Captain Atom #2 (1987)

Six weeks later, Captain Atom has been making his public debut. This is all part of Wade Eiling's plans for Phase Two: selling Captain Atom as the world's latest up-and-coming superhero. But others, such as Dr. Megala, cynically have their doubts about moving Nathaniel Adam into the public spotlight in which they believe he is still unfit to adjust to the present despite having him catching up from his 18-years of absence. The public, including well-established superheroes, is unsure of what to make of Captain Atom who suddenly appeared without explanation. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Adam is working as a U.S. Air Force intelligence operative, under the alias "Cameron Scott". His current mission is posing as a free-lance terrorist looking to join a French-Canadian separatist group led by Plastique. But Plastique discovers his ruse after one of her contacts receives word of the authorities trying to infiltrate her organization. She has one of her thugs knockout Nathaniel and strap him into a bomb-truss, which is set up to destroy Plastique's headquarters and any trace of it. However, Plastique is unaware of Nathaniel's superhero identity in which he then transforms into Captain Atom and survives the explosion. Nathaniel manages to grab the schematics pertaining to Plastique's target for her terrorist attack. After Nathaniel brings the information to the Air Force, he is surprised to be reunited with his old friend Jeff Goslin, who is assigned to be his replacement liaison officer. Their reunion is cut short when the analysts finish decoding the target of Plastique's attack: the Canadian Parliament building, the Centre Block, in Ottawa. Nathaniel quickly flies off to Ottawa in his Captain Atom persona and finds one of Plastique's fanatics and quickly disposes the bomb he is carrying. Nathaniel interrogates the would-be suicide-bomber to reveal the rest of Plastique's plan; in which he reveals that Plastique is also planning to destroy the Statue of Liberty. Nathaniel manages to prevent the bombing, but the second bomber dies from the detonation. At the same time, the U.S. President is holding a White House press conference meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister to announce the details of a new North American pact. The conference is suddenly held hostage by Plastique, who was posing as a journalist, and announcing her intentions of Quebec independence that requires the deaths of the President and PM. Fortunately, Captain Atom arrives in time. Plastique's powers are quickly rendered ineffective on the quantum superhero, who absorbs her blasts before proceeding to punch her lights out. With Captain Atom defeating Plastique and saving the President and PM in a very public display, his act of valor immediately garners public appreciation for Captain Atom as "a true American hero!"