Origins

Left Behind

July 23rd, 1992

It was the year that left a devastating mark on the world that nobody would ever forget. As the heroes of Detroit fought bravely to keep the city from falling due to the hands of Doctor Destroyer, a group of scientists were tucked away in an underground facility frantically gathering research and precious work so they could escape. The group of scientists knew they needed to get out and fast. The facility around them was ready to crumble, already starting to fall apart due to the overwhelming battle happening above. However, there was one project they were concerned about and were unable to take with them.

“What of the Particle Project?”

“We can’t bring it with us. The chamber is too heavy for transport and if we even try detaching it from its life support, it will die.”

“There isn’t another way?”

“No, just leave it.”

“But we can’t!”

“It was a failure anyway. We can always try another.”

“...Fine.”

The two scientists were finished discussing the possible plans of bringing the so called “Particle Project” with them, but eventually decided it was best to leave it behind. The man who protested leaving the project behind turned to look back towards the chamber in question. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Those two features were something both he and the being inside the chamber had in common. Fingers clenched, balling into fists. It was as if defeat overcame him. He didn’t want to leave the project behind, but as his colleague mentioned, it was too troublesome for evacuation. The being behind the chamber’s window could only return the look. It wondered if the man in the white coat would return. A heavy feeling began to set in, vision beginning to blur. As the man in white walked away, the person inside of the chamber watched, drifting off to sleep.

Awakening

January 12th, 2012

Nearly twenty years have passed since that day. It was roughly 2:45 in the afternoon and an intersection of the business district in Downtown, Millennium City was under some very sudden construction work. The person responsible for the construction work was no city worker however, and complaints made by civilians caught in the traffic jam caught the attention of five unlikely heroes: General Freedom, Wheelman, Officer Cain, Rosa Guzman, and Sparrowhawk. When the team of five arrived on the scene they found the man responsible for the commotion. He wore a white and brown suit with orange and red bulky pieces of tech that made up the armored areas of his suit, but the most interesting part of the man’s armor was the massive drill attached to his right arm.

A battle ensued and the clash between heroes and villain caused the ground beneath them to crumble and cave in, dropping them down into the old ruins of Detroit. It was then the villain that would be known as “Drill Man” had escaped from the heroes and ran off into the crumbled buildings of the old city. After a brief search, the group of heroes were able track down the villain, which led them into an abandoned laboratory.

With Drill Man's capture, the heroes were able to find what the man was searching for: a containment chamber. It housed something rather unexpected as well and it was revealed to actually hold a person. It was only speculated about how long the man was trapped inside the chamber, an estimated 20 years. However, the sleeping body within the chamber was accidentally disturbed and awoke soon after when one of the heroes clumsily activated a switch.

Shortly after, the mechanisms inside of the chamber roared to life and a panel that was sitting on the back wall opened up. A device that looked like some sort of high-tech backpack with jet boosters came out of the panel and was brought towards the back of the chamber the unconscious person was resting.

“Activating Particle Accelerator.” a voice from an AI echoed in the room the group was in.

The device melded into the back of the chamber and eventually attached itself onto the sleeping occupant. The jolt awakened him and the chamber that was filled with liquid was draining. Afterwards the chamber finally opened and the being inside finally escaped his prison. The device itself shown the others what it could do. The once unconscious man was surrounded in a blue glow and within seconds was shrunken down to about two feet tall. Startled and surprised, the shrunken man panicked, though the others were able to calm him down before anything got out of hand.

It didn’t take long for the tiny man to make friends with the group and soon after, they took him to the outside world. It is there the shrunken hero took on the hero name “Particle Man” and began his journey into the new world.

Personality

Particle Man's personality is hard to explain in just a few words. He's technically been alive for only a year, but his social skills are that of a salesman. He's charismatic, charming, and not afraid to approach complete and random strangers. Though, because of this, Particle Man can be a little too trusting and naive towards these strangers, often giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are good people. Most of the time, his feelings towards another person are right and may turn a random stranger into a close friend. Of course it doesn't help that the pint sized hero also has the curiosity of a child and is fascinated by most things considered to be "weird."

Powers & Abilities

• Particle Man heavily relies on the back piece that is attached to his spine. Without the device, PM would be powerless and also wouldn't live very long without it as it acts as a sort of respiratory/life support system.

Particle Manipulation

• Particle Man's back piece allows the miniature man to fire beams of particle energy from both his palms and left eye. Effectiveness of these blasts depend on what size he currently is, though, the smaller he is the less effective the beams will be, unless a higher energy output is used. At smaller sizes, the particle beams are still capable of doing harm, however, they feel more like powerful stings rather than blasts that can penetrate through someone's skin. Because of this, PM's attacks are usually non-lethal and are usually used to stun his enemies, again, unless a higher energy output is used.

Size Alteration

• At the time of his awakening, PM remained at the height of 1'8. It wasn't until several months later--and the repair of his back piece--that enabled the miniature hero to grow in height. Particle Man's size alteration is somewhat restricted and some uses have yet to be tinkered with. For the moment, PM can only switch between the heights of 1'8 and 5'11, though there is speculation that he is capable of shrinking down small enough to enter the Microverse.

Weaknesses

• Particle Pack: The device that Particle Man wears on his back is actually attached to his spine. The device itself is what keeps Particle Man alive and is also what gives the hero his abilities. Without it, he wouldn't be able to use his abilities and wouldn't survive very long without a respirator.

• Vulnerability: Particle Man has no real resistance against other people's attacks and is susceptible to many forms of physical or elemental based attacks as well as magical or telepathic based attacks.

• Human Strength: PM currently possesses only the strength of a normal human being and is much weaker when smaller in size.

Short Stories

Searching for a Purpose

Many people have seen him or have even heard of him. He’s often flying around Millennium City, easily spotted by the glowing blue aura that surrounds his miniature stature. A busy little firefly as some may call him, while friends simply know him as “Tiny” and the hero community knew him as “Particle Man.” Staring up at the night sky, gazing upon the stars that illuminated the darkness of the dark void that we call “Outer Space,” he sat on one of the tallest buildings of Downtown, Millennium. The tallest buildings were perfect for stargazing, rooftops sitting far above the vast amount of light pollution that plagued the city. He hummed to himself, lifting a hand and holding a finger forward as if playing Connect the Dots with the sparkling little beads that were embedded in the sky.

He grinned to himself, “A dog.” he said, though alone and speaking only to himself. The shape he drew with the finger reminded him that of a dog’s head. From the floppy ears to the pointed nose, he outlined the shape before moving on to another.

The tiny hero spent much time on his own. It wasn’t that he was anti-social, it was the time he put aside for himself so he could relax and unwind. His mind never rested and often times it was difficult for him to sleep. Stargazing, or even cloud watching relaxed him. It was peaceful. Of course, he also enjoyed his time with his friends. A social butterfly he is, never afraid to go up to complete strangers and make friends. Most would consider this a good thing. Him? It’s a difficult choice. Making a new friend means less time spent with another he already knew. Of course, friends come and go, and this was something he was still adjusting to. He’s only been alive for 6 months. The new people in his life quickly became people he grew attached to, and losing someone meant a part of him being taken away along with them.

“An arrow.” he said to himself, using his finger to draw the shape of an arrowhead by using the stars once again. A sigh escaped from him and he slowly got to his feet, dusting his bottom off before the little backpack attached to him sprung to life and lifted the miniature man upwards in the glowing blue aura that concealed his form. A brief stretch of his arms and he was off. Like a shooting star, the tiny hero zoomed through the sky, heading in the direction of where he lived. He calls it home, but it doesn’t necessarily belong to him. He shares an apartment with a large, alligator man that went by the name of George. George is also responsible for the construction of the miniature home where Particle Man resides. It was as if someone constructed a normal sized home and shrunk it down, keeping the bachelor pad in mind for such a small person.

The same three thoughts plagued the little hero’s mind: “Who am I? Do I have a family? Who are my parents?” The exact three questions made him afraid to find out. People have spoken to him so casually about getting help. Sure, he was pointed in the right direction several times, but the fear of finding out something horrible kept him from doing anything. At the same time, he never felt whole. The same missing pieces of information were something that made him feel empty. He awoke alone, frightened, and abandoned in an old, run-down facility. A world full of giants he found himself in and he had nobody. The buildings, the lights, and especially the people all towered over him. He felt so insignificant in comparison.

Finally, he was home. A place where he felt safe. No matter what happened in the outside world, his own little safe haven was there to comfort him. It was the only place in the world meant for him. His television, his hot tub, his bed, his home. Sure, it all fit inside the room of an apartment, but it was meant for him. He sat on his bed, gazing into his reflection of the mirror that rested on the wall opposite of him. He only sat for a moment before getting back up and walking over to the mirror, resting a hand against it. He gazed into the reflection. A glowing, cybernetic eye stared right back. He lowered his head to look further down at himself. He was staring at his torso. The same hand that rested against the mirror moved down to tug at the lower half of his shirt, using it to lift it up over his chest. He continued to gaze into his reflection. For a small guy, he is proud of his body. But this wasn’t a time he spent to admire himself. He stared at his stomach now, where the belly button would be. Such a thing never existed on his tiny form. He’s seen it on other people he’s met, especially at the gym where most of the people were either shirtless or wore some kind of tube top. Why didn’t he have one? What made other people so special? More questions he was afraid to have answered.

If he was made, why was he abandoned? Was he a failure? A sunken feeling was felt in the pit of his stomach. A knot could be felt twisting from within. He let his shirt drop back down and took several steps back until he sat on his bed once more. He tried to relax, falling back onto the bed, taking a deep breath. His tiny little mind was working on overdrive again. Hundreds of questions popping into his head like a flip book. This was also why he hated being alone for too long. Being around other people is distracting. It kept him from thinking of the same questions that plagued him since he awoke. The chronic headache that usually occurs when this happens soon passed and the miniature man lie there, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. His eyes felt heavy and he let out a yawn. Slowly, he began to drift off to sleep. Tomorrow is another day and tomorrow he can continue searching for his purpose.

Friends and Allies

Particle Man is young, cheerful, and happy to make friends. He's normally not afraid to approach random strangers, which makes it rather easy for him to find friendship in others.

Of course, there was a secondary reason for this: the more friends he made, the more likely he would be protected. That was especially true when his size altering abilities were very limited and he wasn't capable of altering himself to normal height.

Friends

• Atrix -

• Atomac - A hero that became friends with PM after showing off similar size altering abilities that PM became fascinated with.

• Slick - An amusing individual that Particle Man became good friends with.

Allies

• Blue Bruiser -

• Cardinal -

• General Freedom - One of the first patriotic themed heroes that PM came across and soon after meeting him, took a quick liking to the grumpy hero.

• Manhunt -

• Thundrax - One of the first heroes Particle Man met after his awakening. Thundrax was also one of the first to encourage PM in becoming a hero himself.

• Rezz - The first doctor he ever got a checkup from. Rezz also shares a sort of immaturity that PM has.

• Sparrowhawk -

• Wheelman -

Allies: Eternals Inc.

• Colosso -

• Mister Fifth -

• Stopmotion -

• Vespula Sting -

Rogues Gallery

Rogues Gallery: Triangle Man

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: ???

Threat Level: ???

A psychotic serial killer that has an extreme hatred for the little hero known as Particle Man.

Rogues Gallery: Bumblebee

Powers and Abilities: Bumblebee possesses similar powers to Particle Man. He is also capable of shrinking in size and capable of using "Bee Stingers," which are essentially beams of particle energy.

Origin: Mutant

Threat Level:

Bumblebee is also Particle Man's Arch-rival who threatens to ruin PM's day whenever he can, mostly by being an annoyance.

Rogues Gallery: Benjamin Moore

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Human

Threat Level:

Rogues Gallery: The Multi-Man Project

The Multi-Man project is research based on the original "Particle Project." Benjamin Moore survived the Battle of Detroit and managed to use what research he saved to continue his work in creating an army of super-clones.

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Mutant

Threat Level:

Powers and Abilities:

Origin: Science

Threat Level:

Opinions About Particle Man

(Have an opinion about PM? Feel free to post here!)

"Oh, little guy? Yeah. Almost stepped on him once. Heh. An eight-foot tall dragon being best buddies with a pint-sized hero who's barely even the size of my foot. Now that's what I call juxtaposition!" - Snowtalon

"He's so tiny but he has a big heart. Kinda funny too, in an odd but um, cute sorta way." - Blue Hour

"The little guy's kinda weird. I guess that's kinda what happens when you're stuck in a pod for like twenty years, though. Still, he's friendly enough, so it's hard to dislike him." - Cardinal

"Action Figure Man! He doesn't like being called an action figure, but that's never stopped me before!" - Impsblood

"He's got a big heart fer such a little guy, especially considerin' what's happened to him. The firefly is alright." - General Freedom

"Bumpy start aside, when I first met him I figured he'd be alright. He definitely looked like a hero then, and I can safely say he's living up to that." - Wheelman

"He's obviously had a... difficult start to his career. He's had a lot to overcome and still perseveres with a smile on his face. I suppose by that alone gives him a title of 'hero'." - Sparrowhawk

"Information in our line of work can be dangerous though. Good thing to remember, if any. Keep it in mind or you'll learn it the way everyone else does. A hole in the ground, with either your heart in it, or your new pillow." - Blue Bruiser giving Particle Man very sound advice.

Gallery

Facts and Trivia

• The character was inspired by the song of the same name by They Might Be Giants.

• Even though "Particle Man" is the character's theme song, it took the character IC-wise a few months to understand the many references people would make about his name.

• Despite being able to grow into normal height, PM can usually be seen as his miniature self.

World Records

These World Records may be taken with a grain of salt and may or may not be in-character, depending on if individuals choose to take these records in-character.