- "The man who saved Central City, hate to rain on your parade."
- —Al Rothstein confronting the Flash[src]
Albert "Al" Rothstein[1] (died October 6, 2015), nicknamed Atom-Smasher by Martin Stein, was the Earth-2 doppleganger of Al Rothstein. He had the ability to increase his size by absorbing radiation.
Quick Answers
How did Al Rothstein become Atom-Smasher on Earth-2?
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Why was Al Rothstein called Atom-Smasher in The Flash?
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 Zoom who posed as Jay Garrick. He was on the Central City Police Department's most wanted list.
Rampage on Earth-1[]
Atom-Smasher at Flash Day rally.
Al was forcibly brought from Earth-2 to Earth-1 by Zoom, who promised him the means to return to Earth-2 in exchange for killing the Flash of Earth-1. Al agreed, but like most other Earth-2 residents were terrified of Zoom, and in case he was unable to kill the Flash, Al murdered his Earth-1 counterpart in the hopes he could fool Zoom into thinking he was dead so he could take over his doppelganger's 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 the latter 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.
Death[]
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 and abilities[]
Powers[]
- "That's where you'll find your Atom-Smasher. Because he absorbs atomic power, and he, well, smashes."
- —Martin Stein[src]
- Meta-human physiology: After Rothstein was struck by the energy of the particle accelerator explosion on Earth-2, 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 enabled him to escape Cisco's B.O.O.T. invention; something most meta-humans 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 agility: 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]
Equipment[]
- Atom-Smasher suit: Rothstein wore a suit when he was the super-villain Atom-Smasher. It is unknown what materials the suit is made of. It also included a mask.
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's moniker was coined by Martin Stein due to his ability to absorb atomic power, as well as his ability to simply smash things.[2]
- In the Season 1 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-2 later killed his Earth-1 equivalent in the premiere of Season 2, as the latter was on vacation in Hawaii during the time of the particle accelerator explosion.
- Rothstein is one of the few meta-humans that were killed by Barry Allen.
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.
References[]
| Other versions of Al Rothstein (Earth-2) | ||||
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| To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Al Rothstein. | ||||
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| Original multiverse | ||||
| Earth: 1 • 2 • Al Rothstein | ||||
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