, to kill them.

The Thunderbolts attacked an illegal Atlas chemical weapons research facility in a remote corner of Louisiana. While they’d been unaware of its existence, the Agents investigated and were ambushed.

While the fight was complicated by chemicals released by the facility’s destruction, the Agents managed to win.

Jimmy had the Uranian (as Bob now called himself) implant a post-hypnotic suggestion in Scourge that he should shoot Osborn when next he saw him. It didn’t work as Osborn next appeared as a hologram, so only the Headsman was killed.

Managerial pursuits

Unhappy with Jimmy’s progress, Mr. Lao appointed his second. That is, an heir in case anything should happen to Jimmy. That was Temugin, the Mandarin’s son.

With S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded, Jimmy recruited Derek Khanata as administrator for Atlas, and a member of the inner circle.

Learning that Suwan — his former lover, and Yellow Claw’s daughter — still lived, Jimmy sought her out. Mr. Lao told him she was head of the Great Wall, a faction of the Atlas Empire which had split off and controlled their ancestral homelands.

What Mr. Lao neglected to mention was that Jimmy’s entering her lands would break a peace accord that had been in place for decades.

The Jade Claw

Suwan — now called the Jade Claw — was less than happy to see Jimmy. She initiated the war, using the Dragon’s corridor to strike at Atlas facilities all around the world.

Her own robot, M-21, proved more formidable than M-11 and briefly destroyed it.

Learning it was powered by a satellite array, they destroyed them as part of their assault on the Great Wall. They ultimately beat the enemy force.

Jimmy allowed Suwan to retain control of the Great Wall as part of the Atlas Empire. He assigned Temugin to oversee her.

The Abduction of Venus

When Venus went missing, even Atlas’ resources proved inadequate in locating her.

Desperate and not wanting to waste time asking and risk refusal, the Agents infiltrated the X-Men’s mostly abandoned Greymalkin facility in San Francisco. They sought to borrow their Cerebro technology.

Unsurprisingly the infiltration didn’t go as planned. But after the obligatory fight the X-Men allowed the Agents to use Cerebro. They learned she was being held in the Adirondacks by agents of Aphrodite.

The goddess was unhappy with the usurpation of her name, especially by one made in her image. But the Agents rescued Venus before Aphrodite did anything to her.

Cause I speak of the pompitous of love

Aphrodite hadn’t finished with Venus. She informed her creator, Phorcys, where his errant puppet was.

The monster appeared in the waters of San Francisco bay. He called Venus to him and had her use her abilities to lull sacrifices for him to feed. The Agents helped Venus break free of his control and see him off.

Hunting down Aphrodite, they found the Greek Pantheon — in control of the Olympus Group corporation — under attack by Hercules for their actions.

The Agents infiltrated their headquarters and encountered the enraged Aphrodite. The goddess easily took control of the Agents, but Venus engaged her with her powers.

Aphrodite countered with a similar attack. But she was ultimately forced to accept she’d degenrated to represent the petty and vain over the centuries rather than love.

Deciding to she was no longer worthy, Aphrodite gave Venus her Cestus and her role as Goddess of Love.

The Agents facing possessed Atlas troopers.

Return of the Three Dimensional Man

After an attack on the brothers who’d originally been the 3D-Man, their successor Delroy Garret Jr. began having dreams. In these, the 3D-Man worked with a super-team back in the 1950’s.

Coming under attack himself he learned the group he’d seen in his dreams still operated. He hunted them down.

When he confronted the Agents of Atlas they insisted the original 3D-Man had never been a member of their group. But they decided to investigate.

They discover beings from another dimension capable of possessing bodies in their world. This led to a fight when the Atlas troops of their own base were taken over.

The battle was ended by Mr. Lao killing most of the controlled soldiers, but they managed to take a prisoner and force him to reveal what he knew.

The invaders were from an echo world, stuck between two other dimensionsOther realms of existence that are not our universe. with slightly different Earths.

The Agents made preparations to travel to the echo world. However, sabotage forced a few of them into their bodies on the other Earth for a short while.

Echo world

There they learned that the group Jimmy had formed over there — which included the 3D-Man — had been called the Avengers. They eventually grew into the Avengers as it was known today.

The Agents also learned that this dimension had been battling echo world invasions for ages. The locals were unaware that when they blocked one incursion, the echo worlders turned to the other Earth.

Finally reaching the echo world, called Lurra by its inhabitants, they found themselves empowered by the nature of the place. They learned the world has always been filled with ghosts of people in the other worlds, appearing but unable to be affected by the natives.

Unable to escape them without retreating to remote areas, the natives developed the means to reach the other worlds. They set to making war on them to get some peace.

Using Uranian technology and the resources of the Atlas Foundation — while shrugging off the attacks of the panicked locals — the Agents engineered a method of preventing the ghosts from appearing.

Returning to their home dimension, Jimmy invites 3D-Man to join the Agents. He accepted.

History (part 2)

In 2010, all mortals were plunged into a catalepsy during the events of the Chaos War. Venus helped other immortal heroes contain the damage and set up a counterstrike.

In 2015, Atlas quickly took down a well-funded neo-Nazi terror organisation. This put them on the trail of secret facilities of the much, much older Thule Society.

However, this foray was inconclusive. In large part because the team was becoming ragged from stress and fatigue, and Mr. Woo was becoming unable to function as a leader.

Soon after that, the Agents nevertheless defended Paris against a global invasion of monsters summoned from Franklin Richards’ dreamspace. They held the line until Franklin could delete all such creatures worldwide.

However, it seems that exhaustion led to the Inner Circle Agents of Atlas taking a break for a few years.

The kids are alright

Perhaps because of this mounting fatigue, Jimmy and Atlas had been investing for several years in a super-school to train young super-heroes. The Pan-Asian School for the Unusually Gifted was established in Mumbai.

The idea was to recruit graduates for the Atlas Foundation. But that would take years.

In 2019, Jimmy Woo made an offer to young but established super-heroes, who had been helping at Pan-Asian. These were :

However, this was interrupted by worldwide invasions from the AsgardianThe reality of the Old Norse gods, such as Thor. dimensions.

War of the Realms

Jimmy used Atlas resources to coordinate super-hero response through much of the Asia-Pacific region. He put Brawn in charge of the operational planning, and focused on soothing national rivalries among the contributing heroes.

Jimmy also deployed a key asset in the fight against Sindr, daughter of Sutur, Queen of the Fire Giants. He tricked her into thinking she’d get to fight Tūtū Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. But “Pele” was actually an Atlas robot impersonator, designed to have Sindr waste her flame.

The Asia-Pacific heroes thus broke the invasion from Muspelheim. This allowed them to reinforce those in other regions, and help end the War of the Realms.

In the wake of this crisis, Mr. Woo could recruit a whole new roster of Agents among the heroic youths. This second team was led by Cho, since Woo was too busy.

New Agents of Atlas

Meanwhile, the reunited older team unearthed a conflict between ancient dragons – including Atlas’ own Mister Lao.

The newer team was busy with the product launch of “move fast and break things” billionaire tech bro Mike N’Guyen, CEO of the Big N’Guyen company. Big N’Guyen was secretly exploiting another, captive dragon to power their tech.

(“Big N’Guyen” is a pun based on the common, simplified Anglophone pronunciation of the family name Nguyễn as “win”).

N’Guyen had deployed teleportation gates between Big-N’Guyen-owned neighbourhoods across the world. This broke innumerable laws, the dragon-scale-based tech kept attracting angry reptiles (including wyerns and minor dragons), and Mike N’Guyen kept using Cho and team for his promotion.

Mr. Woo and Mr. Lao told Cho and team to free the captive dragon. But there was no clear way to do that without dire consequences.

New Agents of Atlas (plus ally Protector (Isaac Ikeda)) in 2020.

Atlantis Attacks

Woo and his Agents then came in to help the newbies. A key point was to broker peace with Namor, as the dragon powering Big N’Guyen tech was an Atlantean subject.

But the situation kept escalating and involving new players.

Atlas operatives and allies eventually succeeded. In particular, Wave brokered peace between the Atlanteans and another undersea culture, the Sirenas, who had been working with Mike N’Guyen.

Though the situation was competently contained :

Don’t be a stranger

In 2021, the Agents helped against monster attacks that occured in multiple countries. These followed the appearance of a dome of dark force around the nation of Siancong.

Aero, one of the New Agents of Atlas, was badly wounded while evacuating Vietnamese farmers at the Siancongese border. But Dr. Strange soon treated these magical lesions.

In 2022, the death of Dr. Strange triggered yet another global crisis. Numerous dimensional wards and protections were weakened by Strange’s passing, resulting in multiple demonic attacks.

As usual in such cases, the Agents — old and New — deployed to fight. Notably :

White Fox and Sword Master then tracked down evil fox spirits (구미호) in rural Korea. Sword Master was seemingly slain, and his magical blade broken. The latter resulted in further attacks from Chiyou’s demons, as the sword was a critical part of the wards keeping them imprisoned.

DC Universe Adaptation

(This section proposes ways of using this character in DC Universe stories).

The JSA had disbanded when the President was kidnapped, and the government remained suspicious of its members. So when Jimmy was tasked with assembling a team he was ordered to recruit agents without links to former super-hero groups.

Nevertheless, the suspicion spread to the G-men, causing political pressure among those who knew of their existence. This forced their eventual disbanding.

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