Atom (Al Pratt)
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Al Pratt is a character in the DC Comics Universe, the original hero to fight crime as the Atom. He first appeared in All-American Comics #19 (Oct. 1940). He initially had no superpowers; instead, he was a diminutive college student and later a physicist who was depicted as a tough guy, a symbol of all the short kids who could still make a difference.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Golden Age
Initially a proverbial 98 pound weakling, 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. He later became a founding and active member of the All Star Squadron. In 1948, the Atom gained superstrength as a result of the latent affects of his 1942 battle with the reluctant supervillain Cyclotron, whose costume he redesigned his own after. 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.
[edit] Later years
Pratt was revived with the rest of the team in 1963 in Flash Vol. 1, #137, and continued to make various appearances in the years that followed. His status with the Justice Society of America was as a reserve member up until after the formation of Infinity, Inc.. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Pratt along with his teammates prevented Ragnarök from being unleashed by Adolf Hitler decades prior, which left them in a limbo for several years.
Once released, the Justice Society returned to active duty briefly until the 1994's Zero Hour miniseries. It was while battling the temporal villain Extant that Al Pratt was murdered.
[edit] Legacy
In the 1980s, Al Pratt's godson Al Rothstein was introduced; Rothstein was known as the superhero Nuklon (later changing his name to Atom Smasher), first appearing as a member of Infinity Inc.
In the 1990s, it was revealed that Pratt had a son named Grant Emerson, who was kidnapped and genetically altered into a superbeing by the villain Vandal Savage; he soon became the superhero Damage. Damage later appeared in two incarnations of the Teen Titans, eventually joined the Freedom Fighters and has since become a member of the Justice Society of America.
It was initially believed that the modern Manhunter Kate Spencer is his granddaughter. However, Kate is in fact the granddaughter of Phantom Lady and Iron Munro. Al Pratt allowed Sandra Knight (the Phantom Lady) to use his contact information in order to enter a home for unwed mothers, which led to the mix-up.
