Created by: Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke
1st appearance: Action Comics #775
Nationality: American
Real Name: Nathan Craig James
Aliases: Coldcast
Occupation: Adventurer
Team Affiliations: The Elite, Justice League Elite
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Relatives: unnamed mother, Christopher (brother, deceased)
Skills and abilities: Skilled street fighter
Powers: Coldcast has the power of electromagnetism with this he can manipulate particles on a subatomic level; he can generate any type of energy blast along the EM spectrum (once blasted Superman with yellow sun energy to boost his power level) and generate power EMP’s, his power gives him the ability to fly, create electromagnetic shields/barriers, and detect changes in the Earth’s electromagnetic field which allows him the ability to monitor movements at a great distance
Weapons: none
Biography
Nathan and Christopher Jones grew up on the mean streets of Chicago Illinois, where they faced gang activity on a daily basis. During a fight with one of the neighborhood gangs, Nathan lost his eye defending his brother. This trauma is what triggers Nathan’s metahuman powers. Nathan learns that he can control the EM spectrum and affect matter on a subatomic level. He remained close with his brother and was eventually recruited by Manchester Black. Black recruited Nathan to become a part of his vigilante group, The Elite, whose mandate was to rid the Earth of what they deemed scum. They dealt in swift and brutal justice and abided by no laws. This caught Superman’s attention and drew them into conflict with him. They quickly defeated him and got away. (Action Comics #775)
Superman called out the Elite, and challenged them to a showdown on Io; one of Jupiter’s moons. The battle was lengthy and it seemed that the Elite would be victorious, but Superman was able to finally defeat them and take them into custody. Manchester Black was going to be an operative for the government and reassembled the Elite, but turned on the government. The elite turned on Black and he was recaptured, but Coldcast managed to get away. (Action Comics #795)
When Black’s sister Vera reassembled the Elite as a force for good to clear her family name, Coldcast was eager to join. He was impressed by his earlier encounters with Superman, and wanted to atone for his first time with the Elite. (JLA Secret Files, 2004)
In their first mission, they infiltrated a gang of assassins. The assassins in turn lead them to a terrorist dictator named Hi-Shan Bhat. The JLE took down both the assassins and Bhat. While in custody, Coldcast’s teammate Menagerie used her alien symbeast to make Coldcast kill Bhat and retain no memory of it. While Menagerie was doing this, Manchester Black’s disembodied mind started taking control of his sister. Coldcast started a relationship with Menagerie and in the next mission, came in conflict with his brother, who had joined and underground drug ring and the JSA. The leader of the ring kills Chris before he himself is killed and Vera is mentally taken over by her brother. After facing the powerful villain Eve in the world of Shadows, upon his return to Earth he was arrested by the JLA and taken to the Slab. While in the Slab, with the help of Manitou Raven, he was finally freed from Menagerie’s control, who had been missing for some time now, and remembered how he was coerced by Menagerie to commit the murder. Coldcast was freed from prison and helped the rest of Elite free Vera from her brother’s control. Coldcast and the rest of the team tracked down Menagerie and arrested her, and Coldcast was able to clear his name. (Justice League Elite #1-12)
