Golden Age Initially a proverbial 98-pound weakling, bullied at school and unable to impress the girl of his dreams, Mary James, the 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. 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.
Later years 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 the story, Palmer builds a "special dimensional vibrator" that allows travel between universe. In issue #36 (1968), Pratt is a professor of nuclear physics at Calvin College and has a dimensional vibrator integrated into his belt. Atom's status with the Justice Society of America was as a reserve member up until after the formation of
Infinity, Inc. In
Last Days of the Justice Society Special (1986), the Society enter a magical limbo to stop
Ragnarök. The 1992 miniseries
Armageddon: Inferno brings Al Pratt and the other members of the JSA back into the post-
Crisis continuity, with Pratt being depicted as short, stocky, balding, and about 60 years old. In
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Atom is killed by
Extant. He has largely remained dead since, but was temporarily resurrected in the
Blackest Night event as a
Black Lantern.
Legacy 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. Pratt has a son named Grant Emerson, who becomes the superhero
Damage. Pratt appears as a spirit in the 2024 series
JSA, where he and several other deceased JSA members tell
Kid Eternity that the JSA is in danger and that they will need her help. ==Powers and abilities==