- For his Earth One equivalent, see Al Rothstein (Earth One). For the victim of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, see Al Rothstein.
Albert "Al" Rothstein[1] (died October 6, 2015), nicknamed Atom-Smasher by Martin Stein, was a meta-human from Earth Two with the ability to increase his size by absorbing radiation.
Biography
Early life
Atom-Smasher speaks to Zoom.
Rothstein was one of the many Central City residents that were affected by Harrison Wells's particle accelerator explosion around 2013. Rothstein gained the power of super-strength and the ability to grow twice his size, but was required to physically harness radiation into his system to retain his size. Rothstein used these powers as a mercenary named "Atom-Smasher" and also had at least one encounter with "Jay Garrick/The Flash". He was on the Central City Police Department's most wanted list.
Rampage on Earth One
Atom-Smasher at Flash Day rally.
Al was forcibly brought from Earth Two to Earth One by Zoom who promised him the means to return to Earth Two in exchange for killing Barry Allen/The Flash, the Flash of Earth One. Al agreed, but like most other Earth Two residents was terrified of Zoom, and, in case he was unable to kill Flash, Al murdered his Earth One counterpart in the hopes he could fool Zoom into thinking he was dead and so he could take over his identity.
Atom-Smasher battles The Flash.
Al then attacked Flash at the "Flash Day" festival and wounded many police officers and managed to overpower Flash himself, but he and Joe West shot at petrol canisters near him and caused his mask to come off, revealing Rothstein's identity to them. Later Rothstein went to a nuclear facility to repower and was confronted by Flash again and again overpowered him but thanks to Cisco Ramon, the alarms went off distracting Al and giving Flash the chance to escape.
Atom-Smasher corners Flash.
Rothstein hid out in an apartment building until he saw a light with the Flash's symbol on it, signaling a challenge and confronted him yet again but this time Flash lead him into a chamber at a nuclear plant and trapped him in it. Cisco then hacked into the computers and ensured all the plant's radiation was absorbed into Al's body which as planned, was too much for Al to handle.
Atom-Smasher dies.
Before dying, Rothstein was questioned by Flash, apologizing for killing him but asking why he wanted him dead. With his dying breath, Rothstein told Flash that Zoom had promised to take him home if he killed him and passed away from the radiation poisoning.[2]
Powers
- Meta-human physiology: After Rothstein was struck by the energy of the Particle Accelerator explosion onEarth Two, this altered his DNA and supercharged his cells, augmenting his physiology into well-beyond peak human condition.
- Radiokinesis: Rothstein was able to absorb radioactivity and harness it, even if the source of the radiation is vast distances away[2] After absorbing the radiation, his physical parameters became significantly increased.
- Size enhancement: Using his accumulated radiation, Rothstein could increase the size of his body, to become significantly larger than normal; usually twice his typical size. This allowed him to proportionally increase his strength and resilience even further. Doing this also allowed him to escape Cisco's B.O.O.T. invention, something most metahumans are incapable of doing.[2]
- Superhuman durability: Rothstein's skin was very resilient, bullets ricocheting off when fired at him. He also took many of the Flash's speed blows without really being phased at all.[2]
- Superhuman mobility: The strength in his legs made him very fast and agile, being able to tail the Flash while he's running at super speed by running and leaping.[2]
- Superhuman strength: Rothstein also had significantly enhanced strength compared to an average man. He could easily lift up and throw a food stand several meters and likewise swat away full grown men with a single blow.[2]
- Radiokinesis: Rothstein was able to absorb radioactivity and harness it, even if the source of the radiation is vast distances away[2] After absorbing the radiation, his physical parameters became significantly increased.
Weaknesses
- Radiation absorption limit: There is a limit to how much radiation Rothstein can absorb before it fatally poisons him.[2]
Appearances
The Flash
Season 2
- "The Man Who Saved Central City"
- "Flash of Two Worlds" (mentioned)
- "The Darkness and the Light" (mentioned)
- "Escape from Earth-2" (pictured)
Trivia
- Atom-Smasher was named by Martin Stein due to his ability to absorb atomic power, as well as his ability to simply smash things.[2]
- In Season 1 of the Flash, in the episode "Power Outage", Dr. Wells mentioned the name Al Rothstein in reference to those that died in the particle accelerator explosion, yet Rothstein from Earth Two later killed his Earth One equivalent in the premiere of Season 2 as he was on vacation in Hawaii during the time of the particle accelerator explosion.
- Rothstein is one of the few meta-humans that was killed by Barry Allen; albeit by accident.
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, Al Rothstein is a hero known as Atom-Smasher, hence the overt reference to their resemblance in his appearance. However, his villainous turn is similar to his appearance in the JSLA comics.