- For other uses of Atom, see Atom (Disambiguation).
| “ | Endings are necessary for growth, no matter how painful they may be. | ” |
— Ray Palmer[src]
| ||
Dr. Raymond "Ray" Palmer is a scientist, an expert in nanotechnology and the former CEO of Palmer Technologies.
Using a suit of armor, the ATOM Exosuit, Palmer became a vigilante in Star City known as Atom. He later joined the Legends of Tomorrow as one of Rip Hunter's eight recruits.
As a Legend, Palmer served as the Waverider and the team's resident scientist/engineer, creating countless gadgets for the team. He also met Nora Darhk, whom he married after 2 years of a romantic friend-foe relationship. As a result, Palmer left the Legends and lived a normal life with Darhk.
Biography[edit source]
Early Life[edit source]
Raymond "Ray" Palmer lived the majority of his life in Starling City, where he became an expert in nanotechnology and eventually the CEO of Palmer Technologies.[6]
Gumball[edit source]
In his childhood, Palmer encountered an infant Dominator whom he named Gumball. The young Palmer kept Gumball as a pet and watched musicals with him before hie older self returned the Dominator back to his original place in the timeline.[6]
The Atom[edit source]
At some point, Palmer created the ATOM Exosuit and became Atom, fighting alongside Oliver Queen's Team Arrow.[7]
Recruited by Rip Hunter[edit source]
| “ | We made history. | ” |
— Ray Palmer to Sara Lance on them joining the Legends[src]
| ||
In 2015, Palmer, alongside Sara Lance, Mick Rory, Martin Stein, Jefferson Jackson, Kendra Saunders, Carter Hall and Leonard Snart were recruited by Rip Hunter. They were then the founding members of the team known as the Legends of Tomorrow and defended the timeline.[7][8][9]
After their first mission, Palmer made breakfast as it was stolen by Snart. Palmer attempted to take the breakfast back before Carter Hall smashed the plate on with his mace. This woke Lance from her sleep, and Palmer approached her to clean the stain from her suit. Lance threatened to break his arm, while Snart defended Palmer and placed the blame on Hall. The four soon began to hold up their weapons at each other. Gideon ordered them to stop and intimidated them by promising to open the airlock to eject them to the Temporal Zone.[6]
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After the first night on the Waverider, Palmer struggled with his allergies after his sleep and sowed the seeds to an argument within the team. The Legends soon argued about only having one bathroom on the vehicle. After Snart misfired a blast from his Cold Gun at Lance, the team began fighting each other violently. The fight was eventually broken up by Rip Hunter.[6]
As a Legend[edit source]
In late 2017, Stein was excited about his grandson and asked Gideon to fabricate a unitard. He then sang Good Morning on his way to the bridge and confused Jackson, who refused to accompany him. Stein turned to Palmer, who was saddened by the song as it reminded him of his childhood friend Gumball. Eventually, Gideon accompanied Stein as he returned to his quarters.[6]
Over the years as a Legend, Palmer fought against The Leviathan, Vandal Savage, the Legion of Doom, Mallus and even possessed by the demon Neron. The Legends of Tomorrow also fought alongside other heroes of Earth against dangerous threats, including the Dominators and Nazi Clones.[6][7]
Since 2019, Palmer worked extensively to clear his name after Neron tried to unleash Hell on Earth. With the Legends, Palmer attended countless activities and was interviewed by a variety of news media, promoting the team's success following the Battle of Heyworld.[1]
Crisis on Infinite Earths[edit source]
Encores[edit source]
Meet the Legends[edit source]
Officer Palmer[edit source]
Prom, 1989[edit source]
Let Them Eat Cake[edit source]
Scooter Chase in Hong Kong[edit source]
Mr. Parker's Cul De Sac[edit source]
Bachelor Party[edit source]
Departure[edit source]
Settling Down[edit source]
Finding a Balance[edit source]
In 2021, Palmer traveled to Central City to attend the tech convention, where he was invited as a legacy honoree. Later, he started a foundation for aspiring scientists like Runk, naming it after Runk's deceased father.[10]
At some point, Palmer and Nora began living in a penthouse in Star City, and preparing for their upcoming child,[11]
Ex-Legends Reunion[edit source]
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Soon afterwards, Palmer became suspicious that Heywood and the Legends did not contact him for an abnormally long period of time. With the help of Jefferson Jackson, Palmer reassembled former members of the team and began a search for their teammates. They later approached Mick Rory, who was in possession of a Time Courier. However, they were surprised by the chaos in Rory's residence and the disappearance of his children. Palmer led the ex-Legends across time in pursuit of the Necrian spacecraft leaving the residence using Palmer's advanced tracker, attempting to rescue Rory's children.[11]
Their pursuit resulted in a confrontation on Necria, where Kayla faced her parents and found her children. With the situation revealed to be a misunderstanding between Kayla's family, the ex-Legends returned to Earth. Palmer was approached by her ex-fiancée, Kendra Saunders, during the return trip, with her comforting him about his upcoming child.[11]
Upon arriving on Earth, Palmer received a phone call from Heywood, who explained that the Legends' disappearance was the result of a conflict with a replica Gideon.[11][12]
Aiding Team Flash[edit source]
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Months later, Palmer was contacted by Chester P. Runk regarding the return of Eobard Thawne. Through Heywood, Palmer was told that Thawne was brought back by Time Wraiths and subsequently employed by the Time Police as a "fixer" of the 1914 Fixed Point. Palmer informed Team Flash that Thawne was also killed in that encounter, and claimed that he died a hero. Unfortunately, before he could elaborate on the situation, he was troubled by loose serpent creatures from Morlaidh Dimension.[13]
Alternate Versions[edit source]
Possible Future[edit source]
In a possible future, Palmer fully retired from vigilantism and donated his ATOM Exosuit to the Flash Museum in 2049, where it was displayed next to the suit of Jesse Wells and Firestorm.[14]
Magog[edit source]
In 2049, during a reunion with the Legends, Palmer was abducted and was brought back afterwards by the Spectre to fight alongside other abducted heroes against Magog. After the battle, Palmer went to the Hall of Justice and witnessed the return of Oliver Queen, who announced that the next generation of heroes must be ready for what comes next.[11][15]
Erased Timeline[edit source]
Superhero Team Up[edit source]
In 2021, Palmer traveled to Central City to attend the tech convention, where he was invited as a legacy honoree. He interrupted a romantic night of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen, soon moving to the guest room and spending his night at their loft. On the next day, Palmer made breakfast for the West-Allens and told them that he now rarely receives any messages from the Legends of Tomorrow, not knowing that they were stranded in 1925. As the West-Allens found an excuse to leave Palmer, Chester P. Runk revealed that he was Palmer's liaison and brought him to meet a group of aspiring inventors.[16]
When Palmer saw the inventors, he was surprised and apologized as he did not intend to start a new technology business, disappointing the inventors and claiming his priority now is to live a normal life with his wife. Later, Palmer was interviewed by West-Allen at the convention as Despero attacked the event in pursuit of The Flash. Despite his initial priorities, Palmer decided to wear the ATOM Exosuit once more to assist Flash. While Flash distracted Despero, Palmer shrunk inside his belt and teleported him away to an unknown location, temporarily stopping his attacks.[16]
After the battle, Palmer returned to S.T.A.R. Labs with Team Flash and told Runk that he changed his mind about starting a technology business. Palmer then started a foundation for aspiring scientists like Runk, naming it after Runk's deceased father.[16]
Reverse Flashpoint[edit source]
In the Reverse Flashpoint created by Eobard Thawne, Palmer was killed in action when the Legends of Tomorrow fought against Damien Darhk. However, due to a technicality, Darhk was released from prison six months later and was not punisher for his crimes.[17]
Powers and Abilities[edit source]
Powers[edit source]
- ATOM Exosuit Capabilities: Palmer is extremely skilled in the use of the ATOM Exosuit, an advanced suit of armor created by himself to fight as a vigilante.[18]
- Armor System: The exosuit contains an A.I. system in order to operate multiple functions of the suit. The system is also voice-responsive, operating under Palmer's commands and activated the suits. However, the targeting system of the photon cannons are manually used by Ray Palmer.[19]
- Energy Blasters/Photon Cannons: The primary offensive function of the exosuit is creating blasts of compressed light beams from the forearm. The beams build up from the forearm and are manually targeted by Palmer. The beams are also powerful enough to propel opponents physically and damage solid structures.[18]
- Flight: The exosuit contains a series of propulsion jets on the back, shoulders, arms and legs. This allowed Palmer to fly at high altitudes and maneuver obstacles in his reduced size.[18]
- Self-Contained Life-Support System: The exosuit supplies Palmer with oxygen when he travels to a high altitude, allowing him to retain his consciousness despite the lack of oxygen.[18]
- Size Alteration: By pushing a button on the chest, the exosuit is able to alter both Palmer and itself's size. According to himself, Palmer accidentally entered the "Atomverse" (later re-coined as the Microverse by Ryan Choi) while testing the shrinking function of the exosuit.[18]
- Size Changing Beam: The exosuit is able to create a condensed red beam of size alteration ray, reducing the size of certain objects and restoring its size.[18]
- Superhuman Strength: Despite the presence of photon cannons, it requires a short period of time to recharge and creates a gap for Palmer to be attacked. As a result, Palmer mostly uses the superhuman strength function of the suit to fight his opponents through hand-to-hand combats.[18]
Abilities[edit source]
- Genius-level Intellect: Palmer is extremely intelligent, as shown when he understood complex concepts and repaired the Waverider, which was created from more than a century after his time period.[18]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Palmer has shown his boxing skills while operating as a vigilante, using his exosuit's superhuman strength to increase the damage of his attacks.[18]
- Swordsmanship: Palmer is proficient in fighting with swords, as it was used against serpent creatures from Morlaidh Dimension.[13]
Weaknesses[edit source]
- Allergy: After his first night on the Waverider, Palmer continuously sneezed and suffered from his allergies.[6]
Equipment[edit source]
Current Equipment[edit source]
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- ATOM Exosuit: Palmer created the exosuit in order to operate as the vigilante, Atom.[18]
- Tracker: Palmer used a tracker to follow the Necrians.[11]
Former Equipment[edit source]
- Nanites: Palmer was the creator of a series of anti-speedster nanites, allowing his allies to use it against rogue speedsters, such as "Godspeed".[20]
List of Works[edit source]
- ATOM Exosuit: Palmer built an advanced exosuit to initially become a vigilante using Palmer Technologies resources.[18]
- MCCU (Micro-Catalyzed Containment Unit): After starting The Quincy P. Runk Foundation, Palmer and Chester P. Runk developed the MCCU.[21]
Reverse Flashpoint[edit source]
- Particle Eradication Distributor: In 2031, Barry Allen murdered Ray Palmer and took the device from his corpse.[22]
Filmography[edit source]
- Meet the Legends (2020)
Appearances[edit source]
| Appearances | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five | Appears |
|
Meet the Legends | Appears |
|
Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me | Appears |
|
Slay Anything | Appears |
|
A Head of Her Time | Appears |
|
Mortal Khanbat | Appears |
|
Mr. Parker's Cul-De-Sac | Appears |
|
Romeo v Juliet: Dawn of Justness | Appears |
|
Zari, Not Zari | Mentioned |
|
Ship Broken | Mentioned |
|
Swan Thong | Mentioned |
|
The Ex-Factor | Mentioned |
 |
P.O.W. | Mentioned |
|
This Is Gus | Pictured |
|
The Need for Speed | Mentioned |
|
wvrdr_error_100 not found | Memory |
|
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Scientist | Mentioned |
|
Armageddon, Part 1 | Appears |
|
Armageddon, Part 4 | Mentioned |
|
Paranoid Android | Pictured |
|
Too Legit to Quit | Mentioned |
|
Knocked Down, Knocked Up | Indirectly Mentioned |
|
Impulsive Excessive Disorder | Name Seen |
|
Phantoms | Mentioned |
 |
The (Ex) Legends of Tomorrow | Appears |
|
Road Trip | Vision |
|
The Man in the Yellow Tie | Appears |
|
Savior Complex | Appears |
|
Phantom Punch | Mentioned |
Gallery[edit source]
Civilian
Atom
Neron
Mr. Parker
Palmer in 2049
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_003.png)
_004.png)
_005.png)
Promotional Images[edit source]
Crisis on Infinite Earths - "Their worlds will never be the same"
"Time. Warped."
"The Legends won't be the same without them"
"Fates Collide"
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References[edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Meet the Legends
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me
- ↑ Mortal Khanbat
- ↑ The Ex-Factor
- ↑ Armageddon, Part 3
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 wvrdr_error_100 not found
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Fadeout
- ↑ Marathon
- ↑ I Am Legends
- ↑ Although the events of Armageddon, Part 1 to Armageddon, Part 3 were later revealed to have taken place in an erased timeline, Palmer's involvement in the foundation was mentioned later in Phantoms, making at least part of Armageddon, Part 1 to still have happened in the current timeline.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 The (Ex) Legends of Tomorrow
- ↑ Too Legit to Quit
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Man in the Yellow Tie
- ↑ Impulsive Excessive Disorder
- ↑ Savior Complex
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Armageddon, Part 1
- ↑ Armageddon, Part 5
- ↑ 18.00 18.01 18.02 18.03 18.04 18.05 18.06 18.07 18.08 18.09 18.10 18.11 18.12 Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five
- ↑ Romeo v Juliet: Dawn of Justness
- ↑ P.O.W.
- ↑ Phantoms
- ↑ Armageddon, Part 4
| Other versions of Ray Palmer | |||||||||||||||||||
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| New Multiverse
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