Nathaniel Adams

Captain Nathaniel C. "Nate" Adams was a captain in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam war.

History
Adams was born on May 30, 1940. He joined the Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain, and was also involved with air force intelligence during the Vietnam war.

In 1968, Captain Adams received intel about a weapons smuggling ring. He reported to his commanding officer, General Lemar, who was also aware of the ring, and ordered Adams to investigate Hill 409 with a squad. They were ambushed, and only Adams and his friend Lt. Yarrow escaped, the latter barely. Adams was certain Lemar had set him up, and confronted him about it. Minutes later, Lemar was dead, killed with Adams' knife. Military police arrived moments later.

Captain Adams was brought before court martial, where he was defended by Yarrow. Adams claimed that he blacked out, and was possibly drugged, but there was no evidence for that story. The judge, Wade Eiling convicted him to life in prison. When Adams died a year later, the official story was that he killed himself.

Adams' wife moved on, and married Wade Eiling. She was always convinced of her husband's innocence. Her daughter agreed.

Forty-three years later, Justice League member Captain Atom sent the Team to investigate a tip that the trial was indeed a set-up.

Background in other media
Whilst any connection is yet to be made in Young Justice, Nathaniel Adams is one of the real names of Captain Atom. In mainstream comics, his surname is Adam; it was changed to Adams in the television series Justice League Unlimited. The new surname was also used in the Captain Atom-themed Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Powerless!", written by Greg Weisman.