Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
first appearing in ''
Police Comics
''Police Comics'' was a comic book anthology title published by Quality Comics (under its imprint "Comic Magazines") from 1941 until 1953. It featured short stories in the superhero, crime and humor genres.
Publication history
The first issue of ...
'' #1, originally published by
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books.
Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...
and later acquired by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
Created by cartoonist
Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the first superheroes to incorporate humor into mainstream action storytelling. This character has been published in several solo series and has interacted with other characters such as
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
and many others in the mainstream
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
as a member of the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
. He has additionally appeared in several television and video game adaptations, including a short-lived television show of his own named ''
The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
''The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' is an animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions from 1979 to 1981; it was shown right after ''Super Friends'' on the ABC Network.
The show featured various adventures of the DC Comic ...
''.
Publication history
Created by writer-artist
Jack Cole, he first appeared in ''
Police Comics
''Police Comics'' was a comic book anthology title published by Quality Comics (under its imprint "Comic Magazines") from 1941 until 1953. It featured short stories in the superhero, crime and humor genres.
Publication history
The first issue of ...
'' #1 (August
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
).
One of Quality Comics' signature characters during the
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...
, Plastic Man can stretch his body into any imaginable form, for example a ball or a car, etc. His adventures were known for their quirky, offbeat structure and surreal
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
humor. When Quality Comics was shut down in 1956, DC Comics acquired many of its characters, integrating Plastic Man into the mainstream
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
and giving him a short-lived series in the 1960s.
The character starred in his own
Saturday morning cartoon titled ''
The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
''The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' is an animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions from 1979 to 1981; it was shown right after ''Super Friends'' on the ABC Network.
The show featured various adventures of the DC Comic ...
'' from 1979 to 1981 and was also a recurring character on ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' from 2008 to 2011. He was also mentioned in an episode of ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' but was never shown owing to ownership arguments and copyright complaints. To get around these problems, the show used
Elongated Man
Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960).
The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...
as a replacement.
Although the character has never been a significant commercial success, Plastic Man has been a favorite character of many
modern
Modern may refer to:
History
* Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Phil ...
comic book creators, including writer
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...
, who included him in their 1990s revival of the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
;
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...
, who profiled Cole for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine; painter
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...
, who has frequently included him in covers and stories depicting the Justice League; writer-artist
Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...
, who wrote and illustrated an award-winning ''Plastic Man'' series; and
Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
, who included him in the Justice League in the comics ''
All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder
''All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder'' is an American comic book series written by Frank Miller and penciled by Jim Lee. It was published by DC Comics, with a sporadic schedule, between 2005 and 2008. The series was to be rebooted under the t ...
'' and ''
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again''.
Fictional character biography
Original version by Jack Cole
Plastic Man was a crook named Patrick "Eel" O'Brian. Orphaned at age 10 and forced to live on the streets, he fell into a life of crime. As an adult, he became part of a burglary ring, specializing as a safecracker. During a late-night heist at the Crawford Chemical Works, he and his three fellow gang members were surprised by a night watchman. During the gang's escape, Eel was shot in the shoulder and doused with a large drum of unidentified chemical liquid. He escaped to the street only to discover that his gang had driven off without him.
Fleeing on foot and suffering increasing disorientation from the gunshot wound and the exposure to the chemical, Eel eventually passed out on the foothills of a mountain near the city. He awoke to find himself in a bed in a mountain retreat, being tended to by a
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
who had discovered him unconscious that morning. This monk, sensing a capacity for great good in O'Brian, turned away
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s who had trailed Eel to the monastery. This act of faith and kindness—combined with the realization that his gang had left him to be captured without a moment's hesitation—fanned Eel's longstanding dissatisfaction with his criminal life and his desire to reform.
During his short convalescence at the monastery, he discovered that the chemical had entered his bloodstream and caused a radical physical change. His body now had all of the properties of rubber, allowing him to stretch, bounce and mold himself into any shape. He immediately determined to use his new abilities on the side of law and order, donning a red, black and yellow (later red and yellow) rubber costume and capturing criminals as Plastic Man. He concealed his true identity with a pair of white goggles and by re-molding his face. As O'Brian, he maintained his career and connections with the underworld as a means of gathering information on criminal activity.
[
Plastic Man soon acquired comic-relief ]sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
Woozy Winks
Wolfgang "Woozy" Winks is a character appearing in comic books published by Quality Comics, and later DC Comics. He is the comic relief sidekick to the superhero Plastic Man, and first appeared in ''Police Comics'' #13 (November 1942). Winks has ap ...
, who was originally enchanted so that nature itself would protect him from harm. This power was eventually removed from the character and Woozy became simply a bumbling yet loyal friend to Plastic Man.
In his original Golden Age/Quality Comics incarnation, Plastic Man eventually became a member of the city police force and then the FBI. By the time he became a federal officer, he had nearly completely abandoned his Eel O'Brian identity.
Phil Foglio version
After the 1985 ''Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'', a 1988–1989 four-issue ''Plastic Man'' miniseries by Phil Foglio
Philip Foglio (born May 1, 1956) is an American cartoonist and comic book artist known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy art.
Early life and career
Foglio was born on May 1, 1956, in Mount Vernon, New York, and moved with his family to ...
introduced a new version of Plastic Man: Eel O'Brian, abandoned by his criminal gang after being shot and exposed to the unidentified chemical, wandered the streets as his new powers developed, frightening others and bringing the police and National Guard down on him as a dangerous monster. Eel was at first oblivious to the changes to his body, but after realizing that he was the monster at large, he used his new abilities to escape his pursuers. Eel soon became so despondent over his new condition that he attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge.
Fortunately, he was interrupted by Woozy Winks, a former mental patient who was kicked out of an institution due to lack of funding (or as Woozy put it, "something called Reaganomics
Reaganomics (; a portmanteau of ''Reagan'' and ''economics'' attributed to Paul Harvey), or Reaganism, refers to the neoliberal economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are commonly associat ...
"), who desired nothing more than to return to the warm safety of a straitjacket and padded room. Eel and Woozy decided to work together and capitalize on Eel's new powers to make their fortunes (Eel wanting to get rich quick, Woozy just wanting his "old room" back), but couldn't decide whether there was more money in crime or crime-fighting, and resorted to flipping a coin to choose serving the law (though Woozy had his doubts early on). Eel ended up with the name 'Plastic Man' after a reporter misinterpreted his first choice of 'Elastic Man'. Eel and Woozy set up a detective agency in New York City and go on to have various misadventures together.
JLA
Plastic Man was made a prominent member of the Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
during Grant Morrison's run on the title. The story arc "Rock of Ages" shows Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
recruiting Eel to infiltrate Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...
's Injustice League
The following is a list of fictional criminal and terrorist organizations that have been published by DC Comics and their imprints.
0-9 100
Originally based in Metropolis, the 100 kept a firm grip on the city's criminal underworld for years, ind ...
in the guise of the Joker, which he does successfully. He notably engages in combat with the goddess Circe
Circe (; grc, , ) is an Magician (paranormal), enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion. She is either a daughter of the Titans, Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse (mythology), Perse ...
, proving immune to her magical ability to turn humans into animals. He is later made a full-time member of the League and aids the League in several battles, including against Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...
, Julian September, General Wade Eiling
General Wade Eiling, sometimes known as The General, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Publication history
Wade Eiling first appeared in ''Captain Atom'' #1 (March 1987) and was created by Cary Ba ...
, an upgraded version of Amazo
Amazo () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #30 (June 1960) as an adversary of the Justice ...
, a White Martian
The White Martians are one of three fictional extraterrestrial races native to Mars in the DC Comics' shared universe. White Martians, also known as Pale Martians, appear in the comics of the DC Universe, chiefly '' JLA'', ''Martian Manhunter'', ...
who assumes the identity of Bruce Wayne, and Queen Bee
A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female (gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
. During this period he becomes close friends with fellow new members Steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
(due to the fact that they are both "lateral thinkers") and Zauriel
Zauriel is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly falls to Earth to serve humanity as their champion and joins the Justice League.
Publication history
Zauriel f ...
(Plastic Man later implies in the ''JLA: Heaven's Ladder'' graphic novel that his Catholic upbringing is a factor behind this, and Zauriel's existence is a testament to his faith). After the extended League dissolves at the end of the "World WarIII" arc, he is the only member other than the 'Big Seven' heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern) to retain full-time membership in the JLA.
Plastic Man has also been instrumental in defeating several foes by himself, such as a Jokerized version of Dr. Polaris and the 'Burning Martian' persona of J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter). He has played substantial roles in nearly every major team-up and crossover featuring the League of this era: with the Titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...
(The Technis Imperative), Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
(World Without Grownups), the Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
(Virtue and Vice, where he is one of the heroes to be possessed by one of the Seven Deadly Sins), the Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
(the ''JLA/Avengers
''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, w ...
'' crossover) and even the Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. (in the humorous '' Superman & Bugs Bunny'' miniseries). In the Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel ( he, , ''Mīgdal Bāḇel'') narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages.
According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and mi ...
arc, Plastic Man is frozen and shattered into pieces by Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...
's League of Assassins, as part of an attack against the Justice League. Though he is put together again, this experience traumatizes him severely and when it is discovered that the assassins were following methods devised by Batman, Eel joins Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
and Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...
in voting Batman out of the League. The heroes reconcile in following issues.
The fact that Plastic Man was initially in the superhero business for the money has had an effect on his character development, notably in the storyline "Divided We Fall" by Mark Waid
Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...
where he, along with other Justice League members, was separated into two people, his normal "civilian" identity and his superhero persona, by the manipulative wish-granting Id. While Plastic Man devolved from a person with a sense of humor into a constantly wisecracking and almost ineffectual idiot, the now "normal" Eel O'Brian struggled with the criminal tendencies he had suppressed as he had become comfortable with his role as a superhero and wondered if he had actually changed for the better at all or this was just part of the super-hero "act". Ultimately, Eel was the driving force behind the other transformed Leaguers banding together to re-join with their superheroic selves, noting that Bruce Wayne in particular was approaching a mental breakdown as he struggled with his rage over his parents' murder – having lacked the ability to do anything about it, as Batman was the identity that had 'inherited' his skills. Eel demonstrates this to the other divided Leaguers by savagely beating Bruce Wayne with a gun in the guise of a mugger to prove Wayne's ineffectiveness, and demonstrate the degree of psychological damage he has suffered due to the split. Later, Batman comments that it was a wise move "under the circumstances". Later, Plastic Man approaches Batman for help when he learns that Eel's estranged ten-year-old son Luke has fallen in with a gang of criminals, and has inherited his father's shape-shifting abilities, possibly to an even greater degree than Plastic Man's own. Plastic Man admits to Batman that he doesn't know if he ran away from being a father because he was enjoying his new life as a hero, or because he was afraid of becoming a parent for his son. Batman later intimidates Luke into returning home, and informs Plastic Man that he is disappointed in his cowardice, imagining that Eel would have shown Luke fatherly love; in reality, Plastic Man chose only to hide in Batman's utility belt during the whole encounter with Luke.
During the story arc "The Obsidian Age", Plastic Man and the other main members of the JLA were transported through time thousands of years earlier to the beginning days of Atlantis. During a battle with the antagonists, Plastic Man was frozen and then shattered into pieces. Having no way to locate all the pieces, much less fix him, with the technology of the day, the JLA returned to their own time. There they were eventually successful in finding all the pieces and restoring Plastic Man. Plas had been conscious the entire time but unable to move, which had a profoundly negative effect on his mind. He admitted he had lost his nerve and quit the JLA, hoping to live a regular life. This return to normalcy was made easier after a new encounter with his now-teenage son, which made Eel feel that the boy needed a father and a normal life. Eventually, Batman convinced Plas to return to his life as a super hero again when they needed his shape-shifting skills and immunity to telepathy to defeat the Martian Manhunter, who had regressed to a racial memory of the long-forgotten 'Burning Martians' after overcoming his weakness to fire. After a few more cases, Plastic Man is present at the memorial service held after this incarnation of the Justice League officially disbands during the ''Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...
'' storyline.
52, One Year Later, Countdown and Blackest Night
In the 2006 "One Year Later
"One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...
" DC Comics crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
storyline that followed the "Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...
" crossover, a young man with similar appearance and powers as Plastic Man appears briefly in the superteam series ''Teen Titans
The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' Vol. 3, #34 written by R.J. Carter. The character wears a white costume with red goggles, similar to that of Offspring
In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...
, Plastic Man's son in the earlier 1999 DC miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
'' The Kingdom'' by Mark Waid. While the Teen Titans story itself does not identify the character, page two of a published script supposedly by writer Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serve ...
' specifies it is "Plastic Man's son, Offspring". Plastic Man's son is also shown in costume, and identified as Offspring, in the 2006 weekly series '' 52'' in Week 35 (written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka
Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', ''Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well as ...
and Mark Waid) when he is injured while rescuing a number of the depowered Everyman heroes. Eventually, Plastic Man and Offspring come together as father and son and briefly even had an idyllic family set up until Plas was convinced that he couldn't deny his destiny as a super hero.
In ''Countdown to Mystery'' #1 (2007) written by Matthew Sturges, Plastic Man is seduced by Eclipso, being made to believe he is a joke among his fellow heroes, and the only way for him to get some respect is through Eclipso. He is later freed of this corruption by Bruce Gordon. Plastic Man makes his next appearance within the pages of '' Green Arrow/Black Canary'' #8 by Judd Winick
Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's ''The Real World: San Francisco'' in 1994, before f ...
, having been freed from a stasis tube by Green Arrow. His DNA is taken by Sivana and used to augment an amnesiac Connor Hawke
Connor Hawke is a fictional DC Comics superhero who operated as the second Green Arrow, created by Kelley Puckett and Jim Aparo. In the post-''Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Zero Hour'' continuity, Connor is the eldest son of Oliver Queen, the ori ...
, in a bid to turn the young hero into a brainwashed slave with a strong healing factor.
Plastic Man appeared for a brief period in the 2009 ''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 series written by Len Wein. After joining up with the team following the events of '' Final Crisis'', Plastic Man has his effectiveness questioned by his teammate Dr. Light, which starts a fight between the two, which Vixen
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
breaks up. Vixen reassigns Plastic Man to team up with Dr. Light to stop the Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang is a group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The group, which debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #43 (March 1966), use a playing card theme. Their code names are based on the cards needed to form a royal flush in ...
robbery. Though they experience some control issues between them, the Royal Flush Gang is defeated and Plastic Man and Dr. Light finally stop arguing.
During a massive battle at the Justice League Satellite
This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics.
Sites
* the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy.
* Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...
in '' Justice League: Cry for Justice'', Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...
injected Plastic Man with a chemical that badly damaged his plastic body. The chemicals caused Eel to suffer from a condition where it took great concentration to keep himself in his usual, semi-solid state and caused him pain when he even thought about changing shape, thus leaving him in an infirm state.
In the ''Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
'' crossover, while still suffering from his deteriorating state, Plastic Man had his heart torn out by the Black Lantern
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...
, Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
, seemingly killing him. However, due to his power of near-invulnerability, he was able to survive such an attack, albeit badly wounded. Vixen states that Plastic Man was being taken care of at STAR Labs, and that he would be unable to return to the League.
Plastic Man later appeared in '' Justice League: Generation Lost'', helping a large coalition of heroes on an unsuccessful mission to trace Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was ...
. He had been seemingly cured of his condition, and was shown retaining his normal shape without issue or pain.
Later, he aids the JLA on their mission into Hell, where he helps Batman defeat Geryon. The League learns Satanus' plans to use Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's mask to become powerful. Plastic Man grabs the mask, which possesses him. The Leagues combines forces to remove the mask, which is incinerated, seemingly killing Plastic Man. It is later revealed that Zauriel
Zauriel is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly falls to Earth to serve humanity as their champion and joins the Justice League.
Publication history
Zauriel f ...
transported him into another dimension before helping the League escape Hell.
The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Plastic Man is considered as one of the candidates for the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
-sponsored Justice League International
Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
. He is denied a spot on the team for being too unpredictable. This cameo appearance was later retcon
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
ned by "Eel" O'Brian's proper New 52 introduction in ''Justice League'' (Vol. 2) #25 (February 2014).
DC Rebirth
In ''Dark Days: The Forge'', Batman unveils a containment unit to Mister Terrific in The Lunar Batcave bearing the Plastic Man logo and suggests it is time to release him.
Plastic Man assists Mister Terrific into thwarting Simon Stagg
Simon Stagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, serving primarily as an antagonist to the superhero Metamorpho in most comic book stories and their adaptations. He is responsible for turning Rex Mason ...
's plot to open the portal to the Dark Multiverse using Metamorpho who had been transmuted to Nth Metal. While trying to get Simon Stagg to close the portal with the help of Plastic Man, Mister Terrific is sucked into the portal with Plastic Man and Metamorpho as Plastic Man shields them from the Dark Multiverse energy which he is immune to. Upon arriving on a lifeless world, they encounter Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo) is a superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. In the Post-'' Zero Hour'' continuity, she is known as Apparition. She has the power ...
who has been trapped in her intangible form and who has no knowledge of sending a signal. When the four of them find a computer in the gut of a giant dead creature, they are greeted by a hologram of Tom Strong
''Tom Strong'' is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse, initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division. Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero", wi ...
who states that they are needed to save the universe. Mister Terrific, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho learn from Phantom Girl that she was stuck in an intangible form since she was a child. After the four of them make it back to their world, Mister Terrific tries to leave the three of them at Simon Stagg's compound only to be drawn back to them. Due to the effects of the Dark Multiverse energy, Mister Terrific concludes that they can't go their separate ways due to this inescapable bond. The team goes through several adventures whilst being attacked by a figure known as Doctor Dread, who is later revealed to be Java. This revelation, coupled with the team being cured of their condition, causes everyone to split up. Plastic Man attempts to connect with his ex Angel and their son Luke, who has inherited his stretching powers. Initially reluctant, the two bond over a game of basketball and stealing the Batmobile. They are then called upon by the rest of the team to band together and save Mr. Terrifc from the Terribles, a team of their evil doppelgängers put together by Doctor Dread. Plas and Luke, now suited up in his Offspring look, work together to take down a vampiric version of Plastic Man from another dimension. Following the Terribles' defeat and imprisonment, the Terrifics officially reunite as a team, with Luke, Element Dog, and Miss Terrifics joining the roster.
Plastic Man was later recruited by Obscura to help investigate a multi-dimensional conspiracy. This led them to find that it was being committed by a group of villains called the Cabal.
Powers and abilities
Plastic Man's powers are derived from an accident in which his body was bathed in an unknown industrial chemical mixture that also entered into his bloodstream through a gunshot wound. This caused a body-wide mutagenic process that transformed his physiology. Eel exists in a fluid state, neither entirely liquid nor solid. He has complete control over his entire molecular structure. He can stretch his limbs and body to superhuman lengths and sizes. There is no known limit to how far Plastic Man can stretch his body. He can shrink himself down to a few inches tall (posed as one of Batman's utility belt pockets) or become a titan (the size of skyscrapers). He can contort his body into various positions and sizes impossible for ordinary humans, such as being entirely flat so that he can slip under a door or using his fingers to pick conventional lock, compressing himself into a ball to ricochet off things, and inflating his body. He can also use it for disguise by changing the shape of his face and body. Due to his fluid state, Plastic Man can open holes in his body and turn himself into objects with mobile parts. In addition, he can alter his bodily mass and physical constitution at will, creating virtually no limit to the sizes and shapes he can contort himself into. There is nothing he cannot alter his body into, which includes basic shapes or dangerous weapons, avatars of other superheroes and cars. These stretching capabilities grant Plastic Man agility, flexibility, and coordination far beyond the natural limits of the human body. He can alter his strength by growing or adding more muscle. Plastic Man's powers extraordinarily augment his durability. Some stories, perhaps of anecdotal quality, have showed him susceptible to surprise attack by bullets, in one case oozing a substance similar to liquid plastic. In most stories, though, he is able to withstand corrosives, punctures, and concussions without sustaining any injury (although he can be momentarily stunned). He is resistant to high velocity impacts that would kill an ordinary person, insusceptible to blasts from energy weapons (Batman once mentioned that he could presumably even withstand a nuclear detonation), and is bulletproof. This is mainly due to the fact that he has full control over his density, so he can willfully increase his durability as he wishes. His bodily mass can be dispersed, but for all intents and purposes, it is invulnerable, even from many forms of magic in the DC Universe. He is able to regenerate and/or assimilate lost or damaged tissue, although he needs to be reasonably intact for this process to begin. For example, Plastic Man was once reduced to individual, separate molecules and scattered across the Atlantic Ocean for centuries. He was only capable of returning to his usual form after the rest of the League were able to gather enough of his molecules and restore approximately 80% of his body mass, after which he began to regenerate the remaining 20% on his own. Plastic Man has proven impervious to telepathy. As stated by Batman (in ''JLA'' #88, Dec. 2003), "Plastic Man's mind is no longer organic. It's untouchable by telepathy". Plastic Man does not appear to age; if he does, it is at a rate far slower than that of normal human beings. In the aftermath of the ''Justice League'' story Arc "Obsidian Age", Plastic Man was discovered to have survived for 3,000 years scattered into separate, individual molecules on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean without decaying or being otherwise affected at all. He can autonomically detect ultrasonic frequencies because his body will start to "ripple" when an ultrasonic frequency is triggered.
As stated by the Black Lantern Vibe, Plastic Man's internal organs (such as his heart when Black Lantern Vibe tried to rip it out) couldn't be removed, unlike many of the Black Lanterns' victims. This perhaps implies that Plastic Man is himself more like one giant, living organ than he is a "whole" made of component parts and organs, etc.
His semi-liquid form remains stable at relatively high and low temperatures, provided that the temperature change is gradual. A sudden change induces a complete change of state, creating a truly solid or truly liquid form. Plastic Man was incapacitated in the ''JLA'' story arc "Tower of Babel" when mercenaries froze and shattered his body. Once thawed and reassembled, he was physically unharmed. In the ''JLA'' story arc "Divided We Fall", Plastic Man is shown to have some weakness to extreme heat (intense heat vision attack from a Martian) and was temporarily melted. In some versions, Plastic Man is also vulnerable to chemicals such as acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour.
Acetone is miscib ...
, which melts and destabilizes his malleable form, although he eventually regenerated when the chemicals are gone. A famous hindrance of Plastic Man’s abilities is that the only colors he can mimic are the colors of his body and costume (i.e. red, black, yellow, white, and flesh tone), although he can use these colors in various ways, once even managing to exactly duplicate the appearance of the Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid ...
. Whether this is an inherent flaw in his powers or a mental block has never been explained, whereas, his son, Offspring, also gained his father's powers, but is able to willfully mimic any color he chooses. During Offspring's introduction, it was revealed that Plastic Man could change color, turning his nose blue to prove to Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
that he could. This color change, however, was possible only with a great deal of Plastic Man's concentration, even for such a very small area.
Plastic Man was once a very talented professional thief, specializing as a safecracker. Although no longer a criminal, he has thorough insight into their mindset, enabling him to be an effective sleuth. He is also considered to be a lateral thinker and much smarter than he lets on.
Enemies
Plastic Man has fought many enemies in his comics:
* Acid Tongue – A criminal who can spit acid at a target from several yards away.[''Adventure Comics'' #474. DC Comics.]
* Abba and Dabba – Two wanted con-men.
* Ali Krim
* Amorpho – A sentient blob of protoplasm from an unknown distant planet.
* Archie Type – A criminal that Plastic Man was after.
* Baldy Bushwhack
* B. T. Tokus
* Beauteous Bessie
* Big Beaver
* Bizarro
Bizarro () is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy'' #68 (1958 ...
– A backwards clone of Superman.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 4 #11. DC Comics.]
* Blind Ali – A blind would-be assassin.
* Boss Annova – The self-appointed king of all street crime in the city of Metropolis.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #15. DC Comics.]
* Brain Trust
* Brickface – A crime boss with a segmented face.
* Brotherhood of the Savage Caribou –
* Bunyon O'Banyon
* The Burning – Plastic Man was chosen by Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
to battle the Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
when he was corrupted by The Burning.
* Cabal – A group of villains that were behind a multi-dimensional conspiracy and ran afoul of Plastic Man and Obscura.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 5 #4. DC Comics.]
** Amazo
Amazo () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #30 (June 1960) as an adversary of the Justice ...
– An android that can copy the powers of the Justice League.
** Doctor Psycho
Doctor Psycho is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. First appearing in ''Wonder Woman'', issue #5 (1943), written by Wonder Woman creator W ...
– A dwarfish telepath and an enemy of Wonder Woman.
** Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains and is also one of the first Batman villains to discover t ...
– A mad scientist and an enemy of Batman.
** Per Degaton
Per Degaton is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
A young version of the character was portrayed by Cory Grüter-Andrew on the first season of ''Legends of Tomorrow'', while an unknown actor portrayed his ol ...
– A supervillain obsessed with time travel.
** Queen Bee
A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female (gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
– An alien bee-themed criminal.
** Teel –
* Carrot-Man – A criminal that dresses up as a carrot.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #12. DC Comics.]
* Cauldron
* Chatterbox – Lou Kwashus is a disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
-themed supervillain with a sonic weapon.
* Cheeseface – A cheese-themed criminal who has been selling explosive bottles of milk.[''Adventure Comics'' #746. DC Comics.]
** Edam O'Grotton – Cheeseface's henchman.
* Closets Kennedy
* The Crab
* Desperate Desmond
* Doctor Dome – A supervillain in a dome-shaped helmet. He is the closest thing Plastic Man has to an arch-enemy.[''Plastic Man 80-Page Giant'' #1. DC Comics.]
** Lynx – Doctor Dome's sidekick.
** Professor X – A scientist who Doctor Dome used to cause havoc.
* Doctor Forklift – A half-man, half-forklift scientist.
* Doctor Honctoff – An evil robotics genius.
** Bogus Men – A group of androids that were created by Doctor Honctoff.
* Dopey Joe
* Dr. Ameeba
* Dr. Erudite
* Dr. Phobia
* Dr. Volt
* Dollmaker – Marcel Mannequin is an extremely talented dollmaker who uses sentient dolls to commit crimes.
* Electra
* Even Steven – A balanced-obsessed criminal.[''Adventure Comics'' #475. DC Comics.]
** Dr. Meg LeMania – Even Steven's scientist minion.
* Fargo Freddie, The Lava Man – An unappreciated and underpaid employee who transformed himself into living lava via active volcano.
* Froggie Fink
* The Gag Man
* Goldzinger – A gold-magnetizing crook.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #6. DC Comics.]
* Granite Lady – A former singer who turned down all men and her skin became rock-like, due to the serum's effects.
* The Grasshopper – An armed jewel thief who was subjected to a serum that granted him leaping abilities.
* The Green Terror
* Hairy Arms – A gang leader who formerly served the Axis Powers, until his own pals found out and removed him from their group.
* Hands
* Hate
* The Hotrod
* Killer Joe – A professional hitman.
* King Lughead
* King of Spades – The leader of a spade-themed gang.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #7. DC Comics.]
** Jack of Spades – A member of the King of Spades' gang.
** Queen of Spades – A member of the King of Spades' gang.
* The King Of Zing
* Kolonel Kool – Originally an agent at the NBI named Gulliver "Gully" Foyle, Plastic Man's success there at his expense made Foyle jealous and out for revenge. Kolonel Kool took over Boss Annova's gang before being nabbed by his former co-worker.
* Lawbook – He offers a reward to any crook who can find a way to kill Plastic Man.
* League of Assassins
The League of Assassins (sometimes renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
– An organization of assassins.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 4 #18. DC Comics.]
** Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...
– The leader of the League of Assassins.
** Talia al Ghul
Talia al Ghul ( ar, تاليا الغول; ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), ...
– The daughter of Ra's al Ghul and member of the League of Assassins.
* Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...
– The CEO of LexCorp and enemy of Superman who was working as the President of the United States at the time.
* The Lobster
* Louie The Lift
* Lowbrow – A short and insanely confident criminal who killed Cindy Bloch.
* Lucky 7
* Lucius D. Dratt, Doctor Dratt – A twisted neurochemist.
* Madam Brawn – A teacher who trains female ex-cons at her school to fight men on equal grounds. Dies in Police Comics #5.
* Madame Merciless – A female criminal hired by Doctor Dome to hypnotize Plastic Man.
* Madame Serpina – A sideshow entertainer-turned assassin.
* Malleable Man – A criminal associate of Eel O'Brien who recreated the accident that gave Plastic Man his powers.
* Man-Bat
Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...
– Kirk Langstrom is a zoologist who takes a serum that transforms him into Man-Bat. After being subdued by Plastic Man, Man-Bat agreed to help him and Obscura investigate a multi-dimensional conspiracy.
* The Mangler
* The Master Artist
* Max the Knife – A gang leader that went up against Marty "The Mouse" Meeker" after he was given powers by two aliens from the Redinskian race.
* Meat By-Product – A monster spawned from a meat by-product.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #14. DC Comics.]
* Molder – A sculpting plastic-themed criminal who fought Plastic Man and Batman.
* Mona Mayhem
* The Moon Wizard
* Mostolo
* The Moulder
* Mister Aqua – A former chemist who was experimenting with chemicals that turned him into living water. Woozy accidentally drank him.
* Mr. Cat
* Mister Green – A supervillain who became a plant-based lifeform and then, dies after reverting to human form.
* Mr. Happiness
* Mr. Misfit
* (The Melancholy) Mister Morbid – A criminal who is always sad and dislikes happiness.
* Mr. Stingker
* Mister Uglee – A masked criminal with a terrifyingly hideous face who wanted to disfigure all other men so he would be the most handsome man in the world in comparison.
* Mister Wheels – The elderly leader of an organized crime ring called Crime Enterprises who confined himself to a wheelchair.
* Murray "the Swede" Schneiderman – A bank robber.
* Number Seven
* Ooze Brothers – Clem, Flem, and Lem are three villains who use ooze in their crimes.
* The Owl
* Pinkeye – An albino spy.
* Pinky Flowers
* Poison Ivy – A plant-themed enemy of Batman. Poison Ivy posed as Angel O'Brien to get revenge on Plastic Man.
* Prankster – An enemy of Superman who uses pranks in his criminal activities. He once used robot duplicates of the Justice League to fool the police that Plastic Man was a criminal.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 4 #3. DC Comics.]
* Professor Goodman
* Professor Dimwit
* Professor Spindrift
* Ramalama –
* Red Herring – An anthropomorphic red herring who appears to meddle with the investigations of crimes he was not involved in.
* Remember
* Rice O'Rooney – The "San Francisco Threat", he was considered to be the highest paid hitman in the country.
* Robby Reed
Robby Reed is a fictional character from DC Comics and the original protagonist of the long running comic book series ''Dial H for Hero''. In the series he is portrayed as a normal boy who transforms himself as a variety of superheroes.
Fictional ...
– When Robby Reed's H-Dial was rusted, he ended up turning into evil versions of some of his hero forms.
* Rocky Goober
* Roxanne Roller – A roller-skating villain seeking vengeance against rock stars who supposedly spurned her.
* Rubberneck – Perry Skope villain with super-strength and suggestions of a rubbery resiliency.[''Super Friends'' #45. DC Comics.] This character appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Long Arm of the Law". An action figure was created based on this sole appearance.
** Puttyface – Mal E. Able is the partner of Rubberneck.
* Ruby Ryder – A ruthless business woman and owner of Ruby Ryder Inc. who fought Plastic Man and Batman. She first appeared in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Bold Beginnings!".
* SAPMALAL – Short for Society to Assassinate Plastic Man And Live A Little, they are a group who is out to eliminate Plastic Man.[''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2 #5. DC Comics.]
** Assassin – A member of SAPMALAL who Plastic Man poses as.
** Ivan Byturnozov – A member of SAPMALAL.
** Jean Le Feet – A member of SAPMALAL.
** Lefty McGoon – A member of SAPMALAL.
** Sir Reginald Ratfinque – A member of SAPMALAL.
* Sadly Sadly – A man whose face is so pathetic that banks hand over money.
* Saxon – A crook who always speaks in alliteration.
* Skulllface –
** Eloc – Eloc is Cole spelled backwards.
* Skunk – AKA the B.O. Bandit, the Skunk emanated an excruciatingly foul odor as a result of having never, in his entire life, bathed.
* Sleepy Eyes – A supervillain who puts people to sleep just by looking at them.
* Slick Dandy
* Sludge – A monster spawned from sludge.
* Snuffer – A cyborg killer in the employ of Rice O'Rooney, the San Francisco hitman directed the mechanical assassin to kill Plastic Man for Boss Annova.
* Sphinx – A super-strong crook that once tried to take over Doctor Dome's territory.
* Stickyfinger – A criminal who has been sticking up a lot of people aroung Mammoth City.
* Stretcho
* Supreme Leader –
* Toyman
The Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly as an adversary for Superman.
The most well-known incarnation of the Toyman is Winslow Percival Schott, a criminal w ...
– A toy-themed criminal and enemy of Superman. Plastic Man once helped Superman fight Toyman.
* Thrilla
* Time Trapper
This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Legion of Super-Heroes enemies
In alphabetical order (with issue and date of debut appearance).
In other media
See also
List of Superman ...
II – Poison Ivy mind-controlled Metron to pose as Time Trapper.
* Weasel – Mr. Waisel is a criminal who took advantage of Plastic Man's amnesia.
* Weapons
* Whirling Dervish – Big-toed ballet dancer turned assassin. Murdered by Pinkeye.
* Words
* The Yes-Man – A crime boss who only says Yes until Plastic Man forces him to say No at which time he snaps.
* Zircon –
Other versions
''The Dark Knight Strikes Again''
In '' Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again'' (2001—2002), Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
's miniseries (set on DC's new Earth-31 in post-Infinite Crisis continuity), Plastic Man was betrayed and locked in Arkham Asylum for years with his body forced into a perpetual egg-like shape by a pressurizing machine. The imprisonment and confinement drove him insane, and upon his release he lashed out at those around him. He fights Elongated Man
Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960).
The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...
, having the upper hand until Batman brings Plastic Man to his senses with a punch to the face. Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
declares that Plastic Man is the most powerful superhero in the room. Carrie Kelley (as Catgirl) describes him as being: "Immeasurably ''powerful''. Absolutely ''nuts''". In this continuity, he appears with silver hair and a few wrinkles.
''All Star Batman and Robin''
In '' All Star Batman and Robin'', also written by Miller, Plastic Man has only appeared in issue #5 where he is a founding member of a proto-Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
along with Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
, Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, and Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
Hal Jordan. He constantly changes shape and cracks jokes causing the other members to repeatedly tell him to "shut up".
Kyle Baker's Plastic Man
''Plastic Man'' (2004–2006), written and illustrated by Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...
, harkens back to the Jack Cole version of Plastic Man featuring Eel O'Brian tended to by a monk in a mountain retreat following the events of his normal origin story. Inspired by the monk's kindness, Eel resolves to use his powers for good, becoming the crime fighter Plastic Man, and works for the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
. In this series, Plastic Man gets a girlfriend (FBI Special Agent Morgan, later revealed as the surgically-altered fiancée named Nancy who Plas' alter ego had left in the 1940s), and adopts a Goth
A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were:
*Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history
*Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history
Goth or Goths may also refer to:
* Goth (surname) ...
teenage daughter, Edwina. The series won five Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
s for Best New Series, Best Title for Younger Readers, Best Writer/Artist: Humor and one Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...
for Best New Series.
Tangent Comics
In the Tangent Comics
Tangent Comics is a DC Comics imprint created in 1997, developed from ideas by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash. ...
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
, set on the alternate universe Earth-9, Plastic Man is a member of the Secret Six
The so-called Secret Six, or the Secret Committee of Six, were a group of men who secretly funded the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry by abolitionist John Brown.
Sometimes described as "wealthy," this was true of only two. The other four were in po ...
. He is scientist Gunther Ganz, whose consciousness has been transferred to a "living polymer".
''JLA/Avengers''
In the DC Comics/Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover (also called cross-company or company crossover) is a comic or series of comics in which characters, that at the time of publication are the property or licensed property of one publisher, meet character ...
''JLA/Avengers
''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, w ...
'', Plastic Man is a member of the JLA and teams with Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
in the Marvel locale of Wakanda
Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther (comics), Black Pa ...
, where the two encounter the Marvel characters the Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
and the Black Panther. Plastic Man is replaced by DC Comics' Elongated Man
Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960).
The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...
after the merging of worlds.
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier''
Plastic Man is mentioned by Sal Paradyse in Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
and Kevin O'Neill's '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier''.
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the '' Flashpoint'' event, Eel O'Brian is a villain. After Heat Wave
A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
was sent to death row for killing Jason Rusch
Jason Rusch is a fictional character, a superhero in the . He is the second superhero known as Firestorm. He first appears in ''Firestorm'' (vol. 3) #1 (July 2004) and was created by Dan Jolley and ChrisCross.
Publication history
Another ''Fire ...
, O'Brian arrives to break him out in the flying fortress of the military Doom prison, having been hiding, disguised in the body of his cellmate Cluemaster. During the prison break, O'Brian dislikes being called "Plastic Man", when inmate Sportsmaster
The Sportsmaster is the name of different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Lawrence "Crusher" Crock version of Sportsmaster is usually depicted as a criminal who uses sports-themed weapons and gadgets to ...
calls him this. While O'Brian helps him to retrieve his weapons, he discovers Heat Wave attacking the guards' control room and attempting to ram the flying prison at Cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. 's home city of Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
. O'Brian refuses to let him destroy the city, but Heat Wave turns on him and seems to kill Plastic Man by using his flame gun to melt his body. After Heat Wave is defeated by Cyborg and imprisoned in Belle Reve, O'Brian is revealed to have survived the flame gun attack and smuggles himself into the prison in Heat Wave's new cellmate's body, where he is later shown advancing on Heat Wave.
''Injustice: Gods Among Us''
Plastic Man appears in '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' comic. He is seen among the gathered super-heroes at Congress after Lara Lane-Kent delivers a speech to them, mingling among the heroes and politicians in the continuity where Lois didn't die.
In this story, Plastic Man is against Superman's changed ethics after the Metropolis bombing but doesn't physically try to stop him until Superman arrests Plastic Man's son Luke (Offspring) for opposing him. He breaks into the Regime's underwater prison, rescues his son, and frees the captured super villains and Green Lantern Corps while encouraging them to focus their efforts on bringing down Superman.
He and Luke return to join Batman's Justice League Task Force in ''Injustice 2
''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publishe ...
''.
''Wednesday Comics''
In the collected edition of ''Wednesday Comics'' (200 pages, DC Comics, June 2010, ; Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
, July 2010, ), Plastic Man is featured in a story by Evan Dorkin
Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork''. His comics often poke fun at fandom, even while making it clear that Dorkin is a fan himsel ...
with art by Stephen DeStefano. Plastic Man and Woozy battle Professor Grushenko at the museum over a magic elixir with resulting hijinks.
In other media
Television
* A "Plastic Man" pilot was planned first by Hal Seeger
Harold Seeger (May 16, 1917 – March 13, 2005) was an American animated cartoon producer and director who owned his own studio the Hal Seeger Studio (Hal Seeger Productions). He is most famous as the creator of the 1960s animated series '' Batfi ...
Productions, then by Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
.
* Plastic Man makes a cameo appearance in the ''Super Friends
''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
'' episode "Professor Goodfellow's G.E.E.C.", voiced by Norman Alden
Norman Alden (born Norman Adelberg, September 13, 1924 – July 27, 2012) was an American character actor who performed in television programs and motion pictures. He first appeared on television on ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' in 1957. He ...
.
* Plastic Man appears in ''The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
''The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' is an animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions from 1979 to 1981; it was shown right after ''Super Friends'' on the ABC Network.
The show featured various adventures of the DC Comic ...
'', voiced by Michael Bell. This version is an operative of an unnamed covert agency partnered with a bumbling Hawaiian sidekick named Hula-Hula, his girlfriend Penny, and eventually Plastic Man's son Baby Plas. Additionally, Taylor Marks portrays Plastic Man in the syndicated version of the series.
* Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 19 ...
and Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
commissioned a ''Plastic Man'' television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, "Puddle Trouble", in 2006, produced by Andy Suriano and Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in ''R ...
, and designed and storyboarded by Stephen DeStefano. Tom Kenny also performed the voice of Plastic Man in the program. Cartoon Network decided not to pick up ''Plastic Man'' as a series and has never aired the episode. "Puddle Trouble" has been released on the ''Plastic Man: The Complete Collection'' DVD set.
* Plastic Man appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced again by Tom Kenny. This version was originally Edward "Eel" O'Brian, an underling of Kite Man
Kite Man (Charles "Chuck" Brown) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly depicted as an adversary of Batman who uses kite-based weapons to commit crimes. His name is a homage to ''Peanuts'' protagonist Cha ...
who lived in a suburban home with his family. While joining Kite Man for a heist, Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
intervened, inadvertently caused the accident that turned O'Brian into Plastic Man, and helped him become a superhero. Additionally, an Earth-Three
Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (1964), and the concept has been reb ...
counterpart of Plastic Man named Rubber Man makes a non-speaking appearance in the episode "Deep Cover for Batman!" as a member of the Injustice Syndicate.
* Plastic Man makes non-speaking cameo appearances in ''Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
''. After joining the Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
in the episode "Revelation", he joins Batman, among other Leaguers, in resigning from the group as part of a pre-planned response to U.N. secretary general Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...
's numerous restrictions so they can operate as vigilantes in the third season episode "Princes All".
* Plastic Man appears in the '' Mad'' segment "That's What Super Friends Are For", voiced by Dana Snyder
Dana Snyder is an American actor. He is known for his voice roles of Master Shake in '' Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', Granny Cuyler in '' Squidbillies'', Baby Ball on '' Ballmastrz: 9009'', and other roles in various Adult Swim television shows. Hi ...
.
* Plastic Man appears in '' Robot Chicken''.
* Plastic Man appears in the ''DC Nation Shorts
''DC Nation Shorts'' are animated shorts featuring characters from DC Comics that aired in a series on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 10/9c.
Production
On March 3, 2012, the shorts premiered as part of the ''DC Nation'' block, produced by Warn ...
'', voiced again by Tom Kenny.
* Plastic Man appears in ''Justice League Action
''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on Nov ...
'', voiced again by Dana Snyder.
Film
Animation
* Plastic Man makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Justice League: New Frontier''.
* Plastic Man appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League'', voiced by Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in ''R ...
.
* Plastic Man appears in '' Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced again by Tom Kenny.
* Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
mentioned at Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo
Calgary Expo, known in full as the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, is an annual fan convention held at Stampede Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Originally taking place in the BMO Centre, the show began in 2005 as a comic book conventi ...
that he met with Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serve ...
and pitched an animated ''Plastic Man'' film that he wrote for DC. He revealed that Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom '' The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead ...
was set to voice the character before the film got scrapped.
* Plastic Man appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash'', voiced again by Tom Kenny.
* Plastic Man appears in ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film based on the television series ''Teen Titans Go!'', which is based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. This film is directed by Peter Rida Mi ...
'', voiced by Joey Cappabianca.
* Plastic Man appears in ''Injustice
Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but n ...
'', voiced by Oliver Hudson
Oliver Rutledge Hudson (born September 7, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Adam Rhodes in the CBS comedy series ''Rules of Engagement'' (2007–2013), Jeff Fordham on the ABC musical drama series ''Nashville'' (2013–20 ...
.
Live-action
Warner Bros. Pictures began development on a film centered around Plastic Man, in the early 1990s with Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marsha ...
producing and Bryan Spicer
Bryan Spicer (born April 9, 1964) is an American film and television director. As a television director some his credits include ''Castle'', '' 24'', ''House'', '' Heroes'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' Hawaii Five-0'', and ''Magnum P.I ...
directing. The Wachowskis
Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...
wrote the screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
in 1995.
In December 2018, development for a new Plastic Man film was announced, with Amanda Idoko writing the screenplay and Robert Shaye
Robert Kenneth Shaye (born March 4, 1939) is an American businessman, film producer, actor, director, and writer. He is the founder of New Line Cinema, a film production studio that distributed films such as ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', ''Tee ...
as executive producer. Years later in December, it was reported that Cat Vasko was hired to rewrite Idoko's screenplay while the project is being reworked to be a female-centered movie.
Video games
* Plastic Man appears as a playable character in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame'', voiced again by Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in ''R ...
.
* Plastic Man appears as a summonable character in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
* Plastic Man appears as a playable character in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'', voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
.
* Plastic Man appears as a playable character in ''Lego DC Super-Villains
''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the '' Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...
'', voiced by JP Karliak
John Paul "JP" Karliak is an American actor and comedian.
He is known for voicing characters, such as Linus in ''The Stinky & Dirty Show'' and Wile E. Coyote in '' Wabbit/New Looney Tunes'', Naysaya in the Disney XD animated series '' Star vs. th ...
.
Web series
* Plastic Man makes a cameo appearance in '' DC Super Hero Girls'' as a graduate of Super Hero High.
Magazines
The April 19, 1999, issue of ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' features Plastic Man on the cover gawking at a Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
painting. This issue ran a biography of Jack Cole by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...
, which two years later would comprise much of the text in his and Chip Kidd
Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers.
Early childhood
Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books ...
's book ''Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits''. In the 499th issue of ''Mad Magazine
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...
'', Plastic Man can be seen in the magazine's ''Watchmen
''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...
'' spoof during Funnyman's (spoof of Edward Blake/Comedian) funeral
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
.
Jack Cole reprints
''DC Comics unless otherwise noted'':
* Eel O'Brian appears in ''Batman Adventures
''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other ''Batman'' titles because it is set in the continuity (and style) of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', as opposed to the regular DC Universe.
...
'' #6 (November 2003)
*''The Great Comic Book Heroes'', by Jules Feiffer
Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North- ...
(Dial Press, 1965)
::"The Origin of Plastic Man" a.k.a. "Eeyow! It's Plastic Man!" – ''Police Comics'' #1 (August 1941)
* ''Comix: A History of Comic Books in America'' (Bonanza Books, 1971)
::"The Granite Lady" – ''Police Comics'' #51, February 1946
* ''DC Special'' #15 (December 1971)
::"The Origin of Plastic Man" a.k.a. "Eeyow! It's Plastic Man!" – ''Police Comics'' #1 (August 1941)
::"The Man Who Can't Be Harmed" – ''Police Comics'' #13 (November 1942)
::"Plastic Man Products" – ''Plastic Man'' #17 (May 1949)
::"The Private Detective" (Starring Woozy Winks) – ''Plastic Man'' #26 (November 1950)
::"The Magic Cup" – ''Plastic Man'' #25 (September 1950)
*''Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' #238 (January 1972)
*'' Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen'' #149–150 (May–June 1972)
*''Plastic Man'' #1–2 ( DynaPubs, B&W reprints of golden age comics in the ''Flashback'' series, 1974 & 1976)
*''A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics'' (Smithsonian Institution / Harry N. Abrams, 1981)
::"The Origin of Plastic Man" a.k.a. "Eeyow! It's Plastic Man!" – ''Police Comics'' #1 (August 1941)
::"The Man Who Can't Be Harmed" – ''Police Comics'' #13 (November 1942) which has the First appearance
In American comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status.
Reader interes ...
of sidekick Woozy Winks
Wolfgang "Woozy" Winks is a character appearing in comic books published by Quality Comics, and later DC Comics. He is the comic relief sidekick to the superhero Plastic Man, and first appeared in ''Police Comics'' #13 (November 1942). Winks has ap ...
*''Plastic Man 80-Page Giant'' #1 DC (2003) ()
::"The Origin of Plastic Man" a.k.a. "Eeyow! It's Plastic Man!" – ''Police Comics'' #1 (August 1941), by Jack Cole
::"The Man Who Can't Be Harmed" – ''Police Comics'' #13 (November 1942) the first appearance of sidekick Woozy Winks, by Jack Cole
::"The Hand Behind!" – ''Plastic Man'' #3 (Spring 1946) Plas vs. Bordo, a special prose feature. Writer: unknown
::"The Wizard of Light!" – ''House of Mystery'' #160 (July 1966) Robby Reed as a proto-Plas vs. the Wizard of Light. Story by Dave Wood, art by Jim Mooney.
::"The Dirty Devices of Dr. Dome!" – ''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2, #1 (November–December 1966). Story by Arnold Drake, art by Gil Kane.
::"The Hamsters of Doom!"" – ''Plastic Man'' Vol. 2, #11 (February–March 1976). Story by Steve Skeates, art by Ramona Fradon with Teny Henson.
*''Plastic Man Archives''
::Volume 1, – ''Police Comics'' #1–20
::Volume 2, – ''Police Comics'' #21–30 and ''Plastic Man'' #1
::Volume 3, – ''Police Comics'' #31–39 and ''Plastic Man'' #2
::Volume 4, – ''Police Comics'' #40–49 and ''Plastic Man'' #3
::Volume 5, – ''Police Comics'' #50–58 and ''Plastic Man'' #4
::Volume 6, – ''Police Comics'' #59–65 and ''Plastic Man'' #5–6
::Volume 7, – ''Police Comics'' #66–71 and ''Plastic Man'' #7–8
::Volume 8, – ''Police Comics'' #72–77 and ''Plastic Man'' #9–10
See also
* 1941 in comics Fashion
Events and publications
* Stan Lee becomes editor-in-chief at Timely Comics.
* ''Adventures of Captain Marvel'', a twelve-chapter film serial (film), serial adapted from the popular Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel comic book ...
* Stacey Augmon
Stacey Orlando Augmon (born August 1, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former player. He serves as the player development coach of the Sacramento Kings. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He gained the ...
, a professional basketball player sometimes nicknamed "Plastic Man".
Similar characters
* Elongated Man
Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960).
The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...
, another DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
character with similar powers.
* Elasti-Girl
Elasti-Girl (also known as Elasti-Woman) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Doom Patrol. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani, the character first appeared ...
, a fellow DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
hero from Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...
who can stretch as well.
* Elastic Lad, Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen who gains Plastic Man-like powers when drinking a special serum.
* Lastikman
Lastikman, originally spelled Lastik Man, is a fictional character and Filipino comics superhero created by Mars Ravelo and artist Mar T. Santana. Lastikman or the original spelling of Lastik Man debuted in comics format in ''Aliwan Komiks'' ...
, a Filipino character with similar powers developed by Mars Ravelo
Marcial "Mars" Ravelo (October 9, 1916 – September 12, 1988) was a Filipino comic book cartoonist and graphic novelist who created ''Darna, Dyesebel, Captain Barbell, Lastikman'', '' Bondying'', ''Varga'', ''Wanted: Perfect Mother'', ''Hiwa ...
in 1964.
* Monkey D. Luffy
, also known as , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''One Piece'' manga series, created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil f ...
, a manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
character who has abilities similar to Plastic Man, starring in the Japanese comic ''One Piece
''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
''.
* Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace a ...
, a Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
superhero from Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
, with abilities similar to Plastic Man.
* Poly Mer of ''PS238
''PS238'' is an American comic book written and drawn by Aaron Williams and published by Do Gooder Press. It follows the lives of both teachers and students at an elementary school for children with super powers, which the comic calls metapro ...
'', a gender-swapped child version of Plastic Man with similar shapechanging abilities and personality.
* Thin Man, another elastic superhero from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, who first appeared in Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics
Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...
.
* Flatman Flatman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*David Flatman (born 1980), English rugby player
* Frederick Flatman (1843–1911), New Zealand Member of Parliament
*Nat Flatman, 19th-century English champion jockey
*Thomas Flatman
...
, another Marvel hero with the ability to stretch.
* Tiramolla, an Italian comic book character with a similar elastic body.
References
Further reading
* ''Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits'', by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...
and Chip Kidd
Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers.
Early childhood
Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books ...
(Chronicle Books, 2001, )
External links
Plastic Man
at DC Database
at DC Cosmic Teams!
Plastic Man
at Comic Vine
{{GoldenAge
Characters created by Jack Cole
Comics characters introduced in 1941
DC Comics American superheroes
DC Comics characters who are shapeshifters
DC Comics characters with accelerated healing
DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
DC Comics male superheroes
DC Comics metahumans
DC Comics orphans
Fictional characters who can stretch themselves
Fictional characters with immortality
Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel
Fictional professional thieves
Golden Age superheroes
Quality Comics superheroes