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Black Adam Characters: Atom Smasher Powers and Abilities Explained

We’ve got Hawkman, Cyclone, Doctor Fate, and Atom Smasher, who would be taking on Black Adam as a part of the JSA. And then they’d pair up with him at some point in time. But this post is about Noah Centineo’s character, Albert ‘Al’ Rothstein, aka the Atom Smasher. He is one of the powerhouses who is making his debut in the DCEU.

But before this, we’ve seen another version of him on CW’s The Flash. There Al Rothstein was played by WWE Hall of Famer Edge, aka Adam Copeland. Rothstein is a metahuman with the ability to increase his size and mass. Remember that Atom Smasher is not the same character as The Atom. People usually mix these characters up because of their abilities… the color scheme of their suits, and even their logos. The Atom is Ray Palmer, who can grow as tall as a small building. But his prime ability is to shrink to the size of an Ant. He is DC’s Ant-Man, but Atom Smasher is an entirely different character.

 

Rothstein can only grow big and return back to his regular size. As far as his origins are concerned, he was the grandson of the reluctant super-villain Cyclotron. He inherited his metahuman powers from his grandfather. He was always raised to be a hero and ultimately became called Nuklon. Before the JSA, he also joined a superhero team called Infinity, Inc.

 

Atom Smasher Powers and Abilities

But ever since Black Adam joined the JSA, he and Atom Smasher formed a strong bond. They basically became brothers. Black Adam saw a sort of anger in Rothstein for the JSA as he thought of them as half measures. So Adam used that anger. After a while, Rothstein left the team and helped Black Adam take Kandaq back. He became Black Adam’s, right-hand man. He committed quite a few crimes serving Black Adam but ultimately saw where he went wrong. So eventually, Black Adam and Rothstein went their separate ways, and Rothstein actually rejoined the JSA.

 

Atom Smasher Powers and Abilities

His specialty is altering the size and density of his body. As a result of exposure to uncontrolled Thorium radiation, he can increase his size and grow up to 28 feet tall. He can do that by increasing the distance between his own atoms. And what’s great about him is that his physical strength also increases when he increases his size. His offense becomes super strong. And he can easily resist some solid attacks as his mass also increases. He becomes quite durable in a battle. Black Adam is obviously more powerful than him. But Atom Smasher can certainly hold his own against the former champion of Shazam. He can match him blow for blow.

 

Another great thing about his powers is that even in his tall state, he doesn’t slow down. His attacks will still be stronger and faster. So, he would be much more effective in his tall state than MCU’s Giant-Man. But yea, he does carry a limitation as well. If he tries to grow beyond his size limits, it becomes tough for him to hold his form. The increased mass comes with great discomfort. So, he is at his best when he’s about 28 feet tall. Besides his powers, Rothstein is also a skilled pilot and mechanic.

 

In the DCEU, he’d be a much younger version of the character as Noah Centineo was cast for the part. So it will be interesting to see how the DCEU handles Atom Smasher. Whether he will form a comic book-like kinship with Black Adam remains to be seen. But we reckon that if he doesn’t get much screen time in the upcoming movie, WB should perhaps give him his own series. Or maybe they could come up with an exclusive JSA series for HBO Max.

 

What do you think about that idea? Let us know in the comments.

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Vansh Mehra

Content creator. Just wanna share my passion for cinema with everyone.
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