Atom

Through the many years and continuities different incarnations of the Atom would appear. From the 1940's wartime J.S.A member from Earth 2, Al Pratt, Ray Palmer the J.L.A founding member and Atom from Earth 2, the short live impersonator for Palmer Adam Cray, who joined the Suicide Squad, Ryan Choi the current Atom and former student of Ray Palmer, and other alternate dimensional Atom's like Jessica Palmer, the 18 year old M.I.T graduate from the 52 series. Although all took the title of the Atom only Al Pratt would not have the size altering abilities. Instead he used his acrobatic and boxing expertise to battle crimes early in his career and would gain superhuman strength in the latter half.

Ray Palmer

On Earth 1 physics graduate Ray Palmer would discover a fragment of a white dwarf star. Working on this discovery he devised a way to use the fragment to alter his own size and mass. Looking at him, it's hard to believe that Ray Palmer was once the tallest guy in his class. Of course, that was before professor Ray Palmer happened upon the remains of a falling star. A white dwarf star, to be exact, possessing incredible density and miraculous physical properties. He fashioned a lens from a fragment of a star, and through it focused beams of ultraviolet light. A unique factor in his genetic makeup allowed him to survive the shifts in size and mass. Ray incorporated the dwarf star material into a special costume that enabled him to change size at will.  Only a small man, so to speak, would have kept this ability to himself. Therefore, Ray was determined to use his skills wherever they are needed. For example, he can "ride' electronic impulses through a phone wire into a criminal's lair. Thanks to dwarf star density, Ray can command the strength of a man many times his normal size. And shrinking even smaller, Ray can stride like a giant across innumerable subatomic galaxies. But his proudest achievements are those he has made as a member of a team of unique men and women (Justice League of America) who accept Ray Palmer with equal stature. It just goes to show you, never underestimate the little guy.

Soon after he gained his size altering powers, Palmer joined the Justice League of America as the diminutive Atom. He served with distinction over the course the teams many years and would often team up with Hawkeye. Often his adventures were on a bizarrely grand scale. During his time as the Atom his studies and adventuring would have him discover numerous subatomic worlds, when his wife turned to a lover because she blamed Ray for not being around he went of a research trip to the amazon and find a tiny civilization as he helped them fight for their freedom he would become their leader in the jungles, after the civilization was destroyed by jungle destroying progress, he did covert work for Amanda Waller's team of ex-villains turned secretive government task force the Suicide Squad.

The Zero Hour crisis in the DC universe would have Palmer de-aged to a seventeen year old teenager by time altering villain Extant. Trying to deal with the strange situation Palmer shortly after joined the new Teen Titans. Palmer became the field leader due to his years of experience as a costumed adventurer as well as one of its founding members. However Palmer would be restored to his natural age left the team, soon he returned to Ivy University and resumed his previous academic career.

Serious changes would follow the diminutive hero during one of the JLA's most heart wrenching stories, Identity Crisis. Palmer's close friend and teammate Ralph Dibny the Elongated Man's wife Sue would be murdered using the technology in the Atom's suit. As the JLA went on a hunt to find and capture the unknown killer, Palmer would discover his ex-wife Jean Loring, was the insane murderer. Palmer was again faced with emotional turmoil and severe guilt for the unknowing use of his own technology used to kill a friend. Loring was judged criminally insane and sentenced to the infamous Gotham City madhouse for powered villains, Arkham Asylum.

Deeply shaken by the events, and feeling heavily responsible for Loring’s actions and furious due to the events during Identity Crisis, Palmer discarded his JLA communicator and shrank to microscopic size. Disappearing yet once again Palmer has not been heard from by any of his former partners in arms. During DC's series Countdown, one of the main stories plots is “The Search for Ray Palmer”. It involves not only the new Atom, Ryan Choi the former highly gifted student to Palmer, but the new Challengers of the Unknown, which include the Amazon Donna Troy, the once dead Robin, Jason Todd, and a mysterious rogue Monitor, Bob.

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