10 Arrowverse Heroes That Are Completely Different From The Comics

4) Atom

Comic Book: Ray Palmer (the second Atom) also arrived in 1961. A gifted physicist and professor, Palmer found a White Dwarf Star that fell to Earth and discovers that it allows him to shrink to a subatomic level. His best friend is fellow superhero Hawkman and he has a vendetta against Deathstroke, after the assassin killed his protege Ryan Choi. Both of these connections are referenced on TV – though Hawkman is his romantic rival rather than best bud.

TV Show: One of the most prominent heroes in the Arrowverse, Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer takes a lot of liberties with the character on the page. The biggest one is that his Atom suit is not just a typical spandex outfit but an Iron Man-esque metal suit of armour.

Despite his name, he also rarely employs his ability to shrink – instead his suit allows him to project energy beams and fly (again much like Iron Man). He’s also a billionaire businessman rather than an academic scientist. The showrunners have admitted that these differences are due to the character originally being Blue Beetle AKA Ted Kord. When their permission to use Kord was revoked, they quickly substituted him for Atom.