History

  Physicist Ray Palmer used matter from a white dwarf star to create a belt which allowed the wearer to shrink to microscopic size and alter his mass at will. He could also shrink other objects, but they tend to explode after an hour. He became the Atom, a famous member of the Justice League, making a name for himself in undercover and espionage work. After a series of crises in his personal life, he was de-aged by the villainous Extant to the age of 17, leading the Teen Titans in this form. Eventually cured, he semi-retired from the hero business, concentrating on his job as a university lecturer, in which capacity he also helped out the heroic community as a scientific advisor to Firestorm and to the JLA. Recently, his ex-wife Jean Loring made an insane attempt to win him back, an attempt which caused at least four deaths. Devastated by this turn of events, Atom had Jean incarcerated at Arkham Asylum then disappeared from public view, not intending to contact his super-heroic friends ever again.