8 DC Comics Characters The Arrowverse Has Saved
5. The Atom
The Atom is a major enough presence in the DC universe to have several different heroes take up the mantle over the years, since the character was first created in 1940 (making him only a year younger than Batman). However, the shrinking superhero was never a massive player and not as familiar a name as Marvel's counterpart, Ant-Man.
He wasn't even intended to turn up in the Arrowverse at first, with Brandon Routh signed up to play Blue Beetle. When the rights to that character were refused by the movie division, the writers altered their plans and added in the Ray Palmer incarnation of the Atom instead. But they faced the problem of how to make the character work in the setting of the Arrowverse and how to give him extra personality.
The result was to make him a mesh of Tony Stark - the Atom exoskeleton is shamelessly inspired by Iron Man's armour - the classic Clark Kent and maybe a little of Peter Parker's pep. Ray is a dorky, big-hearted science nerd who frequently makes clumsy mistakes. In contrast to Routh's previous DC character - some guy with red underpants, I think - his Atom is a loveable goofball and the heart of the Legends of Tomorrow team.