History ComicBook / TheAtom

* StupidJetpackHitler: Ryan provides the page quote, in fact.

The second Atom was introduced during the UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and had nothing in common with the first other than the name. He first appeared in ''"Showcase''" #34 (September, 1961), created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. '''Ray Palmer''' was a physicist who found a meteor made of "[[AppliedPhlebotinum white dwarf star matter]]" that he fashioned into a lens capable of shrinking and expanding objects although the latter process would cause said objects to explode. After getting trapped in a cave with his girlfriend Jean Loring and a group of students, Ray uses the lens to shrink himself to create an escape route knowing full well [[HeroicSacrifice he will die in the process of regaining normal size]]. Much to his shock, he does not explode, which he attributes to a unique energy inside his body. Ray incorporates the lens in a costume that allows him to shrink (all the way to subatomic size!) and also change his weight. Despite these unlikely powers he became a successful hero and joined the Justice League. Palmer is also known for having one of the worst romantic lives of any superhero: Jean Loring, his long-time girlfriend (then wife) not only cheated on him, she later [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis went insane]] and even later became a [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis supervillain]]. At one point Palmer had a series of LowFantasy adventures in the Amazon Jungle involving a tribe of really tiny aliens (in the "Sword of the Atom" miniseries.)

The second Atom was introduced during the UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and had nothing in common with the first other than the name. He first appeared in ''"Showcase''" #34 (September, 1961), created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. '''Ray Palmer''' was a physicist who found a meteor made of "[[AppliedPhlebotinum white dwarf star matter]]" that had shrinking powers (white dwarfs are "compressed" stars and so smaller than normal) so he used it to create a costume that gave him the power to shrink (all the way to subatomic size!) and also change his weight. Despite these unlikely powers he became a successful hero and joined the Justice League. Palmer is also known for having one of the worst romantic lives of any superhero: Jean Loring, his long-time girlfriend (then wife) not only cheated on him, she later [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis went insane]] and even later became a [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis supervillain]]. At one point Palmer had a series of LowFantasy adventures in the Amazon Jungle involving a tribe of really tiny aliens (in the "Sword of the Atom" miniseries.)

The ''[[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]]'' series of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} introduced a new character with the Atom mantle in issue 18. Her name was Rhonda Pineda, a Latina college student at Ivy University. She initially made a few cameos during the ''ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis'' arc, where Cyborg signalled her and several other heroes to help the League stop an Atlantean invasion. Rhonda formally met the League in issue 18 and was recruited along with ComicBook/{{Firestorm}} and Element Woman. Issue 20 revealed [[spoiler:that she was a mole working for Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor's Justice League of America, gaining intel on how to defeat the Justice League]]. However, issue 23 revealed [[spoiler: she was playing both the Justice League and the JLA. Her real name was Atomica and she was working for the Secret Society all along. She was a native of Earth-3 and essentially the Atom's evil counterpart in the Crime Syndicate. She eventually got killed by Lex Luthor at the end of ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil''.]]

''[[ComicBook/DCRebirth DC Universe: Rebirth]]'' #1 introduced Ryan Choi to the post-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' continuity, now several years younger, as an assistant to Palmer at Ivy University. Palmer by this point had taken up the Atom identity and costume; Choi inherited a copy of the costume after he went missing, similarly to his original version.

The Ryan Choi Atom was the most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was based on ''Sword Of The Atom''). Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. The first appearance for the Atom in other media was in the late 60's ''Superman/Aquaman Hour'' Creator/{{Filmation}} series (other DC heroes also took part in rotating segments). Palmer appears in live-action, played by Creator/BrandonRouth in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', though his role was originally intended to be filled by the Blue Beetle, and bears rather more similarities to him than the comics' Atom. However, Palmer's shrinking abilities will be introduced in the spinoff, ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''.

* BackFromTheDead: Ryan Choi in ''[[Comicbook/{{Convergence}} Convergence]]: The Atom'', when it turns out the voice in Ray Palmer's head ''is actually Ryan''. After a fight with Barracuda, [[ItMakesSenseInContext Ryan makes himself a new body from Ray's severed hand]], before the two Atoms face down Deathstroke, who's come back to finish the job. In the end [[spoiler: Ryan steals mass from his hands rather than kill him in revenge, leaving him with ''teeny little baby hands!'']]

* DatingCatwoman: Choi was in a relationship with WonderWoman villainess Giganta.

* EvilCounterpart: Ryan Choi's archenemy was Dwarfstar. Now, however, there's Atomica, a.k.a. [[spoiler: Rhonda Pineda, who for over a year was billed as the new Atom in the Justice League, before she revealed herself as TheMole in both the Justice League and the Justice League of America. Rhonda is actually a native of Earth-3 and a member of the Crime Syndicate, essentially making her the evil alternate universe counterpart to the Atom.]]

* InNameOnly: Atom's reimagination in the Silver Age. He went from a short and BadassNormal boxer to a physicist who could shrink by using the power of white dwarf star.

''[[ComicBook/DCRebirth DC Universe: Rebirth]]'' #1 introduced Ryan Choi to the post-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' continuity, now several years younger, as a student under Palmer at Ivy University. Palmer by this point had taken up the Atom identity and costume; Choi inherited a copy of the costume after he went missing, similarly to his original version.

The Atom is a Creator/DCComics superhero character, best known for being "the tiny one in the Justice League" (because of his [[SizeShifter shrinking powers]]- he's usually 6 inches tall.) He has starred in his own series many times. (Should not be confused with ComicBook/CaptainAtom. Or Atom Smasher. Or [[NuclearGlossary an actual atom]].)

Actually, there have been three superheroes named The Atom. The first was '''Al Pratt'''. He first appeared in ''"All-American Comics''" #19 (October, 1940). Created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Conner. Pratt is a short guy who gets a boost in confidence after being trained in boxing, so he becomes the masked hero, The Atom ([[DontExplainTheJoke because he's small but powerful, get it?]]) He had no actual superpowers, but was instead a BadassNormal. (It was later [[RetCon retconned]] that exposure to radiation gave him super strength.) His series continued appearing ''"All-American Comics''" until its 72nd issue (April, 1946). He was a founding member of the ComicBook/{{Justice Society|OfAmerica}}, appearing in most of its adventures between 1940 and to 1951. He got a second series of his own in the backpages of ''"Flash Comics''". Lasting from issues #80 to #104 (February, 1947-February, 1949). The character went into hiatus in 1953, but was revived in 1963 along with other Justice Society members. He became the father of the superhero Damage and the godfather of the superhero Nuklon.

The second Atom was introduced during the UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and had nothing in common with the first other than the name. He first appeared in ''"Showcase''" #34 (September, 1961), created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. '''Ray Palmer''' was a physicist who found a meteor made of "[[AppliedPhlebotinum white dwarf star matter]]" that had shrinking powers (white dwarfs are "compressed" stars and so smaller than normal) so he used it to create a costume that gave him the power to shrink (all the way to subatomic size!) and also change his weight. Despite these unlikely powers he became a successful hero and joined the Justice League. Palmer is also known for having one of the worst romantic lives of any superhero: Jean Loring, his long-time girlfriend (then wife) not only cheated on him, she later [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis went insane]] and even later became a [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis supervillain]]. At one point Palmer had a series of LowFantasy adventures in the Amazon Jungle involving a tribe of really tiny humans (in the "Sword of the Atom" miniseries.)

The Palmer Atom got a regular series, named ''"Atom"'' in July, 1962. It lasted in its original format to issue #38 (August, 1968). He was then paired up with ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, for the remaining issues of his series. ''"Atom and Hawkman"'' lasted from issue #39 to #45 (October, 1968-October, 1969). Then the series was cancelled. Palmer got a 4-issue mini-series called ''"Sword of the Atom''" (September - December, 1983). Three ''"Sword of the Atom''" special issues appeared between 1984 and 1988. Palmer then got a regular series, ''"Power of the Atom''". Which lasted 18 issues, from August, 1988 to November, 1989. After that the character mostly had regular appearances in team books and crossovers.

The third Atom was '''Ryan Choi''', an Asian American scientist who inherited Palmer's costume after he disappeared following the events of ''Identity Crisis''. He first appeared in the one-shot ''"DCU: Brave New World''" (2006), created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison. He starred in his own series for 25 issues (September, 2006-September, 2008). He was then unceremoniously killed off, to the chagrin of his fans (and Gail Simone). Being one of the few superheroes of color, Choi's death sparked a major controversy. Palmer appears as a major supporting character in ''[[ComicBook/FrankensteinAgentOfSHADE Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.]]'', without the Atom identity. Also in the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, Al Pratt was moved with the rest of the Golden Age [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] members to the ComicBook/{{Earth 2}} series, written by James Robinson, and given Nuklon's power set.

The ''[[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]]'' series of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} introduced a new character with the Atom mantle in issue 18. Her name is Rhonda Pineda, a Latina college student at Ivy University. She initially made a few cameos during the ''ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis'' arc, where Cyborg signals her and several other heroes to help the League stop an Atlantean invasion. Rhonda formally meets the League in issue 18 and is recruited along with ComicBook/{{Firestorm}} and Element Woman. Issue 20 reveals [[spoiler:that she is a mole working for Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor's Justice League of America; gaining intel on how to defeat the Justice League]]. However, issue 23 reveals [[spoiler: she was playing both the Justice League and the JLA. Her real name is Atomica and she's been working for the Secret Society all along. She's a native of Earth-3 and essentially the Atom's evil counterpart in the Crime Syndicate.]]

* HeightAngst: He is, in reality Al Pratt. He was only five feet and one inch tall, constantly being taunted for his size. Even after a boxing coach helps him become stronger, Pratt continues to get teased at his college over his size.

* InNameOnly: Atom's reimagination in the silver age. He went from a short and BadassNormal boxer to a physicist who could shrink by using the power of white dwarf star.

* KilledOffForReal: Played with in ''The All-New Atom'' where, searching for Ray Palmer, the heroes find themselves in what appears to be heaven and are greeted by the spirit of former ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord. Ted lampshades the uneven reversibility of comics death, lamenting that he and Batman's parents are the "only people with a permanent parking spot" in the afterlife. (It turns out not really to be heaven, in fact, and not really to be Ted, but the dude (five years dead now and counting!) has a point.)

* TokenMinority: Choi was seen as this at first by some. The fact that they killed him off as soon as his series failed doesn't help. Of course, they did bring him back in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold one of the newer cartoons.]]

The second Atom was introduced during the TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and had nothing in common with the first other than the name. He first appeared in ''"Showcase''" #34 (September, 1961), created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. '''Ray Palmer''' was a physicist who found a meteor made of "[[AppliedPhlebotinum white dwarf star matter]]" that had shrinking powers (white dwarfs are "compressed" stars and so smaller than normal) so he used it to create a costume that gave him the power to shrink (all the way to subatomic size!) and also change his weight. Despite these unlikely powers he became a successful hero and joined the Justice League. Palmer is also known for having one of the worst romantic lives of any superhero: Jean Loring, his long-time girlfriend (then wife) not only cheated on him, she later [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis went insane]] and even later became a [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis supervillain]]. At one point Palmer had a series of LowFantasy adventures in the Amazon Jungle involving a tribe of really tiny humans (in the "Sword of the Atom" miniseries.)

* BreakoutVillain: Chronos the Time Thief, who quickly became the SilverAge version's ArchNemesis, returns as a major villain in every subsequent ''Atom'' series, and is popular enough that he keeps appearing in various other heroes' comics whenever the Atom doesn't have one.

* SquashedFlat: The focus of a SilverAge story, Fate of The Flattened Out Atom.

The third Atom was '''Ryan Choi''', an Asian American scientist who inherited Palmer's costume after he disappeared following the events of ''Identity Crisis''. He first appeared in the one-shot ''"DCU: Brave New World''" (2006), created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison. He starred in his own series for 25 issues (September, 2006-September, 2008). He was then unceremoniously killed off, to the chagrin of his fans (and Gail Simone). Being one of the few superheroes of color, Choi's death sparked a major controversy. Palmer appears as a major supporting character in ''[[ComicBook/FrankensteinAgentOfSHADE Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.]]'', without the Atom identity. Also in the {{New 52}}, Al Pratt was moved with the rest of the Golden Age [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] members to the ComicBook/{{Earth 2}} series, written by James Robinson, and given Nuklon's power set.

The third Atom was '''Ryan Choi''', an Asian American scientist who inherited Palmer's costume after he disappeared following the events of ''Identity Crisis''. He first appeared in the one-shot ''"DCU: Brave New World''" (2006), created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison. He starred in his own series for 25 issues (September, 2006-September, 2008). He was then unceremoniously killed off, to the chagrin of his fans (and Gail Simone). Being one of the few superheroes of color, Choi's death sparked a major controversy. Palmer appears as a major supporting character in ''[[ComicBook/FrankensteinAgentOfSHADE Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.]]'', without the Atom identity. Also in the {{New 52}}, Al Pratt was moved with the rest of the Golden Age [[JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] members to the ComicBook/{{Earth 2}} series, written by James Robinson, and given Nuklon's power set.

Actually, there have been three superheroes named The Atom. The first was '''Al Pratt'''. He first appeared in ''"All-American Comics''" #19 (October, 1940). Created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Conner. Pratt is a short guy who gets a boost in confidence after being trained in boxing, so he becomes the masked hero, The Atom ([[DontExplainTheJoke because he's small but powerful, get it?]]) He had no actual superpowers, but was instead a BadassNormal. (It was later [[RetCon retconned]] that exposure to radiation gave him super strength.) His series continued appearing ''"All-American Comics''" until its 72nd issue (April, 1946). He was a founding member of the JusticeSociety, appearing in most of its adventures between 1940 and to 1951. He got a second series of his own in the backpages of ''"Flash Comics''". Lasting from issues #80 to #104 (February, 1947-February, 1949). The character went into hiatus in 1953, but was revived in 1963 along with other Justice Society members. He became the father of the superhero Damage and the godfather of the superhero Nuklon.

* KilledOffForReal: Played with in ''The All-New Atom'' where, searching for Ray Palmer, the heroes find themselves in what appears to be heaven and are greeted by the spirit of former BlueBeetle Ted Kord. Ted lampshades the uneven reversibility of comics death, lamenting that he and Batman's parents are the "only people with a permanent parking spot" in the afterlife. (It turns out not really to be heaven, in fact, and not really to be Ted, but the dude (five years dead now and counting!) has a point.)

The Ryan Choi Atom was the most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was based on ''Sword Of The Atom''). Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. The first appearance for the Atom in other media was in the late 60's ''Superman/Aquaman Hour'' Creator/{{Filmation}} series (other DC heroes also took part in rotating segments). Palmer appears in live-action, played by Creator/BrandonRouth in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', though his role was originally intended to be filled by the Blue Beetle, and bears rather more similarities to him than the comics' Atom. However, Palmer's shrinking abilities will be introduced in the spinoff, ''Series/TheLegendsOfTomorrow''.

The Ryan Choi Atom was the most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was based on ''Sword Of The Atom''). Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. The first appearance for the Atom in other media was in the late 60's ''Superman/Aquaman Hour'' Creator/{{Filmation}} series (other DC heroes also took part in rotating segments). Palmer appears in live-action, played by Creator/BrandonRouth in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', though his role was originally intended to be filled by the Blue Beetle, and bears rather more similarities to him than the comics' Atom.

The Ryan Choi Atom is the one most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was in fact based on the Sword Of The Atom series.) Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. Palmer appears in live-action, played by Creator/BrandonRouth in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', though his role was originally intended to be filled by the Blue Beetle, and bears rather more similarities to him than the comics' Atom.

The Ryan Choi Atom is the one most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was in fact based on the Sword Of The Atom series.) Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. Palmer appears in live-action, played by Creator/BrandonRouth in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}''.

** A variation occurred with the Ray Palmer version during the BronzeAge, where the fact that his power to shrink caused him to be ignored at times by his normal-sized teammates gave him an inferiority complex for a while.

The Ryan Choi Atom is the one most often seen in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' show, though Palmer also appeared in one episode (that was in fact based on the Sword Of The Atom series.) Ray Palmer was the one in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]],'' and referenced in Justice League (regular). Prior to that, a future version of the Atom known as Micron appeared in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' as a member of the future Justice League. Additionally, a series of shorts dubbed ''Sword of the Atom'' were aired on the WesternAnimation/DCNation block on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Ray Palmer also has a minor recurring role in ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Invasion]]'' as the mentor of Bumblebee. Palmer appears in live-action, played by [[Film/SupermanReturns Brandon Routh]] in the CW series ''Series/{{Arrow}}''.

'''The''' [[SizeShifter Shrinking Superhero]].

Actually, there have been three superheroes named The Atom. The first was Al Pratt. He first appeared in ''"All-American Comics''" #19 (October, 1940). Created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Conner. Pratt is a short guy who gets a boost in confidence after being trained in boxing, so he becomes the masked hero, The Atom ([[DontExplainTheJoke because he's small but powerful, get it?]]) He had no actual superpowers, but was instead a BadassNormal. (It was later [[RetCon retconned]] that exposure to radiation gave him super strength.) His series continued appearing ''"All-American Comics''" until its 72nd issue (April, 1946). He was a founding member of the JusticeSociety, appearing in most of its adventures between 1940 and to 1951. He got a second series of his own in the backpages of ''"Flash Comics''". Lasting from issues #80 to #104 (February, 1947-February, 1949). The character went into hiatus in 1953, but was revived in 1963 along with other Justice Society members. He became the father of the superhero Damage and the godfather of the superhero Nuklon.

The second Atom was introduced during the TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and had nothing in common with the first other than the name. He first appeared in ''"Showcase''" #34 (September, 1961), created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. Ray Palmer was a physicist who found a meteor made of "[[AppliedPhlebotinum white dwarf star matter]]" that had shrinking powers (white dwarfs are "compressed" stars and so smaller than normal) so he used it to create a costume that gave him the power to shrink (all the way to subatomic size!) and also change his weight. Despite these unlikely powers he became a successful hero and joined the Justice League. Palmer is also known for having one of the worst romantic lives of any superhero: Jean Loring, his long-time girlfriend (then wife) not only cheated on him, she later [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis went insane]] and even later became a [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis supervillain]]. At one point Palmer had a series of LowFantasy adventures in the Amazon Jungle involving a tribe of really tiny humans (in the "Sword of the Atom" miniseries.)

The third Atom was Ryan Choi, an Asian American scientist who inherited Palmer's costume after he disappeared following the events of ''Identity Crisis''. He first appeared in the one-shot ''"DCU: Brave New World''" (2006), created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison. He starred in his own series for 25 issues (September, 2006-September, 2008). He was then unceremoniously killed off, to the chagrin of his fans. Being one of the few superheroes of color, Choi's death sparked a major controversy. Palmer appears as a major supporting character in ''[[ComicBook/FrankensteinAgentOfSHADE Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.]]'', without the Atom identity. Also in the {{New 52}}, Al Pratt was moved with the rest of the Golden Age [[JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] members to the ComicBook/{{Earth 2}} series, written by James Robinson, and given Nuklon's power set.

* BreakoutVIllain: Chronos the Time Thief, who quickly became the SilverAge version's ArchNemesis, returns as a major villain in every subsequent ''Atom'' series, and is popular enough that he keeps appearing in various other heroes' comics whenever the Atom doesn't have one.