Atom (Al Pratt)

Atom
Al Pratt / Atom as depicted in Adventure Comics vol. 2 #1 (May 1999). Art by Dave Johnson.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	All-American Comics #19 (October 1940)
Created by	Bill O'Connor Ben Flinton
In-story information
Alter ego	Albert "Al" Pratt
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Black Lantern Corps
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and speed Atomic punch Radiation immunity Extended lifespan Genius-level intellect Proficiency in acrobatics and boxing

Al Pratt is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first character to use the name Atom. He initially had no superpowers and was originally a diminutive college student and later a physicist, usually depicted as a "tough-guy" character.^[1] Al Pratt is also the father of Damage and godfather of Atom Smasher.

The character made his live-action debut in the television series Smallville, played by Glenn Hoffman. Henry Winkler cameoed as the character in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam (2022).

The Atom first appeared in All-American Comics #19 (October 1940) and was created by writer Bill O'Connor and artist Ben Flinton.^[2] The character continued to appear on and off through issue #72 (April 1946). In 1947, the Atom moved from All-American Comics to Flash Comics with issue #80 (February 1947), and continued until issue #104 (February 1949).^[3]

In winter 1940, the Atom also began appearing in All Star Comics as a member of the Justice Society of America, beginning with issue #3. He continued with that team until issue #57 (February 1951).^[3]

Initially a proverbial 98-pound weakling, bullied at school and unable to impress the girl of his dreams, Mary James, the 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) Al Pratt was trained to fighting condition by ex-boxer Joe Morgan (the same man who trained Pratt's fellow mystery men Wildcat and the Guardian). Pratt soon became a founding member of the Justice Society of America, appearing in the team's various stories during their original Golden Age appearances. In All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940), the Atom describes himself to his fellow JSAers as "Al Pratt, a quiet sophomore at Calvin College". He later became a founding and active member of the All-Star Squadron. During World War II, Pratt served as a tank driver for the United States Army.^[1]

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Atom "fights the Emperor of America, agents of the Black Dragon Society, and the Carnival of Crime, in addition to the Cootie Gang, Mandini the Magician and the scavenger Undersea Raiders".^[4]

In 1948, the Atom gained super strength as a result of the latent effects of his 1942 battle with the reluctant supervillain Cyclotron (after whose costume Pratt redesigned his own). It was later revealed that he had taken partial custodianship of Cyclotron's daughter, Terri.

Pratt's last Golden Age appearance was in All Star Comics #57 in 1951, also the last Golden Age Justice Society story. Later it was revealed that a special Senate investigation panel had moved to obtain the identities of all active superheroes, at which point virtually all members of the Justice Society retired. At this point in his life, as depicted in JSA #70, Pratt was engaged to Mary James, leading to their marriage at an undefined point in time (as confirmed by Justice Society of America: The Kingdom Special and others).

Pratt was revived with the rest of the team in 1963 in The Flash #137, and continued to make various appearances in the years that followed.

The Atom comic book, showcasing the adventures of Ray Palmer, brought the Atom of Earth-2 together with the Atom of Earth-1. Issue #29 (1967) depicts Al Pratt as living in Calvin City and as being a professor at Calvin College; he also possesses a modified automobile that transforms from an ordinary convertible to the Atomobile. In this story it is Ray Palmer who builds a "special dimensional vibrator" that allows travel between the two Earths. The villain in this adventure is The Thinker. In issue #36 (1968) Al Pratt is specifically named a professor of nuclear physics at Calvin College. Built into the belt of his Atom uniform is his own "atomic vibrator" which allows travel between the Earths. Al is depicted as a young-looking man who is "so busy as the Atom" that he "sort of let romance pass [him] by". Shown also are his friends Bill and Betty Roberts, as well as his first meeting with Marion Thayer on a double date. It is unknown what had happened to Marion Thayer, but in DC Comics Presents #30 (February 1981), Pratt's wife Mary resembles the blonde Thayer more than the brunette James.^[5]

The Atom's status with the Justice Society of America was as a reserve member up until after the formation of Infinity, Inc. Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Last Days of the Justice Society Special (1986) told how Pratt, along with his teammates, prevented the unleashing of Ragnarök, a time-displaced and world-shattering event initiated by Adolf Hitler originally on April 12, 1945. To stave off the destruction of the world, Al and the others chose to enter a magical limbo - seemingly for all eternity.

The 1992 miniseries Armageddon: Inferno brought Al Pratt and the other members of the JSA back into the post-Crisis world. The short-lived series Justice Society of America (1992–1993) told the tale of the team's reintegration into society. Al was depicted as a short, stocky, balding man with radioactive, super-powered hands and a body aged to about 60 years or so. He was also written as a man more interested in training the next generation of heroes than "running off on crazy super-hero missions" (issue #2), though he still was hotheaded. It was revealed that Mary died while the JSA was trapped in the Ragnarok dimension, and that Al was naturally upset he never got to say goodbye. The series brought Al and the JSA into conflict with the Ultra-Humanite, Pol St. Germain, and Kulak the Sorcerer.

In Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Atom is killed by Extant.^[6]

In the 1980s, Al Pratt's godson Al Rothstein was introduced; he was known as the superhero Nuklon (later changing his name to Atom Smasher), first appearing as a member of Infinity, Inc.

In 1994, it was revealed that Pratt had a son named Grant Emerson, who became the superhero Damage before being killed during Blackest Night. During the same event, Pratt is temporarily revived as a Black Lantern.^[7][8][9]

In the DC Rebirth initiative, Atom is buried in the Valhalla Cemetery before Batman fully revives him with a Black Lantern ring. Afterwards, he re-joins the Justice Society of America.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

During his early days of crime fighting, Al Pratt possessed no metahuman qualities. Instead, he is a formidable boxer, expert physicist, and superb athlete.^[20] After being bombarded by Cyclotron's energies, Pratt gained immense strength, stamina, durability, and speed, as well as the ability to focus radioactive energy into a punch. In addition, the Atom has resistance to certain types of radiation.^[21] He also gained eternal youth after the battle with Ian Karkull.^[22]

• An alternate universe variant of Al Pratt / Atom appears in JSA: The Golden Age.^[23]
• An alternate universe variant of Al Pratt / Atom from Earth-2 appears in The New 52. This version is an Army captain who was killed while creating a sanctuary, which is dubbed Atom's Haven in his honor.^[24][25][26]

• A character partially based on Al Pratt / Atom named Tom Turbine appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Legends", voiced by Ted McGinley.^[27] He is a member of the Justice Guild of America, a superhero team from another universe who exist as comic characters in the "prime" universe, and died in a nuclear war years prior.
• Al Pratt / Atom appears in the Smallville two-part episode "Absolute Justice", portrayed by Glenn Hoffman. This version was a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) and a physics professor at Calvin College in the 1970s who was arrested during a student protest and framed for fraud by the U.S. government, who sought to take down the JSA. While Pratt was never convicted, he retired from heroics due to law enforcement being aware of his identity.

Al Pratt appears in Black Adam, portrayed by Henry Winkler.^[28] This version is Albert Rothstein's uncle and a former member of the Justice Society who previously operated as Atom Smasher before passing the mantle to him.^[29]

Al Pratt / Atom appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[30]