- "You have to go now. You need your mom. But we'll still be friends. I'll be all right. I have people here to take care of me. And I wouldn't have found them without you."
- —Ray Palmer bids goodbye to Gumball[src]
An unnamed male Dominator, nicknamed "Gumball" by Ray Palmer, was time-displaced in 1980s Ivy Town. He was a target of the veteran NSA Agent Smith.
Biography
Ray and Gumball quickly became friends.
"Gumball" was displaced in time, finding himself in 1988 in Ivy Town, where he was found by Ray Palmer in a pipe.[1] Ray, known among the locals for saving stray animals, brought Gumball to his house. Gumball's presence greatly affected Ray, making him shoplift sweets to feed the alien baby and skip school to spend more time with it. Meanwhile, the baby's mother, the Dominator queen, also arrived in Ivy Town, trying to locate her child and bring him back home. Ray later ran away from home together with Gumball, hiding in his playground, named after the legendary Camelot. Pretending to be Sir Galahad, Ray met with Zari Tomaz, who tried to explain that Gumball, being a Dominator, was dangerous. Ray refused to believe this, and tried to run away, but ended up captured by the NSA, along with Zari and Gumball.
The mother finds her son.
Gumball was then tortured by the NSA agents, who ran experiments on him and also suppressed Gumball's powers, which was painful for the baby Dominator. After being located by the Atom, Gumball's restraints were removed, but as the group was about to escape, the NSA cornered them. Using his mind control powers, Gumball made Agent Smith and the other agents abstain from shooting the escapees, and instead perform the song "Good Morning" from the musical Singin' in the Rain. Gumball was later carried over by Ray in a bicycle's basket, propelled to flight by Zari's Air Totem powers. They were then finally found by the Dominator queen, who happily took her baby back after Gumball's tearful goodbye with Ray.[2]
Personality
Gumball smiles at his friend.
Gumball was a carefree child, happy to play and watch television with young Ray Palmer, who befriended and took care of the baby Dominator. He had little patience for verbal fighting and tried to use his powers on Sandy Palmer when she was scolding her son for skipping school. Gumball showed a great deal of trust in Ray and was wary to believe other strangers, hiding behind Ray's back. Despite his anger for aggressive humans, he stopped himself from killing the threatening NSA agents with their guns, and instead made them perform the song "Good Morning" from Singin' in the Rain. Gumball was very happy to reunite with his mother, yet also sad to leave Ray. He and his mother both waved gratefully goodbye to the humans that helped to arrange their reunion.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Dominator physiology: According to Gideon, the infant of the Dominator species has the strength of the adult with none of its discretion. It can also mind-control subjects at will.[2]
- Mental abilities: The Dominators' physiology allows them to use abilities that stem from the mind with some abilities manifesting as early as infancy.
- Telepathy/Mind control: Gumball tried to use his powers on Sandy Palmer and later successfully on NSA agents. He was also trying to contact his mother using telepathy.[2]
- Super strength: Gumball succeeded to easily grip and restrain the miniaturized Ray, despite the latter retains his usual strength while at miniaturized size.[2]
- Mental abilities: The Dominators' physiology allows them to use abilities that stem from the mind with some abilities manifesting as early as infancy.
Abilities
- Bilingualism: Gumball understands English, along with his mother tongue.[2]
- High-level intellect: Unlike adult Dominators, Gumball can understand and comprehend abstract things, such as emotions.
- Eidetic memory: When Gumball used his mind control ability on the NSA agents, he exactly remembered the song "Good Morning", and made them sing and dance exactly like in the film that he and young Ray Palmer watched.
Weaknesses
- Power-dampening cuffs: Similar to meta-humans, Gumball is susceptible to power-dampeners.[2]
- Sedation: Gumball is susceptible to sedation, preventing him from contacting his mother's psychic commands.[2]
Appearances
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Season 3
- "Zari"
- "Phone Home"
- "Welcome to the Jungle" (mentioned)
- "Beebo the God of War" (mentioned)
Trivia
Behind the scenes
- Historically, gumballs were a popular type of candy in the 1980s.