Marvel Is Redesigning A Classic Captain Marvel Villain In New Series

Nitro is a longtime villain of the original Captain Marvel, having first appeared in 1974's "Captain Marvel" #34 by Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart. Originally an Earthbound electrical engineering retiree who operated a ham radio as a hobby, Robert Hunter gained the attention of a group of Kree rebels, who experimented on him and made him a living weapon. As Nitro, he could explode his body like a bomb when needed, and would survive by reconstituting the leftover gas and reforming himself.

Nitro has battled several Marvel heroes, including Daredevil, the New Warriors, and Iron Man, but his most notable act of villainy came against Mar-Vell. 

Nitro's gases were responsible for giving the original Captain Marvel cancer, with the hero succumbing to his illness in 2019's "The Death of Captain Marvel" from Starlin. In a rare occurrence in the superhero genre, Mar-Vell has largely stayed dead since. Nitro's actions would lead several characters to take up the Captain Marvel mantle, including Monica Rambeau, Mar-Vell's son Genis-Vell, and the current (and main) version of the hero in the Marvel Universe, Carol Danvers.

In the present day, Ann Nocenti and artist Paolo Villanelli are bringing back Nitro for "Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest," where the villain will look different than his traditional, creepy appearance.