Dwarfstar

Dwarfstar
Dwarfstar
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	All-New Atom #2
Created by	Gail Simone
In-story information
Alter ego	Sylbert Runstine
Team affiliations	Secret Six Titans
Notable aliases	Anti-Atom
Abilities	Ability to shrink his body to varying degrees (including the subatomic level) while manipulating his weight to his advantage. Expert with a Hunting Knife

Dwarfstar is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain introduced by Gail Simone in All-New Atom # 2. He was the archenemy of Ryan Choi.

Fictional character biography

Sylbert Rundine was a student and serial killer who stalked the dormitories of Ivy University. He acquired a Bio-Belt similar to the one worn by college professor Ryan Choi and became the psychotic super-villain Dwarfstar. By the time of his last appearance, he was revealed to be the "first son" of Jia, a.k.a. Lady Chronos. Having been aged due to a forced stay in a time-accelerated micro-universe, he was left even more mentally unhinged than before. He vanished along with Chronos and Lady Chronos. A master assassin as well as the shrinking nemesis of The Atom, Ryan Choi. Dawrfstar has been a constant thorn in Ryan's side during his tenure as The Atom. The two men were actually connected in ways they were unaware of. A woman from Ryan's past was the reason that both men gained their shrinking belts, though Ryan was deceived to believe it was from Ray Palmer himself. The woman, Jia, who was a former flame of Ryan's, she would later turn to a life of crime and become the time warping villain Lady Chronos. She refers to Dwarfstar as her "firstborn," this probably refers to her connection to his acquisition of his power belt and not his actual birth. Dwarfstar hired Deathstroke and his group of Villains for Hire that call themselves Titans, to kill his arch-nemesis Ryan Choi, a physics professor and costumed hero known as the Atom. Deathstroke along with Cheshire, the Tattooed Man, Cinder and the recently resurrected Osiris carried out the sadistic mission. After a horrendous confrontation at Ryan's home he was beaten and stabbed. Dwarfstar mets Deathstroke the morning after the mission at Patriot Park so he could receive his trophy. After he confirmed the money was transferred he was given a matchbox that contained Ryan Choi's dead body.

Shortly after hiring Deathstroke's team to kill Ryan Choi, Dwarfstar was recruited by Bane to join his Secret Six. Also on Bane's Six, was Giganta, Choi's girlfriend. During a mission where Spy Smasher sent the team to Skartaris, Dwarfstar makes a comment about the Atom, which leads Giganta to tell him she's the Atom's girlfriend. Dwarfstar snidly remarks "Really? How funny. Small world, huh?"

After Bane's Secret Six comes into a stalemate with Amanda Waller's team, the two groups head back to Belle Reve to meet with Waller, who wants the Six to work for her. When the team leaves, Waller's agent, Tremor brings up Dwarfstar's history of being a serial killer and rapist. Waller knows this, but simply says "I don't think it's going to work out for him on this team, do you?"

A short time later, Giganta invites Dwarfstar to her hotel room, where she attempts to seduce him. She begins to undress and kiss him, saying she has a fetish for small men, and that her boyfriend has the same ability. She asks if Dwarfstar knows him, then punches him yelling "His name was Ryan, you sick son of a bitch!" Revealing that Waller told her about Choi's death, Giganta, with Dwarfstar's belt, proceeds to beat him to a bloody mess. With Dwarfstar begging for his life, Giganta duct tapes his mouth shut as she continues to nearly beat him to death.

During this same period, The Atom begins an investigation into the disappearance of Ryan, who had been murdered by Deathstroke. The Atom comforts Ryan's girlfriend Amanda, and muses Ryan may be hiding out like he did after the events of Identity Crisis.^[1] While investigating to his micro size, Ray discovers microbiological blood.^[2] He arrive at the Hall of Justice to tell the League members that Ryan is missing. The League starts to help Ray's investigating to find Ryan's whereabouts.^[3] He discovers Ryan's DNA cell is not a match. The DNA cell came to someone else.^[4] Later, Ray discovers evidence that Dwarfstar had a hand in Ryan's death, and vows to find him and make him pay.^[5] Ray eventually finds Dwarfstar in a hospital, where he is recovering from the severe injuries he sustained from his torture at the hands of Giganta (one of Ryan's girlfriends). Believing it may lead to a lighter sentence, Dwarfstar confesses to hiring Deathstoke to kill Ryan. Armed with this knowledge, Ray leaves to inform the Justice League, but not before informing Dwarfstar that Deathstroke would kill him for his betrayal.^[6]

Powers and abilities

Dwarfstar possesses the power to alter his size down to the subatomic level while retaining his natural strength level. This is accomplished by using the remnants of a white-dwarf star made into a belt worn with his costume. The Atom is one of the only villains in the DC Universe that has 100% control over his body on the molecular level, thus making him exponentially more powerful than he is often portrayed; he is only limited by his application of his powers.

Dwarfstar is also keenly skilled with the use of his Hunting Knife that he uses to kill and torture his victims.

In other media

Television

• Dwarfstar makes a cameo appearance in the Batman: Brave and the Bold episode "Sword of the Atom!". He's seen fighting the Atom (Choi), brandishing his trademark knife.

Notes and Trivia

Dwarfstar has been hinted at not only been a serial killer and rapist but also a cannibal, however this has not yet been shown. Dwarfstar, while attending Ivy University, was an amateur poet and often wrote a new poem for each of his victims.

References

1. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #28 (October 2010)
2. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #29 (November 2010)
3. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #30 (December 2010)
4. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #31 (January 2011)
5. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #32 (February 2011)
6. ^ Titans (vol. 2) #33 (March 2011)