ATOM II (Raymond 'Ray' Palmer)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane

Atom (Ray Palmer)

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Raymond 'Ray' Palmer
Occupation: Physics Professor
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Separated
Known Relatives: Jean Loring (ex-wife, deceased); Jack Douglas Palmer (father); Susan Palmer (mother); Danny Palmer (brother, deceased); David Palmer (uncle)
Base of Operation: Ivy Town; formerly City of Morlaidh, Amazon Jungle
Group Affiliation(s): Justice League of America; Teen Titans II; Indigo Tribe
Gender: Male
Height: 6' (normal); 6" (reduced)
Weight: 180 lbs. (normal); 6 lbs. (reduced)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Auburn
First Appearance: Showcase #34 (September-October 1961): "Birth of the Atom"
Creators: Gardner Fox and Gil Kane

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.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Atom in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1 (March 1985)

Who's Who Update '88 #1 (August 1988)
DCU Heroes Secret Files #1 (February 1999)
JLA-Z #1 (November 2003)