History: (Outsiders vol. 1 #1, 2)-Dr. Eric Shanner was an early researcher in nuclear science who made some careless mistakes in his experiments, inadvertently exposing himself and his family to radiation poisoning Dr. Shanner grew very ill but survived, while the rest of his family died off. He then vowed to teach the world the effects of radiation and nuclear weapons, even if it took a major destructive event to do it. Years later Shanner constructed six robots that were virtually indistinguishable from his younger self and his family. He endowed his Nuclear Family with powers equivalent to the stages of a nuclear bomb blast and sent them to destroy the city of Los Angeles. Initially they damaged the Esperanza Canyon Nuclear Power Plant on its' opening day. They returned the next day in order to detonate the plant, but The Outsiders confronted the Nuclear Family, foiled their plan, and destroyed the robots. Dr. Shanner finally lost the will to live after seeing his Nuclear Family destroyed, and expired from his radiation-induced illness.