10 Comics Fan Theories Confirmed By The Creators
3. Captain Atom Was Supposed To Be Monarch
During the 1991 crossover event, Armageddon 2001, DC had long hinted that the villainous Monarch would be none other than Captain Atom. And it made sense. The man from the dystopian future couldn't, feasibly, be anyone else but Nathaniel Christopher Adam. It was the only logical answer.
...Right up until it was revealed to be Hawk, from Hawk and Dove.
After the initial shock had died down, it didn't take long until theories started making the rounds, and the predominant one was that someone had leaked the ending to Armageddon, forcing DC to make a huge change.
According to Titan Towers, via CBR, Barbara Kesel revealed:
"Let's get one thing clear: that wasn't a planned ending of Hawk and Dove. That awful story was an Armageddon 2000 special created after somebody at DC spilled the beans about Captain Atom being Monarch. Then, a small number of people worked feverishly to find some other character to sacrifice. As it was... it was a last-minute fix that sucked."
Loose lips really do sink ships.