The Atom
Origin - Ray Palmer, a physics graduate student, discovers white dwarf star material and proceeds to carry out experiments on it. His experiments reveal that he can use the material and ultra violet light to shrink material down in size. The only drawback is that when he shrinks the matter down in size the atomic particles become unstable and the items explode moments later. A few days later while stuck in a cave that collapses with some friends Ray risks his life and uses the shrinking lens on himself. For some reason, however, Ray didn't explode and returned to his normal height. With the success of the shrinking, he developed a set of control devices that gave him limited control over his weight as well as his size. Ray later hypothesized that some unknown "x-factor" in his genetic makeup prevented his atoms from becoming unstable, though many scientists now believe that Ray's ability to shrink was actually made possible by a meta-gene. First using his abilities to fight crime in his hometown Ivy Town in Connecticut he would eventually be contacted by the CIA to do work for them. Soon after, the Justice League of America took notice of The Atom and he was offered membership which he accepted. Some years would go by with Ray going on missions with the JLA as well as still fighting crime back in his hometown. The CIA would also still used Palmer's abilities on occasion. After several attempts, Ray's college sweetheart Jean Loring agreed to marry him. Jean is exposed to radiation which cause her to go insane. Hawkgirl takes her back to Thanagar to find a cure, which eventually and through circumstances that were never clearly explained Jen is returned to normal. Ray and Jean's marriage would become strained over time as Jean's law practice and Ray's devotion to both science and super-heroics would take time over their romance. While being thought dead (but really just trapped at a size of six inches) Jean continued on with her life and became involved with one of her colleagues. Ray eventually became unstuck and returned to Ivy Town where he discovers Jean's new life and agrees a divorce. During the events of Zero Hour, Al Pratt (the first Atom) is killed and Ray Palmer is hit with a blast of chrono-energy and transformed back into a teenage. He would go on to then join the Teen Titans. During Identity Crisis it is discovered that Jean may not have ever been cure of her insanity. The events unfold and her deadly plot to get Ray back ends up costing the Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibney her life. Upon discovering the truth after Jean confessed to him, Ray had Jean committed to Arkham Asylum. With Jean's incarceration, Ray was overwhelmed with despair, and shrank continuously until he vanished completely into a microscopic world. After Palmer disappears, Ryan Choi takes up the mantle of The Atom. After Palmer is found on another version of our Earth but in a different reality living the life he wanted back on his home world he returns to our Earth where he teams up with Choi and mentors him on what to do as the next Atom. After the events of both Blackest Night and Brightest Day Ray discovers that Ryan is missing. He eventually discovers that the new Atom was killed by Deathstroke who was hired by the super-villain Dwarfstar. Ray is last seen giving the eulogy at his friends funeral.
Powers and Abilities - Ray can shrink his body to varying degrees (including the subatomic level). Ray can assume any size from his normal six-foot stature down to sub-microscopic, although he generally deems a height of six inches as most functional. He is able to instantly alter his molecular density to whatever degree he desires. Ray can also assume any weight at any height -up to his full 180 pounds. By making his density lighter he can fly by gliding on the air currents around him. By manipulating his density he is also able to hit with the size and strength of his full size while in his smaller sizes. A favorite travel method Ray uses is to call some location on the telephone; when the intended phone is answered, he shrinks down enough to literally travel through the phone lines in seconds to emerge out of the answering phone. He has developed a proficiency in the martial arts form known as Judo; he is also a master swordsman. Originally, Ray's size/weight controls were located in his belt buckle. However, he later moved them to his gloves for greater accessibility and swifter transitions.
Weaknesses and Limitations - The Atom is one of the only heroes in the DC Universe that has 100% control over his body on the molecular level (Plastic Man and The Flash being examples of others), thus making him exponentially more powerful than he is often portrayed; he is only limited by his application of his powers. Although Ray can travel through phone lines he can't travel through cell phones. He needs a physical wire to travel through.
Origin - Ray Palmer, a physics graduate student, discovers white dwarf star material and proceeds to carry out experiments on it. His experiments reveal that he can use the material and ultra violet light to shrink material down in size. The only drawback is that when he shrinks the matter down in size the atomic particles become unstable and the items explode moments later. A few days later while stuck in a cave that collapses with some friends Ray risks his life and uses the shrinking lens on himself. For some reason, however, Ray didn't explode and returned to his normal height. With the success of the shrinking, he developed a set of control devices that gave him limited control over his weight as well as his size. Ray later hypothesized that some unknown "x-factor" in his genetic makeup prevented his atoms from becoming unstable, though many scientists now believe that Ray's ability to shrink was actually made possible by a meta-gene. First using his abilities to fight crime in his hometown Ivy Town in Connecticut he would eventually be contacted by the CIA to do work for them. Soon after, the Justice League of America took notice of The Atom and he was offered membership which he accepted. Some years would go by with Ray going on missions with the JLA as well as still fighting crime back in his hometown. The CIA would also still used Palmer's abilities on occasion. After several attempts, Ray's college sweetheart Jean Loring agreed to marry him. Jean is exposed to radiation which cause her to go insane. Hawkgirl takes her back to Thanagar to find a cure, which eventually and through circumstances that were never clearly explained Jen is returned to normal. Ray and Jean's marriage would become strained over time as Jean's law practice and Ray's devotion to both science and super-heroics would take time over their romance. While being thought dead (but really just trapped at a size of six inches) Jean continued on with her life and became involved with one of her colleagues. Ray eventually became unstuck and returned to Ivy Town where he discovers Jean's new life and agrees a divorce. During the events of Zero Hour, Al Pratt (the first Atom) is killed and Ray Palmer is hit with a blast of chrono-energy and transformed back into a teenage. He would go on to then join the Teen Titans. During Identity Crisis it is discovered that Jean may not have ever been cure of her insanity. The events unfold and her deadly plot to get Ray back ends up costing the Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibney her life. Upon discovering the truth after Jean confessed to him, Ray had Jean committed to Arkham Asylum. With Jean's incarceration, Ray was overwhelmed with despair, and shrank continuously until he vanished completely into a microscopic world. After Palmer disappears, Ryan Choi takes up the mantle of The Atom. After Palmer is found on another version of our Earth but in a different reality living the life he wanted back on his home world he returns to our Earth where he teams up with Choi and mentors him on what to do as the next Atom. After the events of both Blackest Night and Brightest Day Ray discovers that Ryan is missing. He eventually discovers that the new Atom was killed by Deathstroke who was hired by the super-villain Dwarfstar. Ray is last seen giving the eulogy at his friends funeral.
Powers and Abilities - Ray can shrink his body to varying degrees (including the subatomic level). Ray can assume any size from his normal six-foot stature down to sub-microscopic, although he generally deems a height of six inches as most functional. He is able to instantly alter his molecular density to whatever degree he desires. Ray can also assume any weight at any height -up to his full 180 pounds. By making his density lighter he can fly by gliding on the air currents around him. By manipulating his density he is also able to hit with the size and strength of his full size while in his smaller sizes. A favorite travel method Ray uses is to call some location on the telephone; when the intended phone is answered, he shrinks down enough to literally travel through the phone lines in seconds to emerge out of the answering phone. He has developed a proficiency in the martial arts form known as Judo; he is also a master swordsman. Originally, Ray's size/weight controls were located in his belt buckle. However, he later moved them to his gloves for greater accessibility and swifter transitions.
Weaknesses and Limitations - The Atom is one of the only heroes in the DC Universe that has 100% control over his body on the molecular level (Plastic Man and The Flash being examples of others), thus making him exponentially more powerful than he is often portrayed; he is only limited by his application of his powers. Although Ray can travel through phone lines he can't travel through cell phones. He needs a physical wire to travel through.
No comments:
Post a Comment