Dianne ("Princess of the Atom"; Mita Microverse; Captain America story)

dianne-mita-cap26-full DIANNE
Princess of the Atom

Real Name: Dianne Ferrule (surname certainly adoptive; first name presumably was not her birth name)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Mita/Microverse; see comments)

Occupation: Unrevealed;
former princess of the Mitans

Group Membership: Former ruler of the Mitans

Affiliations: Bucky (James Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Ezra, Frank Ferrule, Foley, Mitans (notably Ahlma, Alt)

Enemies: Togaro and his agents

Known Relatives: Unidentified father and mother (former king and queen of the Mitans; destroyed);
Dr. and Mrs. Ferrule (adoptive parents), Frank Ferrule (adoptive brother)

Aliases: Princess of the Atom

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
at least formerly Bird's Nest Island, Maine on Earth;
formerly Mita, in the Microverse (see comments)

First Appearance: Captain America Comics#25 (April, 1943) dianne-mita-cap25-tinyfull

Powers/Abilities: Dianne did not demonstrate any superhuman powers, although she use the size-changing capsules to shrink or grow at will.

Upon learning her heritage, she readily accepted her role as a leader and acted accordingly. dianne-mita-cap25-scar

She had a basic understanding of smoke signals.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6" to 5'8" at normal height on Earth; via the size-changing capsules, she ranged from a few inches tall to progressively smaller both on Earth and in the Microverse)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 120-130 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (dark; possibly dark brown, black, or dark blue?)
Hair: Auburn/orange
Other distinguishing features: Crescent-shaped scar on forehead

History:
(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS / Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - The king of the Microworld of Mita (accessed via the energies of shrinking) developed size-changing chemicals (perhaps some analog of Pym particles?) and presumably space ships they could affect with similar chemicals.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - The king and queen of Mita traveled to Earth, apparently emerging via a portal existing on Bird's Nest Island, Maine. Spending some time on Earth, they learned English, and when they returned to their homeworld, they taught it to the Mitans.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) - When would-be conquerer Togaro (either from another part of their planet or from a nearby world) threatened their daughters life, the king and queen took her to Earth and left her on Bird's Nest Island, Maine, presumably knowing she would be found by the Ferrules?

Found by the parents of Frank Ferrule, Dianne was raised as Frank's sister, and she apparently never knew her true nature (see comments). She had a crescent shaped scar on her forehead of unrevealed origin.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) - Plotting to conquer Mita, Togaro slew Dianne's parents and stole some of the size-changing chemicals. dianne-mita-cap25-reclining

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) <1943> - While Mitans sought to bring back Dianne so she could sit on the throne, Togaro plotted to capture or kill Dianne. He sent a number of his agents to Earth, enlarged to giant-size to threaten humanity along the American East Coast.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb)) - During a picnic with her brother and their friends Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, wind blew aside Dianne's bangs, revealing her scar, after which Frank revealed that Dianne was not his actual sister and how his parents had found her and adopted her as a baby. Bucky subsequently taught Dianne how to make smoke signals.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) - Dianne disappeared unseen by her friends, presumably captured by Togaro's agents or perhaps meeting up with Ahlma, one of Dianne's people.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) - Minutes later, as the group prepared to leave, they found that Dianne had mysteriously disappeared.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb)) - After Captain America and Bucky slew a group of giants that were rampaging further north up Maine's coast, Togaro visited them at Frank Ferrule's house; unidentified and wearing a trench coat and hat, Togaro told them to stay out of the matter and stay away from Bird's Nest Island or Dianne would die.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS) - Dianne apparently escaped from Togaro's men; regardless, now at only a few inches tall, she learned from Ahlma of her true origins. She then began sending up smoke signals.

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb)) - Prompted by this to go to Bird's Nest Island, Frank, Cap, and Bucky saw smoke signals that led them to Dianne and Ahlma. Dianne explained her origins and Togaro's threat to them.

After she and Ahlma took size-changing capsules to achieve human size, Dianne gave Captain America the last of her size-changing capsules, which they took to Dr. Ferrule's laboratory, where Captain America examined the capsule and formulated more doses (see comments). Having shrunken to tiny size and hitched a ride to the lab with the others, Togaro used the chemicals to enlarge a cockroach to attack them, but Captain America, Bucky, and Frank in battering the creature into submission. Togaro then shrank further and departed back to Mita.
dianne-mita-cap25-post

    Dianne and Ahlma then led Cap and Bucky to the rock from which they could access Mita. Recognizing the rock as a meteorite that had crashed on Earth long ago, Captain America broke off the portion containing Mita and then employed a pair of guards, Foley and Ezra, to kill anyone other than Cap or Bucky coming out of the rock.

    Alt the Mitan then emerged peacefully, and Dianne recognized him and convinced the others to spare him. Alt told Dianne that Togaro was going to attack their city, and that she must return to Mita via the chemicals he had brought. Cap, Bucky, Frank, Alt, and Dianne then all began shrinking, after which Alt led his allies toward the shrinking ship that transported them all to Mita. However, while they were en route, a pair of Togaro's guards assaulted Foley and Ezra, intending to steal the rock. In the ensuing conflict, a bottle of acid was knocked onto the rock, and it flooded towards the tiny Dianne and her allies.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb)) - A relatively large Cap carried Dianne and the others to the pit that brought them toward their micro-world, after which they all shrunk down further and slid to the bottom of the chute. They then located the Mitan shrinking ship, but Togaro -- having secretly followed them -- shrunk in size and rode in undetected on Bucky.

    As the ship shrunk further as it flew through space, soon approaching Mita, Dianne and Ahlma went to their room. Having sneaked into their room, Togaro grew to relatively giant size and took them prisoner, threatening to kill them if Cap and Bucky did not follow his orders to land the ship as soon as possible. When they landed, Togaro suddenly grew and burst out of the ship, after which Cap freed and escaped with Dianne, but Bucky -- having lost his supply of size-changing chemicals in the struggle -- became trapped in Togaro's belt next to Ahlma.

    Although Dianne rushed to the city of Mita alongside Cap and Frank, the people were in a panic over the approach of Togaro and his men, and they demanded the size-changing drug for themselves. Dianne and her allies realized that it was unwise to supply the drug to this unruly mob.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - Togaro's size-changing ship then arrived, and Togaro rushed to it, after which he caused his ship to grow larger than the planet Mita, pushing it from orbit toward its sun.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb)) - Captain America had Dianne take Alt and Frank into the Mitan ship on which they had arrived and then enlarge it to a thousand feet long.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - Cap helped gather the Mitans to board the ship to escape their doomed world. dianne-mita-lament

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually stealing some of the enlarging drug from Togaro's men, Bucky and Ahlma escaped Togaro's ship after it landed within the rock on Earth.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb)) - Soon after, the Mitan ship Cap piloted arrived, but faulty repairs from Togaro's previous damage caused the ship to crash, and only Cap, Dianne, and Frank were rescued. Dianne lamented the loss of her poor world.

Dianne, Ahlma, Frank, Cap, and Bucky rushed up the caverns within the rock, progressively growing in size, but staying ahead of Togaro and his men. As they reached the bottom of the crater leading out of the rock, they found that Togaro's men still held watch. Slipping out unseen, they rushed out into the woods, after which Cap and Bucky grew to giant-size and defeated Togaro's also now-giant men.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - An immense Togaro then confronted them, and Captain America took all of his remaining enlarging drug to match Togaro's size. Togaro apparently perished in battle with Cap before shrinking out of sight.

(Captain America Comics#26 (fb)) - Captain America told Dianne and the others of Togaro's fate, noting that he assumed Togaro's body had returned to the sub-atomic realm. Before he and Bucky departed, Cap told Frank to be sure to destroy the last of the size-changing drugs.

Comments: Created by Ray Cummings and Syd Shores.

Although Dianne stated that she never knew her true history, it is more likely that her memories were suppressed or something, as she seemed to recall everything after she met up with Ahlma.

So...you think there would be some more story to Dianne...I guess she just returned to her previous life on Earth, her true nature unknown to most, and lived out her life? C'mon...there's a story there!

Perhaps Mita did not have a population of billions, or even millions, but it's not really feasible that they could gathered more than several thousand (perhaps even tens of thousands if there were multiple floors) to fit on the ship in the time allowed. A giant Captain America ran around gathering others.

Although and most stories treat microworlds as being part of an atom or molecule and being literally sub-atomic, it has been clearly stated and shown in the most reputable stories and sources that such "Microworlds"/"Microverses" are realms accessed by the energies of shrinking.

Togaro and his men had a monstrous appearance, unlike the otherwise human Dianne, Alta, Ahlma, and the rest of the Mitans. Togaro was a leader not under the domain of Mita's king and queen.
I don't know whether Togaro and his men came from another part of the planet Mita or another world in Mita's dimension?

Duplicating a size-changing chemical seems a bit beyond Captain America's abilities! Perhaps it was actually Frank or others working at Dr. Ferrule's lab.

Incredible Hulk II #148 (Feb/72)] had advanced Technology unlike Jarella's sword & sorcery kingdom so clearly something happened on K'ai that cause it to revert to a primitive state. Since it has been decades since TOGARO & his unidentified people's( Green Skinned & Pointed Eared ) appearance in Captain America Comics#25-26, why not Identify them as K'aians? From John Holstein
We certainly can’t identify them as such because that didn’t happen in the story, but it is a possibility, and an interesting one, for sure. Of course, Dianne and her people didn't have green skin, and Togaro and his men were somewhat monstrous in appearance, unlike Jarella's people.
--Snood

Thanks to Loki for getting me scans of the comic! Hopefully the rest of the series (and the rest of the Golden Age comics) become available digitally in the near future! The grainy ones from #26 are all from microfiche!

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Dianne, Princess of the Atom, should be distinguished from:

PEARLA - empress and former princess of the Microworld Mirwood, enemy of Psycho-Man--Fantastic Four I#16
other Microworld princesses, Dianne, Diane, or Dian characters

Mitan king and queen

(Captain America Comics#25 (fb) - BTS / Captain America Comics#26 (fb) - BTS) - The king of the Microworld of Mita (accessed via the energies of shrinking) developed size-changing chemicals (perhaps some analog of Pym particles?) and presumably space ships they could affect with similar chemicals.

images: (without ads)
Captain America Comics#25, pg. 2, panel 5 (civilian garb, reclining);
            panel 6 (face; crescent scar);
        pg. 8, panel 5 (tiny in the grass);
        pg. 16, panel 3 (rear view)
    #26, pg. 9, panel 2 (full, running);
        pg. 17, panel 5 (lamenting loss of her world);

Appearances:
Captain America Comics#25-26 (April-May, 1943) - Ray Cummings (writer), Syd Shores (penciler), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 12/21/2022
Last updated: 12/21/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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