Ryan Choi (New Earth)
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History
Doctor Ryan Choi emigrated to the United States following the death of his mother, to take up Ray Palmer's former position at Ivy University. Ryan had a deeper motivation for doing this, however; he had been in touch with Ray since he was a boy, and knew Ray had left him a legacy - the size-changing belt which Ray had originally used to become the Atom. Having found the belt, Ryan intended to explore the microscopic world, and utilize the belt's capabilities to benefit modern society - only to find a multitude of secrets awaiting the all-new Atom beneath the surface of Ivy Town.
In his first recorded adventure, the Atom fought an alien culture known as the Waiting, native to a sub-microscopic dimension. Agents of the Waiting infiltrated the White House, their intent to install a mind-control device into Duster - a dog owned by the President of the United States. It was their belief that the dog controlled the actions of the President. The Atom shrunk himself to microscopic size and fought several of the alien agents, even succeeding in destroying one of their space craft. The remaining agents quickly retreated before the Atom could capture them.
This was not Ryan's first encounter with the Waiting. He first met them shortly after his discovery of the Bio-belt, when his investigation into a homeless woman's disappearance took him into the sewers of Ivy Town. There, he encountered the Waiting - and discovered they were at war with a monstrous creature called M'nagalah, a war of science against magic. More disturbing yet, M'nagalah and the Waiting saw Ryan as a critical figure in this war, one who could tip the fight either way. While trying to avoid capture by both sides, Ryan fell in with Ivy Town University's Dean Mayland, who explained the town had become a nexus for weirdness - and his theory that Ray Palmer's 'impossible' actions in the course of his adventures had inadvertently been responsible.
Mayfield attempted to persuade Ryan to return home, bringing Ryan's father in to convince him. Following an attack by the Waiting on Ryan's house, however, Ryan learned the war between science and magic was about to begin - and that the Waiting had launched a sneak attack on the U.S. President as a distraction. Ryan plunged into the events of his first recorded adventure, heading off the Waiting, before returning to try and stop the war.
Unknown to Ryan, however, Dean Mayfield was intent on making sure science won the impending conflict - and for that, he needed Ryan out of the way, by any means necessary. Mayfield had recruited psychopathic serial killer Sylbert Rundine as an agent, equipping him with one of the bio-belts, and giving him the name Dwarfstar. Where Mayfield obtained the bio-belt is at present a mystery.
Upon Ryan's return to Ivy Town, he found himself facing off against Dwarfstar, receiving severe injuries at the psychopath's hands. Ryan managed to defeat Dwarfstar by removing his bio-belt when the villain was distracted, trapping him at the micro-scale.
Next, Ryan had to stop the war. First, he convinced M'nagalah to honor a truce if Ryan could get the Waiting to withdraw. Then, by provoking the Waiting into turning on their own forces, he demonstrated he knew how to destroy them, forcing them to retreat. Both sides withdrew, leaving no final victor - apart, perhaps, from Ryan and Ivy Town.
The day after the battle, Ryan received a coded message informing him that the bio-belt was not Ray Palmer's. The identity of the message's sender, along with that of the bio-belt's true maker, remain unknown.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Ryan Choi possesses no superhuman abilities. All of his perceived powers derive from his equipment.
Abilities
Genius-Level Intellect: (IQ 200+).
Gymnast: Has training in gymnastics.
Strength level
Unknown.
Weaknesses
None known.
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
- Bio-Belt: Ryan uses a size-changing belt he calls the bio-belt to become the Atom. The bio-belt gives him the ability to take any height from his full size on down through the subatomic. It also gives him the ability to assume any mass, any weight, and any density at any height, from his full mass on down. As with Ray Palmer, where the mass goes when Ryan changes is a mystery.
- Singularity Field Generator: This device plugs into the bio-belt, drawing on its power. It translates the environment around Ryan when he shrinks, enabling him to breathe. It also maintains Ryan's stability for a prolonged period when he shrinks, preventing him from exploding.
Transportation:
- Bangstick: The Lighter Than Air Society created a particle drive device, based on technology retrieved from the Waiting, which Helmond Kettering calls the Bangstick. This device enables the Atom to propel his body at great speeds through subatomic environments.
Weapons: None known.
Notes
- No special notes.
Trivia
- Grant Morrison submitted a ten-page outline for a new Atom series to DC's editorial staff, but his commitment to the weekly series 52 precluded him from actually working on the title. The ongoing series, entitled The All-New Atom, was passed along to writer Gail Simone, artist John Byrne and inker Trevor Scott.
- Although officially introduced in Brave New World #1, the new Atom made a cameo teaser appearance in a two-page preview spread at the end of Infinite Crisis #7.
Recommended Reading
Related Articles
See Also
- Discuss Ryan Choi (New Earth) on the forums
- Appearances of Ryan Choi (New Earth) (Chronological)
- Appearances of Ryan Choi (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ryan Choi (New Earth)
- Fan-Art Gallery: Ryan Choi (New Earth)
- Quotations by Ryan Choi (New Earth)
- Images featuring Ryan Choi (New Earth)
Recommended Reading
- None.
Links and References
Footnotes
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