I always felt like Brandon Routh got a bad deal with SUPERMAN RETURNS in 2006. He was actually quite great playing Superman, and almost channeling Christopher Reeve in both looks and voice. But the film suffered from a drama-heavy script, very little action, and a weak interpretation of Clark Kent… all of this wasn’t Routh’s fault though, and I always felt it was a shame he never got a second chance to prove what he could do in the role. For those following ARROW on CW, you may have seen Brandon showing up now and again as Ray Palmer, also known as The Atom in DC Comics. For those unfamiliar, The Atom is a lot like Marvel’s Ant-Man in that he can shrink down to tiny proportions. In ARROW, Palmer has been developing his A.T.O.M. suit, which has been teased a bit though not shown in all its glory. Today that changes, and we get our first look at Routh all geared up.
Click on image to see it full-size.
Rumors have circled that Ray Palmer may be getting his own series, which seems likely since DC and Warner Bros. are having great success with THE FLASH (which is terrific by the way) and are already developing series for Supergirl and a pre-Superman show about Krypton. Atom (or A.T.O.M.) will also show up on THE FLASH, so it would appear they have considerable faith in developing the character. Comic book fans will immediately notice this take on The Atom is quite different aesthetically from the pages of the comics. You could almost liken it to Iron Man or something from ROLLERBALL, but it does seem to fit with the style of ARROW and THE FLASH in terms of material and colors. The comic book version of The Atom wears blue and red spandex, so we’ll call these changes understandable. Look for the suit on ARROW in the February 25 episode, and then later on THE FLASH. What are your thoughts on the costume? Think The Atom could be cool in his own series? Let us know in the comments.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
Don’t like it one bit. Lame suit, too busy, makes him look short & rotund. Helmet makes him ugly, squashes his face down. The chin strap squashes his face in, the visor gives him deformed round eyes of different sizes and eyebrows from hell. Fail. Brandon looks good, a superhero costume is supposed to make you look badass good but they turned him into a dweeb.
It’ll look pretty good in comparison to the outfits the cut-price Batman and Robin wear. Sara’s Black Canary costume has been the only decent costume on that show so far.