The central story revolves around Captain Atom and Monarch, two characters displaced in time. The plot begins in the dinosaur era, where both get involved with an alien race planning to destroy the solar system to open a wormhole that allows them to travel freely across the universe. Captain Atom discovers the aliens’ true intentions and prematurely detonates a charge that is part of their plan, which sends him traveling through time again.
Throughout the series, Captain Atom visits various historical periods, such as ancient Rome under Emperor Nero, the 19th-century American West, and World War II, confronting both Monarch and the aliens as well as numerous time-related challenges.
Monarch, in the context of Armageddon 2001, is revealed to be a future tyrant who seeks to stop a scientist, Matthew Ryder (who becomes the hero Waverider), from preventing this tyrant’s rise in the past. The story explores temporal confusion and Monarch’s identity, eventually revealed to be Hank Hall (Hawk), though Alien Agenda mainly focuses on Captain Atom and his battles against Monarch and the alien invaders.
The comic stands out not only for its time travel plot and fights against alien invaders but also for presenting Captain Atom on an epic journey through history, facing enemies and situations that challenge his power and knowledge.
