Having heard the legends of his forefathers the young man known only Atalon refused to believe the Keeper of the Truth tales, that there was no such place as the Air-World on the surface. They wove their stories as if there was only the subterranean world of stone. This resulted in the Fire People embracing the darkness of the caverns beneath surface. Atalon would not stop speaking against the Keepers; he tried to rally his people to go on a quest to the surface, which he believed to be their birthright.

The Keepers eventually exiled young Atalon, but he did not stop trusting in the legends. Atalon smashed his way through to the surface, just in time to be caught in the great explosion from the sky. This phenomenon would later be known as the Jumpstart. The effects of the Jumpstart endowed Atalon with powers to bend the Earth's gravity to his will. He used his new powers to overthrow the Keeper of the Truth and become the ruler of his people.

He quickly started to bring the ancient legends to life. After defeating the newly formed Ultra hero group UltraForce. He raised the sacred city of Zenalla from the bottom of the ocean producing an island somewhere near Cuba. Fearing that he would launch a massive Nuclear attack on the surface world Ultraforce confronted him once again. They would eventually get Atalon to agree to a temporary truce. He would relinquish the nuclear warheads and the Fire People could remain on the island above the surface.