"I still remember the first time I met Axl. It was in the vents. I was tiny Atom. He was a big rat. And he tried to eat me."

—Ray Palmer on Axl^[src]

Axl (1776-1954) was a rat that Ray Palmer gave to Mick Rory as a Christmas gift.

Biography

Discovery

Axl was found in the vents of the Waverider by Ray Palmer, who later gave the rat to Mick Rory as a pet for Christmas.^[1]

Death

During one of the Legends's missions, Axl's name became an aberration, being changed to "Josh Groban" due to rock never becoming popular. During this mission, Axl died from ingesting poison. His body was found by his owner. Ray, Rory, and Sara Lance attended a funeral for the rat held by the former. Axl later appeared as a ghost because of the Death Totem and Rory bid farewell to his pet before he disappeared.^[2]

Rewritten reality

In the rewritten reality created by the Legion of Doom, Axl was Ray's test subject.^[3]

Powers

• Ghost physiology: As a ghost, Axl has special abilities.^[2]
  • Astral projection: Axl is not here in a natural form, she is a projection of his soul.^[2]
  • Invisibility: Axl cannot be visibly perceived by other human beings.^[2]
  • Intangibility: Axl can pass through anything and everything.^[2]
  • Size alteration: When Axl become a ghost, it may increase in size.^[2]
  • Teleportation: Axl is able to transport from place to place, seemingly in no time at all.^[2]

Appearances

DC's Legends of Tomorrow

Season 2

• "Turncoat"
• "Doomworld"

Season 3

• "Amazing Grace"

Season 4

• "The Virgin Gary" (hallucination)

Behind the scenes

• Axl was named after rock legend Axl Rose of rock band Guns N' Roses fame. This is evidenced by the fact that Ray moved to sing the Guns N' Roses hit single "Sweet Child O' Mine" at Axl's funeral. Also, in the slightly altered timeline where Elvis Presley was kept from popularizing rock, Axl was instead named Josh Groban, a famous pop singer.

References