Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we spotlight women and nonbinary folks who inspire us. This includes fictional characters and creators in geeky media. They are a prime example of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for Prime Video’s Invincible, specifically Atom Eve’s arc. Proceed at your peril.
Atom Eve
Fast Facts
Invincible: Atom Eve
Samantha Eve Wilkins, aka Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), was born as a result of the US military’s experimentation. Dr. Elias Brandyworth (Stephen Root) recruited her biological mother, who was homeless, to carry Atom Eve to term while being injected with a special serum. This would give Eve powers. Unfortunately, her mom died during childbirth. To protect Eve from the government, Brandyworth switched Eve out with another couple’s baby. She was ultimately taken in by Adam and Betsy Wilkins, whose real baby was stillborn.
When she was a preteen, Eve discovered she had superpowers. She eventually took to the skies, taking her abilities for a test drive. After deciding on her superhero costume, Eve made it her mission to save people. At one point in the Invincible: Atom Eve special episode, Eve learned she had “siblings” — other government experiments that weren’t as successful as her. She battled them in the special’s climax, resulting in Brandyworth’s death.
Season 1 and Season 2
In Invincible Season 1, Atom Eve is a student attending Regnald Vel Johnson High School. She’s also part of the Teen Team, which includes her boyfriend, Rex Splode (Jason Mantzoukas). Eve meets Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) while battling alien baddies in the city. They become fast friends. Eve eventually resigns from Teen Team after stumbling upon Rex cheating on her with Dupli-Kate (Malese Jow), their team member.
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Eve forgoes moving back home due to her abusive adoptive father. Instead, she uses her powers to build a cool tree house in the woods. Now superhero team-less, she goes solo, helping folks with less life-threatening but still impactful issues. She helps farmers’ crops grow and builds a playground for a local neighborhood.
Robot (Zachary Quinto) assembles a new Guardians of the Globe team after Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) killed the last batch. He tries to select Atom Eve, but she decides to be an ally to the team instead of joining. Throughout Season 2, Eve lends a hand when needed. At one point, Eve squares off against Killcannon (Fred Tatasciore), a villain she battled as a kid. Unfortunately, their fight results in a couple’s car hurtling off a bridge. While Eve saves them from drowning, the event scars her emotionally. She retreats to her fortress in the woods to lick her wounds.
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Later, Eve helps Mark and the Guardians ward off Sequids before they infiltrate and overtake Earth. In the Season 2 finale, Eve also assists with searching for Mark after he becomes stranded in an alternate dimension, no thanks to Angstrom Levy (Sterling K. Brown). An older Atom Eve finds Mark and brings him home. She advises him to tell Eve how he feels because she’s always loved him. When he returns to his timeline, present-day Eve comforts Mark.
The Real Deal
Atom Eve is an immensely powerful superhero. She may not be on the level of our titular Invincible, but her abilities are quite versatile and deadly. She’s also incredibly intelligent, particularly regarding science and her specific powerset. She can manipulate matter on an atomic level and essentially create anything out of thin air, with the exception of sentient beings.
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Additionally, Atom Eve is an empathetic, compassionate soul. In a series where ultimate, unchecked power corrupts, Eve keeps a good head on her shoulders. She remains zeroed in on her objective: to protect humanity. Her move to the woods and focus on assisting folks with everyday problems proves she understands it’s not just about world-ending alien invasions and apocalyptic events. Everyone matters. She also tries to channel her powers positively to benefit nature and specific communities.
Eve is a loyal, selfless friend who constantly puts the world’s needs above hers. Her idealism fuels her motivation and passion for helping people. However, she doesn’t allow people to walk all over her (at least not anymore), as is evidenced by her breaking up with Rex after he cheats on her with Dupli-Kate.
Why She Matters
Atom Eve is a badass superhero who doesn’t allow her powers to boost her ego or eat away at her moral center. She remains levelheaded and humble. That strong moral center guides her to do extraordinary things and help those who usually become collateral damage or go unnoticed in the grand scheme of superheroics. She understands her privilege and uses it to benefit marginalized communities.
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So, be like Atom Eve. Be bold; be fearless. Save the day when the aliens come calling, but also never forget the little guys. Be an unwavering steward of our Mother Earth. Don’t be a doormat. Oh, and you’re never too old for a super cool tree house.
Invincible Season 3 premieres on Thursday, February 6, only on Prime Video.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: JENTRY CHAU
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
