Shimmer (real name Selinda Flinders) is a fictional

supervillainess A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

in the DC Comics universe. The older sister of fellow supervillain Mammoth, she is a founding member of the

Fearsome Five The Fearsome Five is a group of supervillains from DC Comics who serve as enemies of the Teen Titans. Publication history They were created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and first appeared in '' The New Teen Titans'' #3 (January 1981), going ...

and enemy of the Teen Titans. The character made her live-action debut in the second season of the DC Universe series '' Titans'', portrayed by Hanneke Talbot.

Publication history

Shimmer first appeared in ''

The New 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 ...

'' #3 and was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman.

Fictional character biography

Selinda and her younger brother Baran (a.k.a. the supervillain Mammoth) are superhumans from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Teased by their classmates for being different, the frustrated children used their powers to fight their tormentors, only to be driven out of town by the angry and frightened parents. Selinda and Baran's parents sent them off to the country of Markovia, where they were put in the care of scientist Dr. Helga Jace. While Dr. Jace tried to teach the young mutants a sense of morality, the two instead turned to a life of crime. Shimmer is one of the founding members of the Fearsome Five, which she joins after answering an ad placed in the ''Underworld Star'' by Doctor Light. Shimmer and the Fearsome Five fought with the Teen Titans on numerous occasions; they also have battled

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 ...

. Shimmer eventually renounces her criminal life and retires, along with Baran, to a Tibetan monastery. Later, her peaceful existence is ended when her former teammate

Psimon Psimon (Simon Jones) is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history He first appeared in '' The New Teen Titans'' #3 (January 1981) and was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman. Fictional ...

tracks her down. Using his psychic powers, Psimon turns Shimmer's body to glass and shatters it. Shimmer later returns to life.

Doctor Sivana Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck, the character is a recurring enemy of the superhero Captain Marvel/Shazam, both of whom first appe ...

assembles a new version of the Fearsome Five, including Shimmer's brother Mammoth. Sivana is able to recruit Mammoth by promising to resurrect his sister. Sivana has Psimon reassemble the broken shards of Shimmer's glass body, then uses his superscience to restore her to life. In this new form, Shimmer adopts a revealing

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) ...

-like black leather outfit in place of her original gold

bodystocking A bodystocking or body stocking is a one-piece skin-tight garment that covers the torso, legs and sometimes the arms of the wearer. It is a foundation garment or an article of lingerie usually made from a sheer fabric similar to that used for st ...

. Shimmer is mentioned as a possible, but not likely, source for

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

in '' Countdown to Infinite Crisis'' (2005). Shimmer is one of the villains featured in '' Salvation Run''. She and Mammoth eventually join up with a new Fearsome Five roster that is hired by

Calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...

to kidnap Wonder Girl and distract the new team of Teen Titans while he abducts Kid Eternity. Shimmer and her teammates are eventually defeated, but in the process manage to cause the death of Kid Devil. Shimmer and the Fearsome Five apparently escape soon after their incarceration. They attempt to assassinate Donna Troy when she attends the opening of a resort in Miami. Troy easily defeats the villains, but Shimmer taunts her by refusing to reveal who hired them.

The New 52

In the timeline of the 2011 DC Comics continuity reboot, The New 52, Shimmer is reintroduced as a member of the

. The group later appears are members of the

Secret Society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

, which are allied with the

Crime Syndicate Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

. She is sent with the other members of the Fearsome Five, Jinx, Mammoth,

Gizmo A gizmo is a gadget, especially one whose real name is unknown or forgotten. Gizmo may also refer to: Technology * The Gizmo or "Gizmotron", an effects device for electric guitars * Gizmo key, found on certain flutes * Gizmos, interactive onli ...

and

, to team up with Doctor Psycho and Hector Hammond in order to fight against Cyborg and the

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

. She is then defeated by Platinum.

DC Rebirth

In the timeline of DC's 2016 book relaunch, DC Rebirth, Shimmer appears as part of the Fearsome Five.''Titans'' #9. DC Comics.

Powers and abilities

Shimmer is a

metahuman In DC Comics' DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with both ''mutant'' and ''mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term ...

with ability to transmute any element or compound into any other. The change only lasts for a few minutes and she can only affect materials within a radius of .

In other media

* Shimmer makes non-speaking appearances in '' Young Justice''. This version is a member of the Light. Initially a human martial artist, she works as Kobra's right hand woman and bodyguard until she is incarcerated in Belle Reve Penitentiary and eventually becomes an enforcer under Queen Bee as a member of the sub-group Onslaught. After being experimented on by the

Reach Reach or REACH may refer to: Companies and organizations * Reach plc, formerly Trinity Mirror, large British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher * Reach Canada, an NGO in Canada * Reach Limited, an Asia Pacific cable network company * ...

, Shimmer becomes a metahuman. * Shimmer makes a brief appearance in the '' Titans'' episode "Rose", portrayed by Hanneke Talbot.

References

{{Outsiders (comics) DC Comics female supervillains Fictional Australian people Characters created by George Pérez Characters created by Marv Wolfman Comics characters introduced in 1981 DC Comics metahumans Suicide Squad members Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities